Groups consist of two or more people who interact together according to shared rules and goals. There are different types of groups including primary groups like families that involve close interaction, and secondary groups like workplaces that are less intimate but goal-oriented. People join groups for reasons like task accomplishment through group synergy, interpersonal support, and fulfilling social needs. Communicating effectively in groups can be challenging as it requires constructive participation, leadership, managing conflicts productively, and addressing issues like cohesion, group size, power structures, and norms. While groups have strengths like greater resources and thoroughness, they also have limitations such as time requirements and potential for conformity pressures.

1. Types of Communication
Group Communication
What is a group?
Communication scholars have provided many answers to this deceptively simple question. Most groups consist of
two or more people who repeatedly interact together, regulating their conduct and communication within some
set of rules that they mutuallyrecognize and follow.
What is a Group?
A group is any number of people who have a common goal, interact with one another to accomplish their goal,
recognize one another‘s existence, and see themselves as a part of group. To test our definition lets consider one
example- people in que outside a theatre. Is this a group? Certainly these people have a common goal; they all are
waiting to see a particular film. But these people need to interact with one another to accomplish their goal,
although each may be very aware of the presence of other in line. Now, if someone were to try to sneak in at the
front of the line and people made a unified effort to keep the crasher out, we could say during that period of time
the random collection of people became a group. Looking at our definition, the unified effort to block the line
crasher would call for group interaction and awareness of others.
Groups are collections of people we habitually communicate with, often limiting and specific contexts. Hartley
identified three types of the groups‘ namely- family, friendship and work groups. Work groups tend to be rather
more formal than the other types. Some groups are ‗ascribed‘ (like our families) and some are ‗achieved‘ (like
the membership of clubs/teams). Some groups are large and others are small. Moreover, within friendship
groups there is considerable variation of intensity and commitment, which may result partly from how well we
established these groups are.
Group can be termed as descriptive term that can be applied to a wide variety of communication practices. In
terms of personal communication, it is fair to say that we are mostly engaged in-group communication,
communication with or within groups. There is a significant amount of redundancy or predictability in personal
communication in groups- established routines, patterns, even networks of communication that we occupy.
According to Burton and Dimbleby (1995) if there is no interaction between the individuals, then a group cannot
be formed. Group shares common interests, goals and purposes. Groups share common values and norms.
O‘Sullivian et.al. (1994) define norms as those sets of social rules, standards and expectations that both generate
and regulate social interaction and communication. In most of the groups these norms are unwritten and unspoken.
A social group is any number of people who share a consciousness of membership and of interaction. Thus we
belong to social groups like family, the community, the caste, the trade union, the professional associations,
political parties, student bodies, graduates, teachers and the like. Groups are vital reality from which there is little
escape. They, much more than mass media, are the agents of change as well as of resistance to change.
Types of groups
Clearly, a dimension of groups is their longevity, whether they are short term or long term. Another dimension is
their significance to us and the resulting frequency of interaction that entails. Those groups that you spend most
time with are referred to as primary groups, with secondary groups as those with which you have intermittent
contact.

2. The group that is most intimate and close is known as the primary group. Such for instance are the family, the
peer group, the gang or the clique. The three conditions that give rise to primary groups is: (1) a close physical
proximity, (2) the small size of the group, which makes for face to face association and co-operation, and (3)
the lasting nature of the bond or a relationship like that between, wife and children.
The secondary or peer group, on the other hand, is characterized by a less close relationship between members.
Although secondary groups sometimes provide pleasant human relationships, sociability is ordinarily not their
goal. So, while primary groups are relationship oriented, secondary groups are goal- oriented and much less
cohesive. Examples of secondary groups are: the college, the school, the various organizations and unions among
others.
Why do people join a group?
People join groups for a variety of reasons. Some group members are motivated by task concerns and
others are motivated by interpersonal attraction to other group members.
Group Synergy
Group synergy refers to the idea that two heads (or more) are better than one. You may have also heard the
phrase, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," which also refers to group synergy. Put simply, groups
are often capable of producing higher quality work and better decisions that can an individual working alone.
Support and Commitment
A group may be more willing to take on a large project than would an individual. In addition to its increased
ability to perform work, the group can provide encouragement and support to its members while working on
a big project.
Interpersonal Needs
Individuals often join a group to meet their interpersonal needs. William Schutz
2
has identified three such
needs: inclusion, control, and affection.
Inclusion is the need to establish identity with others.
Control is the need to exercise leadership and prove one's abilities. Groups provide outlets for this need. Some
individuals do not want to be a leader. For them, groups provide the necessary control over aspects of their lives.
Affection is the need to develop relationships with people. Groups are an excellent way to make friends and
establish relationships.
Features of group
We need to understand influences on participation in groups as well as the influence of communication itself on
group process and productivity. We‘ll consider five features of group that affect and are affected by
participation.
Cohesion
Cohesion is the degree of closeness among members and sense of group spirit. In highly cohesive
groups, members see themselves as tightly linked and committed to share goals. This results in satisfaction than
members of non-cohesive units feel. High cohesion and satisfaction it generates tend to increase members
commitment to a group and its goals. Cohesion grows out of communication that builds group identity and creates
a climate of inclusion for all members. Cohesion and participation are reciprocal in their influence. Cohesion is
promoted when all members are involved and communicating

