November 12-18 Discussion 3

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed during this discussion week, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

Reward-punishment power was something that I found useful and interesting. We usually think of reward-punishment power as the ability to materially affect another’s well-being in terms of financial rewards or punishments, personal relationship rewards or punishments, or other rewards or punishments that we consider particularly meaningful. Members will attempt to get on the good side of whoever wields this power. If they will support that person’s opinion in hopes of seeing a reward, or will avoid mistakes or challenging the person, to avoid punishment. When participation in groups is based on regard for reward and punishment power, effective group process may be sacrificed. The book says that this type of power must be used with great care and with a sense of responsibility. Being President of Sigma Nu gives me this power, and I experience brothers seeking to support me when they can. In order to use this power with great care and responsibility, I use my executive committee to help advise me in my decisions when using this power. I do not want to unjustly reward or punish a brother.

November 12-18 Discussion 2

2). Briefly outline an example of collaborative conflict resolution that you have engaged in. Contrast that with competitive conflict. Which was more satisfying to you? To the other party?

The book writes that the ideal conflict-resolution strategy for any group is one of the win-win, or collaboration. These are typically good for conflict that will adversely affect two groups, or when the consequences can largely affect a group. Being the President of Sigma Nu gives me many opportunities to experience collaborative conflict resolution. Today we had to figure out how we were going to approve some of our funds. Two committees in Sigma Nu wanted the funding. After listening to both committees about why they deserved the funding, we were able to come to a consensus and spread the funding across the two committees. This was a win-win situation for both committees, though they did not get full funding, they were each able to get enough funding to begin their projects, and be able to support the projects the rest of the way on their own. Competitive conflict is more oriented towards a win-lose. Self-interest dominates over mutual interest. It can be fun when “healthy competition” is involved. The book suggests that small groups use competitive strategies when there is limited time or resources and when the larger goals of the group are enhanced by its use. I would prefer to use collaborative conflict resolution, as both parties will be satisfied. However, when resources are limited, and both parties understand and have mutual consent, competitive conflict can address issues effectively and quickly.

November 12-18 Discussion 1

1). (Regarding chapter 11) Distinguish among a forum, panel, colloquium, and symposium as a means for making a public presentation. Which one would you prefer? Why?

A forum allows the full audience to participate, examining a topic or problem after a short presentation is given by the group. A panel is a public format in which a group of four to eight experts discusses a problem or decision in front of an audience. A panel usually runs about an hour long, and does not provide direct interaction between the panel of experts and the audience. A colloquium is a form of public discussion in which a group of three to six experts discuss a problem. A moderator must work to keep the discussion focused and moving, yet allowing all parties, perspectives, and opinions, to be heard by the audience and the experts. A symposium provides a format for a series of two to six brief speeches made on different aspects of a complex and difficult problem. The purpose of the symposium is to present complex technical information to the audience about the problem. The speeches are well prepared, practiced, and polished presentations that are uninterrupted by the audience and presented by skilled public speakers. Following the speech audience is allowed to ask questions and discussion of the issue. I would prefer the symposium because the speakers will be well versed in their topic. They will be able to address all of the main points or topics with ease. The speeches will be prepared and practiced. This will help the listeners get all of the main points required, before being able to ask any questions or provide some discussion.

Nov 5-11 Question 3

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed during this discussion week, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

The concept that I will be discussing is that of emotional barriers. This is something personal that we put in our ways of our creative abilities. The book says that there are “risks and hard work associated with ‘going out on a limb’ and trying something new. We may have to take more time than we would like, we may make a mistake, and we may risk the censure of our peers by looking foolish or being judged incompetent”.  The fear of making a mistake limits us from taking opportunities in creativity. We feel that if we miss once, we have failed and will not have another chance. In reality, we can practice and eventually be on target, getting the appropriate answer. Society rewards those that are right, so when we find a “right” way to complete something, we may stick to that method of completing it. This blinds us to the other opportunities there are to completing something, even if it is more efficient, because we already know how to complete it one way and get rewarded.

Nov 5-11 Question 2

2). Name five cultural barriers to creativity. Why do you think these would keep a group from being creative? Have you experienced any of these personally? Explain.

