L1: Intro Flashcards
What is a group vs team
often used interchangeably in this course, but technically have some differences
group: social interaction & possess common goal
team: the above + common task goals, performing together organizationally relevant tasks, exhibit interdependence, have different roles & responsibilities, are part of a larger organizational system
what is group entitavity?
degree to which a colleciton of persons is perceived as being bound together in a coherent unit
what are properties that increase entitavity?
- interdependence: members must depend on each other to accomplish the task and/or to receive valued outcomes
- importance: the group has meaning and value for members
- interaction: members engage in formal or informal activities, communications, relations etc (very important)
- duration: length of time the group has been together
- similarity: degree to which members resemble each other are on certain attributes
- cohesion: attraction & commitment to the gruop
define task interdependence
degree to which group members are mutually dependent on one another to accomplish their tasks
define outcome interdependence
degree to which group members are mutually dependent to receive valued outcomes (like money or praise)
what is the relationship between cohesion & performance?
inconclusive! some studies say it improves performance, others say it impairs
so it might depend on other factors like group goal acceptance (if a group accepts their performance goals given to them by management, then theres a positive relation between cohesion & performance)
what are some properties which decrease entitavity?
- size: nr of members in group
- permeability: how easy it is to join/leave group
Which of the following
teams is likely to have the
highest level of entitativity?
a. A painting team whose
members paint different
rooms at the same time.
b. A small surgical team.
c. A newly formed kitchen
team.
The right answer is b. Size is
negatively associated with
entitativity. This means larger
teams have lower entitativity,
smaller teams have higher
entitativity.
A is incorrect because team
members are clearly not
interdependent. C is incorrect
because the team started
working together only
recently: duration is thus
short
what is a property that may either increase or decrease entitavity?
group structure: norms, roles, and status differences in the group
What are the functions of groups/teams?
- facilitate accomplishment of certain tasks
- satisfies our need to belong
- allows us to make sense of the world by comparing ourselves to rest of the world (&assess fairness)
- social comparison theory
- allows us to understand ourselves (we derive meaning from being member of a group)
- social identity theory
- self categoziration theory
- provide utalitarian benefits
- exchange theory
what is the consequence of our need to belong?
if we dont belong: less wellbeing, higher mortality
- group members have high resistance when there are threats to dissolve the group (since it zould mean loss of valued social ties)
- ppl want to be liked & included, which can impact the functioning of the group and how ppl act (ex: members might not argue against a position taken by other members)
- being rejected by a member has lots of negative consequences on wellbeing & self esteem
how does social comparison theory explain why we like groups?
it argues that ppl want to hold accurate views of themselves & the world. they can do this by validating their beliefs against “physical reality” (i think the ice is thick enough to stand on)or against “social reality’ (i like this music, i wonder what my friends think of it)
this leads to consensus implies correctness rule
how do social identity theory & self categorization theory explain why we like groups?
they argue that ppl define themselves & others partly in terms of group membership
- part of the self concept that derives from group membership combined w the value & significance of that membership = social identity
- having a social identity helps reduce uncertainty & make sense of our world
how does exchange theory explain why we like groups?
it argues that social relations (including those within groups) help to fulfill the individuals needs (like need to belong) and often take the forms of exchange processes (might involve material goods, or interpersonal helping, or psch needs like love/friendship/approval)
enduring exchange relations between 2 or more ppl are more effectively organized when ppl form a group
so groups facilitate mutually beneficial social exchange
- social relations involve costs as well as benefits and as long as benefits outweigh costs, the relation will yield a “profit”
what is the idea behind the IPO model of group work?
working in groups has inputs (predictors), processes (mediators, what a team does, feels, and thinks), and outputs (outcome variable). team intervetnions/context are moderators
what are some inputs that characterize teams?
- individual characteristics (like personality, background, preferences)
- individual, team, org resources
- team diversity
what are some processes that characterize teams?
what a team feels, does and thinks
- cognitive
- motivational
- behavioural
what are cognitive team processes?
represent the structure of collective perceptions, cognitive structure, or knowledge perception, and knowledge & info acquisition
what are some examples of cognitive team processes?
- team climate: team perception of the environment (like service climate, innovative climate)
- team mental models: shared model of knowledge or beliefs related to key elements of the team task (info held in common)
- team tranactive memory: group level system of encoding, storing, and retrieving info located across group members (who knows what)
- team learning: the active process by which teams acquire knowledge, skills, and perfroamnce capabilities (such as mental models or transactive memory)
what are some examples of motivational/affective team processes?
- team cohesion: attraction of member to group (both task & social-related)
- team efficacy: shared belief int he group’s collective ability to obtain goals
- team affect, mood, and emotions: good or bad feelings held by members in the group
- team conflict: process arising from real or perceived incompatibilities among team members
what are some behavioural team processes?
- team coordination, cooperation, and communication: process by which members actions are synchronised
- team member competencies: how the knowledge, skills, and abilities shape ability of team to accomplish task (eg resource distribution, timing, motivation)
- team regulation, performance dynamics, and adaptation: process by which team task demands vary and cycle around a task episode & how members interactions and performance can be regulated in line w these cycles (eg mission analysis, conflict management)
what are some examples of outcomes that characterize teams?
