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 patter n of
relationships between them, who share
common goals and perceive themselves as
being in a group

Two or more interacting or independent

individuals who join together to achieve a
particular objective (Beebe & John, 1994)

Defining groups
Focuses on the nature of groups:
u

Formation and development,

Elements of structure, and

Interrelationships with individuals, other groups & the

parent organization

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

Defining groups
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.
Continued..

Types of Groups
GROUPS

FORMAL

Command

INFORMAL

Task

Interest

Friendship

Types of Groups
Formal
u

Created by the parent organization. Intentionally

designed to direct members towards some
organizational goals

Divided into: command group & task group

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
Continued..

Types of Groups
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

If permanent: standing committee

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

Continued..

Types of Groups
Informal
u

A group of employees who come together to satisfy

a common interest. Develop naturally without any
direction from the management

Two Types:

1. Interest groups; those working together to attain a

specific objective with which each is concerned

(e.g. save the environment group)

Continued..

Types of Groups
Informal
2. Friendship groups are groups that are brought

together because they share one or more

common characteristics. E.g., a friendship
group that originate because of
organizational contact, but develop out of
friendship outside of the organization

Continued..

Why people join groups?

u

To satisfy mutual interest or goal achievement, by

bonding together, people can satisfy their mutual goals

To achieve security, groups that provide safety in

numbers, protection against common enemy

To fulfill social or affiliation needs, being in a group help

satisfy peoples basic needs to be with each other

To fill the need for self-esteem, group membership

provides an opportunity for people to be recognized

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)

Continued..

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

Continued..

How groups are formed

The five stage model
u

Groups can be in any stage of development at any

given time

The amount of time in each stage varies

The boundaries between stages not clear; several

stage can occur at the same time

Continued..

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

Continued..

Group Properties
Composed of:
u

Roles

Norms

Status

Size

Cohesiveness

Group Norms
Performance norms
u

Performance norms are centered on how hard a

person should work in a given group

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.

Continued..

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

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

Continued..

Group Norms
Social arrangement norms
u

When we talk about this type of norm we generally

do not equate it to a business setting.

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.
Continued..

Group Norms
Resource allocation norms
u

For this type of norm we're focusing on the

allocation of resources in a business environment.

This can include raw materials as well as overtime or

any other resource found or needed within an
organization.

Continued..

Group Norms
u

Conformity (adjusting ones behavior to

align with the norms of the group)

Reference groups (important groups to

which individuals belong or hope to belong
and with whose norms individuals are likely
to conform)

Continued..

Norms
u

Norms are agreed-on, informal rules that guide

members behaviors

Shared ways of viewing the world

Not formal, not written

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

Carry over from other situations, e.g.Professional

standards of conduct

Explicit statement from others, e.g. Thats how we

do thing around here

Critical events in group history, e.g. spilling company

secrets = norms to maintain secrecy
Continued..

Status
u

Status is the relative prestige, social position, or rank

given to groups or individuals by others

People sometimes join groups because of the

potential reward of being in the group

Status can be formal or informal

Cohesiveness
u

It is the strength of members desires to

remain part of the group

Sticking to each other

Also known as we feeling or esprit de

corps or a sense of belonging

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

Continued..

Cohesiveness
u

Cohesiveness is helpful but also harmful

On the positive side: more participation,

more enjoyable, more productive, more
readily acceptable of groups goals

On the negative side: can contradict or

harm organizations goals, sabotaging
leadership
Continued..

Individuals in Groups
Individual performance in groups:
Social Facilitation
Social Loafing

Social Facilitation
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

the response is well learned,

performance improves. If the response is
novel, performance impaired

Social Facilitation
Well
Learned,
Correct

Presence of
others

Arousal

Improved
Performance

Enhanced tendency
to perform
dominant response

Not well
Learned,
Incorrect

Impaired
Performance

Social Facilitation
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 Loafing
u

Tendency for group members to exert less

individual effort in additive task as size of the
group increases

Additive tasks: tasks that require coordinated

efforts of several people added together to
form the groups product

Someone who goes for a free ride

Social Loafing
u

Explained by social impact theory

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

Responsibility becomes diffused over more

people. As a result, each member feels less
responsible for behaving appropriately
Continued..

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.

Smaller groups are better suited to coordinating and

facilitating the implementation of complex tasks.

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
u
u
u

More complete
informaIon
Increased diversity of
views
Higher quality of decisions
(more accuracy)
Increased acceptance of
soluIons

Weaknesses
u
u
u
u

More Ime consuming

(slower)
Increased pressure to
conform
DominaIon by one or a
few members
Ambiguous responsibility

Continued..

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

Generate as many ideas as you can, and suspending

evaluations until all the ideas have been suggested

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
Continued..

Group Decision Making

Nominal group technique
u

Developed by Andrew Delbecq and Andrew Van de

Ven from University of Wisconsin

Individuals silently list down their ideas

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

are listed

Discussion is permitted but only to clarify ideas, but no

criticisms is allowed

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

Projector screen is used to show the individual

comments and votes on an issue

Saves time, and can reduce group think

Continued..

Group Decision Making

Interacting groups
u

Discussion that happens in a meeting

Advantage: face-to-face interactions

Disadvantages: affected by group-think and pressure

to conform

Continued..