Relevant to these types of conflict are primary and secondary tensions that emerge in every group.Ernest G. Bormann and Nancy C. Borman, Effective Small Group Communication, 4th ed. (Santa Rosa, CA: Burgess Publishing, 1988), 72. When the group first comes together, members experienceprimary tension, which is tension based on uncertainty that is a natural part of initial interactions. It is only after group members begin to
“break the ice” and get to know each other that the tension can be addressed and group members can proceed with the forming stage of group development. Small talk and politeness help group members manage primary tensions, and there is a relatively high threshold for these conflicts because we have all had experiences with such uncertainty when meeting people for the first time and many of us are optimistic that a little time and effort will allow us to get through the tensions. Since some people
are more comfortable initiating conversation than others, it’s important for more extroverted group members to include less talkative members. Intentionally or unintentionally excluding people during the negotiation of primary tensions can lead to unexpected secondary tensions later on. During this stage people are also less direct in their communication, using more hedges and vague language than they will later in the group process. The indirect communication and small talk that characterize
this part of group development aren’t a waste of time, as they help manage primary tensions and lay the foundation for future interactions that may involve more substantive conflict. Secondary tension emerges after groups have passed the forming stage of group development and begin to have conflict over member roles, differing ideas, and personality conflicts. These tensions are typically evidenced by less reserved and less polite behavior than primary tensions. People also have a lower
tolerance threshold for secondary tensions, because rather than being an expected part of initial interaction, these conflicts can be more negative and interfere with the group’s task performance. Secondary tensions are inevitable and shouldn’t be feared or eliminated. It’s not the presence or absence of secondary tension that makes a group successful or not; it’s how it handles the tensions when they emerge. A certain level of secondary tension is tolerable, not distracting, and can actually
enhance group performance and avoid groupthink. When secondary tensions rise above the tolerance threshold and become distracting, they should be released through direct means such as diplomatic confrontation or indirect means such as appropriate humor or taking a break. While primary tensions eventually disappear (at least until a new member arrives), secondary tensions will come and go and may persist for longer periods of time. For that reason, we will now turn to a discussion of how to
manage conflict in group interaction.
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- Makes excessive verbal contributions, preventing equal participation by other group members.
- Like to hear the sound of their own voice and do not follow typical norms for conversational turn-taking.
- excessive verbal contributions become monopolizing when they are not related to the task or when they provide unnecessary information.
- lack sensitivity to nonverbal cues like when other members are tired of listening or
annoyed.
- Some try to make up for their lack of knowledge or experience by passing themselves off as an expert.
- "stage hog" consists of one-upping and narcissistic listening to others in order to find something they can connect themselves back to, not to understand the message.
- "egghead" consists of excessive contributions based on actual knowledge, but exceeds the level of understanding of other group members, lacks social sensitivity and is typically naive OR flaunts their
intellectual superiority.
FIX
While the first type of egghead may be tolerated to a point by the group and seen as eccentric but valuable, the second type of egghead is perceived more negatively and more quickly hurts the group. In general, the egghead's advanced knowledge of a subject and excessive contributions can hurt the group's potential for synergy, since other group members may defer to the egghead expert, which can diminish the creativity that comes from outside and nonexpert
perspectives.
WHO
"Stage hog", "egghead" 1 (naive), "egghead" 2 (pompous),
- Consistently uses sarcasm, plays pranks, or tells jokes which distract from the overall functioning of the group.
- Incompetent tension releaser.
- Rather than being seen as the witty group member with good timing, these people are seen more as a "class clown".
- Similar to the insecure compliment seeker, joker's usually seek attention and approval from other
group members as a result of an underlying insecurity.
FIX
A group's leader may have to intervene and privately meet with a person engaging in joker behavior to help prevent a toxic or unsafe climate from forming. This may be ineffective, though, if a joker's behaviors are targeted toward the group leader, which could indicate that the joker has a general problem with authority. In the worst-case scenario, a joker may have to be expelled from the group if his or her behavior becomes
violent, offensive, illegal, or otherwise unethical.
WHO
Insecure compliment seeker, task leader.