constructing communications

CONSTRUCTING COMMUNICATION

S

A Service Learning ProjectCesia Stay, Susanne Matina, Christa Schmid, Ryan Kozole,

Joshua Hurst

Overview Of Habitat

Homes go to qualified individuals

Two $20,000 homes that are completely gutted

Replace interior walls, electrical, plumbing, windows, all fixtures

Group Concepts

Types of roles

Influence of group size

Synergy

Explanation of Skit

Ryan was on-site manager, initiator, information giver, clarifier, coordinator

Josh was the homeowner, playing the devil’s advocate and maintenance role of supporter and encourager

Informal Roles According To Text

Emerges from group transactions, emphasizes function, not positions

Sub categories include task roles, maintenance roles, disruptive roles

Informal Role in class

Susanne= Initiator, started group email Christa= information seeker, gets

information from CIC about Habitat Cesia= coordinator, arranges work with

Habitat Ryan= clarifier, figures out habitats

schedules Josh= harmonizer, keeps tension low

Group Size according to text Size of a group influences the structure

and function of a group

Increase in group size increases group complexity, non participants, and decreases level of cooperation, level of satisfaction, and ability to perform task effectively

Negative Impact Of Group Size

20-25 people working on two homes

Not enough leaders created information disorder

Standing around waiting for assignments

Redoing projects that were just completed

Positive Effect With Group Size

Cesia and Ryan on electrical- two was ideal

Eight people reduced to four people on the deck, Christa and Susanne had four as ideal

Cesia And Ryan On Electrical

Josh On Back Deck

Christa And Susanne On Front Deck

Group Size In Class

Complexity was an issue because of schedules

Email became ideal source of communication

Division of tasks to increase effectiveness

Synergy according to text Occurs when group performance from

joining action of members exceeds expectations based on perceived abilities and skills of individual members

Occurs through cooperation and group diversity

Synergy within Habitat

Positive synergy: all of the volunteers creating something they couldn’t alone … a house

Group diversity evident with differences in skill, age, and experience

Synergy in class group

No one wanted to take charge

Susanne sent an email to outline tasks causing a ripple effect

This allowed for group action to start

Conclusion Interconnectedness with Habitat was

satisfying Directly helped those receiving families and

saw their gratitude Class discussions became real life

experiences Experienced synergy, group size, and task

roles Goal is to positively communicate in future

scenarios

For further info on Habitat, call Billy at (801) 388-3076