Groups

Question 1

What is a group?

Answer 1

Any number of people who:

• interact
• are psychologically aware of one another
• perceive themselves as a group

Question 2

Groups are inevitable

Answer 2

• few tasks can be completed alone

- social creatures: we seek companionship and support

Question 3

Formal vs informal groups

Answer 3

• Formal: task-related objective, work in similar areas

- Informal: driven by social/affiliation needs, subdivide and span across formal groups

Question 4

Groups vs teams

Answer 4

Teams exhibit group dynamics, but are formal, goal and performance oriented

Question 5

Group formation: vacuums to fill

Answer 5

1. Structure
2. Knowledge
3. Emotion
4. Power

Question 6

Group formation: structures - examples

Answer 6

• developing patterns of communication
• hierarchy
• power relations
• allocation of roles

Question 7

Socializing newcomers into a group and its norms

Answer 7

1. Reason
2. Seduction
3. Iron fist
4. Amputation

Question 8

Typologies of group members

Answer 8

Roles:
- group maintenance
- task maintenance 
- self-oriented behavior
Engagement: leader, member, deviant, isolate
- Gross (1968)
- Belbin (1993)

Question 9

Degree of conformity (socializing into a group)

Answer 9

• sanctions available
• value of membership
• desire to avoid negative sanctions/impressions

Question 10

Problem of ‘social loafing’

Answer 10

When people don’t care to participate, give bad impressions or get sanctions
Increases by:
- high number of participation and/or people involved
- interest in participation is low
- no system review

Question 11

Issues in strong cohesive groups

Answer 11

• risky shift
• group think (Janis, 1972)
• group polarization
• intergroup conflict
• effective resistance against organization
• deindividuation

Question 12

How teams are used in management’s favor

Answer 12

• team working as intensification (e.g. Parker and slaughter)
• team working as control (e.g. Sinclair)

Question 13

How team working facilitates control

Answer 13

• self-discipline
• peer review and sanctions
• group standard and equality
• team humor (e.g. Collinson, Fletcher) and socialization