Write a cogent, coherent response; make sure to support your comments with researched evidence. List at least one reference, in APA format, for each activity.
Activity #1
The following short-clip presents a re-enactment of a Morton Thiokol meeting when groupthink led the company to tell NASA to go ahead with the launch in weather many Morton Thiokol engineers felt was too cold for the seals to work properly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV25ol-NedQ
The clip illustrates some of the steps that lead to groupthink and disastrous decision-making.
Some questions for you:
Please relate an example of groupthink you have experienced, analyzing the situation based upon the symptoms of groupthink described here. Did you feel constrained or supported by leadership to express your views? What happened? Be sure to use the terms for the various symptoms of groupthink in your story. What did you learn from this experience?Chapter 13 in A Primer on Communication Studies can show you how managing your small group interaction is very different from your one-on-one interactions.
If you have not experienced groupthink, then please tell us: How do power relations influence how important decisions get made? When you become a boss (if you are not already), how will you use communication tactics wisely to avoid groupthink in your team?
Activity #2
Some questions for you:
For the place you work, please give a metaphor for the kind of culture. Describe your perspective, outlook, and values as a person within that organization. Then, review the definitions of these terms and give an example of the following for your work place:
Physical symbols
Behavioral symbols
Verbal Symbols
and
Ritual performances
Passion performances
Social performances
Political Performances
Enculturation Performance
Activity #3
In 1999, a low-budget film called "Office Space" helped define the work experience for young computer-guys at that time.
Take a look at a couple of these scenes between one of the young men, Peter, and his boss, Bill Lumbergh. As you view the clips, think about the ways in which structuration, organization culture theory, or organizational information theory apply to or inform what is going on in these scenes. This is "TPS Report Covers":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy3rjQGc6lA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjJCdCXFslY
Some questions for you:
Can you give an example where there was an ambiguous message at your organization? How did people resolve the communication challenge? How many "cycles" were used?
Why might a professor deliberately give ambiguous instructions for an assignment in a communication class?
Have you ever used equivocal messages to resolve a dispute? Why did you make that choice and was it effective?