The books lists barriers to creativity as, “lack of self-confidence, fear taking risks, feel a need to conform, do not feel we are in an environment that encourages creativity, or find ourselves locked into our habitual ways of looking at the world”. We are brought up in our education learning the right way to do something. We are not awarded or provided positive recognition for being wrong. There is a fear of being ostracized for being wrong. Because of this acculturation, people are afraid to make any choices that stray from the norm. Cultural barriers include a requirement for conformity, an expectation of practicality and efficiency, particular arenas for competition or cooperation, an expectation of politeness and following rules for social order, and a dependence on generalizations. Organizations can develop working habits that restrict creativity. The departments focus on their expertise and areas of responsibility, which leads workers to have perceptual barriers. I have experienced this with my fraternity, in which everyone feels they need to conform to a certain way of doing things. This limits the amount of creative decisions we can have. Sometimes, playing against the norms of “how it’s always done” will help the group.

Nov 5-11 Question 1

1). Provide an example of creativity from your own experience. How does it fit with the chapter's discussion of creativity?

Creativity means a new way of seeing. Every day we go about our tasks, which can become very mundane. The book provides an example in which a person can see a plain iron bar to be worth $5. Someone can forge the iron bar into horseshoes, worth $11. It could even be used to make needles, increasing the price to $3,285. Finally, someone can create watch springs from this plain iron bar, with a value of $250,000. When someone can see an iron bar for all its uses, they are tapping into their creative potential. This point ties into equifinality, where there are multiple ways to one destination. In my fraternity, we were looking for ways to keep brothers more accountable. We wanted to provide incentive over punishments. We reviewed the way we did things in the past, and with that asked questions and looked at different ways to reach our desired outcome. With that we saw ways to change the process, include incentive over punishment, address more issues, and reach a better desired outcome. Creativity in our thought process for changing this occurred. We decided to go against the grain and do things differently than how it has always been done.

Discussion Oct 29th-Nov 4th Question 3

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading this week, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

I found the topic of asynchronous and synchronous communication to be very interesting. In face-to-face communication we can understand a speaker’s meaning more clearly through their body language and nuances. Because of this, we can make for a more diverse conversation. Synchronous communication allows for multiple levels of communication to be occurring at once. This means that we communication can occur much quicker. Asynchronous communication is done one step at a time. This is more like texting, email, or blog communication. Asynchronous communication allows for speakers to be able to think up a response, and revise what they’ve written before they send it. Both ways of communication are effective in certain environments. In groups that I communicate with every day, where norms are already established, I prefer to speak synchronously. You can get more accomplished and allow for more diverse conversation. In asynchronous communication, participants will be more likely find shortcuts in their communication; abbreviations and striking sentences that are assumed as understood. This can create confusion when a participant isn’t really sure what the person is talking about.

Discussion Oct 29-Nov 4 Question 2

2). How do anonymity, group size, and proximity influence participation and communication in CMC groups?

Proximity can influence participation and communication in CMC both negatively and positively. Because you are not physically next to or near to someone you are communicating with in a CMC group, it will be harder to read their nonverbal communication. Tone or pitch can be construed during video/audio communication. Understand their body posture or expressions can also be misinterpreted without physically being there and seeing their surrounding environment. Because two people might be in separate environments, it will be more difficult to understand what they are interpreting. For certain tasks that don’t require nonverbal communication, or perhaps when nonverbal communication might distract participants from the task, a CMC group might work more effectively because of the lack of proximity. Group size and anonymity influence participation and communication in CMC positively. Larger group sizes have been found to generate more ideas than that of a small group. Anonymity can help participants express ideas that they might not be able to express in face-to-face groups, which helps for more diverse conversation on CMC groups.

Discussion Oct 29-Nov 4 Question 1

1). How does CMC differ from f2f communication? (Think outside the box).

CMC group members tend to focus more on the task and instrumental aspects of the process than on the personal and social aspects of the group. Thus they tend to be more content oriented and less social-emotional in their communication style than the face-to-face groups are (Harris & Sherbloom, 2011). It is also stated that CMC groups can come to more unique ideas than face-to-face groups. However, it will also take the CMC groups longer to reach consensus. CMC groups are not able to complete tasks as quickly as FTF groups. When the task involves social-emotional interaction, CMC groups do worse. Interpersonal relations and perception of other participants and tasks in CMC groups are poorer than face-to-face groups. Ways that groups can try and fix this are by using social networks, such as Facebook. Facebook allows for groups to maintain both the social and task aspects of their relationships, which can stimulate motivation and commitment among group members.