Small Group and Team Communication

by Thomas E. Harris and John C. Sherblom

Book Overview

This text employs systems theory as a basic orientation to describe small group communications as open and complex systems, presenting several perspectives for understanding group communication within... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0205692982
• ISBN13: 9780205692989
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Pearson
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Sociology Textbook

I was very pleased and happy with the condition of the Small Group and Team Communication 4th ed. by Thomas E. Harris and John C. Sherblom. Thank you.

This is a good text book.

I have to use this text in a group communication course. It is a pleasure to read and you learn the material too. A job well do by the authors.

A Must for all employees!!

I would recommend this as a required text for all college students who wish to be employed anywhere. The book is very well written, easy to read and has up to date analogies. It clearly illustrates how teams work and how to communicate effectively within a team. I will be keeping this book in my library!

Harris Hits Home Run

Author Thomas Harris hits a home run with this very readable textbook about small group communications. Harris effectively covers all of the basic information needed for a solid foundation in the topic. The textbook is user friendly and provides a good jump off point for additional research on the subject. It is an excellent choice for an introductory course on group dynamics.

Favorable Review

This book, Small Group and Team Communication, is a descriptive hands-on guide to success in a group setting. The authors intend to highlight the methods by which groups can achieve success, the problems which groups may encounter, and factors which enable groups to complete their tasks. Besides small group and team communication, various other methods of communication are discussed; nonverbal communication, the use of language, diversity in groups, the norms and behaviors of groups, the roles which certain people play in a group, and the characteristics that are necessary for success. This book is readable and easy to understand; it has scenarios and discussion questions at the end of each chapter which solidify the material for the reader. These activities aid in the comprehension of the text. It may be necessary to have some prior knowledge of communications before reading this book; it would serve as a backdrop for further appreciation of the ideas represented. This book could very easily be used as a textbook for a communication course; it covers a great deal of ground on the topic of communication. The chapters are organized according to facets of group communication, such as decision making and problem solving, listening and feedback, creativity in small groups, diversity, four phases of group development, norms and roles, and conflict management, to name a few. This book uses a great deal of references and ideas which are discussed in most communication texts. It brings together the various approaches and ideas that are in circulation about group communication and ties them together in a comprehensive and inclusive manner. There is a glossary, index, and it even includes popular testing methods to determine a person's skill and role as a group member. I would recommend this book to professors for use in the classroom, and also as a resource for a research paper on group communication.