What factors and processes facilitate and inhibit communication within face-to-face groups compared with "virtual" or "online" groups? Support your opinions with reference to the literature.

University Degree Business and Administrative studies

Introduction

Communication is important to every organization therefore it is essential that the organization select the most appropriate methods for group communication. With the introduction of electronic communication, one of the important advantages is that it loosens time and space constraints. However with electronic mail, there is the issue of time delay due to response time.

Group communication methods is a crucial factor for an organization to maximize its decisions making as it is dependant on the group members contributions. The available communication methods include face-to-face groups and online groups. There are several factors that facilitate and inhibit communication with these popular methods utilized by organizations. Therefore it is significant that these contributing issues are taken into account towards the organizational communication.

“Computer Mediated Communication describes the ways we humans use computer systems and associated networks to transfer, store, and retrieve information pertinent to a communication process. Communication processes are subject to potential losses or dysfunction in the group process that may inhibit the group from reaching their potential task performance.” (Anonymous. n.d, Computer-Mediated Communication, (Online))

The communication process losses are production blocking, attenuation blocking, concentration blocking and attention blocking, unequal air time, evaluation apprehension, free-riding, cognitive inertia, socializing, domination, failure to remember, and incomplete analysis respectively. (Anonymous. n.d, Computer-Mediated Communication, (Online)) These are the part of the contributing factors that inhibits virtual group communication.

Face-to-Face Communication

Face-to-face communication is the gathering of a group of individuals to contribute their opinions in order for the organization to make an appropriate decision. Though there are several factors that allow face-to-face communication to assist organizational communication, it is important that the restrictions are taken into consideration so as to allow the organization to utilize the most appropriate method for group communication to maximize quality decision making.

Facilitating Factors

Several factors facilitate a face-to-face communication in an organizational group communication. As components of physical presence plays an important role in communication, hence it is essential that group members are present, which would enable effective communication through facial expressions and body language. Face-to-face communication provides simultaneous interaction, which is fast and effective and concurrently allows immediate feedback. Effective groups provide a thorough evaluation of decision alternatives. Groups have better performance when evaluated by other group members of their validity of opinions.

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Inhibiting Factors

Face-to-face communications would inhibit effective group communication due to time difference, which means that organization group meetings would have to be scheduled and planned beforehand due to difference in time. To travel to other destinations to allow the participation of group communications would be time consuming. One of the problems with face-to-face communications is that it prevents other group members from generating new ideas while remembering the present idea. Other factors that inhibit ineffective face-to-face communication would be due to personality differences and language barriers.

With face-to-face group communication, contribution of ideas would have ...

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Inhibiting Factors

With face-to-face group communication, contribution of ideas would have to be in sequence as the group might demonstrate multiple ideas to be presented, otherwise it would result in a tendency for conflicts to arise due to tones, body language and facial expressions.

In addition the restrictions of one-way communication in a group, in which one member talks and the group listens could cause a member of the group to forget the idea that is to be presented and concurrently results in incomplete analysis in which members neglect to use information available to challenge presented ideas by other members. Another factor that restricts effective face-to-face group communication is the fear experienced about possible negative evaluation of ideas shared with the group, which may result in the withholding of ideas and comments and group members not contributing their views due to the presence of authority.

Virtual Group Communication

Online group communication is conducted with group members are present at a group meeting online. This communication method is utilized in organizations as it eliminates distance between group members and the organization, which allows communication to happen online without making the journey to attend the organizations meeting.

Facilitating Factors

Virtual group communication is easier for individuals to feel like a participating member as electronically communicating with higher authorities towards solving problems allows people to contribute more than to voice out their opinions during a group meeting. Hence allowing decision maker of the organization to make decisions with better information than if they were only restricted to face-to-face communication, as there is a presence of informality.

The factors that assist online group communication are the riddance of distance as a barrier and concurrently saving traveling costs. Online communication like electronic mails enables communication process even with time differences. Group members are able to attend group meetings at their location without traveling. Virtual group communication facilitates more effective communication through more inputs of information constantly and therefore resulting in lesser conflicts between group members. There is a lesser chance of one member dominating against other members. In addition, the contributions of group members are logged for future references.

