GROUP DYNAMICS WEEK 5 & 6

Chapter 7: Greenberg & Baron (2000); Chapter 9: Robbins & Judge (2007)

Defining groups

u A collection of two or more interacting individuals, with a stable pattern of relationships between them, who share common goals and perceive themselves as being in a group

u Two or more interacting or independent individuals who join together to achieve a particular objective (Beebe & John, 1994)

Focuses on the nature of groups:

u Formation and development,

u Elements of structure, and

u Interrelationships with individuals, other groups & the parent organization

Defining groups

Defining groups

Key characteristics:

u Social interaction Composed of two or more people in a social situation,

influence & affect each other. Interaction = verbal or non verbal

u Stability

Possess a stable structure that will keep members functioning as a unit. Individuals that constantly changes is not considered a group. E.g. student organizations

u Common goals or interest

Members share common interest or goals, sustained by that interest & help each other achieve mutual goal

u Recognition as a group

Members perceive themselves as being in a group. Recognize each other & can distinguish members from non-members.

Defining groups

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Types of Groups

GROUPS

FORMAL INFORMAL

Command Task Interest Friendship

Types of Groups Formal

u Created by the parent organization. Intentionally designed to direct members towards some organizational goals

u Divided into: command group & task group

u Command Group: determined by connections between individuals who are formal members of the organization; a group compose of individuals who report directly to a given manager

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u Task group: a formal organizational group formed around some specific task and include individuals with expertise in a specific area; those working together to complete a job or a task

u If permanent: standing committee

u If non-permanent: ad-hoc committee @ task forces

Types of Groups

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Informal

u A group of employees who come together to satisfy a common interest. Develop naturally without any direction from the management

u Two Types:

1. Interest groups; those working together to attain a specific objective with which each is concerned (e.g. save the environment group)

Types of Groups

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Informal

2. Friendship groups are groups that are brought together because they share one or more common characteristics. E.g., a friendship g r o u p t h a t o r i g i n a t e b e c a u s e o f organizational contact, but develop out of friendship outside of the organization

Types of Groups

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Why people join groups?

u To satisfy mutual interest or goal achievement, by bonding together, people can satisfy their mutual goals

u To achieve security, groups that provide safety in numbers, protection against common enemy

u To fulfill social or affiliation needs, being in a group help satisfy peoples basic needs to be with each other

u To fill the need for self-esteem, group membership provides an opportunity for people to be recognized

u Other reasons can include: power and status

How groups are formed

The five stage model (Tuckman, 1965)

How groups are formed The five stage model u Forming: familiarity orientation to be or

not to be stage (group awareness + relationship building)

u Storming: confrontive power here we stay or here we go stage (resistance, negativity, ambiguity, + confusion)

u Norming: constructive resolution close to you stage (co-operation + integration within group)

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How groups are formed

The five stage model u Performing: production synergy Ive got

to be me stage (productivity, autonomy, unity, and commitment)

u Adjourning: its hard to say goodbye stage (closure to team process

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How groups are formed

The five stage model

u Groups can be in any stage of development at any given time

u The amount of time in each stage varies

u The boundaries between stages not clear; several stage can occur at the same time

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Punctuated Equilibrium Model

First Phase

u Groups dene their tasks

u Set missions and makes plan, but accomplishes liBle

Punctuated Equilibrium Model

Second Phase

u Drop their way of thinking, e.g. if problems occur, change plans

u Add new perspecIves

u Carry out missions to complete their work

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Group Properties

Composed of:

u Roles

u Norms

u Status

u Size

u Cohesiveness

Group Norms

Performance norms

u Performance norms are centered on how hard a person should work in a given group

u They are informal cues, if you will, that tells a person or helps a person understand how hard they should work and what type of output they should have.

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Group Norms

Appearance norms

u This type of norm informs or guides us as to how we should look or what our physical appearance should be

u For example, what fashion we should wear or how we should style our hair or any number of areas related to how we should look

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Group Norms

Social arrangement norms

u When we talk about this type of norm we generally do not equate it to a business setting.

u This norm is centered on how we should act in social settings. Once again, there are cues we need to pick up on when we are out with friends or at social events that help us fit in and get a closer connection to the group.

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Group Norms

Resource allocation norms

u For this type of norm we're focusing on the allocation of resources in a business environment.

u This can include raw materials as well as overtime or any other resource found or needed within an organization.

