SP 215 Small Group Communication Leadership

1. SP 215 Small Group Communication Leadership

2. Leaders and Leadership Leadership The ability to make strategic decisions and effectively use communication to mobilize group members toward achieving a common goal • A leader is a person. • Leadership is a behavior.

3. Leadership and Power • Power is “the quality without which leaders cannot lead.” • Power is the ability or authority to influence and motivate others. Warren Bennis and Bruce Nanus Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge

4. Five Types of Power

5. Reward and Coercive Power Reward Power Derives from the leader’s authority to give group members something they value Coercive Power Derives from the leader’s authority to discipline, demote, or dismiss group members

6. Legitimate, Expert, and Referent Power Legitimate Power Resides in a job, position, or assignment rather than in a person Expert Power Assigned to someone who has demonstrated a particular skill or special knowledge Referent Power Role model power–personal influence held by someone who is admired and respected

7. PowerPoint Quiz At the end of every month, a sales manager awards a cash bonus to the most successful salesperson. What type of power is this leader using? • Referent power • Coercive power • Reward power • Legitimate power • Expert power

8. Designated Leaders Selected by group members or an outside authority Being designated is no guarantee of leadership ability unless the leader’s skills match the group’s needs. Emergent Leaders Gradually achieve leadership by contributing to the achievement of group goals Emerging from within has the advantage of expert or referent power. Becoming a Leader

9. How to Become a Leader Fill in the strategies for becoming a leader: • Talk early and often (and__________). • Know more (and ________________). • Offer your opinion (and___________).

10. Leadership Theories

11. Trait Theory • Leaders are born, not made. • Identifies characteristics and behaviors of effective leaders. • Leadership Traits: • Self-confidence • Humility • Trustworthiness • High tolerance of frustration

12. Styles Theory • Democratic leaders are usually the best. • Autocratic leaders may have advantages in crisis or chaotic situations. • Laissez-faire leaders may succeed in mature, productive groups.

13. Situational Theory • Leaders are made, not born. • Fiedler’s Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness: Effective leadership occurs only when there is an ideal match between the leader’s style and the group’s work situation.

14. What is Your Leadership Style • Are You Task Motivated? • You want to get the job done at whatever cost. • Are You Relationship Motivated? • You gain satisfaction from working well with other people even if the group neglects or fails to complete the task.

15. What Is the Leadership Situation? • Are leader-member relations positive, negative, or somewhere in between? • Is the task highly structured, moderately structured, or unstructured? • As leader, do you have a lot of power, a moderate amount of power, or little power?

16. Contingency Model

17. Implications of Situational Theory • Once you know your leadership style and the type of situation, you can predict how successful you will be. • You may need to adapt your style to the situation or the situation to your style. • You may need to modify the amount or type of power you have.

18. Transformational Theory • Emphasizes what leaders accomplish rather than their personal characteristics or relationships with group members • Convert goals into action • Characteristics: charismatic, visionary, supportive, empowering, and innovative

19. 4-M Model of Leadership Effectiveness Critical Leadership Functions • Model leadership behavior • Motivate members • Manage group process • Make decisions

20. Model Leadership Behavior Champion your group. Speak and listen effectively. Exhibit trustworthiness, competence, consistency and assertiveness. Study and improve your own leadership skills. Motivate Members Secure member commitment to goals. Appropriately reward the group. Help solve interpersonal problems and conflicts. Match member abilities to appropriate tasks. Provide constructive feedback. Model and Motivate

21. Manage Group Process Be well-organized and prepared. Adapt to member strengths and weaknesses. Help solve problems. Monitor and intervene to improve performance. Secure resources and remove roadblocks. Make Decisions Make sure everyone shares needed information to make a quality decision. Discuss pending decisions and solicit feedback. Listen to members before deciding. Explain the rationale for your decisions. Manage and Make Decisions

22. Gender and Leadership • “Although male and female leaders may act the same, there is a tendency for women to be perceived more negatively or to have to act differently to gain leadership.” • Instead of asking whether a female leader is different than a male leader, ask whether she is an effective leader. Rodney Napier and Matti Gershenfeld Groups:Theory and Experience

23. Are You Ready to Lead? • Do you like having people count on you? • Do you ask people provocative questions about their work? • Do you compliment others easily? • Do you cheer people up even when your own spirits are down? • Are your group’s accomplishments more important than your own personal glory? • Would you enjoy representing your group at an outside gathering?

