GROUP DYNAMICS

WHAT IS A GROUP ?

Two or more individuals who influence each

other through social interaction
Two or more individuals, interacting and
interdependent, who have come together to
achieve particular objectives- Stephen
Robbins
A collection of two or more interacting
individuals with a stable pattern of
relationships between them, who share
common goals and who perceive themselves
as being a group - Ashwathapa

Characteristics of groups
Two or more people are required to form

groups
Interaction among members
Common interest or goals
People see themselves as members

WHY DO WE STUDY
GROUPS ?

BECAUSE.
Organisations are

made up of individuals
, who interact with each other and form
groups to achieve a common objective

We already understand the individual

through :
Personality
Attitudes / values
Perception
Motivation
Learning
.

Contd
Individual behaviour is different from group

behaviour- behaviour is influenced by interactions

among others

Groups exist in every organisation- formal and informal

groups

Group behaviour affects the outcome in the context

of a given organisation

WHAT IS GROUP DYNAMICS

?

 Dynamics comes from the Greek word

dynamikos meaning force hence it is the

study of forces operating within a group

The social process by which people

interact face-to-face in small groups

 It is the convergence of different

experiences and backgrounds working

towards a common end

Conflicts may arise out of this

diversity(differences in attitudes, values,

behavior, ideals ,gender , race, culture) but
the solutions that come from the
differences the very essence of group
dynamics

WHY DO GROUPS FORM?

 Humans are social creatures

Social identity theory our tendency to take

personal pride or offense for the

accomplishments of a group (eg.cricket )

Security-in groups we feel stronger, have fewer

self doubts and are more resistant to threats (eg.

Unions)

Esteem-maybe by being a member of a high

status group, provides opportunities for

recognition, praise

Power-enjoy greater power collectively than as

individuals

Contd.
Identity-we try to understand ourselves through

the behaviour of others towards us(if others

praise us we feel good etc)
Proximity- groups tend to form because they are

in close proximity to each other

Synergy meaning the whole is different from

the some of the parts i.e. groups accomplish

much more than could the individuals
working together

TYPES OF GROUPS
Formal and Informal

Open and Closed

In-groups and out-groups

Referenc
e

Friendship

Comman
d group
Interes
t

Form
al

informa
l

Task
group

GROUPS

open

closed

Outgroup

Ingroup

 Formal groups:

These are given legitimacy by the

organisation

Informal groups :

Tend to be more social in nature..arise out of

need for
affiliation

Formal groups
specifically created to complete a task ,
Command /standing task/functional

group- permanently specified in the

organizational structure eg mktg, HR, R & D
Task/ project group- temporary ,to solve

specific problems/task or project, employees

may be from different departments
Virtual groups, quality circles (to ensure

and upgrade quality and productivity)

Informal groups
develop from
Day-to-day activities
Interactions / sentiments of the members for the

purpose of meeting their social needs

Not formally structured nor organizationally determined
Often develop within formal groups out of certain values
or concerns shared

exert influence and affect behaviour/ satisfaction at work p

Eg: interest group , reference group, friendship group

 Interest groups-to achieve an objective of

mutual interest( literary club, working

mothers coming together, laughter club, etc)
Friendship goup- coming together due to

some affiliation ( lunch groups, residing in

some locality etc)
Reference group- for the purpose of

forming opinions( maybe based on race,

religion, politics etc)

Open and closed groups

Open group: a group which is in constant
state of change
Members keep changing-new members joining
New members bring new perspectives-more

creativity

Group activities oriented towards the present

or near future as members keep changing

Closed groups: quite stable

relatively narrow frame of reference as same

members remain

Much longer time horizon

In groups and out groups

In groups: to which we belong
Out groups : to which we do not belong

especially if we look upon them with a certain

amount of enmity/opposition
(Eg. Friendly rivalries between schools, clubs and
associations, war between nations, neighborhood
gangs etc)
Concept is closely linked to ethnocentrism( belief

that one's own cultureis the best , judging others

based on the values of ones own culture )

What makes a Group

Attractive?
I like the
I like

activity of the group

the people in the group

Membership

satisfies certain

needs(prestige, Status, Supportive)

Greater

Interaction / smaller size

What makes a Group

Unattractive?
Disagreements
Excessive

demands on people

Dominating members
Restrictions imposed by the group
If the status of the group is low
Scapegoating

HOW ARE GROUPS

FORMED?

