Group Dynamics

Principles and Practices of Management

Darryl Jeethesh D’SouzaMCIS,Manipal

Email ID: [email protected]

Group Dynamics

Definition of a Group

A collection of individuals, the

members accept a common task,

become interdependent in their

performance, and interact with one

another to promote its

accomplishment

Various Types of Groups

Formal groups Informal Groups Small groups Large groups Primary groups Secondary groups Coalitions Membership groups Reference groups

Command groups

Task groups

Friendship groups

Interest groups

Formal GroupsA formal group is a group officially planned and

created by an organization for a specific purpose.

A command or functional group is a formal group consisting of a manager and all the subordinates who report to that manager.

1) Each identifiable work group consisting of manager andsubordinates is a command group.2) A linking is an individual who provides a means of

coordination between command groups at two different levels by fulfilling a supervisory role in the lower-level group and a subordinate role in the higher-level group.

Informal groupsInformal groups are natural social formations that

appear in the work environment. An informal group is a group that is established

by employees, rather than by the organization, in order to serve group members’ interests or social needs.

Informal groups are unplanned groups.a. An interest group is an informal group created to

facilitate employee pursuits of common concern.b. A friendship group is an informal group that evolves

primarily to meet employee social needs.

Informal groups are formed by the employees

themselves. Hence they are not formally

structured. They are of two types: Friendship groups Interest groups

Informal Groups

Formal groups include command and task groups. Informal groups include interest and friendship groups.

Small groups: Only a few members. Face-to-face interaction and better communication is possible.

Large groups: Members is very high. Personal interaction is not possible.

Other types Include

Primary group:It is made up of members who have similar

and loyalties and has a feeling of friendship towards each other.

Secondary groups:They share same values and beliefs, but

because of the size of the group, they do not interact often with each other

Coalitions:They are created by members for a specific

purposed and do not have a formal structure.

Membership groups: They are the groups to which individual actually belongs.

Reference groups: It is actually the groups to which an individual would like to belong.

Stages of Group Development

• Definition: Stage 1 teams are generally new teams that are learning how to work together

• Characteristics of stage 1 teams: Members tend to be tentative and polite and to have little conflict

Stage 1– Forming(Dependence)

Critical skills and activities: Stage 1 teams need to identify their purpose, develop group norms, identify group processes, define roles, build relationships and trust

Role of facilitator/leader: Stage 1 teams usually need a strong leader who can help the team go through its forming activities

Stage 2– Storming(Counter

dependence)

• Definition: Stage 2 teams have moved past the early forming stages and are now encountering some disagreements and/or conflict. This is natural, but teams need to find effective ways to handle conflict before they can move on to stage 3.

• Group characteristics: Members of stage 2 teams tend to exhibit increased conflict, less conformity and “jockeying” for power.

• Critical skills and activities: Stage 2 teams need to learn how to resolve conflict; clarify their roles, power, and structure; and build consensus through re-visiting purpose.

• Role of leader(s): Stage 2 teams need leaders and other team members who are willing to identify issues and resolve conflict.

Now there, you two! You can’t

both be Australia,. One of you has to be

England.

Stage 3- Norming (Interdependence)

• Definition: Stage 3 teams have successfully moved out of the storming stage and are ready to move to a higher level of communication and problem-solving.

• Group characteristics: Members of stage 3 teams demonstrate an improved ability to complete tasks, solve problems, resolve conflict.

• Critical skills and activities: Stage 3 teams need to learn to engage in more sophisticated problem-solving and decision-making, continue the use of effective strategies for conflict resolution and take greater levels of responsibility for their roles

• Role of leader(s): In stage 3, leaders become less directive, team members feel empowered, and multiple leaders emerge

Norms

= Acceptable standards of behaviour shared by group members

• All groups have norms• They define what ought/ ought not to

be done by the members • May be laid down formally or informally• They act as behaviour influencing

parameters without outside control • Differ from group to group

Why have norms?

• Facilitate survival of the group• Simplify role expectations• Protect self-images• Enhance the group's unique identity • Avoid rejection from the group• Increases predictability of group members

behaviour• Reduces embarrassing IPR problems of group

members• Allows the group members to express the central

values and apply

How are Norms formed ?

• Norms develop in many ways - - Explicit statement by managers - Critical events in group’s history - Primacy – The first behaviour

pattern that emerges becomes the norm

- Carry over behaviour what one followed

Forms of Norms

• Performance – parameters as to how hard a person has to work, what production level to achieve

• Appearance – Dress, code of conduct…

• Arrangement – Social interaction • Allocation of resources – Pay, bonus,

equipment ..

Stage 4– Performing

(Independence) • Definition: Stage 4 teams are at the highest level of performance and can process their strengths and weaknesses while accomplishing their goals.• Group characteristics: In stage 4, the team takes a

flexible approach to roles and structures depending on the task at hand. The team is able to evaluate its effectiveness and views conflict is viewed as an opportunity. Stage 4 teams tend to be energetic, creative, and fun!

• Critical skills and activities: Stage 4 teams need to hold high expectations for their performance. They often use sub-groups as well as the large group for decision-making and task completion. Teams also recognize the need to ensure that all members are in agreement with the role and purpose of sub-groups.

• Role of Leader: In a stage 4 team, it’s often difficult to identify the leader, because everyone is sharing in leadership.

Factors affecting group performance

1. Composition2. Size 3. Norms 4. Cohesiveness

1. Composition of group

• Acts as a predictor of turnover • Heterogeneous group - gender,

personality, opinion, skill, perspective – More conflict laden More

deliberate - Cultural diversity Difficulty in

processes• Groups that have cohorts (persons with

common attributes) - perform better

2. GROUP SIZE

# in group

Relationships Interactions possible

2 1 2

3 3 9

4 6 28

5 10 75

6 15 186

7 21 441

8 28 1056

Dyad:

a to b

b to a

Triad:

a to b

a to c

b to a

b to c

c to a

c to b

a to b&c

b to a&c

c to a&b

• Dyad - close but unstable because one person leaving ends the group. Hence move from dyads to triads • Third person : - Mediator, Vyer for attention, Divide and conquer

Does the size of the group affect the group’s overall behaviour?

