OB Lecture 7 Groups and Teams

Question 1

Social facilitation

Answer 1

the mere presence of others can improve performance

Question 2

Social inhibition

Answer 2

the mere presence of others can impair performance

Question 3

Presence of others effect on simple or complex tasks

Answer 3

presence of others did significantly increase the rate of performance on simple tasks and decrease both the rate and the quality of performance on complex tasks.

Question 4

What is a group?

Answer 4

two or more individuals interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives

Question 5

What is a formal group?

Answer 5

Defined by the organization’s structure with designated work assignments establishing tasks

Question 6

What are the group properties?

Answer 6

role
status
size
cohesiveness
diversity

Question 7

What does a group create?

Answer 7

conformity

- you do what the group does although it might be different from what you would actually do

Question 8

What is deviant workplace behaviour?

Answer 8

is voluntary behaviour that violates significant organizational norms and threatens the well-being of organozations

Question 9

Do individualistic (American groups) or collective (communist groups) loaf more?

Answer 9

individualistic groups loaf more

Question 10

Additive tasks:

Answer 10

outcome= sum of contributions. Individulal contribution is dispensable (rope pulling)

Question 11

Conjunctive tasks:

Answer 11

outcome = contribution of weakest member. Individual contribution indispensable

Question 12

group property: role

Answer 12

a set of behaviour patterns attributed to someone occupying a given position in a social unit
norms: standards of behaviour

Question 13

group property: status

Answer 13

(Status Characteristics Theory

• status derives from:
• power a person has over others
• ability to contribute to group goals
• personal characteristics)
• a high status allows work place deviation and makes status members more assertive

Question 14

group property: size

Answer 14

• 12 and more is a large group
• social loafing (Faulheit) is the tendency of groups to expend less effort when working collectively then when working individually

Question 15

group property: cohesiveness

Answer 15

degree to which group members are attracted to each other and are motivated to stay in the group
- can be increased by decreasing group size

Question 16

teams vs groups

Answer 16

teams are mutual and positive and complement in skills; more flexible,

Question 17

Problems with information sharing

Answer 17

• unique information is insufficiently used by groups

- disconfirming information is insufficiently used by groups

Question 18

What is a team?

Answer 18

• a group

however, a group is not necessarily a team