Tuckmans Five-Stage Theory

Of Group Development

Failure possible at any stage

contd..
Performing

Adjourning

Norming
Storming
Forming

Independence

Dependence/
interdependence

Return to
Independence

Stages of Group
Development

Tuckmans Five-Stage Theory of

Group Development
Forming

Storming

Individual How do I fit Whats my

Issues
in?
role here?

Group
Issues

Norming

Performing

What do the How can I best

others expectperform my
me to do? role?

Why are we
Can we agree
fighting over
Why are we
on roles and Can we do the
whos in
here?
work as a
job properly?
charge and who
team?
does what?

Forming stage
Getting

started amidst

uncertainty

Uncertainty on ground rules, on leadership &

members roles , of the groups purpose,
structure, acceptable behaviours
concern about satisfying their needs for
acceptance
stage complete when members think they are

Storming stage conflict on goals/roles/duties

competition

for leadership, conflict over

who will control the group, over
contribution

accept existence of the group but resist

constraints on individuality

necessary to replace hostility with a sense

of belonging and acceptance

when complete, a relatively clear hierarchy

of leadership emerges

Norming stage
Settling into collaboration, high cohesion
Members set rules by which team will
operate
Strong sense of group identity and friendship
A leader emerges
roles and behaviour expectations are formed
group structure solidifies, group harmony
major concern -groups becoming too
contended, not wanting to challenge
established ways of doing things to avoid

Performing stage
group energy moves from knowing each other

to performing the task at hand

teamwork, role clarity , productivity at its peak

understand individual and group

responsibilities

major concern-preventing loss of enthusiasm

and sustaining momentum

last stage of permanent work groups

ADJOURNING end of group

Wrapping up activities
Does not apply to permanent groups

DETERMINANTS OF GROUP
BEHAVIOUR
External conditions
Group member resources
Group structure

EXTERNAL CONDITIONS

EXTERNAL CONDITIONS
Organisation strategy
Organisation structure
Formal regulations
Organisation resources
Procurement of personnel
Performance appraisal and reward

system,
Organisation culture,
Physical work settings

Organisation strategy
Defines what business it is in or wants to

be in

Set by top management-outlines strategy

for obtaining the goals eg. Reducing

costs, improving quality, expanding
market share etc

Strategy pursued will affect the work

group (affect the allocation of resources to

it)

 Organisation structure
Structures define who reports to whom,

who makes decisions and what decisions

groups are empowered to make

Formal regulations
Rules, procedures, policies and other

regulations are made to standardise

employee behaviour

More formal these regulations, more the

behaviour of work group members will be

consistent and predictable

 Organisation resources

Groups need proper resources ( tools,

equipment, facilities, work methods etc ) to
achieve their task

Scarcity or abundance of resources can affect

what happens within and between groups

Procurement of personnel

Members of any group are first members of

an organization to which it belongs

Method adopted to hire employees will

determine the type of people who constitute a
group eg unions

 Performance appraisal and reward

system

Groups are influenced by the reward

system

Well designed reward system help

establish and maintain proper levels and
direction for group efforts

Organisation culture

every organization has an unwritten culture

that defines standards of acceptable and
unacceptable behaviour of employees

They know things like how to dress for

work, whether rules are rigidly enforced,
behaviors which will get them in trouble,
importance of honesty etc

Physical work settings

Physical arrangements of the work

setting can influence what goes on in a

group
These create both barriers and

opportunities for group work interaction

If close to each other- more chances to

loaf

GROUP MEMBER
RESOURCES

GROUP MEMBERS RESOURCES

Knowledge, skills and Abilities :

intellectual and task- relevant abilities of the

members
Interpersonal skills
Conflict management and resolution
Collaborative problem solving
Communication

Personality characteristics :Relationship

between personality traits (positive and

negative) and group attitudes and Behaviour
( such as Sociability, Initiative, Openness,
Flexibility )

GROUP STRUCTURE

GROUP STRUCTURE
Leadership
Group size
Roles
Norms
Status congruence
Group cohesiveness
Decision making

Leadership
Leader responsible for the direction and goal

accomplishments (in formal group)