24. 8 ways of how NOT to become a leader: 1. Show up late for meetings or miss important meetings. 2. Be uninformed about a problem, issue or situation commanding the group’s attention. 3. Manifest apathy and lack of interest by sluggish participation in group discussions. 24

25. How NOT to become a leader: 4. Dominate group conversations. 5. Listen poorly to other group members. 6. Be rigid and inflexible when expressing viewpoints. 7. Bully other group members. 8. Use offensive and abusive language in the group. 25

26. Group Roles

27. Roles in Groups: Group roles as well as leadership are developed through the norms and rules within the group. Norms provide the broad rules that designate appropriate general behaviors for all group members while rules stipulate specific behaviors that are expected for individual group members. 27

28. Roles in Groups: There are two types of roles members fall into; formal (fixed) and informal (emergence). A formal role (fixed) is a position assigned by an organization or specifically designated by the group leader. Ex: President, chair, secretary, etc. 28

29. Roles in Groups: An informal role (emergent) elevates from the group transitions and it emphasizes functions not positions. Ex: A group member may fulfill leadership functions without any formal designation and suddenly find themselves as the group’s “leader.” 29

30. Member Roles • Task roles • Behavior that helps get the job done • Maintenance roles • Behaviors that help members get along with one another while pursuing a shared goal • Self-centered roles • Behaviors that put individual needs ahead of the group’s goal

31. Roles in Groups: Task Roles: Initiator-Contributor:Offers lots of ideas and suggestions; proposes solutions and new directions. Information Seeker:Requests clarification; solicits evidence; asks for suggestions and ideas fromothers. 31

32. Roles in Groups: Opinion Seeker:Requests viewpoints from others; looks for agreement and disagreement. Information Giver:Acts as a resource person for group; provides relevant and significant information based on research, expertise, or personal experience. 32

33. Roles in Groups: Clarifier-Elaborator: Explains, expands, extends the ideas of others; provides examples and alternatives. Coordinator: Draws together ideas of others; shows relationships between facts and ideas; promotes teamwork and cooperation. 33

34. Roles in Groups: Secretary-Recorder: Serves group memory function; takes minutes of meetings; keeps group's records and history. Facilitator: Keeps group on track; guides discussion; reminds group of goal; regulates group activities. 34

35. Roles in Groups: Devil's Advocate: Challenges prevailing point of view for the sake of argument to test and critically evaluate the strength of ideas, solutions, or decisions. 35

36. Roles in Groups: Maintenance Roles: Supporter-Encourager: Bolsters the spirits and goodwill of the group; provides warmth, praise, and acceptance of others; is inclusive of all members in discussion. 36

37. Roles in Groups: Harmonizer-Tension Reliever: Maintains the peace; reduces tension through humor and by reconciling differences between members. 37

38. Roles in Groups: Gatekeeper-Expediter: Controls channels of communication and flow of information; encourages evenness of participation; promotes open discussion. 38

39. Roles in Groups: Feeling Expresser: Monitors feelings and moods of the group; suggests discussion breaks when mood turns ugly or when energy levels flag. 39

40. Roles in Groups: Self-Centered or Disruptive Roles: Stagehog: Seeks recognition and attention by monopolizing conversation; prevents others from expressing their opinions fully; wants the spotlight. 40

41. Roles in Groups: Isolate: Deserts the group - withdraws from participation; acts indifferent, aloof, uninvolved; resists efforts to be included in group decision making. 41

42. Roles in Groups: Clown: Engages in horseplay; thrives on practical jokes and comic routines; diverts members‘ attention away from serious discussion of ideas and issues; steps beyond the boundaries of mere tension reliever. 42

43. Roles in Groups: Blocker: Thwarts progress of group; does not cooperate; opposes much of what group attempts to accomplish; incessantly reintroduces dead issues; makes negative remarks to members. 43

44. Roles in Groups: Fighter-Controller: Tries to dominate group; competes with members; abuses those who disagree; picks quarrels with members; interrupts to interject own opinions into discussion. 44

45. Roles in Groups: Zealot: Tries to convert members to a pet cause or idea; delivers sermons to group on state of the world; exhibits fanaticism. 45

46. Roles in Groups: Cynic: Displays sour outlook; engages in faultfinding; focuses on negatives; predicts failure. 46

47. Roles in Groups: Task roles move the group toward the attainment of its goal. The central communicative function of task roles is to extract the maximum productivity from the group members. 47

48. Roles in Groups: Maintenance roles focus on the social dimensions of the group. The central communicative function of maintenance roles is to gain and maintain the cohesiveness of the group. 48

49. Roles in Groups: The self-centered or disruptive roles serve individual needs or goals (me-oriented) while impeding attainment of group goals. Individuals who play these roles often warrant the tag “difficult group member.” 49

50. PowerPoint Quiz “Maria, we haven’t heard from you yet and want to make sure that everyone gets a chance to weigh in on this issue” would most likely be said by a group member assuming the role of a: a. Harmonizer b. Standard monitor c. Observer-interpreter d. Gatekeeper e. Procedural technician