Chapter 9

Question 1

Formal Group

Answer 1

a work group defined by organisational structure

Question 2

Command Group

Answer 2

group composed of people who report directly to a manager

Question 3

Task Group

Answer 3

composed of people working and aiming at completion of a task

> Command groups are also task groups, but not necessarily vice versa.

Question 4

Informal Group

Answer 4

is not formally structured, formed by the needs of social contacts

Question 5

Interest Group

Answer 5

people working together to achieve some objective, but at the same time each and every single member is concerned about the issue/aim

Question 6

Friendship Group

Answer 6

people who share one or more common features/characteristics

Question 7

Reasons to join a group

Answer 7

security, status, self-esteem, affiliation, power and goal-achievement.

Question 8

Five-Stage model

> An alternative model for temporary groups with deadlines. Punctuated-equilibrium model

Answer 8

Stage 1. Forming: orientation, testing, dependence. Members come together to form a group.

Stage 2. Storming: conflict, emotionality, and resistance to influences and task requirements. Members become hostile and combative. Leadership is formed during this stage.

Stage 3. Norming: in-group feeling and cohesiveness develops, new standards evolve, new
roles adopted. Members accept roles and behaviours of others.

Stage 4. Performing: the group becomes a functional instrument for dealing with tasks and present reality. Members have established norms and are able to diagnose problems and come up with solutions.

Stage 5. Adjourning: the group ends its existence, closure. For temporary groups, it is a stage when members prepare for group dissolution.

Question 9

4 Critiques on Five-Stage Equilibrum Model

Answer 9

1. What makes an effective group is more complex than the model suggests
2. Groups do not have to go through all the stages, they may jump e.g. from 1st to 4thstage
3. Stages may go simultaneously
4. The model ignores organisational context

Question 10

Punctuated-equilibrium model (6 stages)

Answer 10

Stages:

1. Setting the group’s direction
2. First phase of group activity – inertia (inactivity, apathy, lethargy)
3. At the end of first phase a transition takes place (group has already used ½ its time)
4. Transition leads to major changes
5. Second phase of inertia follows transition
6. Group’s last meeting can be described as accelerated activity

> The model does not apply to all groups, but only those which work temporarily and have a set deadline to complete work.

Question 11

Group properties: Roles

Answer 11

a set of expected behaviours ascribed to a person occupying a particular position in a social unit (e.g. one can have a role of student, son/daughter, (boyfriend, worker, etc.) Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment shows that people quickly learn/assume roles, sometimes through stereotypes and information that mass media and other parties disseminate.

Question 12

Role Identity

Answer 12

situation when attitudes and behaviours are consistent with a role

Question 13

Role Perception

Answer 13

person’s vision on how he/she should behave in a certain circumstances

Question 14

Role Expectations

Answer 14

how other people believe one should behave in a certain situation

Question 15

Role conflict

Answer 15

takes place when one is forced to take on two different and incompatible roles at the same time and as a result he/she faces conflicting role expectations

Question 16

Deviant workplace behaviour

Answer 16

intentional behaviours that violate organizational norms, which threatens the members and well-being of an organization (e.g. wasting resources, sabotage properties, spreading rumours, sexual harassment). Individuals who belong to a group are more likely to engage in deviant behaviours.

Question 17

Why is Status important?

Answer 17

Status is important because it can play the role of a motivator and due to inconsistencies between perceived and self-status it can have behavioural consequences.

Question 18

The Status Characteristics Theory states that there are 3 sources of status:

Answer 18

1. The power a person wields over others
2. A person’s ability to contribute to a group’s goals
3. An individual’s personal characteristics

Question 19

4 correlations between status and norms.

Answer 19

1. people of higher status are allowed for more deviations from norms and are more resistant to conformity phenomenon.
2. There is also a tendency for high status people to be more assertive and to be more active in group interactions.
3. Due to differences in status between group members, a group’s work can suffer – people of lower status could contribute greatly to a group’s work if it wasn’t for their passiveness in group’s discussions.
4. Moreover, it is important for group members to think of others in a group as people of comparable, equitable status. E.g. hiring through relationship, contacts - differences in status creates tensions.

