David R. Seibold

Group decision‐making as a structurational process

This essay presents a theory of group decision‐making. Utilizing recent advances in structuration theory, which focuses on the production and reproduction of social systems through the application of generative rules and resources, the new conceptualization is presented and its advantages over previous formulations are explored. Results from an ongoing research program are summarized as partial substantiation of the perspective.

Compliance‐gaining message strategies: A typology and some findings concerning effects of situational differences

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible control strategies a persuader may use and to determine how situational differences affect a persuaders strategic choices. By modifying an earlier study of Marwell and Schmitt, dimensions of control strategies were sought in four situations: interpersonal, long‐term consequences; interpersonal, short‐term consequences; nonin‐terpersonal, long‐term consequences; and noninterpersonal, short‐term consequences. Respondents were obtained from students at a Midwestern state university and a community college, and from army recruiters enrolled in a college extension course. Results indicated that situational differences affected the cluster structures and led to the conclusion that a general typology of control strategies is improbable.

Reconceptualizing Organizational Change Implementation as a Communication Problem: A Review of Literature and Research Agenda

Organizational scholars have acknowledged the importance of communication processes in explanations for organizational change processes, but have focused primarily on the invention, design, adoption, and responses to planned changes. Communication perspectives have largely ignored the means by which change programs are installed and by which users come to learn of such programs. The goal of this chapter is to demonstrate how a communication perspective can enhance understanding of implementation activities. Factors that influence when and how innovations are utilized in organizations are examined. Six major areas of literature in implementation of planned organizational change are reviewed: (a) general approaches to implementation, (b) strategies and tactics for change implementation, (c) characteristics and factors related to change agents, (d) contingencies that affect implementation, (e) strategic planning and implementation, and (f) themes and recommendations in the practitioner literature. In the fin...

Implications for problem‐solving groups of empirical research on ‘brainstorming’: A critical review of the literature

This paper attempts a review and critical examination of brainstorming as a purported aid to creative problem solving in groups. The review presents: (1) a discussion of the history of brainstorming and its practice; (2) a survey of empirical studies of brainstorming; and (3) an examination of theoretical explanations for superior brainstorming performance by individuals as against that of groups. Pedagogical implications are discussed in an attempt to correct the uncritical appraisal of brainstorming offered by most small‐group textbook writers.

Communicating And Organizing In Time: A Meso-Level Model of Organizational Temporality

The authors propose a theoretical framework identifying how work group members’ experience of time is created and sustained through task-related communication structures. The model addresses 10 dimensions of time—separation, scheduling, precision, pace, present time perspective, future time perspective, flexibility, linearity, scarcity, and urgency—and proposes how three communication structures central to organizational work—coordination methods, workplace technologies, and feedback cycles—contribute to members’ temporal experience. The model incorporates the complex interplay among cultural, environmental, and individual factors as well. Testable propositions intended to guide future research are offered.

Group Argument: A Structuration Perspective and Research Program

This article reviews and assesses the structuration program of research on group argument that has evolved over more than two decades. The authors first position group argument research in relationship to argument studies across many disciplines and especially at the intersection of three research traditions in communication. Acknowledging structuration theory foundations, the authors explicate their conceptualization of argument and explain the theoretical foundations of their approach. They next describe the methods that have been used to analyze group argument, including participants, data collection procedures, coding scheme and process, and contexts that have been employed in past investigations. They also survey the findings of this research program and how they have enhanced understanding of argument processes in groups and group argument—outcome linkages. The authors then offer a critique of the program, including challenges and unanswered questions. They note projects currently under way and conclude by identifying opportunities for interdisciplinary research on group argument.

A Comparison of Normative and Interactional Explanations of Group Decision-Making: Social Decision Schemes Versus Valence Distributions.

Research on group decision‐making in speech communication has assumed interaction processes are important determinants of group decisions. However, major psychological theories of group decision‐making challenge this assumption. This study tested a prominent social psychological theory, Daviss Social Decision Scheme Model, against an interaction‐based model of group decision‐making, the Valence Distribution Model recently developed by McPhee, Poole, and Seibold. The theoretical rationale for the comparison was provided by the theory of structuration, which predicted the Valence Distribution Model would mediate the effect of Social Decision Schemes on group decisions. Results substantially supported this prediction.

Organizational Communication Research: Key Moments, Central Concerns, and Future Challenges

This chapter summarizes the state of theory and research in organizational communication. The authors highlight the central concerns and major challenges addressed by organizational communication researchers. They begin by isolating the central intellectual and practical currents, and then they identify defining and constituting concepts in organizational communication. The chapter concludes with the authors’ proposals of fruitful areas for future research.

Organizational members' communication and temporal experience: Scale development and validation.

This article reports the findings of scale development and validation efforts centered on 10 dimensions of organizational members’ temporal experience identified in previous research. Consistent with a community-of-practice perspective, 395 members of five organizational units indicated their agreement with a series of statements regarding the day-to-day words and phrases they use to describe their activities, work-related events, and general timing needs. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the hypothesized enactments of time and construals of time. Organizational members’ enactments of time included dimensions relating to flexibility, linearity, pace, precision, scheduling, and separation, and their construals of time included dimensions concerning scarcity, urgency, present time perspective, and future time perspective. A new dimension, delay, was found. Implications for pluritemporalism in organizations and the study of time in communication are discussed.

Argument in initial group decision‐making discussions: Refinement of a coding scheme and a descriptive quantitative analysis

Studies of the function and process of interactive argument in group contexts have become increasingly prevalent in the last decade. A prominent program of research in this domain is work associated with the structurational perspective on group decision‐making. To date, much of this research has been theoretical and qualitative in nature. This investigation extends prior work in pursuing two objectives: (a) refinement of the structurational argument coding scheme, and (b) preliminary quantitative analysis of argument in decision‐making groups. Following a review of past structurational argument research, the coding scheme is evaluated and revised. Forty‐five decision‐making discussions were coded using the revised coding scheme and these results were evaluated via descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that (a) the groups’ arguments consisted mainly of Assertions, Elaborations, and Agreement, and (b) the revisions to the coding scheme provided increased conceptual clarity. Implications of each finding ...