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Group Norms

u Conformity (adjusting ones behavior to align with the norms of the group)

u Reference groups (important groups to which individuals belong or hope to belong and with whose norms individuals are likely to conform)

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u Norms are agreed-on, informal rules that guide members behaviors

u Shared ways of viewing the world

u Not formal, not written

u Group members might not even be aware of it

Norms

How norms develop

u Set precedent over time, e.g.Seating location of each group member around a table

u Carry over from other situations, e.g.Professional standards of conduct

u Explicit statement from others, e.g. Thats how we do thing around here

u Critical events in group history, e.g. spilling company secrets = norms to maintain secrecy

Norms

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u Status is the relative prestige, social position, or rank given to groups or individuals by others

u People sometimes join groups because of the potential reward of being in the group

u Status can be formal or informal

Status

Cohesiveness

u It is the strength of members desires to remain part of the group

u Sticking to each other

u Also known as we feeling or esprit de corps or a sense of belonging

u Asabiyah

Cohesiveness

Highly cohesive groups are:

1. Attracted to each other

2. Accept each groups goals

3. Help each other to achieve the groups goals

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u Cohesiveness is helpful but also harmful

u On the positive side: more participation, more enjoyable, more productive, more readily acceptable of groups goals

u On the negative side: can contradict or harm organizations goals, sabotaging leadership

Cohesiveness

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Individuals in Groups

Individual performance in groups:

Social Facilitation Social Loafing

Social facilitation

Tendency for the presence of others to enhance an individuals performance at times and to impair it at others

Results from the heightened emotional arousal (e.g. tension and excitement) of being in front of others

Social Facilitation

The Drive Theory of Social Facilitation

The presence of others increases arousal, which increases tendencies to perform dominant response

I f t h e re s p o n s e i s w e l l l e a r n e d , performance improves. If the response is novel, performance impaired

Social Facilitation

Social Facilitation

Presence of others Arousal

Well Learned, Correct

Not well Learned, Incorrect

Improved Performance

Impaired Performance

Enhanced tendency to perform

dominant response

Evaluation Apprehension

The fear of being judged or evaluated by another person.

For example, lower level employees may suffer evaluation apprehension when they worry what their supervisor will think about their work

Social Facilitation

Social Loafing

u Tendency for group members to exert less individual effort in additive task as size of the group increases

u Additive tasks: tasks that require coordinated efforts of several people added together to form the groups product

u Someone who goes for a free ride

Social Loafing

u Explained by social impact theory

u The larger the group, the less pressure on an individual to do well. Odd group members do better than even numbers, and groups of 5-7 members perform better than smaller or larger groups

u Responsibility becomes diffused over more people. As a result, each member feels less responsible for behaving appropriately

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Social Loafing

To reduce social loafing:

1. Make each performer identifiable

2. Make work task more important and interesting

3. Reward individuals for contributing to group performance

4. Use punishment threats Continued..

Group Decision Making

Decision-making

u Large groups facilitate the pooling of information about complex tasks.

u Smaller groups are better suited to coordinating and facilitating the implementation of complex tasks.

u Simply, routine standardized tasks reduce the requirement that group processes be effective in order for the group to perform well.

Group Decision Making

Strengths u More complete

informaIon u Increased diversity of

views u Higher quality of decisions

(more accuracy) u Increased acceptance of

soluIons

Weaknesses u More Ime consuming

(slower) u Increased pressure to

conform u DominaIon by one or a

few members u Ambiguous responsibility

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Group DM Techniques

Types: u InteracIng groups u Nominal group technique (NGT) u Brainstorming u Electronic meeIng u Other techniques: Delphi, devils advocate,

sh bowling, and didacIc interacIons Continued..

Group Decision Making

Brainstorming

u Developed by Alex Osborn

u Generate as many ideas as you can, and suspending evaluations until all the ideas have been suggested

u Guidelines: criticisms not allowed, no idea is considered too far out, participants are encouraged to build on the ideas of others, and as many ideas as possible are exchanged

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Group Decision Making

Nominal group technique

u Developed by Andrew Delbecq and Andrew Van de Ven from University of Wisconsin

u Individuals silently list down their ideas

u Ideas are written on a chart one at a time until all ideas are listed

u Discussion is permitted but only to clarify ideas, but no criticisms is allowed

u A written vote is taken Continued..

Group Decision Making

Electronic meeting

u Members of the group interact with the help of computers through connected computer terminals

u Projector screen is used to show the individual comments and votes on an issue

u Saves time, and can reduce group think

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Group Decision Making

Interacting groups

u Discussion that happens in a meeting

u Advantage: face-to-face interactions

u Disadvantages: affected by group-think and pressure to conform

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