chapter 8 - groups Flashcards
what is a group
two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives
formal group
defined by the organization’s structure, with designated work assignments and established tasks
- behaviours are stipulated and directed toward organizational goal
informal group
neither formally structured or organizationally determined (meet for the need of social contact)
five stage group development model
forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning
forming stage
uncertainty about group’s purpose, structure and leadership. members determine acceptable behaviour. stage is complete when members have begun to think of themselves as part of a group
storming stage
one of intragroup conflict. members accept the group but resist the constraints it imposes on individuality. conflict over who is leader. stage is complete when there is clear hierarchy
norming stage
close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness. strong sense of group identity and camaraderie. stage is complete when group structure solidifies and set expectations about behaviour
performing stage
structure is fully functional. group energy has advanced from understanding to performing. (last stage of permanent groups)
adjourning stage
wrapping up activities and preparing to disband. can be positive or negative
alternative model for temporary groups with deadlines
- first meeting sets group direction
- first phase of group activity is one of inertia and thus slower progress
- a transition takes place exactly when the group has used up half its allotted time
- this transition initiates major changes
- a second phase of inertia follows transition
- groups last meeting has accelerated activity
role perception
an individuals view of how we’re supposed to act in a given situation
role expectations
the way others believe you should act in a given context (conflicts arise when people do not have shared expectations)
role conflict
when compliance with one role requirement may make it difficult to comply with another
Norms
acceptable behaviour shared by group members that express what group members ought and ought not to do under certain circumstances
conformity
being one of a group and therefore avoiding being noticeably different. can limit creativity. collectivistic cultures more likely to conform
reference groups
important groups to which individuals belong or hope to belong to and who’s norms individuals are likely to conform to
deviant workplace behaviour
voluntary behaviour that violates significant organizational norms and threatens the well-being of the organization and members (more likely to occur when supported by group norms)
status
a socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others (permeates every society). A significant motivator and has major behavioural consequences when individuals perceive a disparity between what they believe their status is and what others perceive it to be
who determines status?
derives from 3 sources:
1. the power a person wields over others
2. a person’s ability to contribute to group goals
3. an individual’s personal characteristics
High status people in groups are:
more assertive, more likely to speak out, criticize more, state more commands, and interrupt
social loafing
the tendency for individuals to expand less effort when working in a group than alone
how to reduce social loafing
set group goals. increase intergorup competition. engage in peer evaluation. select members who have high motivation. base group rewards in apart on each members unique contributions
cohesiveness
the degree to which members are attracted to each other and motivated to stay in the group
how to encourage group cohesiveness
- make groups smaller
- encourage agreement with group goals
- increase the time members spend together
- isolate group
- give rewards to group as a whole
- stimulate competition with other groups
group diversity
the degree to which members of the group are similar to, or different from, one another
- can increase group conflict
- unique ways to solve problems
faultlines
perceived divisions that split groups into 2 or more subgroups based on individual differences such as sex, race, age, work experience, and education
strength of group decision making
- groups generate more complete information
- offer increased diversity of views
- increased acceptance of a solution
-generally more accurate - more creative
weaknesses of group decision making
- time consuming
- conformity pressures
- discussion can be dominated by one or few members
- decisions can suffer form ambiguous responsibility
group think
relates to norms and describes situations in which group pressures for conformity deter the group from critically appraising unusual, minority, or unpopular views
group shift
describes the way group members tend to exaggerate their initial positions when discussing alternatives and arriving at a solution
when does group shift happen?
when there is a clear group identity, when members hold a positive image of their group that they want to protect, and when the group perceives a collective threat to this positive image
what are the symptoms of group think?
- Members rationalize any resistance to the assumptions they’ve made no matter how strongly the evidence may contradict their basic assumptions
- Members apply direct pressure on those who express doubts about any of the groups shared views or who question the validity of arguments supporting the alternative favoured by the majority
- Members who have doubts or differing points of view seek to avoid deviating from what appears to be group consensus by keeping silent about misgivings and even minimizing to themselves the importance of their doubts
- There is an illusion of unanimity. If someone doesn’t speak, its assumed that person is in full accord. Abstention becomes a “yes’ vote
how to minimize groupthink
- monitor group size
- encourage group leaders to play an impartial role
- leaders actively seek input
- should be a devils advocate
- stimulate active discussion
interacting groups
typical groups in which members interact face to face and rely on both verbal and nonverbal interaction to communicate
brainstorming
- Can overcome the pressures for conformity that dampen creativity by encouraging any and all alternatives while withholding criticism
- Freewheel as many alternatives as they can give in a given length of time
- Less efficient than individual working alone
- Production blocking
nominal group technique
- Group members are physically present, but operate individually
- Restricts discussion or interpersonal communication during the decision making process
Outperform brainstorming groups
steps in nominal group technique
- Before any discussion takes place, each member independently writes down ideas on the problem
- After the silent period, each member presents one idea to the group. No discussion takes place until all ideas are presented
- The group discusses the ideas for clarity and evaluates them
- Each group member silently and independently ranks the ideas
