Seminar 6a

Chapter 10: Groups Dynamics

Seminar 6a* Sociological Criteria of Group- A group is defined as two or more freely interacting people with shared norms and goals and a common identity.- 4 Criteria to qualify as group+ Two or more freely interacting individuals+ Collective Norms+ Collective Goals+ Common Identity

* Informal & Formal Groups- Informal groups are formed when members overriding purpose of getting together is friendship or common interest- Formal Groups are groups formed by organization+ Functions of Formal Groups

* Social Networking Revolution- Little Regard for arbitrary boundaries- Breaking down silos- Blurring the lines between formal and informal groups as colleagues and bosses also becomes your friends on the social network- Enable friendship between managers and subordinates- What management challenges does this create?+ Information security, productivity (more distractions), privacy+ Sharing colleagues secrets

Organizational Function Individual Functions1) Accomplish complex,

independent tasks beyond the capabilities of individuals

1) Satisfy the individual’s need for affiliation

2) Generate new or creative ideas or solutions

2) Develop, enhance and confirm individual’s self-esteem and sense of identity

3) Coordinate interdependent efforts

3) Give individuals an opportunity to test and share their perceptions of social reality

4) Provide a problem-solving mechanism for complex problems

4) Reduce the individual’s anxieties and feelings of insecurity and powerlessness

5) Implement complex decisions 5) Provide a problem-solving mechanism for social and interpersonal problems

6) Socialize and train newcomers


- How can SNS’s be used to the organization’s benefit?+Enable instant feedback on product/service/benefit ideas+ Post information about job skills to be searched for if project needs dictate+ Assembly of global team- Should managers be friends with direct reports?+ “Compartmentalizing” personal relationships with professional and maintaining candor is important+ Issues of ethnics and fairness arises as it might be impossible to remove biasness when reviewing the performance of your ‘friends’ + However, can also serve as a form of motivation as leadership thru affiliation to be more effective

* Tuckman’s Group Development Process (Important)

- Not all groups will progress through theses stages in this order and many go back and forth between these stages at various points in time. Important to recognize the dynamics of the group you are involved in so you can adjust your behavior to meet the needs of the group at that time.- Lessons Learned+ Group Decay(‘’Software Team Research & Decay’ , Small Group Research, 1999)

• Denorming: Erosion of conduct and behavior and also changing of expectation

• De-storming: opposite of storming where discontent and disagreement surface

• De-forming: When subgroups battle for control and group fall apart


• Performing stage is knife or saddle point, not static equilibrium

+ Feedback (‘Group Development & Personal Feedback’, 1985) Interpersonal Feedback increase as group develop thru successive stages As group develops, positive feedback increases while negative feedback

decreases Interpersonal feedback becomes more specific as group develops Credibility of peer feedback increase as group develops Level of feedback can help indicate the development of group

+ Deadlines (Academy of Management Journal, 1989) Effective group management involves clarifying not only tasks and goals

but schedules and deadline as well Group members will pace themselves more efficiently if they have an accurate perception of important deadlines.

+ Leadership style (Timeless Leadership: Great Leadership Lesson Don’t Change, HBR, March 2008)

Active, aggressive style favorable for early results Supportive, democratic style result in higher productivity and satisfaction

at the end Managers advise to shift from directive & structured leadership to

participative and supportive style as group develops.

* Roles - A role is a set of behaviours expected of an individual in a group. These may be permanent or temporary but are typically somewhat stable for group members.- Role Episode

- Role Overload (Study of Sales Representative conducted by U of Houston, 2005)+ Occurs when occurs when the scope of someone’s role exceeds what they are actually capable of accomplishing.+ Result in increased stress illness and decreased efficiency (Maryland Uni)- Role Conflict (Study of HOD in Singapore, 1996 – Conflict between instructional and management role)+ Occurs when others have conflicting or inconsistent expectations+ May also be experienced when internalized values and ethnics collides with others’ expectation


- Role Ambiguity+ Confusion arising from not knowing what one is expected to do as the holder of a role.+ Failure by Role Sender to communicate to Focal Person expectations, due to lack of information or deliberate withholding.+ Especially prevalent on newcomers to organization (socialization tactics)- Role conflict and role ambiguity were associated with job dissatisfaction, tension and anxiety, lack of organizational commitment, intentions to quit, and, to a lesser extent, poor job performance. - Managers can use feedback, rules and procedures, directive leadership, goal setting, participation, and mentoring to reduce role conflict and ambiguity.

