Product Review

The eighth edition of Small Group Communication: Theory and Practice presents a collection of readings from the most well-known researchers and practitioners in the field. This comprehensive anthology spans a broad range of topics in communication theory, research, and practice. These include contemporary views of small groups, theories of group communication, group development and organization, group communication processes, group and team performance, group leadership, culture and diversity in groups, and methods for analyzing group communication.

New to the Eighth Edition:
New lead coeditor Randy Hirokawa (University of Iowa) brings a strong background in small group communication to the new edition, which features fourteen new and three updated chapters. New topics include:

* The bona fide group perspective
* The functional perspective
* Symbolic convergence theory
* Multiple sequence models of group development
* Virtual group communication
* New communication technologies
* Social influence processes in groups
* Counteractive influence and group leadership
* Characteristics of effective health care teams
* Sex, gender, and communication in groups
* Narrative analysis of group communication
* Methods for evaluating group communication

In addition, two new sections have been added: "Theories of Group Communication" and "Observing Group Communication," with three new chapters in each section. Thought-provoking introductions to each section provide internal cohesiveness and structure to the book.

Importantly, each reading offers its own individual introduction, which alerts readers to key points and integrates the selection into the larger themes of the section. These introductions serve as a "road map" as students travel through the ongoing intellectual developments, diverse views, and continuing debates that make the study of small group communication an exciting adventure.