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Organizational behaviour > Chapter 9 > Flashcards

Chapter 9 Flashcards

1
Q

What exactly is a group?

A

A group is a collective of two or more people, interacting interdependently, who have come together to achieve particular goals and objectives

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2
Q

What is a formal group?

A

Group defined by an organization’s structure with designated work assignments and tasks

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3
Q

What is an informal group?

A

A group that is neither formally structured nor organizationally determined. The appearance of such a group is caused by a need for social contact.

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4
Q

What is a social idenitity theory?

A

This theory believes people have a tendency to take pride based on the accomplishments of a group. Their self-esteem is tied to the performance of that group.

Schadenfreude is the opposite: feeling joy when others lose

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5
Q

Which factors make social identity important to people?

A
  1. Similarity
  2. Distinctiveness: authenticity gets noticed
  3. Status: people prefer link to higher-status
  4. Uncertainty reduction: people want to join a group to decrease uncertainty in their situations.
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6
Q

What is the five-stage group-development model?

A

These are the five stages groups go through: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning

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7
Q

What is the forming stage in group development?

A

This is the first stage, which is categorized by much uncertainty about purpose, structure and leadership

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8
Q

What is the storming stage in group development?

A

This is the second stage, which is characterized by intragroup conflict, because of disagreement with constraints of the group

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9
Q

What is the norming stage in group development?

A

This is the third stage, characterized by close relationships and cohesiveness, strong sense of group identity

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10
Q

What is the performing stage in group development?

A

This is the fourth stage, characterized by full functionality. All energy goes into the task

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11
Q

What is the adjourning stage in group development?

A

This is the fifth and last stage, characterized by a concern with ending things instead of task performance. Members of group prepare for disbandment.

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12
Q

What is the punctuated-equilibrium model?

A

This is a set of phases temporary groups go through that involves transitions between inertia and activity

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13
Q

What are the phases of the punctuated-equilibrium model?

A
  1. First meeting sets group direction
  2. First phase of group activity is inertia
  3. Transition occurs exactly at ahlf of groups allotted time
  4. Transition initiates major changes
  5. Second phase of inertia follows transition
  6. Group’s last meeting has accelerated activity
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14
Q

Name the most important group properties?

A
  1. Roles
  2. Norms
  3. Status
  4. Size
  5. Cohesiveness
  6. Diversity
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15
Q

What are roles?

A

Roles are sets of expected behaviour patterns attributed to someone in a certain position within a social unit. Everybody plays multiple roles and our behaviour depends on it.

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16
Q

What is role perception?

A

An individual’s view on how he is supposed to act in situations

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17
Q

What are role expecations?

A

How others believe someone should act in a given situation. They are looked at through psychological contracts.

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18
Q

What are psychological contracts?

A

A psychological contract is an unwritten agreement stating what management expects from employees and vica versa. Not keeping up to expectations increases likelyhood of seperation.

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19
Q

What is role conflict?

A

These are situations in which individuals are confronted by divergent role expectations.

20
Q

What are norms?

A

Acceptable behavioural standards within a group that are shared by the members of the group.

21
Q

What are reference groups?

A

Important groups to which an individual belongs or hopes to belong and with whose norms individuals will probably conform.

21
Q

What is conformity?

A

Conformity is the adjustment of behaviour to let it better match with the norms of the group. We desire to be part of a group ad avoid being different. It’s higher in collectivistic societies. Adjusted to individual’s reference groups.

22
Q

What is deviant workplace behaviour?

A

This is voluntary behaviour violating organizational norms, threating the well-being of the organization and its memebrs. Can also be called antisocial behaviour/workplace incivility. Deviant norms spread more quickly.

23
Q

What is status?

A

Status is a socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others.

24
Q

What defines status?

A
  1. Status characteristics theory: hierarchies within groups are caused by differences in status characteristics
  2. High-status people have more freedom to deviate from norm and less conformity pressure
  3. Status and group interaction: high-status people are more assertive
  4. Status inequity: higher status inequity leads to lower individual performance
25
Q

What are status characteristics?

A
  1. Power a person yields over others
  2. Person’s ability to contribute to a group’s goals
  3. Individual’s personal characteristics.
26
Q

when are big groups and small groups preferable?

A

Big groups are better for gaining a diverse input

Small groups are better in using input

27
Q

What is social loading?

A

This is the tendency to exert less effort when working collectively. Could be explained by free-riders. It’s more common in individualistic societies.

28
Q

How can organizations prevent social loafing?

A
  1. set group goals
  2. Increase intergroup competition
  3. Engage in peer evaluation
  4. Select members with high motivation
  5. Base group rewards on individual contribution to end result.
29
Q

What is cohesiveness?

A

Extent to which members are motivated to stay in a group and are attracted to other members of the group

30
Q

Describe the results of the cohesiveness/performance matrix

A
  1. High productivity and cohesiveness results in high productivity
  2. High cohesivenss, low performance leads to moderate productivity
  3. Low cohesiveness always leads to lower productivity
31
Q

What is diversity?

A

Degree to which members within group are different from each other

32
Q

Three implications of diversity in groups

A
  1. Diversity increases group conflict at beginning
  2. Differences in tenure decrease group performance
  3. Surface-level diversity is often an indicator for deep-level diversity
33
Q

What are faultlines?

A

Perceived divisions that split groups into two or more subgroups based on individual differences. Group satisfaction is lower with presence of faultlines

34
Q

What are the weaknesses of group decision making?

A
  1. It is time consuming to get to decisions
  2. Presence of conformity pressures
  3. Group discussions can be dominated by few
  4. Ambiguous responsibility (who is responsible for outcome?)
34
Q

What are the strengths of groups in decision making?

A
  1. More complete information and knowledge, creating more input
  2. Can increase diversity
  3. Increased acceptance of solutions
  4. Group members are likely to support decisions
35
Q

What is groupthink?

A

This is a norm for consensus overriding realistic appraisal of alternative options. This hinders performance and is a product of group decision-maknig. Indiviuals don’t speak out anymore if they don’t agree with group. Usually occurs with groups with strong group identity.

36
Q

What are the symptons of groupthink?

A
  1. Group members rationalize resistance against their assumptions
  2. Direct pressure on disagreeing team members
  3. Disagreeing members avoid deviating from group consensus
  4. Illusion of unamity
37
Q

How can you minimize groupthink?

A
  1. REduce group size
  2. Appoint a devil’s advocate
  3. Stimulate active discussion
38
Q

What is groupshift?

A

Individual team members will develop a more extreme opinion of their own original opinion during discussions with other team members.

39
Q

Name three group decision-making techniques

A
  1. Interacting groups
  2. Brainstorming
  3. Nominal group techniques
40
Q

What are interacting group decisions?

A

These are decisions in which groups decide in face-toface interaction

41
Q

What is brainstorming?

A

This is an idea-generation process encouraging all alternatives while withholding criticism on those options.

42
Q

What is nominal group decision making?

A

This is a from of group decision making where individual members meet face-to-face judgments in a systematic but independent way.

43
Q

What is the nominal group decision-making process?

A
  1. Group members meet but everyone creates ideas independently
  2. each member presents one idea to the group
  3. Group discusses ideas for clarity and evaluates
  4. Inidividuals rank-order ideas. Idea with highest aggregate ranking wins.
44
Q

why is nominal group decision making better than brainstorming?

A

Brainstorming reduces productivity because there is too much activity in brainstorming sessions blocking creative processes.

Organizational behaviour (13 decks)

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