* Norms- Shared attitudes, opinions, feelings, or actions that guide social behavior- How are norms formed? (Feldman, Academy of Management Review, 1984)+ One, by explicit statements by supervisors or co-workers. For example, “We dress professionally when we meet.” + Two, by critical events in the group’s history. To illustrate, consider the norm that might be established after a faculty member is fired for letting his class go early on a regular basis. In that environment, no doubt, a norm would develop that classes are held the entire time. + Three, by primacy, where what we did initially persists, like sitting at the same place around a table. You’ll notice that students often do the same thing by sitting in the same place in every class. People sometimes get upset if others “violate” the norm by sitting in the seat someone else always sits in. + Four, by carryover behavior from past situations. For example, individuals who participated in a task force may carry over behavior norms to a different task force.- Why are norms enforced? (Feldman, Academy of Management Review, 1984)I

Group/organization survival Clarification of behavioral expectations Avoidance of embarrassment Clarification of central values/unique identity

- Managers should build strong diversity programs to cultivate favorable role model and group norms while poor role models and norms eradicated.

Task Roles DescriptionInitiator suggests new goals or ideasInformation seeker/giver clarifies key issues

Coordinator pulls together ideas and suggestionsElaborator promotes greater understanding through

examples or exploration of implicationsOpinion seeker/giver clarifies pertinent values

Orienteer keeps group headed toward its stated goal(s)Evaluator tests group’s accomplishments with various

criteria such as logic and practicality


Energizer prods groupRecorder performs a “group memory” function by

documenting discussion and outcomesProcedural technician performs routine duties

Maintenance Role Description Encourager fosters group solidarity by accepting and praising

various points of view Harmonizer mediates conflict through reconciliation or humor

Compromiser helps resolve conflict by meeting others “half way”

Gatekeeper encourages all group members to participate

Standard setter evaluates the quality of group processes

Commentator records and comments on group processes/dynamics

Follower serves as a passive audience

* Threats to Group Effectiveness- Asch Effect (SE Asch, ‘Social Psychology’, 1952)+ Distortion of individual judgment by a unanimous but incorrect opposition.+ More prevalent in collectivist rather than individualistic culture+ Blind, unthinking conformity seriously threaten effectiveness and integrity of work groups and organizations+ Enron used Asch effective to climate culture of blind conformity (ethnics)

- Groupthink+When you feel a high pressure to conform and agree and are unwilling to realistically view alternatives+ Deterioration of mental efficacy, reality testing and moral judgement resulting from in-group pressure + Example of groupthink is the 1985 Challenger Shuttle Disaster + Factors promoting groupthink includes

Homogeneous groups, highly cohesive groups, groups where status of one or more group members affects the evaluation of their opinions by others

Norm exists to not “make waves” Groups have little contact with others outside of the group

+ Symptoms of Groupthink Leading to Defective Decision Making

+ Ways to prevent groupthink includes


a. Assign each group member the role of critical evaluator.b. Top-level executives should not use policy committees to rubberstamp decisions that have already been made.c. Different groups with different leaders should explore the same policy questions.d. Introduce fresh perspectives with subgroup debates and outside experts.e. Someone should be assigned the role of devil's advocate when discussing major alternatives.f. Once a consensus has been reached, everyone should be encouraged to rethink their position to check for flaws.

-Social Loafing (Rope pulling exercise by French Ringelmann)+ Decrease in individual effort as group size increases+ Why it occurs? Inequity of effort Loss of personal accountability Motivational loss due to reward sharing Coordination loss+ When it occurs?• the task is perceived to be unimportant, simple, or uninteresting• group members think their individual output is not identifiable • group members expect their co-workers to loaf

+ Actions that can be taken to prevent social loafing Make each performer identifiable – reduce anonymity and create some

individual accountability. Make work tasks more important and interesting. Reward individuals for contributing to their group’s performance. Step Ladder techniques (Only add members when there is a perceived

need for it)

Seminar 6a

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