Group Behaviour

Lokesh Irabatti
MIT, Pune
 Meaning
Meaning
Two or more people

Shared goals

Group
People see themselves
As members

There is interaction
Among members
 Types of groups
Group

Formal Informal

Command Interest

Task Friendship
FORMAL ORGANISATION
A formal organization is formed when:
•Two or more persons come together.
•They have a common objective (goal).
•They are willing to work together to achieve the
common objective.
Formal Organization has its own rules and
regulation. These rules must be followed by the
member
 Informal group

• All informal organizations exist within the formal

organization.
• An informal organization is a network of personal
and social relationships.
• There are many groups of friends in a formal
organization.
• An informal organization does not have its own
rules and regulation.
Why do people joint group?
Security-

By joining a group, individuals can reduce the

insecurity of standing alone. People feel stronger
and more resistant to threats when they are part of
a group. Group provides safety and protection
against a common enemy.
Affiliation-
Groups can fulfill social needs. People enjoy the
regular interaction that comes with groups me
membership for many people these on the job
interaction are their primary sources for fulfilling
their need for affliction.

Power-
What cannot be achieved individually after
becomes possible through group action. There is
power in number.
Goal achievement-
Through pooling of knowledge, resources,
talents and power in-group, people are able to
achieve goals that may not be possible
individually. More than one person can achieve
one particular goal easily. In such instances
management will rely on the use of formal group

Self-esteem-
Membership of prestigious groups increases the
self-esteem of people. It generates positive
felling of self worth.
Status-
Individuals get recognition and status when they
are members of groups that are considered to be
important by other. people look at them with
respect and awe.
5 stage model of group development
 Group Structure
Four different aspects of group
structure are:
Norms
Roles
Status
Cohesiveness
 Group norms
Norms are the Set of belief's, feelings, and attitudes
commonly shared by group members. These are also
referred to as rules or standards of behaviour that
apply to group members. Norms serve three
functions namely

Predictive- basis for understanding Relational- some norms

the behaviour of others define relationships

Control- regulate the

behaviour of others
 Role
Various parts or roles are played by group members.

There are two elements that define this role identity-

 Role Perception-An individual is expected to

behave according to his own perception in the group.
 Role Expectation-It is defined as how others believe
one should behave in a given situation
 Status

Status is “ a socially defined position or rank given to groups or group

members by others.” Group members get high status or low status in the
Group based on their authority and performance
 Cohesiveness
COHESION

SOCIAL TASK

The way in which skills&

The bonds of interpersonal
abilities of the group
attraction that link
members mesh to allow
group members
optimal performance
 High Cohesiveness Low
- Unity Cohesiveness
- Interactive - Negative Feelings
- Positive Feelings - More Problems
- Ability to Cope with Problems - Less Productive
- More Productive
 Group Decision-making
 Group Decision making is a process of taking
decisions collectively by group of members.

 Group consists of committees, taskforce, team

& other formal & informal groups.

 Group decisions would become particularly

appropriate for non programmed decisions i.e.
new or unique decisions e.g. moving to new
market, product diversification, new investment
etc.
Process of decision making
TECHNIQUES OF GROUP DECISION MAKING

•Brain storming

•Nominal group technique

•Electronic meetings

•Interacting groups
 Brainstorming

•Brainstorming is a group technique by which efforts

are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem
by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously
contributed by its member.

•Generate as many ideas as possible, suspending

evaluation until all the ideas have been suggested.
 Nominal group technique

•Individuals silently list their ideas.

•Ideas are written on a chart one at a time until

all ideas are listed.

•Discussion is permitted but only to clarify the

ideas. No criticism allowed.

•A written vote is taken

 INTERACTING GROUPS

• Most of the decision making in a group

happens in a meeting.

•The most important advantage is that the

members can interact face to face.

• Disadvantage is that the decisions taken in

interacting groups are affected by group
think, pressure to conform etc.
 Electronic meetings

•The members of the group interact with the help of

computers through connected computer terminals.

•Projector screen is used to show the individual

comments and votes on an issue.

•This method reduces group think and the time

wasted in socializing the meeting.
 Conclusion
The groups operate on a common tasks and common
attitudes. The group behaviour is how you interact
between the group members in social situation.

The group behaviour is essential to study since it

helps to find how the relationships are made within a
group. This helps to know how a group is made and
how it should be organized, lead and promoted .