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Group Dynamics - Assignment
Group Dynamics - Assignment
Ans. The social process by which people interact with one another in groups is called
group dynamics. Group dynamic focuses on team work where small groups contact with
each other and share common ideas to accomplish the goals. Thus, a group consists of
two or more persons to interact with each other consciously for the achievement of
certain common objectives. The members influence the group and in turn are influenced
by others in the group. To quote David Smith “a group is a set of two or more individuals
who are jointly characterized by a network of communication, a shared sense of
collective identity and one or more shared dispositions with associated strength”.
i. Formal Groups: Formal Groups are a part of the organization structure. They are
created deliberately by the management to perform the assigned duties. Work groups,
committees and quality circles fall in this category. These groups are characterized by
clear-cut authority-responsibility relationships. The pattern of communication is also
well defined. Rules are laid down to regulate the behavior of group members.
ii. Informal Groups: Informal groups arise spontaneously at the work place because of
social interaction between the people. They are created by individuals rather than by
management. They are based on common interest, language, taste, religion, background,
etc. Thus, informal groups are alliances that are not officially planned. These groups are
natural entities in the work environment. Informal groups are more flexible than the
formal groups. Since they concentrate on personal contacts between the members, they
represent the human side of enterprise as compared to technical side represented by
the formal groups.
iii. Command and Task Groups: Formal groups may be subclassified into command
and task groups. The command group is composed of subordinates who report directly
to a common boss. Thus, a supervisor and the operative employees reporting to him
form a command group. The task group, on the other hand, represents those working
together to complete a given task. A task group or teams, say for the introduction of a
new product or service, is usually formed to complete an assignment that involves a
number of departments. Further, a command group is more permanent than a task
group in the organization.
iv. Interest and Friendship Groups: Informal alliances may take the shape of interest
and friendship groups. An interest group consists of people having a specific objective
and not aligned to common command or task groups. For instance, employees who
group together to pressurize the management for free transport and other benefits
constitute an interest group. But a friendship group includes close friends or relatives.
These relations even extend outside the organization. The group members know each
other very well and have good relations.