Foundation of Group Behavior

Chapter 3
 Definitions of a group
• Group(s)
– Two or more individuals interacting and
interdependent, who have come together to achieve
particular objectives.
– Any numbers of people who interact with one another;
are psychologically aware of one another; and perceive
themselves to be a group.”
 Definitions of a group
• a work group is a collection of people who share
most, if not all, of the following characteristics:
– a definable membership;
– Group consciousness;
– a sense of shared purpose;
– Interdependence;
– Interaction; and
– Ability to act in a unitary manner
 Why people form groups?
• Certain tasks can be performed only through the
combined efforts of a number of individuals
working together:
– The variety of experience and expertise among
members provides a synergetic effect which can be
applied to the increasingly complex problems of modern
organizations.
• Collusion between members: in order to modify
formal working arrangements more to their liking
– for example, by sharing or rotating unpopular
tasks.
– Membership therefore provides the individual with
 Why people form groups?
• Companionship and a source of mutual
understanding and support from colleagues:
– This can help in solving work problems, and also to
militate against stressful or demanding working
conditions.
• Membership provides the individual with a sense
of belonging.
– It provides a feeling of identity, and the chance to
acquire role recognition and status within the group or
team.
 Why people form groups?
• Guidelines on generally acceptable behavior:
– It helps to clarify ambiguous situations such as, for
example, the extent to which official rules and
regulations are expected to be adhered to in practice,
the rules of the game, and what is seen as the correct
actual behavior.
• Protection for its membership:
– Group or team members collaborate to protect their
interests from outside pressures or threats.
 Types of groups
• Work groups can be formal or informal.
– Formal Group is a designated work group
defined by the organization’s structure.
– Informal Group is a group that is neither
formally structured nor organizationally
determined; appears in response to the need for
social contact.
 Formal Groups
• Formal groups
– are groups that intentionally established by a manager
to accomplish specific organizational objectives.
– They are those defined by the organization’s structure
with designated work assignments establishing tasks.
– The organization creates such a group to perform a
specific task, which typically involves the use of
resources to create a product such as a report, decision,
service, or commodity.
– Formal groups fulfill two basic functions:
organizational and individual functions.
 Formal Groups
Contributions of formal groups to organizations are;
• Accomplish complex, interdependent tasks that
are beyond the capabilities of individuals.
• Create new ideas
• Co-ordinate interdepartmental efforts
• Solve complex problems requiring varied
information & perspectives
• Implement action plans
• Socialize & train new comers
 Formal groups
Contributions of formal group’s to individuals are;
• Satisfy needs for affiliation
• Confirm identity and enhance self-esteem
• Test and share perceptions of social reality.
• Reduce feelings of insecurity & powerlessness
• Provide a mechanism for solving personal &
interpersonal problems.
 Features of formal groups
• Designed deliberately by the top management to perform
certain activities which contribute to the achievement of
the organizations objective.
• Formal structure is based on the principle of organizing
• Concentration of the organization is on performance of the
jobs not on the people who perform the jobs.
• People are in hierarchy, status is designated clearly and the
authority and responsibility assigned to each job should be
adhered strictly.
• Coordination and control are archived through rules,
regulations, procedures, etc.
 Features of formal groups
• Formal groups may be permanent or temporary.
– Permanent work groups, or command groups in the
vertical structure, often appear on organization charts
as departments, divisions, or teams.
– Such groups can vary in size from very small
departments or teams of just a few people to large
divisions employing a hundred or more people.
– permanent work groups are officially created to
perform a specific function on an ongoing basis.
– They continue to exist until a decision is made to change
or reconfigure the organization for some reason.
 Features of formal groups
• Formal groups may be permanent or temporary.
– temporary work groups are task groups specifically
created to solve a problem or perform a defined task.
– They often disband once the assigned purpose or task
has been accomplished.
– Usually, such temporary groups appoint chairpersons
or heads who are held accountable for results, much as
is the manager of a work unit.
 Informal groups
• Informal groups emerge without being officially
designated by the organization.
• They form spontaneously and are based on
personal relationships or special interests, and not
on any specific organizational endorsement.
 Informal groups
• It can be.
• Friendship groups, for example, consist of persons with
natural affinities for one another.
– They tend to work together, sit together, take breaks together, and
even do things together outside of the workplace.
• Interest groups consist of persons who share common
interests.
– These may be job-related interests, such as an intense desire to
learn more about computers, or non-work interests, such as
community service, sports, or religion.
 Features Informal groups
• No place in the organizational structure
– Informal groups are formed by various members
themselves, it has no official sanctity.
• It has common objective
– These groups are formed based on commonality of
culture, religious function, liking for each other and
common interests.
• It has positive or negative impact on the
orgnization
– Their contribution for success of formal group is
immense if properly handled by official authority.
 Features Informal groups
• Leadership
– These groups evolve their own structure, elect their own
leaders and have followers. They work based on group
norms, social norms and code of conduct.
• They represent the human side of an organization.
• The group exists without any rigid rules. Their
common interest is bond for existence.
Why do people join informal groups?

