Group Making

QURAT UL AIN
Group requires at least three people.

A group cannot be so large that people are unable

to fully contribute or unable to perceive What Is a
Group?
themselves as anything more than a collection of
individuals without a shared purpose.

In a way, then, the number of people does matter.

 Cohesiveness
Interdependence
Characteristics Commitment
of group:
Norms
Roles
Cultures
Working together and feeling connected

Beyond existing relationships outside the

group setting, relationships among group
members can be established through common Cohesiveness
motives and goals.

Group effectiveness or success also depends

on members feeling connected and cohesive
(Contd.)Potential Problem: Groupthink

An attempt to be cohesive at the expense of anything else can sometimes

get in the way of a group’s effective functioning.

If everyone wants to keep everyone else happy rather than make tough
decisions, this leads to a special kind of conformity. Sometimes, people
would rather preserve good relationships than make good decisions.
Contd.
This negative kind of consensus-seeking cohesiveness as groupthink.

In groupthink, members place a higher priority on keeping the process running smoothly and agreeably than they do
on voicing opinions that contradict the majority opinion (or the opinion of the leader).

The group prefers the well-being of its members, morale, and teamwork at the expense of proper critical evaluation
of ideas.

Groupthink can result in faulty decision making because a group prefers to be a happy ship rather than a ship going
in the right direction. Although usually a good thing, cohesiveness can lead to negative consequences.
 Everyone relies on everyone else to do a
specific part of the overall job well. A group
cannot function properly if its members do not
work interdependently.

Interdependence, however, is not simply an

Interdependenc abstract concept that something is based on the
e ways in which people interact.

In sports teams, for instance, the coaches have

the job of communicating and coordinating the
team members’ performances in a way that
pulls everything together.
By the way . . .: Division of Labor
In football, not everyone can be a quarterback; people in the
offense have different jobs than those in the defense. The work
is divided because the team as a whole shares a purpose:
namely, winning the game. The ultimate success of the whole
team will depend on whether every member does an assigned
job. If everyone tried to do the same task (all tried to throw the
ball, all tried to block the other team, all tried to catch passes), it
would be ineffective because the other jobs would not get done.
 One transactive feature that makes a group a “group” is that
individual members share a commitment to the overall group
go

They want to be team players, and this shows in their talk

and behaviorals.
Commitment The members may also show commitment to one another,
watching each other’s backs and looking out for one another.
This helps the whole group move forward toward its goals.

The group shows commitment to individual members

through caring for their welfare, as well as aiming to achieve
the goals of the group.
Group norms are informal and formal rules
and procedures guiding group behaviors. For
example, there may be formally established
rules for speaking or turn taking.

Some norms are informally understood as

proper behavior in a particular group, such as
whether joking is allowed or whether Group Norms
criticism of other members is acceptable.

Group norms are established in face-to-face

group settings and are evident in computer-
mediated and virtual group interactions.
 Group members also take on particular group roles,
involving certain positions or functions within a
group.
Group roles are generally placed within five
categories:
1. Formal roles (chair, vice chair, and secretary)

Member Roles 2. Informal roles (joker, taskmaster)

3. Task roles (A chair, for instance, is formally responsible
for ensuring that a group achieves its goals)

4. Social roles (to develop and maintain positive

communication and relationships among group members)

5. Disruptive roles (blocking progress by reintroducing

and opposing previous decisions)
Group Culture
Shared patterns of interactions both reflecting and guiding beliefs, values, and attitudes of the
group.

Group culture is evident in such symbolic activity as how members talk to one another, the
clothes they wear while working as a group, or the special terms and language or jokes they use.

For example, members of some groups talk in a very formal and polite manner, whereas
members of other groups talk in ways that are extremely informal.

Further, members of a group may use terms unique to that group, such as language unique to
specific professions.