Inhibiting Factors

The factors that restrain online group communication are the absence of group members therefore causing the issue of unknown identity of group member due to non-confirmation, which means that the speaker may not be the group member but at the group member’s workstation. Communication breakdown between group communications is present as with online group communication, there is an absence of body language and facial expressions. Online group communication creates the tendency of some members of the group to rely on the other members to accomplish the task without contributing.

Multiple ideas contribution could lead to more confusion between group members therefore reduce member’s participation. Although with the effective communication without time difference, electronic mails prove to be unreliable and possess time delays in replies. Additional explanations could be required for contribution of ideas due to the lack of physical presence. There is a tendency of discussions moving along one thought without diverting from the current topic thus blocking group potential due to the lack of new sentiments, which could enrich the discussion.

Contributions need to be immediate so as to keep in topic if not it would seem less relevant. Ineffective communication could be resulted from time differences therefore restricting communication to take place. One major barrier is getting the message clear during group communication. These factors inhibit the group achievement of potential task performance.

Comparisons

With comparisons between face-to-face and virtual group communication, the advantages brought on by virtual communications are that there are more equal participation and task-orientation at least as good as that of face-to-face groups. (Anonymous. n.d, Computer-Mediated Communication, (Online))

With virtual group communication, the pressure is definitely absent when the audience is not visually present. Thus individuals are able to expressed their opinions more confidently and eloquent if they are more comfortable without a crowd. Anonymous. n.d, The Virtual Community vs. Face to face "real life", (Online) The only factor is beneficial to an organization with this communication method is that distance is not a barrier with online communication hence it is cost saving. Information is vast as there are more inputs of information constantly and that there is lesser group conflicts between members. And a reduction in chance of one member dominating against other members and those contributions of group members are recorded for references.

However the disadvantages includes the stimulation of unregulated and impulsive behavior. (Anonymous. n.d, Computer-Mediated Communication, (Online)) Confusion may be formed if many members of the group contribute their ideas all simultaneously and it can limit every member's participation. Identity of member is not confirmed due to there is no physical presence. And it could prove to be a problem trying to get member’s contributions clear through texts hence could result in communication breakdown due to the absence of body language and facial expressions.

The disadvantages of virtual group communications includes contributions would have to be immediate to stay relevant with the group’s discussions and creates the tendency of members relying on the other members to accomplish the task without contribution. Multiple ideas contribution could lead to more confusion between group members therefore causing the barrier of interpretation of the message clear, inhibiting the group achievement of potential task performance.

Compared to face-to-face communications, there is presence of group members and that it would result in effective communication through the use of body language and facial expressions. It is instant verbal interaction between group members thus obtaining immediate feedback and concurrently forming new ideas. This would prove to be significant in an organization, as it would provide quality decision made through group member’s contributions.

Face-to-face communications is inhibited by time consumption due to traveling. Common in face-to-face group communications are conflicts arise through the tones and facial expression of individuals. It would promote ineffective communication due to language barriers and that ideas are easily forgotten due to one-way communication. Most crucial to organizations are members that are not contributing ideas due to the presence of a higher authority figure.

Conclusion

With the comparisons of face-to-face and virtual group communications, my views are that although virtual group communication offers a better method for organization group communication. However, the traditional method of face-to-face group communication would still be the most appropriate method for group members to communicate effectively due to the vast amount of information being contributed simultaneously in virtual group communications, which does not contribute towards quality decision-making.

With face-to-face group communication, although there are issues relating to conflicts and no contributions by individuals due to domination, it is still the most effective communication method as contributed ideas are easily expressed through body language and facial expressions. As effective communication is the correct interpretation of the intended message, hence face-to-face group communication would prove to be the appropriate communication method for an organization.

Like it was mentioned that virtual group communication provides several factors that would assist organizations to operate group communications with cost saving, eliminating distance barrier and concurrently allow individuals to openly expressed their contributions unlike in a face-to-face meeting. Virtual group discussions can prove to be an alternative however face-to-face group discussion would still be the best discussions method for organization to adopt.