FOUNDATIONS OF GROUP

BEHAVIOUR
Session 9

24th July 2019

 GROUP BEHAVIOUR
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

•Define Group and distinguish the Different Types of Groups

•Identify the five stages of Group Development
•Show how role requirements change in different situations
•Demonstrate how norms and status exert influence on an individual’s behaviour
•Show how Group Size affects Group Performance
•Contrast the benefits and disadvantages of Cohesive Groups
•Understand the implications of Diversity for Group Effectiveness
•Contrast the Strengths and Weaknesses of Group Decision Making
 DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING GROUPS
Group
“Two or more individuals interacting and
interdependent, who have come together to achieve
particular objectives.”
Formal Group
“A designated work group defined by an Organization’s
Structure.”
Informal Group
“ A group that is neither formally structured nor
organizationally determined; such a group appears in
response to the need for social contact
FIVE STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT
• Forming
The first stage in group development, characterized by much uncertainty.
• Storming
The second stage in group development, characterized by intragroup
conflict.
• Norming
The third stage in group development, characterized by close
relationships and cohesiveness
• Performing
The fourth stage in group development, during which the group is fully
functional
• Adjourning
The final stage in group development for temporary groups, characterized
by concern with wrapping up activities rather than task performance
 GROUP PROPERTIES-ROLE
• Role
A set of expected behaviour patterns attributed to someone occupying a
given position in a social unit.
• Role Perception
An individual’s view of how he or she is supposed to act in a given situation.
• Role Expectations
How others believe a person should act in a given situation.
• Psychological Contract
An unwritten agreement that sets out what management expects from an
employee and vice versa.
• Role Conflict
A situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent role
expectations.
 GROUP PROPERTIES-NORMS
• Norms
Acceptable standards of behaviour within a group that
are shared by the group’s members.
• Hawthorne Studies
• Conformity
The adjustment of one’s behaviour to align with the
norms of the group
• Deviant Workplace Behaviour
Voluntary behaviour that violates significant
organizational norms, and, in so doing, threatens the
well-being of the organization or its members. Also
called anti-social behaviour or workplace incivility.
 GROUP PROPERTIES-STATUS
• A socially defined position or rank given to
groups or group members by others.

• Status and Norms

• Status and Group Interaction

• Status Inequity
 GROUP PROPERTIES-SIZE
• Smaller Groups are faster at completing tasks
and individuals perform better in smaller
groups.
• Larger Groups do better in Problem Solving
when compared to smaller Groups
• Social Loafing-The tendency for individuals to
expend less effort when working collectively
than when working individually.
 GROUP PROPERTIES-COHESIVENESS
• The degree to which group members are attracted
to each other and are motivated to stay in the group
• External threats bring members close together
• Cohesiveness affects group productivity
• To encourage group cohesiveness, we could
Make the group smaller, encourage agreements with group goals,
increase the time members spend together, increase the group status
and make it difficult to get membership, stimulate competition with
other groups, give rewards to the group rather than to individual
members and physically isolate the group.
 GROUP PROPERTIES-DIVERSITY
• Diversity- the extent to which members of a
group are similar to, or different from, one
another
• Both benefits and costs from group diversity
• Group Diversity appears to increase group
conflicts
 GROUP DECISION MAKING
• The belief that two heads are better than one. Many
decisions are made by groups, teams, committees
• Strengths and weakness of Group decision making:
+ve-Generate more complete information and knowledge, they offer
increased diversity of views, leads to increased acceptance of a solution.
-ve-Time consuming, there are conformity pressures, discussion can be
dominated by one or few members, if there are some low and medium
ability members the group’s overall effectiveness will suffer. Finally in a
group, decisions suffer from ambiguous responsibility.
Group decisions are generally more accurate than the decisions of the
average individual in a group, but less accurate than the judgments of
the most accurate. In terms of speed, individuals are superior. Group
tends to be more creative and if effectiveness means the degree of
acceptance the nod goes to the group.
 GROUPTHINK and GROUPSHIFT
• Groupthink: A phenomenon in which the norm
for consensus overrides the realistic appraisal
of alternative courses of action
• Groupshift: A change between a group’s
decision and individual decision that a member
within the group would make; the shift can be
toward either conservatism or greater risk but
it generally is toward a more extreme version
of the group’s original position.
 ACTION

Read the relevant chapter in any referred books