Group Communication: Five Stages Of Group Dynamics And Communication

This memorandum introduces group dynamics and communications, in our section. First, it describes the group development stages and how group relationships form. Second, it discusses group communications. Third, it analyzes communications barriers. Finally, it offers several techniques to reduce barriers to improving group communications.
Group Development
There are five stages in developing groups, forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. (Robbins & Judge, 2011). The forming stage is when the group members are uncertain about the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership. Members find out what is acceptable behavior and get their assignments. The storming stage is when the members have their ideas and want to do things their

There is a weekly team meeting for departmental updates, questions, and concerns. Groups need to eliminate barriers that distract the group. One barrier is culture. Cultural barriers come from different beliefs, values, and interpretations. One way to overcome cultural barriers is to understand the group member 's cultures. (Robbins and Judge, 2011). Information overload communicates information is that does not pertain to the task-at-hand. (Robbins & Judge, 2011). Another barrier is misperception that comes from team members expressing their ideas and not being aware of how others see their point-of-view. Poor listening can be a barrier. Managers complete their tasks through other people and must be good listeners. (Robbins & Judge, 2011, p. 8) Symbols can be misunderstood if the group has cross cultures. Reduce misinterpretations by conducting nonverbal communications training. The A-OK hand gesture in the United States means “alright”, but in Australia and Islamic countries it means “flipping the bird”. This example shows that cross-cultural symbols can be misunderstood. We must be mindful of the cultural differences in our teams and be sensitive to non-verbal communications. (Robbins & Judge, 2011). Groups use various technologies to communicate such as emails, text messages, instant messaging and video conferencing. Technology can also be our worst enemy when communicating. Misinterpretations are inevitable because we do not hear the tone of voice, see body language or facial expressions. Technology means you are always on call. (Robbins & Judge,