2. GROUP
A collection of two or more interacting
individuals who maintain stable
patterns of relationships, share
common goals and perceive
themselves as being a group.
4. Propinquity
Individuals affiliate with one another because of
spatial or geographical proximity
Drawback: it is not analytical and does not begin to
explain some of the complexities of group formation
and the modern development of globalization and
electronic online networking and telecommunicating
that gives new meaning to spatial or geographic
proximity.
5. Interaction
A classic theory of George Homans based on the
activities, interactions, and sentiments.
This theory lends a great deal to the
understanding of group formation and process.
Persons in a group interact with one another not
just in the physical propinguity sense or
increasingky electronically, but also to
accomplish many group goals through
cooperation and problem solving.
6. Balance Theory
Theodore Newcomb
Persons are attracted to one another in the
basis of similar attitudes toward commonly
relevant objects and goals.
Both propinquity and interaction play a role
in balance theory
7. Balance theory of group formation
INDIVIDUAL X INDIVIDUAL Y
Z
COMMON ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Religion
Politics
Lifestyle
Marriage
Work
Authority
8. Exchange Theory
Based on reward-cost outcomes of interaction.
A minimum positive level (rewards greater than
costs) of an outcome must exist in order for
attraction or affiliation to take place.
Rewards from interaction gratify needs, whereas
costs incur anxiety, frustration, and
embarrassment, or fatigue.
Propinquity, interaction, and common attitudes all
have roles in exchange theory.
9. FIVE-STAGE MODEL OF
GROUP FORMATION
STAGE 1 : FORMING
- Members get acquainted with each other
- People tend to be a bit confused and uncertain
about how to act in the group and how beneficial it
will be to become a member of the group.
STAGE 2: STORMING
- Characterized by a high degree of conflict within
the group.
- Members often resist the control of the group’s
leaders and show hostility toward each other.
10. STAGE 3 : NORMING
- The group becomes more cohesive, and
identification as a member of the group becomes
greater.
- Close relationships develop, shared feelings
become common, and a keen interest in finding
mutually agreeable solutions develop.
STAGE 4: PERFORMING
- questions about group relationships and
leadership have been resolved and the group is
ready to work.
- having fully developed, the group may now devote
its energy to getting the job done.
11. STAGE 5: ADJOURNING
- Groups may cease to exist because they have met
their goals and are no longer needed, in which case
the end is abrupt.
12. THE PUNCTUATED-EQUILIBRIUM MODEL
Groups go through two stages marked by the mid-point
of the group’s time together.
The first half is a period of equilibrium, in which
the group makes plans, but accomplishes little.
The second half, group members make
changes that lead them to accomplish the group’s
task as the deadline approaches.
13. CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUPS
Social Interaction
Verbal
Non-verbal
Stability
there must be some stable relationships that
keep group members together and functioning as a
unit.
Common Interests or Goals
Recognition as Being a Group
people who recognize each other as a member
of their group and can distinguish these individuals
from non members
14. TYPES OF GROUP
Groups
Formal
groups
Command
groups
Task
groups
Informal
groups
Friendship
groups
Interest
groups
15. FORMAL GROUPS – created by the
organization, intentionally designed to direct
its members toward some organizational
goals.
COMMAND GROUP – determined by the
connections between individuals who are
a formal part of the organization.
TASK GROUP – formed around some
specific task.
16. INFORMAL GROUPS – develop naturally
among an organization’s personnel without any
direction from the management of the
organization within which they operate
INTEREST GROUP – a group of
employees who come together to satisfy a
common interest
FRIENDSHIP GROUPS – informal group
that develop because their members are
friends, often seeing each other outside of
the organization.
17. What
Makes
People
Join
Groups?
Security
Status
Affiliation
Power Goal
Achievement
Self-
Esteem
19. NORMS: A Group’s Unspoken Rules
Generally agreed upon informal rules that guide
group member’s behavior.
Regulate the behavior of groups in important
ways, such as by :
fostering workers’ honesty and loyalty to
the company.
Establishing appropriate way to dress
Dictating when it is acceptable to be late
for or absent from work
20. PRESCRIPTIVE NORM- dictate the
behavior s that should be performed.
PROSCRIPTIVE NORM- dictate
specific behaviors that should be
avoided.
21. Norms: How Do They Develop?
Basis of Norm
Development
Example
Precedents set over time
Carryovers from other situation
Explicit statements from others
Critical events in group history
Seating location of each
Professional standards of conduct
Working a certain way because you
are told “that’s how we do it around
here”
After the organization suffers a loss
due to one person’s divulging
company secrets, a norm develops
to maintain secrecy
22. ROLES : The Hats We Wear
The typical behavior behavior that characterizes
a person in a specific social context
Role incumbent – person holding a particular role
Role expectation – behavior expected of that
person
Role ambiguity – confusion arising from not
knowing what one is expected to do as the
holder of the role.