Yes

• Simmel (1950): size changes two aspects of groups:– Intimacy (diluted)– Coordination of behaviors (harder)

• Smaller group – Good for completion of a particular (productive) task

• Larger group – Good for problem solving

As group size increases…?

Advantage –• Range of abilities & knowledge increases (added

resources for problem solving) Disadvantage -• Satisfaction of each member decreases• Time to decide increases• Cohesion decreases• Disagreement increases• Factions and antagonism increase• Member participation decreases

NormsNorms are expected behaviours sanctioned by a

group that regulate and foster uniformity in member behaviours.

1. Work groups tend to develop and enforce norms related to certain central issues.a. Groups develop norms regarding production

processes.b. Groups develop norms regarding informal social

relationships, e.g., where to have lunch.c. Groups develop norms regarding allocation of

resources, e.g., materials, equipment, etc.

Norms typically develop through one of four mechanisms.a. Explicit statements made by supervisors

and co-workers can provide information about expectations.

b. Critical events set precedents for the future.

c. Primacy is the phenomenon that the first behaviour pattern that emerges in a group tends to establish group expectations.

d. Carryover behaviours are those that arise among individuals who have worked together in other groups.

4. Group cohesiveness

Group cohesiveness is the degree to which members are attracted to a group, are

motivated to remain in the group, and are mutually influenced by one another.

Affected by the ability of the group to – • Work as a unit, share tasks, recognize

members’ contributions Vs Conflict, role ambiguity, lack of motivation

A high degree of cohesiveness in a group can have consequences on group performance.

a. Members tend to communicate more frequently and be more sensitive to one another, leading to greater job satisfaction.

b. Cohesiveness can also lead to giving more aid to other group member, a form of organizational citizenship.

c. Aggression among groups may arise.1) Within the same organization,

competition may be helpful or detrimental.

2) Competition with other organizations may have positive effects.

d. Performance levels may be either very high or very low, depending upon the group’s norms and cohesiveness.

e. The group’s openness to innovation may be very high or very low.

A number of factors have a positive effect on group cohesiveness; they include:a. Similar attitudes and values.b. External threatsc. Outstanding successesd. Difficulties encountered in joining a

groupe. Small group size

Stage 5- Adjourning• Dissolving, termination • The process of "unforming" the group, that

is, letting go off the group structure and moving on.

• Tail end behavior - Happy - Sad - Depressed - Angry - Dissatisfied

Group DynamicsThe term “group dynamics” refers to theinteractions between people who are talkingtogether in a group setting. Group dynamics can be studied in business

settings, in volunteer settings, in classroom settings, and in Social settings. Any time there are three or moreindividuals interacting or talking together, thereare group dynamics.

• Group dynamics is the study of groups, and also a general term for group processes. Relevant to the fields of psychology, sociology, and communication studies, a group is two or more individuals who are connected to each other by social relationships.

• Group process refers to how an organization's members work together and get things done. Typically, organizations spend a great deal of time and energy setting and striving to reach goals but give little consideration to what is happening between and to the group's greatest resource, it's members.

Group Dynamics

• The study of groups• A general term for group processes. • Explains the internal nature of a group –

How it is formed Structure & process It’s function Effect on individual members Effect on the organization

• Relevant to the fields of psychology, sociology and communication studies

• Primarily concerned with small group behavior.

Informal Group Dynamics

• Informal Group Dynamics – Formation– Leadership– Communications– Cohesion– Norms– Changing norms

Dynamics of Informal Groups

Informal groups almost always arise if opportunities exist.

Often, these groups serve a counter organizational function, attempting to counteract the coercive tendencies in an organization.

If management prescribes production norms that the group considers unfair, for instance, the group's recourse is to adopt less demanding norms and to use its ingenuity to discover ways in which it can sabotage management's imposed standards.

Significance of Informal Groups: Informal group are quite powerful and influential because the members of the group have a lot in common and depend on each other to carry our organizational activities.

Prevent organizational changes

Role conflict

Increased scope for rumor

Pressure to conform to group norms

Difficulties and problems Associated with informal Groups

Formation of informal work groups

Individuals are employed by an organization to perform specific functions. Although the whole person joins an organization, attention is usually focused on the partial person, the part of the individual doing the job.

Because people have needs that extend beyond the work itself, informal groups develop to fill certain emotional, social, and psychological needs.

The degree to which a group satisfies its members needs determines the limits within which individual members of the group will allow their behaviour to be controlled by the group.

Factors leading to the formation

• Sense of belonging• Identity and self esteem• Stress reduction• All for one, one for all

Understanding Work Teams

Definition of Work Teams

A small number of people with complemen-tary skills who are committed to a common purpose, common performance goals, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”.

-G. Moorhead and R.W. Griffin

• Enhanced performance• Employee benefits• Reduced costs• Organizational

enhancements

Benefits of Work Teams

Team Versus Group: What’s the Difference

Work Group

A group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibility.

Work Team

A group whose individual efforts result in a performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs.

Types of TeamsProblem-Solving Teams

Groups of 5 to 12 employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment.

Self-Managed Work Teams

Groups of 10 to 15 people who take on the responsibilities of their former supervisors.

Types of Teams (cont’d)

• Task forces

• Committees

Cross-Functional Teams

Employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task.

Types of TeamsVirtual Teams

Teams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.

ThanQ

I’m OK – Are you OK?