Sharpening the Team Mind: Communication and Collective Intelligence

Need Discusssion paper  500- 600 words APA format 4-5 peer reviewed  References. No Plagiarism

Part 1: Sharpening the Team Mind: Communication and Collective Intelligence

A.    What are some of the possible biases and points of error that may arise in team communication systems? In addition to those cited in the opening of Chapter 6, what are some other examples of how team communication problems can lead to disaster?

B.      Revisit communication failure examples in Exhibit 6-1. Identify the possible causes of communication or decision-making failure in each example, and, drawing on the information presented in the chapter, discuss  measures that might have prevented problems from arising within each team’s communication system.

Part 2: Team Decision-Making: Pitfalls and Solutions

A.    What are the key symptoms of groupthink? What problems and shortcomings can arise in the decision-making process as a result of groupthink?

B.    Do you think that individuals or groups are better decision-makers? Justify your choice. In what situations would individuals be more effective decision-makers than groups, and in what situations would groups be better than individuals?

textbook:  Making The Team (5th Edition) by Thompson (ISBN: 9780132968089)  Published by Pearson

Responses:

Need responses to the attached  3 documents each response 150 words APA format. 1-2 references. No Plagiarism

Running head: COMMUNICATION AND TEAM DECISION MAKING 1

COMMUNICATION AND TEAM DECISION MAKING 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMUNICATION AND TEAM DECISION MAKING

Part 1: Sharpening the Team Mind: Communication and Collective Intelligence

Generally, most organizations organize their workforce mainly into groups and teams. An interaction and coordination between the various groups or teams are therefore essential for the effective realization of organizational goals. Besides an effective communication amongst team members is a key factor in the realization of organizational goals (Castells, 2013). In several organizations, team communication has been rocked by various communication biases. These include message distortion, message tuning, transparency illusion, biased interpretation, saying is believing, perspective-taking failure, uneven communication, and indirect speech acts.

Indeed team communication problems result in a number of disasters in an organization and may limit the complete actualization of organizational goals. Furthermore, the company or the organization is at great risk of losing out great deals and opportunities to their major competitors. In addition, lack of effective communication channel may lead to a workforce that is not motivated to realize the organizational goals (Castells, 2013). Chaos often erupts amongst team members because of a communication bias or problem and this may bread hatred amongst the organizational members limiting the probability of cooperation amongst the organizational employees.

The communication failures listed above could have arisen from a number of factors. The possible causes of communication failure in any organizational teams are verse. They may include distrust amongst team members when it is discovered that the team leader is fond of telling outright lies; monologue communication where leaders create unidirectional flow of communication; use of complex language by leaders, which cannot be easily understood by the team members; and insensitivity of those relaying information (Coombs 2014). In addition, other causes include delusion by leaders, the generalization of information, illogical explanation of facts, and deliberate distortion of information by team leaders. As a leader, your main aim in facilitating effective and efficient communication is to prevent communication breakdown. The measures that a leader could take to ensure that communication biases are numerous (Coombs 2014). These include appropriately resolving conflicts among team members, giving clear and concise instructions, creating a multidirectional communication flow system, developing a clear communication strategy, and avoiding alteration of information for any gain.

Part 2: Team Decision-Making: Pitfalls and Solutions

Groupthink is a well-known phenomenon, which ideally severely ails most organizational decision-making processes. It usually occurs when the needs to create group accord interferes with an individual’s ability of uniquely, creatively, and independently think (Janis, 2015). Some of the major symptoms of groupthink include unquestioned beliefs, an illusion of invulnerability, rationalizing, self-censorship, stereotyping, direct pressure to conform, and an illusion of unanimity. As indicated earlier this phenomenon is ascribed by a number of problems ranging from a poor exam of choice targets, one-sided or deficient data, illegitimate assessment of dangers arising from the picked arrangement elective, and deficient consideration of various options.

Diversification of management calls for effective and efficient stage-to-stage decision-making processes. Group and individual decision-making processes, in terms of effectivity and efficiency, possess varying advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, I would not be quick to dismiss either of them to be poor but I would rather advocate group decision-making (Charness, & Sutter, 2012). Indeed the blend between group and individual decision-making processes would be effective and efficient. However, when considering certain situations, either can be a better form of the decision-making process (Charness, & Sutter, 2012). Group decisions are applicable where the successful execution of a decision requires the input of all the group members i.e. the decision made affects all the group members. On the other hand, when the results of a decision do not influence the group, the individual decision-making would be appropriate to avoid the obviously imminent huddles of group decision-making process.

 

References

Castells, M. (2013). Communication power. OUP Oxford.

Coombs, W. T. (2014). Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding. Sage Publications.

Janis, I. L. (2015). Groupthink: The desperate drive for consensus at any cost. Classics of organization theory, 161-168.

Charness, G., & Sutter, M. (2012). Groups make better self-interested decisions. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26(3), 157-76.

 

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"