Group Theory - Foundation Flashcards
Group
Collection of two or more people who work with one another regularly to achieve common goals or more than two employees who have an ongoing relationship in which they interact and influence one another’s behavior and performance.
Importance
- Good for people ( security, confidence )
- Improve creativity
- Make better decisions
- Increase commitments to actions
- Help control their members
What makes people join groups?
- Security
- Status
- Affiliation
- Self-esteem
- Power
- Goal Achievement
Types of Groups
Formal - Command, Task
Informal - Interest, Friendship, Reference
Formal Group
Setup by an organization to carry out work in support of the organization’s goals.
Informal Group
Natural formations in the work environment appear in response to the need for social contact
Formal Types
Command - Defined in terms of the organization’s hierarchy. eg: Board of Directors
Task - Comprises employees who work together to complete a specific task. eg: Production group, Marketing group, Manufacturing Group
Informal Types
Interest - People who share common interests and work together to promote and influence others.
Friendship - Individual members have one or more common characteristics.
Reference - People use groups as a basis for making comparisons and decision making.
Group Processes
Refers to the communication patterns used by members for
- Information Exchanges
- Group decision
- Leader Behavior
- Power Dynamics
- Conflicts Interactions
Factors influencing Group processes
Internal and External Factors
Internal Factors
- Interpersonal Relationships of members
- Coordination of group members
- Group Structure
- Group Norms
- Social Loafing
- Group decision-making ( Majority, Minority )
External Factors
- Organization’s overall strategy
- Selection process
- Resource constraints
- Organization’s culture
- Authority Structure
- Performance and evaluation system
Role Ambiguity
When people are uncertain about their duties and authority
Role Conflict
When an individual’s performance in one role is made difficult by the performance in another role.
Group Norms
Rules of the group.
Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that is shared by group members.
Tell the group members how to or not to behave in different situations.
Classes of Norms
- Performance Norms
- Appearance Norms
- Social Arrangement Norms
- Allocation of resources Norms
Tuckman’s Five-Stage Theory of Group Development
Proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965. This theory explains the various stages that a group goes through as it forms, develops, and achieves its goals.
1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning
- Forming
In this initial stage, group members come together and get acquainted with each other. They focus on understanding the purpose of the group, defining their roles, and establishing ground rules. There is often a sense of uncertainty and politeness during this stage as individuals try to fit in and understand the dynamics of the group.
- Storming
During the storming stage, conflicts and power struggles may arise as group members express their opinions and challenge idea leading to tension and disagreement. It is essential for the group to effectively manage conflicts and establish a framework for resolving them.
- Norming
In this stage, the group begins to resolve conflicts and establish norms, rules, and expectations for behavior. Trust and mutual respect gradually develop, facilitating better communication and cooperation.
- Performing
The performing stage is characterized by high productivity and effective collaboration. The group members are focused on achieving the group’s objectives and can make decisions efficiently. This stage represents the peak performance of the group.
- Adjourning
Also known as mourning, this stage refers to the conclusion of the group’s tasks or the disbandment of the group. Group members may experience a mix of emotions, including satisfaction, sadness, or relief, as they transition out of the group.
Characteristics of Group
- Limited Size
- Has to achieve set objectives
- Has specific norms
- Has a structure
- Has a role to perform
- Maybe homogeneous or heterogeneous
Group Effectiveness
The group functions in a way that maintains or enhances the ability of members to work together in the future. Group effectiveness refers to the extent to which a group achieves its goals, fulfills its purpose, and performs well. An effective group is one that demonstrates high levels of collaboration, productivity, and satisfaction among its members.
Social Loafing
Reduction in individual effort when working on a collective task compared with when one works alone.
Common Manifestations :
1. Free-rider effect: Where some members do not put in their share of work under the assumption that other’s effort will cover their shortfall.
- Sucker effect: Where the other members lower their efforts in response to the free-riders attitude.
Social loafing occurs due to:
- Group members don’t value group goal
- Individual member’s efforts cannot be measured
- Group member’s effort is duplicated
- A group member feels that he/she doesn’t have a unique skill to contribute
- A group member feels that he/she has been given a harder task than others
Solutions to Social loafing:
- Make sure each member has different skills
- Everybody has to believe that the task is important
- Assign roles to group members
- The group member has to know exactly what is expected
- Make sure groups break large goals into smaller phases
- Ask everyone to grade themselves
Group Cohesion
Cohesion = Attraction. It is a measure of how well the group members work together and support each other to achieve common goals. Cohesion plays a crucial role in the overall effectiveness and functioning of a group.
Groupthink
A mode of thinking in highly cohesive groups in which the desire to reach an agreement overrides the motivation to adopt appropriate and rational decision-making. Groups experiencing groupthink do not consider all the alternatives and desire unanimity at the expense of quality decisions.
Polarization
The tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members. After participating in a discussion, members tend to advocate more extreme positions and riskier courses of action.
Factors affecting Group Performance
- Cohesiveness
- Group size
- Task vs Maintenance Roles
- Social loafing
- Presence of others
Cohesiveness
Strength of group member’s desires to remain part of the group.
Task Vs Maintenance Roles
Task roles enable the work group to define, clarify and pursue a common purpose. It keeps the groups on track.
Maintenance roles foster supportive and constructive interpersonal relationships. It keeps the group together
Helpful behaviors in Groups
- Seek to make every person feel welcome in the group
- Encourage each to listen to others
- Request that all state their feelings
- Give positive feedback or support
- Involve everyone
- Keep relationships honest and supportive
- Avoid direct arguments with group members
- Maintain a sense of freedom and responsibility
Duties of a Leader in group
- Stimulate and promote goal-oriented thinking and behavior
- Build member’s trust in the leader
- Resolve conflicts by mutual confrontation
- Structure cooperative relationships rather than competitive ones.
Theories of Group Formation
- Propinquity
- Homans Interaction
- Balance
- Exchange
Propinquity Theory
Propinquity means nearness.
States that individuals affiliate with one another because of spatial or geographical proximity.
Individuals working together or employees working in the same area tend to form a group more than those who are not physically located together.
Homans Interaction Theory
Based on activities, interactions, and sentiments.
The more activities a person shares, the more numerous will be interactions and stronger will be interactions and sentiments.
Balance Theory
Persons are attracted to each other on the basis of similar attitudes towards commonly relevant objects and goals. If an imbalance occurs, attempts are made to restore the balance or if it cannot be restored, the relationship dissolves. It introduces a factor of balance to the propinquity and homans interaction theory.
Exchange Theory
People are involved in social exchange on the basis of the perceived reward-cost relationship. Individual joins a group on the basis of outcomes of rewards and cost. If the reward is equal to or more than the cost, the individual joins the group and vice versa.
Social Facilation
When someone performs differently, either more effectively or less effectively, in the presence of others than one alone. If the dominant response is appropriate, performance will be enhanced and vice versa.
