November 17, 2019

MARCH 16, 2018

 CHAPTER 4: GROUPS

DEFINING GROUPS
Group is defined as any number of persons who share a consciousness of membership and
interaction. A group is not a mere collection of individuals but an aggregate of personalities
acting and interacting with one another in the process of living. To be a member of a group,
one must participate in the common life and activities of the group.
So, what is the difference between a group and a crowd ? Here is how we can explain
it:
1. A group is more or less permanent while a crowd is very short lived or transitory in
nature.
2. Group is a number of persons being in some relation to one another while crowd is a
group of people congregated or collected into a close body without order.
3. A group generally has a centralized leadership.
4. Members of a group behave in a very organized, constructive, social and civilized
manner. They are less demonstrative in their behavior and show value based activities.
5. A group is more organized while a crowd is more disorganized.
 CHAPTER 4: GROUPS

WHY DO PEOPLE JOIN GROUPS?

People join groups for a variety of reasons.
• Affiliation
• Identification
• Emotional Support
• Assistance
• Common Interest
• Common Goals
• Physical Proximity
• Assignment / Mandatory
 CHAPTER 4 GROUPS

TYPES OF GROUPS
1. Primary Group - described by Charles Cooley as those characterized by intimate face-to-face
association and cooperation. They are primary in several senses, but chiefly in that they are
fundamentally in forming the social nature and ideas of the individual. The result of intimate
association, psychologically, is a certain fusion of individualities in a common whole, so that
one’s very self, for many purposes at least, is the common life and purpose of the group.
Perhaps the simplest way of describing this wholeness is by saying that it is a “we”; it involves
the sort of sympathy and mutual identification for which “we” is the natural expression. One
lives in the feeling of the whole and finds the chief of his will in that feeling.
2. Secondary Group - those which do not necessarily involve face-to-face association or
intimate and personal relations. The members are aware of these relationships and take
cognizance of them, but they do not feel that their lives are bound up in them except in time
of social crisis. The members may be separated from one another by distance or by lack of
personal physical contact. Their contact may be through correspondences, the press, the
radio, the telephone or other means.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUPS

1. Interaction - patterns of mutual influence (physical, verbal, non-verbal,

emotional)
2. Structure - stable patterns of relationships
• Roles - behavior expected of members in a given position
• Norms - rules that identify and describe appropriate behaviors
• Inter-member relations - how they relate (authority, communication)

3. Goals - reasons for existence

4. Perceived Groupness - extend to which members see themselves as one (common

fate, similarity, proximity)

5. Dynamic Interdependency - extend to which members are active, energized,

vibrant and changing

6. Motivation - personal needs / gain being satisfied

FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROUP PERFORMANCE

1. Cohesiveness – the strength of group members’ desires to remain a part of their groups.
Cohesion is strengthened by:

• Homogeneity
• Severity of the initiation to join the group
• A high external threat or competition
• Amount of time spent together
• Smallness of the group
• Group’s history of success
Group cohesion has some important consequences as well:
Positive:
o People enjoy the membership
o Members participate more fully
o They tend to be highly productive
o They experience low turnover
FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROUP PERFORMANCE

Negative
o Groupthink arises when groups are too cohesive
o Group commitment might hinder productivity
o Groups may conspire to sabotage others for the group’s benefit.

2. Group Size – How many group members is too many? This is a controversial discussion. As
the saying goes – “two heads are better than one”, there is strength in having a significant
number of members to pursue a goal. While there is also a saying that “too many cooks soil the
broth”, having too many members can create conflicts.

Advantages of a Small Group

o Interact more with each other and easier to coordinate
o More motivated, satisfied and committed
o Easier to share information
o Faster at completing tasks
o Individuals perform better in smaller groups
FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROUP PERFORMANCE

Advantages of a Big Group

o More number of ideas
o More resources at their disposal to achieve group goals
o More possible division of labor

3. Communication – transference and the understanding of meaning

Communication Functions
o Control member behavior
o Foster motivation for what is to be done
o Provide a release for emotional expression
o Provide information needed to make decisions

Interpersonal Communication
a. Oral Communication
Advantages – speed and feedback
Disadvantages – distortion of the message
 FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROUP PERFORMANCE

Interpersonal Communication
b. Written Communication
Advantages – tangible and verifiable
Disadvantages – time-consuming and lack feedback

Non-verbal Communication
a. Body Movement
b. Intonations
c. Facial Expressions
d. Physical Distance
Advantages – supports other communications and provide observable expression of
emotions and feelings
Disadvantage – misperception of body language or gestures can influence receiver’s
interpretation of message
 FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROUP PERFORMANCE

Barriers to Effective Communication

a. Filtering – a sender’s manipulation of information so that it will be seen more favorably by
the receiver
b. Selective Perception – people selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their
interests, background, experience an attitudes.
c. Information Overload – a condition in which information inflow exceeds an individual’s
processing capacity.
d. Emotions – how a receiver feels at the time a message is received will influence how the
message is interpreted.
e. Language – words have different meanings to different people
f. Communication Apprehension – under tension and anxiety about oral communication,
written communication or both.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROUP PERFORMANCE

4. Task VS. Maintenance Roles - task roles enable the work group to define, clarify,
and pursue a common purpose. Meanwhile, maintenance roles foster supportive
and constructive interpersonal relationships. In short, tasks roles keep the group
together.

5. Presence of Others – when someone performs differently, either more effectively

or less effectively, in the presence of other than when alone, they are experiencing
social facilitation
Individuals experience heightened emotional arousal. Then, when aroused they
have a tendency to perform the most dominant response, what come normally. If
the dominant response is appropriate, performance will be enhanced. If dominant
response is inappropriate, as in a new situation, performance will be impaired.
 FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROUP PERFORMANCE

6. Social Loafing – “Free Riding”; When working with others, additive tasks are those
in which each person’s contributions are added together to another’s. unfortunately,
as people work together, some in the group may ride on the efforts of others. This is
social loafing.
A contributing issue is that some members of a group may be more interested in
getting something for themselves than getting something for the group.

Tips for Eliminating Social Loafing

o Select members who have high motivation and prefer to work in groups
o Make each performer identifiable o Set group goals, so that group has a common
purpose to strive toward
o Make work tasks more important and interesting
o Increase intergroup competition, which again focuses on the shared outcome
o Reward individuals for contributing to their group’s performance
o Engage in peer evaluation so each person evaluates each other’s contribution