Question 20

Impact of Groupsize

Answer 20

the size of the group affects it’s functioning. Smaller groups tend to be faster, but larger groups are better for complex problem-solving issues. General rule may be that large groups can put more diverse input, but smaller groups do it more productive.

Question 21

social loafing

Answer 21

This concept states that individuals try less when working in a group than when working individually.

Question 22

Preventing social loaving? (4)

Answer 22

To prevent this phenomenon the following tactics can be used:

1. set group goals,
2. increase competition within a group,
3. set an evaluation plan – peers evaluate peers,
4. distribute group rewards.

Question 23

What can encourage group cohesiveness?

Answer 23

Smaller groups, consensus on common goals, more time spent tighter by group members, enhance the group’s status, encourage competition with other groups, reward group, not just members, physically isolate the group.

Question 24

PROs GROUP DECISION MAKING (4)

Answer 24

1. Generate more complete information and knowledge
2. More inputs to the decision making process
3. Enhance diversity of views – more perspectives, more solutions
4. Increased acceptance of a solution

Question 25

CONs GROUP DECISION MAKING (4)

Answer 25

1. Time consuming
2. Conformity phenomenon hinters the decision making process
3. Decision may be dominated by individual(s) in a group
4. Ambiguous responsibility, collective responsibility

Question 26

Effectiveness groups vs individuals

Answer 26

When we take into account accuracy, group decision making is better, when speed is the concern, then individual decision making is more effective, In terms of creativity, groups will also bring more to the table.

Question 27

Efficiency groups vs individuals

Answer 27

It takes longer for a group to make a decision than it does for an individual.
There are two phenomena that can take place in group decision -making: groupthink and groupshift

Question 28

4 signs of groupthink:

Answer 28

1. Self-censorship of ideas that deviate from the apparent group consensus.
2. Direct pressure to conform placed on any member who questions the group’s consensus.
3. Rationalising warnings that might challenge the group’s assumptions.
4. Groupthink does not characterise all groups. It happens more often when the group’s identity and cohesiveness is high. Also groups that have a negative self image are more threatened by groupthink.

Question 29

4 Remedies of groupthink:

Answer 29

1. Monitoring the size of the group. The bigger group, the more probable the occurrence of groupthink.
2. At least one group member should be assigned the role of Devil’s advocate. This should be a different person for each meeting.
3. Leaders should be impartial and should encourage different opinions and views.
4. Using techniques that stimulate discussion.

Question 30

Groupshift

Answer 30

a phenomenon in which the initial positions of individual group members become exaggerated because of the interactions of the group. Group opinions are more conservative than individual’s. There are risky shifts and cautious shifts. More often, the shift is towards greater risk. The best explanation for that is that group diffuses responsibility and the accountability objects are not clearly defined and that’s why members dare to take riskier decisions.

Question 31

Nominal group technique (NGT)

Answer 31

a decision making method for use amongst groups of many sizes who want to make their decision quickly, as by a vote, but where everyone’s opinions are taken into account. Discussion and interpersonal communication are limited. NGT outperforms brainstorming.

Question 32

4 Steps in NGT:

Answer 32

1. Silent generation of ideas - members meet and write down individually ideas on a sheet of paper.
2. Sharing ideas - each group member presents one idea to the group members. There are turns until all ideas are shared.
3. Group discussion – the group discusses ideas and clarifies them.
4. Voting and ranking – each member ranks ideas. The idea with the biggest amount of votes wins.

Question 33

Global consequences:

Answer 33

Cultural differences affect status. It is important to know the role of status in a given culture.
Social loafing is consistent with individualistic cultures/societies, not with collective ones.
Group diversity (especially ethnical and cultural) can lead to increased conflict and low group morale. However, if they survive initial conflicts over time diverse groups perform better.