• Mutual benefit:
• Friendship
• The need to fulfill social needs/ affiliation
• Physical work condition
• Administrative practice
 Contributions of informal groups to individuals

• Satisfaction of social & affiliation needs.

• Satisfaction of needs for security & support.
• Enhanced status for members if the group is
perceived by others as prestigious.
• Enhanced feelings of self-esteem if a member is
valued by other group members.
• Feeling more competent by sharing the power of
the group to influence and achieve.
Contributions of informal groups to organizations

• Solidify common social values and expectations

congruent with organizational culture.
• provide & enforce guidelines for appropriate
behavior
• Provide social satisfaction unlikely for anonymous
individual workers to experience.
• Provide a sense of identity that often includes a
certain degree of status.
• enhance members’ access of information
• Help to integrate new employees into the informal
expectations of the organization.
Disadvantages of informal groups to organizations

• Resistance to change:
• Role conflict:
• Rumor:
• Conformity /compliance:
The Stage of Group Development
• Forming Stage
– The first stage in group development,
characterized by much uncertainty about the
group’s purpose, structure, and leadership.
– Members are trying to determine what types of
behavior are acceptable.
– Initial entry of members to a group.
The Stage of Group Development
• Forming Stage
– Members concern’s including:
• Getting to know each other.
• Discovering what is considered acceptable behavior.
• Determining the group’s real task.
• Defining group rules.
– Stage is complete when members have begun to
think of themselves as part of a group.
 The Stage of Group Development
Storming:
• The second stage in group development,
characterized by intragroup conflict.
• Members accept the existence of the group, but
there is resistance to constraints on individuality.
• Conflict over who will control the group.
• It is a period of high emotionality and tension
among group members.
• When this step completed, there will be a relatively
clear hierarchy of leadership within the group.
The Stage of Group Development

Storming:
• Members concern’s including:
– Formation of coalitions and cliques.
– Dealing with outside demands.
– Clarifying membership expectations.
– Dealing with obstacles to group goals.
– Understanding members’ interpersonal styles.
 The Stage of Group Development

Norming:
• The third stage is one in which close relationships
develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness.
• There is now a strong sense of group identity and
friendship.
• This norming stage is complete when the group
structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a
common set of expectations of what defines correct
member behavior.
The Stage of Group Development

Norming:
• There is now a strong sense of group
identity and friendship.
• The point at which the group really begins
to come together as a coordinated unit.
The Stage of Group Development

Norming:
• Members concern’s including:
– Holding the group together.
– Dealing with divergent views and criticisms.
– Dealing with a premature sense of accomplishment.
• Stage is complete when the group structure
solidifies and the group has assimilated a common
set of expectations of what defines correct member
behavior.
 The Stage of Group Development

Performing:
• The structure at this point is fully functional and
accepted.
• Group energy has moved from getting to know
and understand each other to performing.
• For permanent work groups, performing is the
last stage in their development.
• Marks the emergence of a mature, organized, and
well-functioning group.
The Stage of Group Development