3. in the group. At the same time, because cohesiveness generates a feeling of identity and
involvement, once established it fosters participation.
Although cohesion is important for effective group communication, excessive cohesion can
actually undermine sound group work. When members are too close, they may be less critical of
each other‘s ideas and less willing to engage in analysis and arguments that are necessary to
develop the best outcomes. Members tend to perceive their group so positively that they assume it
cannot take bad decisions. Consequently, members do not critically screen ideas generated in
deliberations. The predictable result is group outcomes that are inferior and that often fail.
Group size
The number of people in-group affects the amount and quality of communication. In a group of five
people, each idea must be received and interpreted by four others, each of whom may respond with
comments that that four others must receive and interpret. As the group size increases, the
contributions of each member tend to decrease. It can be hard to get your ideas in, and the sheer
number of people contributing ideas can mean that no idea receives much feedback. Because
participation is linked to commitment, larger groups may generate less commitment to group outcomes
than smaller groups.
With too few members a group has limited resources, which diminishes a primary value of
group decision-making.
Power structure
Power is the ability to influence others to reach their goals. People who empower others do not
emphasize their status. Instead they act behind the scenes to enlarge others influence and visibility and
to help others succeed. It builds team spirit so that group members are productive and satisfied. With
in groups power may be earned and distributed in distinct ways. Power may result from position
(CEO, president, professor, best friend of the boss etc), or it may be earned (demonstrated competence
or expertise).
Group Norms
Norms are guidelines that regulate how members act, as well as how they interact with each other.
Group norms control everything from trivial to critical aspects of group‘s life. Norms grow directly
out of interaction. More inconsequential norms may regulate meeting time and whether eating is
allowed during meetings.
Potential Limitations and Strengths of Groups
Limitations
The two most significant disadvantages of group are the time required for group process and the
potential of conformity pressures to interfere with high-quality work from groups. In a group
discussion, however, all members have an opportunity to voice their ideas and to respond to the ideas
others put forward. It takes substantial time for each person to describe ideas, clarify
misunderstandings, and respond to questions or criticisms. In addition, groups require time to deliberate
about alternative
courses of action.Groups also have the potential to suppress individuals and encourage conformity.
Members have ethical responsibility to communicate in ways that encourage expression of diverse
ideas and open debate about different viewpoints.
Strengths

4. The primary potential strengths of groups in comparison to individuals are greater resources, more
thorough thought, heightened creativity, and enhanced commitment to decisions. A group exceeds
any individual in the ideas, perspectives, experiences, and expertise it can bring to bear solving a
problem. Groups also tend to be more thorough than individuals, probably because members check
and balance each other.
Challenges of communicating in groups
For groups to realize their potential strengths members must meet a number of
communication challenges.
Participating constructively- There are four kinds of communication in groups- task, procedural,
climate and egocentric. First three are constructive in nature because they foster good group climate and
outcomes. Task communication focuses on the problem, issues, or information before a group. It
provides ideas and information, clarifies members understanding, and critically evaluates ideas.
If you have ever participated in a disorganized group, you understand the importance of
Procedural communication. It helps a group get organized and stay on track in its decision-
making. Procedural contributions establish an agenda, coordinate comments of different members,
and record group progress.
A group is more than a task unit. It is also people who are involved in a relationship that can be more
or less pleasant and open. Climate communication focuses on creating and maintaining a constructive
climate that encourages members to contribute freely and to evaluate ideas critically.
Egocentric communication or dysfunctional communication is used to block others or to call attention
to one. It detracts from group progress because it is self-centered rather than group centered. It doesn‘t
contribute to enjoyable group interaction or high-quality outcomes.
Providing Leadership- all groups need leadership in order to be effective. Leadership may be provided
either by one member or by several members who contribute to guiding group process and ensuring
effective outcomes. Leadership exists when one or more members communicate in order to establish a
good working climate, organize group processes, and ensure that discussion is substantive. The person
who guides the group at the outset may not be the one who advances the group‘s work in the later
phases. Depending on what a group needs at a specific time, different leadership functions are
appropriate and may come from different members. Even when an official leader exists, other
members may contribute much of the communication that provides leadership to a group.
Managing conflict constructively- in-group communication conflict stimulates thinking, helps members
consider diverse perspectives, and enlarges member‘s understanding of issues involved in making
decisions and generating ideas. Constructive conflict occurs when members understand that
disagreements are natural and can help them achieve their shared goals. Communication that expresses
respect for diverse opinions reflects this attitude. Members also emphasize shared interests and goals.
To encourage constructive conflict, communication should demonstrate openness to different ideas,
willingness to alter opinions when good reasons exist, and respect for the integrity of other members
and views they xpress.
Review questions
 Discuss types of groups in detail. Explain why do people join groups?
 Explain what are the difficulties people normally face while communicating in a group?
References-

5. 1. http://en.docsity.com/en/study-notes/literature-and-communication/2243/media-and-mass-
communication
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media