Group Communication Pitfalls
Overcoming Barriers to an Effective Group Experience

First Edition

John O. Burtis - University of Northern Iowa, USA
Paul D. Turman - Nebraska State College System, Lincoln, NE, South Dakota Board of Regents, USA

Courses:
Group Communication | Group Counseling | Group Dynamics in Organizations | Group Dynamics/Group Processes | Teams

September 2005 | 264 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

"They have done this with a rich, provocative, and creative conceptual vocabulary that will resonate for readers who practice, supervise others' practice, teach about or do research in group life and group work."
—Paul H. Ephross, MSW, PhD, Professor, University of Maryland School of Social Work

Group Communication Pitfalls: Overcoming Barriers to an Effective Group Experience treats groups and the work involved in grouping as useful tools humans have developed for responding to pressures or demands faced by group members. This book assumes an orientation that expects and detects group pitfalls as they arise, providing students with the foundation for overcoming barriers to effective group experiences. By assuming this orientation, authors John O. Burtis and Paul D. Turman offer readers a map of the group pitfall terrain and demonstrate how people working well together can use the struggle against such pitfalls to improve their groups.

Key Features

Provides students with a unifying theoretical framework and pedagogical orientation, which organizes a very broad range of research findings into tight and useful classifications
Takes a comprehensive approach that frames current small group communication literature through a theoretical lens provided by Breakdown-Conducive Group Theory
Reviews research findings from a variety of methodological perspectives and directly describes applications of the concepts discussed across each chapter
Offers extensive skills enhancing material to help students apply the theoretically based concepts discussed in the book

While other texts cover cursory material on group pitfalls and miscommunication, it is the primary focus of this text and gives students practical recommendations to correct those pitfalls. Group Communication Pitfalls is an excellent textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on small group communication such as Advanced Group Communication, Group Dynamics, and Group Processes. It can also be used as a supplemental text in courses that focus on group interaction.

Available Formats

ISBN: 9781412915342	Hardcover	Suggested Retail Price: $166.00	Bookstore Price: $132.80
ISBN: 9781412915359	Paperback	Suggested Retail Price: $105.00	Bookstore Price: $84.00
ISBN: 9781452236995	Electronic Version	Suggested Retail Price: $72.00	Bookstore Price: $57.60

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Preface

Unit I: We Co-construct Our Groups by Communicating

1. Why Study Group Communication Pitfalls?

Overview of the Book

Why Do Groups Matter Enough to Make a Study of Them?

Definitions of "Communication", "Group", and "Pitfalls"

Casting a Wide Net to Include All Pitfalls and Breakdown

Group Communication Pitfalls by Commission or by Omission

The Breakdown-Conducive Group Framework

Why Should We Focus Our Study of Groups on Group Communication Pitfalls?

2. How Grouping and Group Direction Help Create Effective Group Experiences

The Universals of Grouping Activity

The Framework for Grouping and Group Direction

Rhetorical Situation and a Purgatory Puddle

Unit II: We Struggle to Co-construct and Frame Our Circumstances and Processes

3. Pitfalls in Task and Supragroup Exigencies

Groups as Systems

Purgatory Puddle Pitfalls

Supragroup Pitfalls

Wrong Task for a Group

How to Expect, Detect, and Correct These Pitfalls

4. Personnel Pitfalls

"Wrong Group for the Task" Pitfalls

Traits

Orientation

Style

Circumstances

How to Expect, Detect, and Correct These Pitfalls

5. Pitfalls in Grouping Techniques, Tendencies, and Process Prizes

Grouping Techniques

Technique Pitfalls

Grouping Tendencies: Norms and Roles

Norm Pitfalls

Role Pitfalls

Process Prizes

Process Prize Pitfalls

Deliberation Outcome Pitfalls

6. Pitfalls in Confusion, Conformity, Conflict, and Group Consciousness: Grouping Concomitants

Confusion Pitfalls

Conformity Pitfalls

Conflict Pitfalls

Consciousness Pitfalls

How to Expect, Detect, and Correct These Pitfalls

7. Pitfalls in Vision and Direction Giving

Vision/Outcome Pitfalls

Savior Complex Pitfalls

Ascension Pitfalls

Transitions Pitfalls

How to Expect, Detect, and Correct These Pitfalls

Unit III: We Co-construct Our Exigencies for Grouping Into Our Group Outcomes

8. (Un)Intended Group Outcomes

Dynamics Involved in Potential Group Outcomes

A Set of Potential Group Outcomes

9. To Group or Not to Group, That Is the Question

General Exigencies Against Grouping

Distrust of Grouping

Distrust of Self as a Grouping Member

Distrust of Any Aspect of This Particular Grouping Effort

Inertia and Specific Exigencies Against Grouping

How Exigencies Against Grouping May Manifest

Expecting, Detecting, and Correcting These Pitfalls: General Orientational Advice

10. Observing Groups Well

Observing Groups

Improving Observational Focus and Quality

Observing the Purgatory Puddle

Observing The Way/Process

Observing the Vision/Outcome and the Savior Complex

Paul H. Ephross

University of Mayland School of Social Work

Social Work With Groups

Key features

Provides students with a unifying theoretical frame and pedagogical orientation (i.e., group breakdown), which organizes a very broad range of research findings into tight and useful classifications
The text distinguishes itself from other texts (which provide cursory material on group pitfalls) by taking a comprehensive approach that frames current small group communication literature through a theoretical lens provided by Breakdown-Conducive Group Theory
Provides a review of research findings from a variety of methodological perspectives and directly describes applications of the concepts discussed across each chapter.
While the text is theoretically based, it is applied in orientation (with extensive skills enhancing material), and not heavily burdened with research cites beyond the basics on each topic.