Group Dynamics

Question 1

What is the Asch Experiment?

Answer 1

Which stick is longest?
People will blindly follow the group. This is groupthink because people are scared of being dissenters.
The effect is larger in collectivist cultures.
Having one ‘ally’ decreases conformity greatly -> even just one person also dissenting greatly reduces groupthink.
Dominant people yield the most infuleunce (they are seen as more competent). This is especially true in individualistic cultures.

Question 2

What is a group?

Answer 2

Two or more prople interacting interdependentl to achieve a common goal. There are two types: formal and informal.

Question 3

What are the 3 group assumptions?

Answer 3

Synergy, Effectiveness and Efficiency.
Group performance is better than ths sum of individual performances.
Groups are better at achieving organizational goals.
Groups are more efficient in the pursuit of organizational goals.

Question 4

What is groupthink?

Answer 4

Situations in which group pressures for conformity deter the group from critically evaluating unusual, minority, or unpopular opinions

Question 5

What are solutions to groupthink?

Answer 5

Devil's advocate
Dialectful Inquiry
Bring in outsiders
Dissent valued
Members feel comfortable speaking up

Question 6

What is social loafing?

Answer 6

The tendency to withhold physical or intellectual effort when performing a group task. More pronounced in indiviualistic cultures.

Question 7

What is a solution to social loafing?

Answer 7

Make individual performance visible.

Question 8

How do groups perform relative to their members?

Answer 8

They typically make a better decision than the average, but a worse decision than the best person. (For example the desert survival experiment from lectures).

Question 9

What is the name for ‘the tendency to withhold physical effore when performing a group task’?

Answer 9

Social Loafing

Question 10

What is the name for ‘situations in which group pressures for conformity deter the group from cricially evaluating unusual, minority or unpopular opinions’?

Answer 10

Groupthink

Question 11

Why do groups fail to outperform the best person?

Answer 11

Conformity Pressure (groupthink)
Domination by small numbers
Social Loafing

Question 12

What is Synergy? (in relation to group dynamics)

Answer 12

Group performance is better than the sum of indiviudals

Question 13

What is Effectiveness? (in relation to group dynamics)

Answer 13

Groups are better at achieving organisational goals.

Question 14

What is Efficiency? (in relation to group dynamics)

Answer 14

Groups are more efficient at achieving organisational goals.

Question 15

What are synergy, effectiveness and efficiency?

Answer 15

The 3 assumptions made about groups.
Group performance is better than ths sum of individual performances.
Groups are better at achieving organizational goals.
Groups are more efficient in the pursuit of organizational goals.

Question 16

What is the name of the experiment where people were asked which two sticks were the same length?

Answer 16

The Asch Conformity Experiments.

Question 17

Why might you need to make individual performance more visible (in relation to group dynamics)?

Answer 17

To prevent social loafing.

Question 18

What are the Asch Conformity Experiments?

Answer 18

Which line is the same length as this line? The effect is stronger in collectivistic cultures, and weaker when there is an ‘ally’.

Question 19

In what kind of cultures is groupthink more of a problem?

Answer 19

Collectivistic cultures.

Question 20

How might groupthink be reduced?

Answer 20

Dialectful Inquiry, Devil’s Advocate, increase anonymity.

Question 21

Define Dialectical Inquiry.

Answer 21

One group comes up with argumants for one idea. Another group comes up with arguments for another. The two then discuss the competing ideas.

Question 22

Define Devil’s Advocate.

Answer 22

One group comes up with arguments for one idea. The other group then comes up with counterarguments, and essentially dismantles the first groups ideas.

Question 23

Contrast DI and DA.

Answer 23

In DI, the second group comes up with alternative proposals. In DA, the second group only argues against the initial proposal.

Question 24

‘One group comes up with arguments for an idea. The other then comes up with arguments for a different idea’. What practice does this describe?

Answer 24

Dialectical Inquiry

Question 25

‘One group comes up with arguments for an idea. The other group then comes up with counters to the assumptions of the first. They do not suggest an alternative recommendation.’ What practice does this describe?

Answer 25

Devil’s Advocate

Question 26

If a Devil’s Advocate also comes up with useful counterreccomendations, what is this called?

Answer 26

Dialectical Inquiry

Question 27

OTHER THAN Time consuming, Group think, and social loafing, what is a disadvantage of groups?

Answer 27

Diffusion of Responsibility.

Question 28

What is both an advantage and a disadvantage of groups?

Answer 28

Diffusion of Responsibility.

Question 29

What are the advantages of groups? Name 4.

Answer 29

More information is brought to the table.
More people’s minds help inform the answer.
People are invested in the decision.
Diffusion of Responsibility means people are more likely to take big decisions.