Role differentiation – various group members
come to play different roles in the social
structure.
23. STATUS: The Prestige of Group
Membership
The relative prestige, social position, or rank
given to groups or individuals by others.
NATURE:
Formal status – attempts to differentiate
between the degrees of formal authority given
employees by an organization.
Status symbols – objects reflecting the
position of an individual within an
organization’s hierarchy.
24. Ways where status symbols can help
goups:
remind organizational members of their
roles
provide assurance of the various
rewards available to those who perform at
a superior level.
provide a sense of identification by
reminding members of the group’s values
25. Informal Status - the prestige accorded
individuals with certain characteristics that are
not formally recognized by the organization.
e.g. employees who are older or more
experienced, employees who have certain
special skills
26. COHESIVENESS: Getting the
Team Spirit
The strength of group members’
desires to remain a part of the group.
Refers to a we-feeling, esprit de
corps, a sense of belonging to a
group.
27. Importance of High Cohesiveness
High
Cohesiveness
-Unity
- Interactions
- Positive Feelings
-Ability to cope with
problems
- More productions
Low
Cohesiveness
- Negative
Feelings
- More problems
- Less productive
29. Factors influencing cohesiveness:
Severity of initiation to the group
High external threat or competition
Greater time group members spend
together
Size of the group
History of success
30. Highly cohesive groups also can be
problematic.
e.g. if a highly cohesive group’s goals
are contrary to the organization’s goals,
that group is in a position to inflict a great
deal of harm to an organization, working
against its interest.
Notas do Editor
The most basic theory explaining affiliation.
The interesting word means simply that individuals…
> The theory would predict that students sitting to one another in class, for example, are more likely to form into a group than are students sitting at opposite ends of the room.
The major element is interaction.
These three elements are directly related to one another. The more activities persons share, the more numerous will be their interactions and the stronger will be their sentiments (how much the other person are liked or disliked); the more interactions among persons, the more will be their shared activities and sentiments; and the more sentiments persons have for one another, the more will be their shared activities and interactions.
One of the more comprehensive is Theodore Newcomb’s classic balance theory of group formation.
Individual X will interact and form a relationship/group with individual Y because common attitudes and values (Z). Once this relationship is formed, the participants strive to maintain a symmetrical balance between the attraction and the common attitudes. If an imbalance occurs, an attempt is made to restore the balance. If balance cannot be restored, the relationship dissolves.
Another theoretical approach to group formation from social psychology is exchange theory.
FORMING marked by uncertainty and even confusion. Group members are not sure about the purpose, structure, task, or leadership of the group.
once individuals come to think of themselves as members of a group, the forming stage is complete.
STORMING characterized by conflict and confrontation.
If these conflicts are not resolved and group members withdraw, the group may disband. However, as conflicts are resolved and the group’s leadership is accepted, the storming stage is complete.
NORMING: members begin to settle into cooperation and collaboration. They have a “we” feeling with high cohesion, group identity, and camaraderie.
the stage is complete when the members of the group accept a common set of expectations that constitutes an acceptable way of doing things.
PERFORMING: this is the stage where the group is fully functioning and devoted to effectively accomplishing the tasks agreed on in the norming stage
the group’s good relations and acceptance of the leadership helps the group perform well.
Recognizing that not all groups last forever.. The final stage is known as adjourning.
e.g. such as ad hoc group created to raise money for a charity project)
Other groups may adjourn gradually as the group disintegrates, either because members leave or because the norms that have developed are no longer effective
for project teams or task forces with a specific objective, once the objective is accomplished, the group will disband or have a new composition, and the stages will start over again.
Not all scientists agree that groups develop in the order identified in the five-stage model. In fact, it has been argued that although there may not be a universal sequence of stages, there are some remarkable consistencies in the ways groups form and change. These patterns are described in the punctuated-equilibrium model
Phase 1 – groups define their task, setting a mission that is unlikely to change until the 2nd half of the group’s life.
- even if the members have new ideas, these are generally not acted upon
- at the midpoint of their lives groups experience a sort of “midlife crisis” – a time when they recognize that they are going to have to change the way they operate if they are going to meet their goals.
Phase 2 - groups drop old ways of thinking and adopt new perspectives.
- groups then carry out these missions i=until they reach the end of phase 2
Members must have some influence on one another.
interaction between parties may be either…. VERBAL OR NON-VERBAL
Verbal = such as sharing strategies for a corporate takeover
Non-verbal = such as exchanging smiles in the hallway
Parties must have some impact on one another to be considered as a group.
