Foundations of Interpersonal and Group Behavior

Foundations of Interpersonal and Group Behavior

Groups to which you may belong

Social

Sports

Religious

Professional

Work-Related

An Overview

A reminder to business leaders of the continuing value of hands-on management and face-to-face meetings:

“Without meaningful personal interaction and doing ‘real’ work together, it is hard to build trust, understanding and accountability.”

The Interpersonal Nature of Organizations

Interpersonal relations and group processes pervade all organizations and are vital in managerial activities

Interpersonal Dynamics: Types of Interactions• Between individuals

• Between groups

• Between individuals and groups

Outcomes of Interpersonal Behaviors• Primary source of need satisfaction

• Base for social support

• Source of synergy

• Conflict

What is A Group?

A group is two or more people who interact with one another such that each person influences, and is influenced by, each other person.

What is Dynamics?

Dynamics - the ‘forces’ that produce change in any field or system.

The Nature of Groups

Members of a group may identify a little or not at all with the group’s goal.

Members may satisfy needs just by being members.

The behavior of individuals both affects and is affected by the group.

The accomplishments of groups are strongly influenced by the behavior of their individual members.

The work group is the primary means by which managers coordinate individuals' behavior to achieve organizational goals.

The behavior of individuals is key to the group’s success or failure.

Three-Phase Model - GD

Phase 1 – reasons for forming the group will determine what type of group it will be.Phase 2 – a four-step process of group development occurs. The precise nature of these steps depends on four primary group performance factors.Phase 3 – a mature, productive, adaptive group evolves and pursues organizational goals.[See Figure 9.1, page 233]

A General Model of Group Dynamics

Why Study Groups?

To understand the behavior of people in organizations, we must understand the forces that affect individuals as well as how individuals affect the organization.

The behavior of individuals both affects and is affected by the group [soldiering, all-star

player added to a team, etc.].

Why Study Groups? [continued]

Managers must be aware of individual needs and interpersonal dynamics to manage groups effectively and efficiently because the behavior of individuals is key to the group’s success or failure.The work group is the primary means by which managers coordinate individuals’ behaviors to achieve organizational goals.Managers direct the activities of individuals, but they also direct and coordinate interactions within groups.

Group Formation

People join groups for personal satisfaction – they expect to get something in return for their membership in the group.

An employee may join a group to get or keep a job.

Individuals may form an informal group or join an existing one for many reasons: attraction to people in the group, to its activities (such as playing

cards, running races, gardening, etc.) or to its goals.

Some people join groups for companionship.

Group Formation [continued]

Groups are formed to satisfy both organizational and individual needs.They form in organizations because managers expect people working together in groups to be better able to complete and coordinate organizational tasks [improving

productivity or quality].Managers are better equipped to manage certain kinds of conflict that arise in groups in organizations when they understand why groups form.

Types of Groups - Formal

Formal Groups – are formed by an organization to do its work.

Command Group – is a relatively permanent group with functional reporting relationships and is usually included in the organization chart. [HR Dept, Quality Assurance Dept, Cost Accounting Dept, etc.]

Task Group – is a relatively temporary group established to do a specific task. [Task Force, Focus Group, etc.]

Affinity Group – is a collection of employees from the same level in the organization who meet on a regular basis to share information, capture emerging opportunities and solve problems. [Executive Committee]

Types of Groups - Informal

Informal Groups – are established by its members.

Friendship Group – is a relatively permanent group which draws its benefits from the social relationships among its members. [gardening, cooking, book clubs, etc.]

Interest Group – is a relatively temporary group organized around a common activity or interest of its members. [women’s networking, etc.]

Classification Scheme for Types of Groups

Stages of Group Development

Four-Stage Process for Development of a Group

1) Mutual Acceptance

2) Communication and Decision Making

3) Motivation and Productivity

4) Control and Organization

Stages of Group Development [continued]

Stage 1: Mutual Acceptance – members share information about themselves and get to know each other. Trust is built.

NOTE: If members already know each other, this stage may be short.

Stages of Group Development [continued]

Stage 2: Communication and Decision Making – members discuss their feelings more openly and agree on group goals and individual roles in the group.

Note: Members begin to develop norms of behavior.