- team & individual performance
- creativity
- motivation
- decision making
- meeting member needs: satisfaction, identification, etc
- team viability: willingness of members to remain in the team (is an important output because when ppl leave the team, you may lose necessary knowledge & skills and you will need to replace them)
what are some examples of team interventions that characterize IPO model?
- team design: making sure team is aligned w organizational context & task and has adequate resources
- team training & development: process or intervention by which teams and individuals acquire skills and improve processes
- team leadership: use of influence within the team to guide the team in task accomplishment
what are the benefits of qualitative case studies as a method?
very rich & detailed info
what are some downsides of qualitative case studies as a method?
- only a few entities can be studied such extensiviely, so we dont know whether the results generalize to others
- because of the extremely rich data, it is hard to draw clear conclusions
what are some benefits of surveys as methods?
- ability to quantify variables & relationships among variables
- real world relevance of the findings
what are some downsides of surveys as methods
- reliance on subjective data
- its not possible to establish causality
what are some benefits of experiments as a method?
- ability to test causal relationships
what are some downsides of experiments as a method?
- reliance on artificial situations raises quations around generalizability in less controlled situations
what is the most important property for group entitavity?
interaction among group members: higher levels of interaction led to higher entitavity
what are task groups
relatively small, usually (but not always) have face to face interaction, and have a comon goal: task performance
define psychological safety
the belief that you wont be punished when you make a mistake
for what is psychological safety important?
it allows for
- taking moderate risks
- speaking your mind
- being creative
- sticking your neck out without fear of having it cut off
but more importantly
- higher levels of engagement
- increased motivation to tackle difficult problems
- more learning & dev opporunities
-> generally high performing teams
how can you increase psych safety on your team?
- approach conflict as a collaborator not an adversary
- when conflicts come up, avoid triggering a fight or flight reaction by asking “how could we achieve a mutually desirable outcome?”
- speak human to human, but anticipate reactions, plan countermoves, and adopt a learning mindset, where ur truly curious to hear the other persons pov
- ask for feedback to illuminate your own blind spots
define group socialization
learning the customs of a group
what are the 5 stages of group membership according to model of group socialization?
- investigation
- socialization
- maintenance
- re-socialization
- remembrance
moving from one stage to the next involves a role transition
what are the different role transitions in the model of group socialization?
- entry; from prospective member (stage of investigation) to new member (stage of socialization)
- acceptance: from new member to full member
- divergence: from full member to marginal member
- exit: from marginal member to ex-member
when do role transitions occur?
as a result of evaluation processes in which the group & individual evaluate one another
- when the group is rewarding for members, members will try to enter the group or maintain group membership
- when a group values a (prospective) member, the gorup will encourage the person to become or stay a member
what does commitment mean in the model of group socialization?
the degree to which a group member identifies with the group & its goals and wishes to maintain grou pmembership
- commitment increases as ppl become full members
- but may later decrease to the point of exit
what are the characteristics of the investigation & entry stage of group socialization?
in this stage
- groups look for prospective members woh might make a contribution to the attainment of group goals
- task groups will search for members who have the required skills & abilities but are also compatible with the existing membership
- prospective members will look for groups that will fulfill their needs (to belong, career needs etc)
what is a classic explanation for initiation rituals?
cognitive dissonance theory which argues that harsh rituals increase the commitment to the group
which is why the role of transition of entry can be marked by a harsh initiation ritual
what is an important determinant of group openness?
staffing level: its easier to become a full member of an understaffed as compared to an overstaffed group
how do group members influence each other?
when group members deviate from a group norm they are put under pressure to change their behaviour or opinion
group members may be excluded when these influence attempts are unsuccessful
what does the stage theory of Tuckman describe?
how groups change over time because of the challenges they face & goals they have changing
distinguished 5 stages: forming (group members get to know each other, high uncertainty), storming (group members resist influence, disagreement and high conflict), norming (group members share a common purpose, high friendship & cohesion), performing (group members work together towards their goal, performance oriented), and adjourning (group members leave the group, feelings of accomplishment or failure sometimes)
what is the coding scheme of Interaction Process Analysis?
a useful coding scheme for group interaction
makes a basic distinction between socio emotional & task behaviours
what does expectation states theory say?
explains the emergence of status structures & role differences in groups and how they develop over time
argues that certain certain status characteristics lead to performance expectations that subsequently lead to differences in status and influence
why are peple greatly influence by majorities?
because they take the majority opinion as evidence about reality (information influence) or because they conform to the majority to avoid negative consequences (normative influence)
what could result in group polarization?
when gorup members initially agree about an issue, a group discussion may lead to GP and more extreme opinions
can be exploained by social comparison theory & persuasive arguments theory
what is the influence of minorities?
they can be influential but their influence is often indirect and they have to be consistent over time because otherwise they are ignored
being exposed to a minority viewpoint can stimulate divergent thinking & creativity
