The four functions of effective decision making are problem analysis, goal setting, identification of alternatives, and evaluation of positive and negative characteristics. Problem analysis is “determining the nature, extent, and cause(s) of the problem facing the group”. Goal setting is “establishing criteria by which to judge proposed solutions”. Identification of alternatives is the “generation of options to sufficiently solve the problem”. Lastly, evaluation of positive and negative characteristics is “testing the relative merits of each option against the criteria selected; weighing the benefits and costs. In the hit television series “Lost”, a plane crashes on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. The survivors from the crash make their way to the beach and begin a heated discussion as to what their plan will be to survive. They asses their current predicament by scouting out their surroundings, looking for food and small animals. One of the biggest topics of discussion is how they are going to make shelter. A man named “Jack” has established himself as one of the leaders of the group. He is able to keep the conversation from erupting into chaos. After assessing their resources. He proposes the idea of living on the beach. The group continues on in productive decision making by discussing alternatives. They propose the idea of living in the jungle as well. After a lot of discussion they decide to live of the beach. They have discussed the reasons why this is better, including the safety the ocean provides. The process of figuring out how they are going to survive on the island was not a quick one. They discuss topics of defense, collecting food, acquiring fresh water, and multiple other things that are vital for human survival. They are good at assess their situation, figuring out their needs and desires and setting goals for them, proposing several options in order to decide on the best, and they are realistic in assessing the pros and cons for each option offered. Their ability to discuss in a large group and make a decision following these guidelines allowed them to have a have a high survival rate on the island.

Hirowa and Gouran consider talk an imperative tool for social interaction that allows groups to reach better decisions. Both scholars developed the Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making Theory that describes, “what communication must accomplish for jointly made decisions to be wise (233).” According to Hirowa and Gouran, the process of group decision-making must complete four task requirements in order for individuals to reach the most complex and successful solution. The four functions of effective decision-making are analysis of the problem, goal setting, identification of alternatives and evaluation of positive and negative characteristic. I think an excellent example of the four functions of effective decision-making is shown in the movie “The Sandlot” when the kids set out to get the Babe Ruth autographed ball back from the Beast. As described by the four functions, the kids first analyzed and discussed the problem thoroughly. They then agreed on the mutual goal of recovering the ball from the Beast and the need of brainstorming multiple alternatives to reaching their goal. For example, they thought of buying another baseball and faking the Babe Ruth signature. They also thought of multiple ways of recovering the ball from the yard such as using a wooden stick to building a remote control catapult to get the ball back. The kids also contemplated all of the positive and negative characteristics for all of the different alternatives they came up with for getting the ball back. The proper use of the four functions part of the Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making allowed the kids to reach the best possible conclusion for getting the ball back.

The Sandlot Trailer

Making of Randy Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran, is a prescriptive approach that describes and predicts task – group performance when four communication functions are
fulfilled. In order to achieve a positive group outcome, those four functions: Analysis of the Problem. Goal Setting, Identification of Alternatives and
Evaluation of Positive and Negative Characteristics, have to be fulfilled.

Numerous scenes in the movie “The Sandlot” deal as great examples of this theory. The children analyze the problem: Once you hit the ball over the fence, it is gone forever because nobody has ever gotten a ball back from the other side of the ball. But by accident the kids hit the ball that was signed by Babe Ruth over the fence, so now they have to come up with a plan and set a goal. The goal would be to get the ball back. Knowing that it will be extremely challenging to get the ball back, they try to find alternatives for example replacing the original ball with a new ball and faking Babe Ruth’s signature but after generating all of their options they decide, after evaluating the positive and negative characteristics of each option, they decide that they want the original ball back.

Attached you will find the trailer to “The Sandlot” which shows the problem and the attempts made by the children in order to get the ball back.

http://youtu.be/-QDq-e1GbjE

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Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) is Bormann’s concept that two or more people’s symbols and realities can converge into one idea through the act of conversing. Essentially, the theory states that sharing group fantasies creates symbolic convergence. An essential aspect of this theory is referred to as dramatizing message, which is “imaginative language by a group member describing past, future, or outside events; creative interpretations of there-and-then” (p.248). This aspect of SCT reminded me of Golden Globe Awards where Tina Fey and Amy Pohler were the hosts. The award show publically recognizes film and television and award winners of various categories within the industry. Like many hosts of the show, Tina Fey and Amy Pohler went far beyond simply administering the awards and went off-track by calling out countless members of the film and television community for their recent work, personal lives, and humorous moments. By doing so, Fey and Pohler demonstrated dramatizing messages. A dramatizing message must paint a picture of an image, in which Fey and Pohler did on numerous occasions by referencing specific stories of specific actors and actresses. Also, it must describe something outside the group or portray an event that has happened in the past or could occur in the future. During the award ceremony, Fey and Pohler’s many humorous anecdotes related to events in all of these categories. They were “outside the group” in the sense that none of their jokes pertained to what the actors and actresses were currently doing at the ceremony. Their comments also referenced aspects of the audience member’s past in imaginative and comical ways or did so pertaining to their future predictions. By doing so, they exemplified dramatizing messages, as shown in the attached clip of the recent ceremony.