Stages of Group Development [continued]

Stage 3: Motivation and Productivity – members cooperate, help each other and work toward accomplishing tasks.

Note: The group is accomplishing its work and moving toward the final stage of development.

Stages of Group Development [continued]

Stage 4: Control and Organization – the group is mature; members work together and are flexible, adaptive and self-correcting.

Note: Not all groups reach this stage. Some become frustrated because they may have skipped a stage; some disband.

Stages of Group Development [continued]

As working conditions and relationships change, either through a change in membership or when a task is completed and a new task is begun, groups may need to re-experience one or more of the stages of development to maintain the closeness and productivity of a well-developed group.

Stages of Group Development

Group Performance Factors

Four Basic Group Factors Affecting Group Performance

Composition

Size

Norms

Cohesiveness

Group Performance Factors [continued]

Group composition – is the degree of similarity or difference among group members on factors important to the group’s work

Homogeneity: Degree to which members are similar in one or several ways that are critical to the group’s work

Heterogeneity: Degree to which members differ in one or more ways that are critical to the group’s work

Group Performance Factors [continued]

Variables relating to group composition:

Productivity

Type of task

Organizational diversityCultural traits – difference in the importance placed on group membership, how they view authority, uncertainty; may cause distrust and stereotyping.

Group Performance Factors [continued]

Group size – is the number of members of the groupAffects the number of resources available to perform the taskAffects degree of formalization of interactions, communication, participationCan increase the degree of social loafing, the tendency of some group members to put forth less effort in a group than they would working aloneIdeal group size is determined by:

group members’ ability to interact and influence each other (maturity of the group)the maturity of individual group membersgroup tasksthe ability of the group leader to deal with communication, conflict, task activities

Group Performance Factors [continued]

Group norms – are standards against which the appropriateness of a behavior is judged.

Result from the combination of membersPersonality characteristicsThe situationThe historical traditions of the group

Purpose of norms in organizationsHelp the group surviveSimplify and increase predictability of expected behaviorsHelp the group to avoid embarrassing situationsExpress the group’s central values for membership identification

Group Performance Factors [continued]

Group cohesiveness – is the extent to which a group is committed to staying together.

Results from forces acting on the members

Attraction to the group

Resistance to leaving the group

Motivation to remain a member of the group

Factors Affecting Group Cohesiveness and Consequences of Group

Cohesiveness

Group Cohesiveness, Goals, and Productivity

Intergroup Dynamics

A group’s contribution to an organization depends on its interactions with other groups as well as on its own productivity.

Primary factors that influence intergroup interactions:

Group characteristics

Organizational setting

Task and situation bases of interaction

Factors Influencing Intergroup Interactions

How Groups Make Decisions

Group polarization: The tendency for a group’s average post-discussion attitudes to be more extreme than its average pre-discussion attitudes.

Occurs when individuals discover during discussion that other share their opinions.Persuasive arguments can encourage polarization.Members may believe that because the group is deciding, they are not individually responsible for the decision.

How Groups Make Decisions

Groupthink: A mode of thinking that occurs when members of a group are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group and the desire for unanimity offsets their motivation to appraise alternative courses of action.

Conditions which foster development of groupthink

CohesivenessThe leader’s promotion of his/her preferred solutionInsulation of the group from experts’ opinions

The Groupthink Process

Gregory Moorhead, Richard Ference, and Chris P. Neck, “Group Decision Fiascoes Continue: Space Shuttle Challenger and a Revised Groupthink Framework,” Human Relations, 1991, vol. 44, pp. 539-550.

How Groups Make DecisionsSymptoms of Groupthink

Illusion of invulnerability

Collective efforts to rationalize/discount warnings

Unquestioned belief in the group’s inherent morality

Stereotyped views of “enemy” leaders

Direct pressure on a member

Self-censorship of deviations

Shared illusion of unanimity

Emergence of self-appointed “mind-guards”

Prescriptions for Preventing Groupthink

How Groups Make Decisions

Group Problem SolvingTechniques to stimulate group problem-solving capabilities

BrainstormingUsed in the idea-generation phase of decision making that assists in development of numerous alternative courses of action.

The Nominal Group TechniqueGroup members follow a generate-discussion-vote cycle until they reach a decision.

The Delphi TechniqueA systematic gathering of judgments of experts for use in developing forecasts.