Group communication and problem‐solving effectiveness II: An exploratory investigation of procedural functions

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Abstract
This study sought to discover whether systematic relationships exist between the frequency of communicative behaviors which perform certain task‐achievement functions and group problem‐solving effectiveness. Five task‐achievement functions were examined: (1) establishment of operating procedures, (2) analysis of the group problem, (3) establishment of criteria for evaluating alternative solutions, (4) generation of alternative solutions, and (5) evaluation of alternative solutions. The results indicate that of the five functions examined, group problem‐solving effectiveness was found to be significantly related only to those utterances which “established operating procedures”; and “analyzed the group problem.”; Specifically, the study found a negative relationship between group problem‐solving effectiveness and attempts to establish operating procedures within the group discussion, and a positive relationship between problem‐solving effectiveness and attempts to analyze the group problem. Multiple discriminant analysis revealed that the relationships were sufficiently consistent to allow the two task‐achievement functions to serve as accurate discriminators of group problem‐solving effectiveness.

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