Performing:
• Members deal with complex tasks and handle
internal disagreements in creative ways.
• Primary challenge is to continue to improve
relationships and performance.
 The Stage of Group Development
Adjourning:
• For temporary committees, teams, task forces, and
similar groups that have a limited task to perform,
there is an adjourning stage.
• In this stage, the group prepares for its
disbandment. Attention is directed toward
wrapping up activities.
The Stage of Group Development
Adjourning:
• Responses of group members vary in this stage.
Some are positive, relaxing in the group’s
accomplishments. Others may be depressed over
the loss of camaraderie and friendships.
• Particularly important for temporary groups.
• A well-integrated group is:
– Able to disband when its work is finished
– Willing to work together in the future
 Group task and productivity
Synergy
• is a biological term referring to an action of two or
more substances that result in an effect that is
more than the mere summation of the individual
substances;
• the whole is more than the sum of its parts (2 + 2 =
5).
 Group task and productivity
Process loss
• is the difference between what is actually
produced by a group and what could have been
produced by the group when you consider its
inputs (2 + 2 = 3).
• Social loafing: the tendency to exert less effort in a
group than in individual works.
– Social loafing can impact work-group effectiveness.
– as group size increases Social loafing increases
– To minimize social loafing made individual efforts
measurable and use small members + make odd
 Team
• A team is a small number of people with
complementary skills who are committed to a
common mission, performance goals, and
approach for which they hold themselves mutually
accountable.
• Thus while not all groups are teams, all teams can
be considered groups.
• Groups that work closely together toward a
common objective, and are accountable to one
another.
 Team
• A team is a small number of people with
complementary skills who are committed to a
common mission, performance goals, and
approach for which they hold themselves mutually
accountable.
• Thus while not all groups are teams, all teams can
be considered groups.
• Groups that work closely together toward a
common objective, and are accountable to one
another.
• Teams are task groups that have matured to
 Team
A group becomes a team when the following criteria
are met:
– Leadership becomes a shared activity
– Accountability shifts from strictly individual to both
individual and collective
– the group develops its own purpose or mission
– Problem solving becomes a way of life, not a part-time
activity
– Effectiveness is measured by the group’s collective
outcomes and products.
 Teams Vs groups: What is the difference?
Teams Groups
• Collective performance Objective • Share information
• Shared leadership Leader • They have
• Individual and Mutual • Individual
• Collective Accountability • Individual
• Open ended/problem Work- • Efficient
solving products
• Complementary Meetings • Random and
varied
• Collective and Skill • sum of individual
synergistic outputs
Performance
 How groups control their members

• Effective groups are groups that control their

members' behavior and channel it in the right
direction.
• Three mechanisms through which group, control
their members' behavior are
– Roles,
– Rules, and
– Norms.
 How groups control their members

• Rules:
– a regulation or principle governing conduct or
procedure within a particular sphere
– Dos and don'ts
– Group rules can be formal or informal.
– Formal policies are explicitly agreed upon by the group
members and may even be written down
 How groups control their members

• Roles:
– A set of expected behavior patterns attributed to
someone occupying a given position in a social unit
– Whereas rules delineate the proper behaviors of all
members in a group, roles define the set of behaviors
appropriate to particular positions occupied by specific
individuals.
– Roles also specify authority relationships, including
who in the group has the right to call meetings, set
agendas, and assign tasks to group members.
 How groups control their members

• Roles:
– Roles allow us to know what we should be doing and
what to expect from others.
– Like rules, the roles that structure the interaction of
group members can be formal or informal.
– In work organizations, formal roles are specified by job
descriptions.
– Some role assignments evolve during group
development as particular strengths and talents of
group members are revealed.
 How groups control their members

• Roles:
– Most groups have at least two leadership roles:
• a task leader (who focuses on getting the group's
goals accomplished) and
• a socio-emotional (relations-oriented) leader (who
focuses on maintaining harmony and good working
relationships within the group).
• Roles are specific to particular positions within
particular groups.
• An important component of most roles is status.
 How groups control their members

• Norms:
– Group Norms are set of beliefs, feelings, and
attitude commonly shared by group members.
– These are informal rules of standards of
behavior that apply to group members.
– These are prescriptions of behavior accepted
and determined by the group.
– Norms differ among groups, communities and
societies, but they all have them.
 How groups control their members

• Types of Norms
– Performance norms
– Appearance norms
– Behavior norms
 How groups control their members

• Performance Norms:
– is set by the individual worker and approved by
the superiors.
– These are general norms, industry standards
prevailing in a particular type of industry and
restricted to geographical limits.
– Upper and lower limits
 How groups control their members

• Appearance Norms:
– are related to dress code and code of conduct in
the organization.
 How groups control their members

