We have always treated communication as an individual or interpersonal activity but individual communication is only one part of organizational communication. The group meeting in the office is another method of decision making and informing employees. The ideology of group communication has been increasingly prevalent. The growth of group communication is as a result of:
– Organisation becoming bigger in size and more complex
– High increment on specialization
– Society becoming very difficult to be control by one individual
– People get more motivated towards their job when they are involved, informed and able to participate in the decisions that affect them.
Group communication is therefore as important as personal communication.
What is a group communication?
Group communication is a transactive process of creating meaning among 3 to 15 people who share a common purpose, who feel a sense of belonging, and who exert influence on each other. Groups are formed or created depending on the role they will play. The types of group that exist are:
– Primary groups – form to fulfil the basic need of associating with others.
– Study groups – they are form in order to learn new things or gained knowledge
– Therapy groups – they exist in order to provide treatment for personal problems who may not necessarily be group members
– Problem solving group – they are form to resolve problems or issues
– Focus group – small groups which are form to make research on an important issue
– Social groups – groups that are for joy of socialization.