How might a symbolic convergence perspective on social and emotional communication in the group influence your assessment of the situation? How might a bona fide group perspective on the way the group is embedded in organizational structures (e.g., the department, the university, professional institutions) influence your assessment of the situation?

MINI CASE

Chelsea McGuire is the chairperson of a communication department at a university in the southeastern United States. She has been chair for more than five years and has built a successful department. But Chelsea has worried for some time that the department is too successful. Over the last few years, the number of communication majors in the university has steadily increased. When Chelsea took over as chair there were 500 communication majors. There are now more than 800 such majors, with no indication that this trend will change. Unfortunately, university support for the department has not increased at the same pace, and with only 15 department professors, Chelsea knows that some kind of action will soon need to be taken.