group dynamics

Kevin James Merrill

Eaton Hall Director
September 20, 2008
Kurt Levin was a smart dude

B = f(P,E)
Behavior is a function of
personal qualities and social
environment
Stages of Group Development

 Orientation: Forming
 Conflict: Storming
 Structure: Norming
 Work: Performing
Orientation: Forming

Major processes Characteristics

 Members become  Communications
familiar with each are tentative, polite;
other and the concern for
group; dependency ambiguity, group’s
and inclusion goals; leader is
issues; acceptance active; members
of leader and group are compliant
consensus
Conflict: Storming

Major processes Characteristics

 Disagreement over  Criticism of ideas;
procedures; poor attendance;
expression of hostility;
dissatisfaction; polarization and
tension among coalition forming
members;
antagonism toward
leader
Structure: Norming

Major processes Characteristics

 Growth of  Agreement on
cohesiveness and procedures,;
unity; establishment reduction in role
of roles, standards, ambiguity;
and relationships; increased “we-
increased trust and feeling”
communication
 TASK
Work: Performing

Major processes Characteristics

 Goal achievement;  Decision making;
high task problem solving;
orientation; mutual cooperation
emphasis on
performance and
production
Dissolution: Adjourning

Major processes Characteristics

 Termination of  Disintegration and
roles; completion of withdrawal;
tasks; reduction of increased
dependency independence and
emotionality; regret
Dissolution: Adjourning

TASK
Dissolution: Adjourning

TASK
Lost at sea
Lost at sea

 Lost at Sea Rationale

 According to the experts (US Coastguard), the basic supplies
needed when a person is stranded mid-ocean are articles to
attract attention and articles to aid survival until rescue arrives.
Articles for navigation are of little importance since even if a
small life raft were capable of reaching land, it would be
impossible to store enough food and water to survive for the
requisite amount of time. Without signaling devices, there is
almost no chance of being spotted and ultimately rescued.
Furthermore, most rescues occur within the first 36 hours and a
person can survive with only a minimum of food and water
during that period. So, the following is the order of ranking the
items in their importance to your survival:
Lost at sea
 Lost at Sea Rationale
 1. Shaving Mirror Critical for signaling
 2. 2 gallon can of oil/petrol mixture Critical for signaling. The mixture
will float on water and could be ignited with one of the £5 notes and a
match. What the experts don’t say is how you get away from this
conflagration or what to do if the wind should push the life raft into the
flames!
 3. 5 gallon can of water Necessary to replenish fluids lost through
perspiration
 4. One case of army rations Basic food intake
 5. 20 square feet of opaque plastic Can be utilized to collect rain water
and provide shelter from the elements
 6. 2 boxes of chocolate bars Reserve food supply (what were you
going to do with that much chocolate?)
 7. Fishing kit Ranked lower than the chocolate as ‘a bird in the hand is
worth two in the bush’ (I don’t remember birds being on the list?) There
is no guarantee you will catch any fish.
Lost at sea
 8. 15ft of nylon rope Could be used to lash people or equipment together to
prevent it being washed overboard.
 9. Floating seat cushion A life preserver if someone fell overboard
 10. Shark repellent Enough said
 11. One quart of 160 per cent proof rum Contains 80% alcohol, which is enough
to be used as an antiseptic for any injuries, otherwise of little value – would
cause dehydration if ingested
 12. Small transistor radio Of no use without a transmitter. You would also be out
of range of any radio station.
 13. Maps of the Pacific Ocean Worthless without navigation equipment. It does
not matter where you are but where the rescuers are!
 14. Mosquito netting There are NO mosquitoes in the midpacific ocean. As for
fishing with it? – stick to the fishing kit.
 15. Sextant Useless without the relevant tables and a chronometer.
Interesting Group Phenomena

 Brainstorming
 Social Loafing

 Group Polarization
 Confirmation Bias
 Groupthink
Brainstorming: Does it work?

 Sometimes
 Brainstorming groups have been shown to
both increase and decrease the number of
ideas collected
 Why?
 Groups can energize thought but can also be
inefficient in sharing and compiling ideas
Brainstorming: Does it work?

 Ways to make brainstorming better

– Set clear rules
– Members should be encouraged to write
individually during and AFTER the session
– Brainwriting: write and pass
– Have silence periods during the session
– Have lots of time: no rushing
– Stay focused
Social Loafing

 The reduction of individual effort when

people work in groups compared to when
they work alone
– Tactics to combat social loafing
 More identifiability
 Set goals
 Increase involvement/excitement/investment
 Increase group identity
Group Polarization (Risky Shift)

 The tendency to respond in a more extreme

way when making a choice or expressing an
opinion as part of a group, as opposed to
when responding individually
Confirmation Bias

 The tendency to seek out information that

confirms one’s inferences rather than
disconfirms them
Groupthink

 A distorted style of thinking that renders

group members incapable of making rational
decisions.
 Members try so hard to agree with one
another that they make mistakes and commit
errors that could be easily avoided.
Groupthink

 Groupthink happens when these conditions

are present and active in a group:
– Overestimation of the group / illusion of
invulnerability
– Closed-mindedness
– Pressures towards uniformity / self censorship /
illusion of unanimity
Groupthink

 How to avoid groupthink

– Require full discussions of pros/cons
– Arrange for the group to meet in smaller groups
– Designate a devil’s advocate
– Make a list of all possible decisions before choosing
– Limit desire to agree until all options are explored
How can you use this in your hall?