To be a group, a greater level of stability would be required
A collection of individuals that constantly changes e.g. people inside an office waiting room at any given time cannot be thought of as a group.
Members with common interests help each other achieve a mutual goal (a sewing shop with common interest in sewing and the common goal of making money)
members of a corporate finance committee know who is in their group and who is not. ---- shoppers in a check out line probably don’t think of each other as member of a group. Although they stand physically close to each other, they have little in common shared interest.
The most basic way of identifying types of groups is to distinguish between formal groups and informal groups.
Command group: i.e. those who legitimately can give orders to others
determined by the organization’s rules regarding who reports to whom, and usually consist of a supervisor and his or her subordinates.
Task group: unlike command groups, a task group may be composed of individuals with some special interest or expertise in a specific area regardless of their positions in the organizational heirarchy.
one key factor in the formation of informal groups is a common interest shared by its members --- called an interest group
the common goal sought by members of an interest group may unite workers at many different organizational levels.
the key factor is that membership in an interest group is voluntary.
Friendship groups extend beyond the workplace because they provide opportunities for satisfying the social needs of workers that are so important to their well-being.
Informal work groups are an important part of life in organizations. Although they develop without direct encouragement fro management, friendships often originate out of formal organizational contact. ----- friendship can bind people together, helping them cooperate with each other, having beneficial effects on organizational functioning.
People are social animals; they have a basic need to affiliate with others. Groups provide good opportunities for friendships to develop – hence, for social needs to be fulfilled
people have a basic desire for their self esteem to be fulfilled. Group memberships can be a very effective way for nurturing self –esteem. For example, if a group to which one belongs is successful, the self-esteem of all members may be boosted.
* Norms differ from organizational rules in that they are not formal and written.
For example, groups may develop prescriptive norms to follow their leader or to help a group member who needs assistance. They may also develop poscriptive norms to avoid absences or to refrain from telling each other’s secrets to the boss.
Various parts played by group members.
The person holding the office of the president of the United States ( the role incumbent) has certain role expectations simply because he or she currently has that post.
Role expectation: When a new president takes office, that person assumes the role and has the same formal powers as the previous president.
Role ambiguity: typically experienced by new members of the organizations who have not had much of a chance to “learn the ropes”, and often results in job dissatisfaction, a lack of commitment to the organization, and an interest in leaving the job.
Role differentiation: different people perform different functions in an organization.
Clearly, one potential reward of group membership is the status associated with being in that group.
Even within social groups, different members are accorded different levels of prestige.
Group members get high status or low status in the group based on their authority and performance.
Nature: Within most organizations status may be recognized as formal and informal in nature
This is typically accomplished through the use of Status symbols: some common examples of status symbols include job titles, perquisites, or perks (e.g. a reserved parking space); the opportunity to do desireable and highly regarded work (e.g. serving on important committees); and a luxurious working conditions (e.g. a large, private office that is lavishly decorated)
thereby reducing uncertainty and providing stability to the social order.
E.g. maybe one day I’ll have a reserved parking spot.
E.g. a gang’s jacket may remind its wearer of his expected loyalty and boldness
employees who are older or more experienced may be perceived as higher in status by their coworkers.
employees who have certain special skills also may be regarded as having higher status than others.
in some organizations, the lower value placed on the work of women and members of minority groups by some individuals also can be considered an example of informal status in operation.
> One of the best-established findings in the study of group dynamics is that higher-status people tend to be more influential than lower-status people.
Esprit de corps – feeling of loyalty, enthusiasm, and devotion to a group among people who are members of the group.
Severity of initiation to the group: Research has shown that the greater the difficulty people overcome to become the member of a group, the more the cohesive the group will be.
High external threat or competition : When groups face a “common enemy,” they tend to draw together. Such cohesion not only makes workers feel safer and better protected, but also aids them by encouraging them to work closely together and to coordinate their efforts toward the common enemy.
Greater time group members spend together: limited interaction cannot help but interfere with opportunities to develop bonds between group members.
Size of the group: cohesiveness tends to be greater in smaller groups. Generally speaking, groups that are too large make it difficult for members to interact and, therefore, for cohesiveness to reach a high level.
History of success: groups with history o success tend to be highly cohesive. It is often said that “everyone loves a winner,” and the success of a group tends to help unite its members as they rally around their success. For this reason, employees tend to be loyal to successful companies.
Cohesive groups tend to work together quite well, are sometimes exceptionally productive, and have low levels of voluntary turnover.
e.g. Highly cohesive group members who conspire to sabotage their employers are a good example.
With this in mind, it’s important to recognize that when it comes to performance group cohesiveness is a double-edged sword: its effects can be both helpful and harmful.