Groups in professional settings work in a context that tends to emphasize teamwork
and task accomplishment, where involvement is usually required, and
lines of authority are relatively clear.
And hopefully you can recognize right away how these contextual factors
would influence group communication.
There are pressures to conform, to support the team, and to get things done.
There are consequences for your lack of involvement or participation.
And there are protocols for who gets to make decisions and who's responsible for
various outcomes.
I'm sure many of you have worked in professional settings where you were part
of a group.
And you experienced the pressures and expectations of teamwork,
compulsory involvement and compliance with some sort of decision making hierarchy.
And these experiences have been both positive and negative.
They provide the context by which great things are accomplished and
they can be the source of much frustration and group dysfunctionality.
Now,civic groups on the other hand are a bit different.
By civic groups,I mean all the group work associated with our community involvement.
The things we do in our neighborhoods,our religious congregations,our voluntary
associations, and any other kind of extra-curricular activities of civic
engagement that are beyond our professional responsibilities.
A substantial amount of group work involves citizens in our community coming
together to solve problems, develop new ideas, advance political initiatives, and
improve our society.