Supported by the organisation, so has the

power to make members comply directives

In informal group, leaders are generally

individuals who are respected by the members

and who have acquired special status

Leadership role can and often changes from

person to person, depending on the existing

conditions

Group size
ideal size of group (research shows 5-7

members)

reduction in size results in loss of resources,

increase makes communication and

coordination difficult

member satisfaction increases as group size

approaches 5 and decreases thereafter

odd/even character of the group

membership

Size v/s performance

Smaller groups

faster at completing tasks, better at co-

ordination
individual perform better in smaller groups

Large groups (12 or so)

better at problem solving
gaining diverse inputs, different

perspectives

Size

Ex
pe
c

te
d

Performance

Ac

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a
tu

lo
o
t
e
du

ng
i
f
a

Group Size

Other
Otherconclusions:
conclusions:

Odd
Oddnumber
numbergroups
groupsdo
do
better
than
even
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better than even ???
Groups
Groupsofof55toto77perform
perform
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thanlarger
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smallergroups.
groups.

SOCIAL LOAFING
Tendency for individuals to put less effort
working collectively,
individually

than when

when

working

belief that others in the group are not doing their

share

dispersion of responsibility (individuals performance

is not being measured - only group performance)

temptation to be free riders

Visible more so in larger groups

When additional members are added

Ringlemanns Effect

Social Loafing - Implications for

Managers

Identify individual efforts in teamwork

Increase intergroup competition which

focuses on shared outcome

Engage in peer evaluation

Select members who have high motivation

to work in groups

ROLES
A part an individual plays as a result of

occupying some position or status in life

Every person plays multiple roles

In organisations, each group member is

playing a role: either task -oriented,

relations oriented or self oriented

Differences between roles leads to role

conflict, stress, ambiguity

Norms
are accepted standards of behaviour within a group
Beliefs, attitudes ,feelings, rules or standards of behavior
that apply to group members
-

3 functions of norms:

Predictive (provides basis for behaviour of others/ self)

Control (regulates the behaviour)

Relational (defines relationships among roles)

How do norms develop ?

Members bring their past experiences

The first behaviour pattern that emerges in the

group
Critical event in the groups history
Explicit statements made by leaders or members

Some classes of norms:Performance norms,

Appearance
norms, Social arrangement norms etc
(What are the examples of norms?

Characteristics of norms:
-

acceptable by most in varying degrees

gives a distinct identity to group

often reflects preferences of powerful

members ; group is managed by them
(controlling and predicting behaviour)

Reduces interpersonal problems

Likely to be strongly enforced for group

survival or success

Conformity-Aschs study

 groups of 7-8 people asked to compare two

cards: one card with one line, the other with

three lines, one of which was identical to the
first card
What happens when members begin giving

incorrect answers?
Pressure on the member to conform (in this

case the controlled subject)

More pressure to conform to norms of
Reference

 Deviant Workplace Behaviour

(antisocial behaviour)

Voluntary behaviour which violates

significant organisational norms

Someone who normally wouldnt

engage in such behaviour might be
more likely do do so in a group

examples like coming late, careless,

arson, stealing, being biased, blaming
others, sexual harassment, verbal abuse,
gossiping,wasting resources etc

STATUS CONGRUENCE
A social ranking within a group on the

basis of the position in the group

Can be a function of the title, level of pay,

seniority, age, sex, personality, etc ( eg.

Shahrukh Khan and his IPL team..his
contribution viewed critical to the groups
success)

If full agreement on member status level

(status congruence) can lead goal

accomplishment

COHESIVENESS
The degree to which members are attracted to

each other and motivated to stay in the group

Cohesiveness increases when

-agreement on goals ,high level of interaction

- threat from other groups (Chak De); - group
rewards
- size (large size , cohesiveness decreases)

Decision making
TECHINIQUES

Interacting
Brainstorming
Normal Group Technique
Electronic Meeting Groups

Group Decision-Making
Techniques

64

From Individual Effort

Individual
Effort

Group Work

Is Every Work Group a Team?

Team Effort

Group v/s team

If
There is co-operation
Team goal

more important than individual

goal
Individuals feel accountable for group

performance . Then its a TEAM !

Calling a group a team does not make it one !!

Thank you