Group Behaviour in Organisations Flashcards
What are the five stages in Tuckman’s model of group development?
forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning
What does “forming” mean in Tuckman’s stages of group development?
Team acquaints and establishes ground rules. Formalities are preserved and members are treated as strangers.
What does “storming” mean in Tuckman’s stages of group development?
Members start to communicate their feelings but still view themselves as individuals rather than part of the team. They resist control by group leaders and show hostility.
What does “norming” mean in Tuckman’s stages of group development?
People feel part of the team and realize that they can achieve work if they accept other viewpoints.
What does “performing” mean in Tuckman’s stages of group development?
The team works in an open and trusting atmosphere where flexibility is key and hierarchy is of little importance.
What does “adjourning” mean in Tuckman’s stages of group development?
The team conducts an assessment of the year and implements a plan for transitioning roles and recognising member’s contributions.
What does Belbin’s Theory of Team Roles state?
It says an ideal team contains people who are prepared to take on different roles
What is the “Belbin Test”?
It is a test for assessing team roles (these are paid tests) giving lots of detail about skills and abilities relating to your team and giving advice on what roles may be best and least suited to your team, as well as best and least suited strategies for implementation of goals.
Who studied the “pre-planning” stage of decision making?
Wedley & Field (1984)
What are some examples of questions that should be answered during the pre-planning stage?
- What type of leadership should we use?
- Should we involve others?
- How do we gather information?
- What people should we contact?
- How do we come up with alternatives?
What is a DSS (decision support system)?
It is a computer-based system that supports decision making activities
What is groupthink?
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision making outcome.
The group creates a situation where a decision is made which would not have been made by individuals
What were the 8 “symptoms” of groupthink that Janis (1971) identified?
- illusions of invulnerability
- unquestioned beliefs
- rationalising
- stereotyping
- self-censorship
- mind guards
- illusions of unanimity
- direct pressure to conform
What does it mean to be the “devil’s advocate”?
To take the other side of an argument on purpose.
What are the 3 categories of potential biases that can affect group decision making according to Forsyth (2006)?
- sins of commission
- sins of omission
- sins of imprecision
What are “sins of commission”?
The misuse of information in the decision making process. It can be using information that has already been shown to be inaccurate (belief perseverance). It may also be shown by group members committed to a plan because some investment of time or money has already been made, even though this plan may now be obviously flawed (sunk cost bias). If a group chooses to use information despite having been told to ignore it, they are guilty of extra-evidentiary bias. they can also overestimate the importance of past knowledge of experience (hindsight bias).
What are “sins of omission”?
Overlooking key information. Can include base rate bias, which is overlooking very basic relevant information. The fundamental attribution error is made when members of a group make decisions based on inaccurate appraisals of a person’s behaviour.
What are “sins of imprecision”?
Involves relying too heavily on heuristics (patterns of thinking and decision making) that over-simplify complex decisions. Heuristics include the availability heuristic (over-reliance on the information that is most easily and readily available), the conjunctive bias (failing to consider relationships between events), and the representativeness heuristic (group members rely too heavily on decision making factors that may appear meaningful but are actually misleading).
What is intra-group conflict?
Where people within the same group are in conflict.
What is inter-group conflict?
Conflict between two groups within the same organisation.
What is inter-individual conflict?
Conflict between two or more individuals within a group.
What are the two broad categories of conflict within a group compared to Riggo (2009)?
- Organisational factors
- Interpersonal factors
What are examples of organisational factors in conflict?
Could be conflict over status or salary, or disagreements over how to achieve a goal, or a location of resources or space.
What are examples of interpersonal factors in conflict?
Could be a personality clash, or people not working well together. if these clashes are between leaders it can produce increased conflict quickly and easily.