Fey and Pohler Golden Globes Clips

Hirokawa and Gouran’s Functionalist Perspective on Group Decision Making is the concept that positive group outcome is a direct result of fulfilling four essential communication functions. These four functions are problem analysis, goal setting, identification of alternatives, and evaluation of positive and negative characteristics of each alternative. In the film, Mean Girls, Cady confided in Regina about her feelings for Aaron Samuels, which quickly led to Regina getting together with Aaron Samuels. In the scene attached, Cady and her two friends plot a way to “take down” Regina in order to get back at her. By doing so, they follow steps from the Functionalist Perspective on Group Decision Making. First, they analyze the problem in which they conclude that Regina is not a good person for numerous reasons and that she must “pay” for her cruel behavior. Then, they set a goal to which they devise a plan. They determine that she would not be as unkind and powerful at their high school if it wasn’t for three factors- being Aaron Samuels’ girlfriend, her good figure, and her clique that followed her around. Their goal was set to rid these three factors from her in order to successfully get revenge. Though, the three friends’ plans stopped at this point, forgetting the last two steps to Hirokawa and Gouran’s Functionalist Perspective. They did not identify alternatives and therefore did not evaluate the positive and negative effects of such alternatives. Due to this, their plan ultimately failed leading to increased upset and drama among themselves, Regina, and their peers. Cady and her friends should have done steps three and four in order to have reached a positive group outcome for their goal.

Mean Girls Clip

The Symbolic Convergence Theory is based on Bormann’s central explanatory principle that “sharing group fantasies creates symbolic convergence.” An important part of this theory is the idea of dramatizing messages or imaginative language by a group member describing past, future, or outside events. Dramatizing messages do not describe the here-and-now, but rather are creative interpretations of the there-and-then. Symbolic convergence refers to when these fantasies or ideas incline towards each other, come more closely together or even overlap. This made me think of sports fans and their different traditions that with each other made perfect sense and enjoyable ways to support their team, while others on the outside may think they are lunatics who are embarrassing themselves. I attached a picture of an Oakland Raiders fan who is dressed in a way that to himself and those in his group believe will push his team towards victory, while others may think that it is an uncomfortable and unnecessary way to watch a football game. I think this is an example of how views can grow together in order that groups of people begin to think along the same lines.

A couple of years ago, my family and I went to Universal Studios in Orlando while on vacation. My dad has motion sickness, but went on rides anyway even though he started to feel sick. One of our last stops was “The Hulk” roller coaster, and we convinced him to go on it even though he was feeling queasy. He went on the ride and was so sick afterwards that he could not even walk in a straight line. He told us to leave him alone so he could have some time to gather himself, so we walked away and checked on him from a distance. He looked so terrible that when we re-tell the story, it has become engrained in our minds that he had literally turned the color green- just like the Hulk. At the time, he did not actually turn green, but when my family re tells the story for bonding purposes, every time it is re-told it is even more dramatic and creative than the last. That dramatized message has been a way for our family group to keep a memory going in our family.

Randy Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran specify what communication must accomplish in order to jointly make decisions to be wise. This process is called functional perspective. It describes and predicts task-group performance when four communication functions are fulfilled. Specifically there are four key functions to this process: problem analysis, goal setting, identification of alternatives, and evaluation of positive and negative characteristics of each alternative. It is important to realize that these factors, and manner of order, are crucial to offer a natural problem-solving progression. High quality decisions come from proper verbal communication and interaction. Members of the group distribute and pool information, catch and remedy errors, and influence each other. I have attached the Trailer for the film Vertical Limit. Within this film all four factors of group decision making are done. They group analyzes the problem of the fallen climbers, they set an absurd goal of completing a rescue mission, they identify all types of plans and alternatives on how to reach them as fast as possible, and evaluate the safe and deathly risky alternatives of such a ludicrous mission

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trp5hxov5tc

Symbolic Convergence Theory of Ernest Bormann reveals that “group members often dramatized events happening outside the group, things that took place at previous meetings, or what might possibly occur among them in the future” (247). In order to do this, the group members use dramatizing messages. A dramatizing message is “imaginative language by a group member describing past, future, or outside events” (248). The Symbolic Convergence Theory is demonstrated in the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. In this movie, a group of best friends decides that a pair of jeans is magical. They describe the significance of the pants and explain that they will bring good luck to whoever is wearing them, especially when each of the friends goes off to college. The best friends wear the pants and send it to each other in the mail, along with a letter explaining the incredible events that occurred while wearing them, so that each friend would receive good luck in her life.This is an example of a dramatizing message because each friend uses creative and imaginative language in order to explain how a pair of jeans has helped them. They romanticize the pants so much that each friend has complete faith that they will make their dreams come true; however, when something bad goes wrong, their trust in the pants diminishes.

In the film, 12 Years a Slave, the main character, Solomon Northup, is a free black man in New York. He is intelligent, well spoken, and in a high social standing. While playing violin in Washington D.C., he is kidnapped and sold into the slave trade. When he wakes up in chains from being drugged, he attempts to enter into discourse with the white man who has chained him. Solomon protests to the man, saying “I am a free man,” but the captor says “No, you are a man from Georgia.” The white man beats Solomon into submission until he stops insisting that he is a free man with free papers.

This describes the opposite of Habermas’s “Ideal Speech Situation” because Solomon is placed under complete control and burdened with immense constraint. Even though he held high status, his skin color was all that was needed to label him as a “slave,” removing him the same amount of “access” for freedom as a white man would have.