1 Analysing functional theory and groupthink theory in group task communication Elween Loke (elween88@gmail.com) 1. INTRODUCTION Interaction between members during a group communication is dynamic. While the ever-changing pattern of interaction is required to reach a decision, it at the same time might take a toll on the efficiency of a group task. Based on functional theory and groupthink theory, this paper attempts to look at the likelihood of achieving a high-quality decision during a group task communication (Gouran & Hirokawa, 2003) and problems occur throughout the process that might lead to ineffective outputs respectively (Littlejohn & Foss, 2008). While the two theories each play their roles in examining the process of group task communication, they are not exclusive of each other. In fact, groupthink theory, which zooms in to explain the inattention of vigilant decision making, can be regarded as a component under the umbrella of functional theory, which focuses on the effectiveness of decision making as a whole (Littlejohn & Foss, 2008; Janis 1982), as it was taken into account during the formulation of functional theory. II. BACKGROUND OF THEORIES 2.1 The origins Functional theory was initially introduced by John Dewey to supersede the existing psychology theory, which he deemed not able to reduce the utilisation of philosophical conceptual process (Lewis, 1930). As a pragmatist, Dewey stressed that stimuli are factors that contribute to the formation of coordination. The theory was adopted in communication studies years thereafter and further developed by scholars such as Dennis Gouran and Randy Hirokawa in the aspect of group task communication since 1983 (Littlejohn & Foss, 2008). Other than taking on Dewey’s functional psychology approach, the theory that Gouran and Hirokawa came up with was also influenced by Robert Bales’ Interaction Process Analysis and Irving Janis’ groupthink theory (Salazar, 2009). This is also why Littlejohn and Foss (2008) pointed out that functional theory, due to its functionalist nature, views group task communication in a more general manner compared to groupthink theory, which focuses more specifically on the danger of cohesiveness in group task communication. They further explained by looking at the general model that Gouran and Hirokawa. The functionalist model begins with group identifying and assessing a problem, followed by the gathering and evaluation of information of the problem. Next, the group