• Behavior Norms:
– Guidelines for general behavior are issued by
the management so that all the employees
display behavior in an identical manner.
– These guidelines may cover various aspects
relating to the work.
– This may include time management,
punctuality, salutation, showing respect to the
views of other members’ behavior while on shop
floor and level of professionalism that an
individual should possess.
 How groups control their members

• Behavior Norms:
– These norms eventually take the form of
organization culture and are very useful for
bringing down the conflict or stress level among
the group members.
 Group decision making

Deciding to use a team in group decision making

when:
– Many perspectives are needed
– Acceptance of the decision is critical
– The problem is complex or unstructured
– Individuals judgments are unreliable
– Individuals are unwilling to take necessary
risks
– You want to develop team members’ team-
related skills
 Group decision making

Advantages
– More knowledge through pooling of group resources
– Increased acceptance & commitment due to voice in
decisions
– Greater understanding due to Involvement in decision
stages
Disadvantages
– Pressure in groups to conform
– Domination by one forceful member or dominant clique
– Amount of time required, because group is slower than
individual to make a decision
Group Decision Making (cont’d)
 Weaknesses
Strengths
– More time
complete
consuming
information
(slower)
– Increased pressure
diversity to
ofconform
views
– Higher quality
Domination byof
onedecisions
or a few(more
members
accuracy)
– Increased acceptance
Ambiguous responsibility
of solutions
 Group decision making

Group Problem Solving Techniques

– Consensus
– Brainstorming
– Nominal Group Technique
– Delphi Technique
– Computer-Aided Decision Making
 Group decision making

Consensus:
– is the presenting of opinions and gaining agreement to
support a decision.
– In these groups, members meet face to face and rely on
both verbal and nonverbal interaction to communicate
with each other.
– Interacting groups often censor themselves and
pressure individual members toward conformity of
opinion.
• Brainstorming, the nominal group technique, and electronic
meetings have been proposed as ways to reduce many of the
problems inherent in the traditional interacting group.
 Group decision making

Brainstorming:
• is the process to generate a quantity of ideas.
• a spontaneous group discussion to produce ideas
and ways of solving problems
• Group members actively generate as many ideas
and alternatives as possible, and they do so
relatively quickly and without inhibitions.
• It is meant to overcome pressures for conformity
in the interacting group that retard the
development of creative alternatives.
 Group decision making

Brainstorming:
• In a typical brainstorming session, a half dozen to
a dozen people sit around a table. The process is;
1. The group leader states the problem clearly.
2. Members then “free-wheel” as many alternatives as
they can in a given length of time.
3. No criticism is allowed, and all the alternatives are
recorded for latter discussion and analysis.
• One idea stimulates others, and group members
are encouraged to “think the unusual.”
 Group decision making

The nominal group technique:

– is the process to generate ideas and evaluate solutions.”
– enables everyone to participate and have his/her ideas
heard without hostile criticism or distortions.
– A structured voting procedure is used to prioritize
responses to the nominal question.
• This restricts discussion or interpersonal communication
during the decision-making process.
– Group members are all physically present, but
members operate independently.
 Group decision making

The nominal group technique:

– Specifically, a problem is presented, and then the
following steps take place:
1. Members meet as a group
– but, before any discussion take place, each member independently writes
down his or her ideas on the problem.
2. After this silent period, each member presents one idea to the group.
Each member takes his or her turn.
3. The group now discusses the ideas for clarity & evaluates them.
4. Each group member silently and independently rank-orders the
ideas.
5. The idea with the highest aggregate ranking determines the final
decision.
The chief advantage of the nominal group technique is that it
 Group decision making

The nominal group technique:

• The advantage of the nominal group technique is that it
permits the group to meet formally but does not restrict
independent thinking, as does the interacting group.
 Group decision making

Delphi Technique
• is important for groups who do not meet face to face.
• Leader distributes topic or task.
• Each member responds.
• A leader collects responses and sends back to team and
solicits feedback.
• Process is repeated until there is resolution on the issue
in question.
 Group decision making

The computer-assisted group

– The computer-assisted group or electronic meeting
blends the nominal group technique with sophisticated
computer technology.
– Up to 50 people sit around a horseshoe-shaped table,
empty except for a series of computer terminals.
– Issues are presented to participants, and they type their
responses onto their computer screen.
– Individual comments, as well as aggregate votes, are
displayed on a projection screen.
– The major advantages of electronic meetings are
anonymity, honesty, and speed.
Thank You!