Group Composition

Question 1

What are the key features of a group?

Answer 1

Share a common fate
Mutual benefit
Has social structure
Group processes - interaction and communication
Assembly effect bonus
Self categorisation

Question 2

What is the assembly effect bonus?

Answer 2

More people, stronger the group

Question 3

What is self categorisation?

Answer 3

Each member recognise they are part of the group

Question 4

Give an example of a group

Answer 4

Group of people doing park run

Members of an exercise class

Question 5

What are the key features of a team?

Answer 5

Common identity - team name
Common goals and objectives
Common fate
Structures patterns of interaction and modes of communication
Hold perceptions about group structure
Independent, interpersonal attraction and consider themselves a group
Self categorise

Question 6

What perceptions may individuals hold about group structure in a team?

Answer 6

Each individual has a role and everyone knows each others role

Question 7

What does interpersonal attraction refer to in a team setting?

Answer 7

All members are invested and committed to the team

Question 8

Who defined the difference between a group and a team?

Answer 8

Carron and Hausenblas 1998

Question 9

What are group dynamics?

Answer 9

Split into 3 categories:

• Nature of group
• Laws of development
• Interrelations

Question 10

What aspects of the nature of the group affect group dynamics?

Answer 10

Composition
Structure
Environment
Cohesion

Question 11

How do the laws of group development affect group dynamics?

Answer 11

Formation
Development of group
Leadership

Question 12

What interrelations are important for group dynamics?

Answer 12

Coach-athlete relationship

Family influence

Question 13

How can group effectiveness be conceptualised?

Answer 13

Actual productivity = potential productivity - process losses

Question 14

What are the potential process losses affecting group effectiveness?

Answer 14

Co-ordination - communication and conflict

Motivation

Question 15

How can group effectiveness be increased? (Steiner 1972)

Answer 15

Increase potential

Reduce process losses

Question 16

How can group productivity be conceptualised?

Answer 16

3 Parts:
Input - Group structure
Throughput - Group cohesion
Output - group processes

Hypothesised by Carron and Hausenblas 1998

Question 17

What affects group structure? (in relation to group productivity)

Answer 17

Member attributes

Group environment

Question 18

What affects group processes? (in relation to group productivity)

Answer 18

Individual outcomes

Team outcomes

Question 19

What are the member attributes which contribute to increased group productivity?

Answer 19

Amount, variability and compatibility of group skills and attributes

Question 20

What did Weinberg and Gould hypothesise in 2011 about the amount of resources to the productivity of a team?

Answer 20

Importance of individual ability decreases as importance for co-ordination increases

Question 21

How does variability of resources tend to affect group productivity?

Answer 21

Heterogenous groups tend to be more successful (Carron and Eye, 2012)

Depends on sports - homogeneity more successful in tennis

Question 22

How does compatibility affect group productivity?

Answer 22

Incompatibility can divide a team and effect group success

Need some similar skills between members but some skills may compliment each other

Question 23

Aside from skills, what can affect group compatibility?

Answer 23

Previous experience
Physical attributes
Dependability
Gender
Anxiety
Sociability
Motivation
Dependability
Intelligence

Question 24

What is the five factor model of personality proposed by Costa and McCrae in 1992?

Answer 24

Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism

Question 25

Which aspects of personality has there been research into?

Answer 25

Extraversion and leadership

Amount and variability and group cohesion

Question 26

How can group environment be impacted to affect group effectiveness?

Answer 26

Physical environment - training facilities etc.
Group territory - home advantage
Group size

Question 27

How does group size impact group effectiveness?

Answer 27

Ideally it would increase with increased numbers of members but there will be increased product losses due to co-ordination losses

The Ringlemann effect and Social Loafing help explain this

Question 28

What is the ringlemann effect?

Answer 28

Individual performance decrease as number of people in group increase

Weinberg and Gould 2011

Question 29

Why is there an apparent decrease in individual performance as group size increases?

Answer 29

Reduced motivation due to reduced sense of accountability - most important reason

Social loafing

Question 30

What is social loafing?

Answer 30

Tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually

Karau and Williams

Question 31

When is social loafing increased?

Answer 31

• Individual output can’t be evaluated independently
• Individual perceive effort as redundant
• Low personal/group value on task
• No comparison vs group standards
• High performing group

Question 32

What is the primary difference between a group and a team?

Answer 32

Teams have shared goals and objectives

Question 33

How can you increase potential productivity?

Answer 33

Increase number of people
Increase training sessions
Increase variability, amount of resources