Chapter . Advance the Conversation: You’re Not Funny

1.1

You had a bad feeling when you learned that Professor Bradley had assigned Derek to your sociology project group. Since the first day of class, Derek has been “that sometimes funny but annoying guy” in class.

Sure enough, during your first group meeting, Derek distracts from the task by talking about his favorite show, Rick and Morty. Two other group members, Jamie and Greg, laugh along with Derek, reciting lines from a recent episode. Since you don’t watch the show, you feel left out. Sylvia, your other group member, is quiet, too.

Trying to refocus the discussion, you say, “OK, enough about Rick and Morty. Who’s read the assignment?” Derek replies, “I didn’t download it. Anyway, did you guys see the episode when Rick ...” Unsure of what to say next, you silently review the assignment while making notes. Sylvia is now preoccupied with looking over the assignment, too.

Realizing that today’s discussion is going nowhere, you decide to leave. As you get up, you say, “For our next meeting on Thursday, let’s read the assignment requirements and come with some ideas. See you later.”

Driving home, you worry about how Derek’s behavior will impact the group’s performance. You give serious thought to asking Professor Bradley to move you to another group.

One exciting aspect of group work is encountering others with different personalities. But some communication behaviors cause stress and lead to divisive conflict (Felps, Mitchell, & Byington, 2006). Known as bad apple behaviors, these include withholding effort, displaying excessive negativity, and violating interpersonal norms (Felps et al., 2006). If bad apple behaviors aren’t promptly dealt with, they can negatively affect team motivation and performance.

Felps and colleagues (2006) identified three ways team members respond most often to bad apple behaviors:

1. Motivation intervention is an attempt to change the negative behavior through verbal persuasion (“C’mon, Derek, we need to focus on the assignment”). Individuals will likely respond this way when they believe the person can control the disruptive behavior.
2. Rejection involves ignoring the bad apple behavior. Group members would most likely take this route when efforts to change the behavior through verbal persuasion have failed.
3. Defensiveness is communicating in a manner that protects your sense of self, including physically withdrawing or being verbally aggressive toward the offending party. When direct or indirect attempts to change bad apple behavior are unsuccessful, or when you have limited power in the group, you may respond defensively.

Before you act, consider the facts of the situation and think about the research. Also, reflect on what you’ve learned so far about group roles, cohesiveness, norms, and communication traits.