"White Men of Privilege"

"Within the United States, organizational behaviors and expectations have been defined within the context of that privileged upper-middle-class, middle-aged, able-bodied, White male experience" (83). I agree with the "white men of privilege" concept because most of the successful workers in the United States fit that category. By observation, most of the wealthy people in the U.S. are "white men of privilege". Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are great examples. Mark Zuckerberg attended Harvard, then created Facebook. Majority of the people that we hear about with much success are white men. It is rare to see women or people of another race included in the "white men of privilege" category. For the extraordinary group of people that do not fit the "white men of privilege" category, rarely do we hear their success stories. Our society is based on emphasizing only on the groups that satisfy that popular category. 

Even though "white men of privilege" dominate the media and work field for being successful, our society is slowly changing. For example, our current president Barack Obama has made it in history. A number of the people that voted for him were the younger generation. Women are also becoming more known. Although Hilary Clinton did not win the election, she is still very popular within the democrats and continues to stay successful. The work field history is slowly changing with the new generation. 

Valuing Diversity

Valuing diversity does not come easily. Gender, age, race, and religion are differences within the group, which can make communication more difficult. When assumptions and stereotypes are made they can result in harmful, unintended consequences (76). Another reason why communication may become difficult within a diverse group is due to the cultural environment. When people with different backgrounds do not send messages according to the rules of communication that we have all learned, misunderstanding begins to occur. Similar to violating norms, consequences begin to happen – like irritation and anger. Diversity can create more ideas for the group, but it can also create misunderstandings within the members.

Although diversity can create misunderstandings, there are ways to enhance a groups ability to value diversity. One way to value diversity is to respect other cultures and their language use. Gaining knowledge about another person’s culture allows ideas to accumulate for the group.  Another way to value diversity is to promote input and contribution. Promoting input and contribution makes people want to commit and work harder because they know their ideas are recognized. Diversity may be difficult to value, but with each member’s involvement the end results are beneficial. 

Initiate a Decision

As part of the decision-making process, initiating a decision is an essential step. Before we initiate a decision, we must first consider the alternatives. Due to external and internal constraints, every problem must have alternative solutions.

For example, if a full-time worker wanted to lose weight but did not have enough time (external constraint), they would have to consider the alternatives. Alternatives would be working part-time, eating healthier, or consuming diet pills.

An efficient technique to initiate a decision is to create a T chart for assessing alternative solutions. When creating a T chart, one must list the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative. As soon as the advantages and disadvantages have been prioritized, the decision-maker must then list their foreseeable consequences to choose which alternative best fits the goals and solves the problems (151). A good question to ask oneself is if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Once the best alternative has been determined, the decision-maker(s) can continue with the process and start executing the plan. 

External and Internal Constraints

Constraints are found in every problem. Constraints contain two groups: external and internal constraints. External constraints are the restrictions that affect the decision-making process. On the other hand, internal constraints are apart of the reason why the problem was initiated in the first place.

In most situations, external constraints are easier to deal with when effective problem solving skills are used. External constraints consist of factors such as, “money, energy, knowledge base, or other resources that the group needs for the decision-making process” (146). An example for an external constraint would be the amounts of time professors give us to finish an assignment. In this case, as a problem solver, you would need to determine the amount of time it will take you to complete the given task before the due date. For external constraints, with good time management, the task can be accomplished before it is due.

On the contrary, internal constraints are the factors concerning the start of the problem. An example of internal constraint would be a technical difficulty because if the technical difficult did not occur, there would not be a problem to solve. I work for a computer-based employer; therefore, when we process transactions it must go through the computer. One day, all our computers systems shut off. Our management team was in charge of finding a solution. After countless phone calls to corporate and endless minutes, the general manager decided we hand write each transaction. Although the problem was solved, we were required to hand write each transaction and wait on corporate to solve the technical problem. 

Group Norms

There are several group norms at SJSU. We follow norms everyday. Coming to class on time, finishing assigned group work, and not being disruptive are some norms we all follow. If students at SJSU violate group norms, other students will eventually become angry.

In the group that I spend time with, there are also group norms. One distinct group norm is to not be arrogant. We are a talkative and humorous group; therefore, when an egotistical person enters the group, the other members avoid the relationship. As stated in the book, when norms are violated, the group responds by ignoring the member. As a second offense, the group reacts by showing irritation or commenting jokingly.

Group norms are practiced all the time. As individuals, we first observe the group we are entering. As we become more comfortable in the group setting, we are able to adapt our actions to follow the group norms. The faster we adjust to a group’s norms, the quicker we feel acceptance into the group. 

Norms

“Group norms define the nature of the group and the relationships among the group members” (41). Norms must be followed to be accepted by the members in the group because some actions will be accepted and others will have you alienated. Most norms for a group are not written out because norms change all the time, depending on society, demographics, and interests. For example, society used to think slavery was normal. Presently, if someone were to act uncivil towards a certain race, members of society would react to their action.

Typically, if a person violates the norm, the other members of the group tend to ignore the person. After a couple of times, the group will respond with irritation towards the member. Violating the norm causes the group to express anger and interferes with the group’s ability to accomplish its goal. Always coming in late to work is an example of violating the norm. If members of the group rely on everyone to come in on time, the goal of the group cannot be achieved because late members are on different pages. Following the norm in each group is extremely important for effective small group communication.

Entropy and Equifinality

Entropy and equifinality impact small groups in a variety of ways.

Some groups rely more on energy and information to liven up a group meeting. These groups believe numerous rules can cause a meeting to be “boring”. Unfortunately, too much energy can create chaos and disorganization. If there is too much energy, all members of the groups feel the need to exert the same amount of energy. If everyone is talking at the same time, effective communication is not practiced. On the other hand, some groups greatly depend on rules and control. In this group, when countless rules must be followed, creativity and input within the group declines. If creativity and input declines, different options for reaching a goal are diminished and members of the group are restricted to one option. Without equifinality, the group’s success with their process and goals cannot be met. In another example of family groups, when parents tend to always restrict their children, the children lose effective communication with their parents. Members of a group want freedom to explore different routes to a goal. To enhance creativity within a group, balanced entropy and equifinality must be present.