Small Group Communication- Applied

I have to admit, I was stumped when it came time to write the applied blog for small group communication. I could not seem to think of a movie, book, or article I had ever read that really captured the complexity of small group communication. At first I thought of the movie “Dodgeball”- a funny film about a group of individuals who puts a team together to win a dodge ball tournament. But still, that didn’t seem like the ideal group of individuals I was searching for. Then, I had this brilliant idea- I could create the perfect team, give them a goal, let them brainstorm, and finally accomplish this task. I know it is impossible to have the “perfect” team because some conflict is constructive; however, I wanted to get close to enough to excellence.
So here is my team- it consists of three men, and three women. All the men and woman are between the age of 25-55, which comes in handy for the company who hired them. These men and women work for a dating website called “Match-Stick.com”. The website was created a couple of years ago by an older man called Andy, and it has been highly successful. Andy wants this holiday season to be full of love! Therefore, he wishes to meet a quota of matches by the end of New Years. Matches can only be successful if the couple reports to the website that they have made it past the first date. Andy has decided to higher this group of individuals to work together in a “work group” to create new questions and analyze past data. He also wants them to bring in their expertise on what is “attractive” at any age currently. All of the members have worked on teams many times before which will be the number one reason they are so effective.
Even before the group meets, they work though phase one of group development well. Each person detaches themselves from other obligations and learns about each member they will be working with. Based on John merits and background in this kind of matter, they decide to make him their leader. John will keep the group on track; he will be confident, and also supportive. He has been a leader many times before. Members call and email each other so that they know each person’s educational background and clue them in on what they can “bring to the table”. During phase two, storming, the group experiences constructive conflict. Amy, one of the girls does not agree with Dan’s idea because of some statistical evidence she knows. And Rachel asserts her educational background in gender studies from Harvard. The group does not get as much done during this phase, but still they are learning all about each other. During phase three, norming, the group will develop a wonderful balance. Each person starts to understand what they need to do to contribute the process. All members remain individuals, but the work and time they spend is a smoother process. During phase four, the group really starts performing! They brainstorm for hours and hours using the nominal group technique. The group is open to new ideas and instead of shooting other members down, they encourage them! Ideas are added, multiplied, divided, and subtracted. Questions are analyzed, tried, and researched. Every time a new question for the dating survey is developed, the group agrees on it fully- they form a consensus.
Meetings begin with a typed agenda written by John, the leader. The agenda states what the group accomplished during the last meeting and what they hope to accomplish next. For instance, during a certain day, half the group is asked to go out and walk the streets of New York City researching what “types” of people attract one another. The other half of the group is asked to analyze the data they have collected about what has worked for the site in the past. After a few weeks, the group has become close and tight knit. They enjoy each other’s company and they are highly invested in their work. Sometimes, they even stay later if they have not finished. They become highly cohesive. Humor is constantly used as a means to make the group less stressed as they are in constant pressure to meet a deadline. All channels and lines of communication are now open and the group has set high standards for themselves. Once in a while, the group experiences group think, but John tries to make sure all possible solutions are considered and all voices are heard. Their leader also tries to make each and every day fun because analyzing human beings is interesting and exciting. He thinks of new ways to brainstorm and sometimes he brings in media artifacts. When something doesn’t go as expected, the members still encourage each other. If problems arise, the group tries to “harmonize” and mediate their differences. All of the progress made by the group is kept in record and comprise is used all the time.
You may be sitting here thinking that this team is a “dream team”. It is not though, each and every person can change the way they function in a group. If every person changed their attitude and work ethics, possibly their team could be great. In today’s fast paced society people have a tendency to settle and create lower standards. But think of all the expertise that the world contains. There are so many people that could work together to solve enormous problems. This teams ends up creating a set of questions that allows people to pinpoint the exact person that would complement them. A graphic designer on the team worked with the website to make it look more romantic for the holidays. By the end of new years, 500 matches were made. This can happen! The group is excited beyond belief and this opportunity has shaped the way they work in a group.