Chapter 17 Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making

The main idea of the theory of functional perspective on group decision making, is that we need to follow a specific outline in order to be successful in group decision making and that outline consists of four functions. Each function is very important but depending on the circumstances each function might have more of an importance than the other. While discussing this theory in class my first thought was of the group that I am in in my art of theatre class. We were given the assignment to create a production company and over the semester produce and perform one of the five plays that we've been studying. After solving our problem of what play it is that we will be doing, when and where we will be doing it, we are now in the stage of brainstorming and goal setting. As we were doing so one night, one of my group members kept getting side tracked, he continued to talk about how much work he had to do and what his plans were for the weekend. I found it incredibly hard to focus on our project and incredibly irritating. This would be an example of the disruptive role of communication. After he continued to talk one of my group members told him to stop and was able to help us re-group and continue our brainstorming. This person took the promotive role of communication by keeping us on track.