Page 568 - Understanding Psychology

Figure 19.8 Leavitt’s Communication Network System
Each dot represents a per- son. The lines represent open channels. Participants could exchange messages only with the person to whom they were connected by channels. What were Leavitt’s findings regarding centralized organizations?
Chain
Y
Wheel
Circle
1. Review the Vocabulary Explain how groups organized for task functions dif- fer from those organized for social func- tions. Give an example of a task and social group to which you belong.
2. Visualize the Main Idea Using a graphic organizer similar to the one below, identify and describe the three styles of leadership.
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Leadership Styles
3. Recall Information What is the differ- ence between an in-group and an out- group? Give an example of each.
4. Think Critically When might a group benefit from a laissez-faire style of lead- ership? When might a group benefit from authoritarian leadership?
5. Application Activity
Describe an activity that you did in the past month in front of a crowd.
How did you perform? Analyze in a brief report why you performed this way.
of the leader’s views, obey the leader willingly, feel affection for the leader, and are motivated to perform at peak levels. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy have been called charismatic leaders.
Leadership Styles The three leadership styles are authoritarian, laissez-faire, and democratic. An authori- tarian leader makes all the decisions and assigns tasks to group members. These
leaders are focused on completing tasks and compliance to group goals. Authoritarian leaders, such as Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddhafi, tell other group members what to do and demand obedience. A laissez-faire leader is only minimally involved in a group’s decision making. This leader encourages the group to make its own decisions. Under this type of leadership, it is the group’s goals, not the leader’s, that are pursued; group members make all the decisions. When leading a discussion, your teacher may be a good example of a laissez-faire leader—one who encourages group members to explore their own ideas. A democratic leader encourages group members to come to decisions through con- sensus. These leaders are often viewed as supportive but not good deci- sion makers. Democratic leaders, such as those in the U.S. Congress, try to build a consensus among group members.
Assessment
554 Chapter 19 / Group Interaction