Cohesion and Development

Chapter 5
  To understand group cohesion

Objectives  To know the development of cohesion over time

 To explain the process of inititaion
  The Latin word haesus means to cling to; it is the basis of such
words as adhesive, inherit, and, of course, cohesive.
SOURCES OF  Cohesive groups are unified groups, but their unity is often the
COHESION result of different causes and processes.
  The idea that no one condition or process is a necessary or
sufficient condition for a group to become cohesive is

SOURCES OF consistent with systems theory’s principle of equifinality:

“final states or objectives may be reached in different ways and
COHESION from disparate starting points” (Skyttner, 2005, p. 71).
  Social cohesion: The attraction of members to one another and
to the group as a whole.
 Task cohesion: A shared commitment among members to
achieve a goal and the resulting capacity to perform
successfully as a coordinated unit.

SOURCES OF  Collective cohesion: Unity based on shared identity and

belonging.
COHESION  Emotional cohesion: Group-based emotions, including pride,
esprit de corps, and overall affective intensity.
 Structural cohesion: The group’s structural integrity,,
including normative coherence, clarity of roles, and strength
and density of relationships linking members.
 Interpersonal Attraction
 The attraction of members to one another and to the group as a
whole. (social cohesion)
 Attraction between individuals is a basic ingredient for most
groups, but when these relations intensify and proliferate
throughout a group, they can transform a run-of-the-mill group
Social into a cohesive one.

Cohesion
Group-Level Attraction
 Social cohesion increases when group members like each other.
 When cohesion is based on group-level attraction, people
remain members even when specific members leave the group
(Ehrhart & Naumann, 2004).
  a shared commitment among members to achieve a goal that

Task Cohesion requires the collective effort of the group (Severt & Estrada,
2015)
Task Cohesion  Group Motivation

cont…  Collective Efficacy and Potency

  When a group is cohesive, collectively, members are united;
fused to form a single whole. When members talk about
Collective themselves and their group, they use more plural pronouns than
Cohesion personal pronouns: “We won that game” or “We got the job
done” rather than “I got the job done” (Cialdini et al., 1976).
Collective  Cohesion and Entitativity
Cohesion  Belonging and Identity
cont…
  The emotional intensity of the group and individuals when in
the group.
Emotional
Cohesion  Group-Level Emotions
 Affect and Relational Cohesion
Structural  unity of a group that results from the integrity of its structural
features, including norms, roles, and inter-member relations
Cohesion
  The Multicomponent Assumption
-embraces this definitional diversity by suggesting that many
different factors contribute to the unity of a group
 The Multilevel Assumption
Assumptions -Members of cohesive groups not only identify with other
and members, mimic their emotions, and meet their role
obligations: They embrace the group’s identity, share its
Assessments emotions, and fit into its structure.
 The Multimethod Assumption
-Since cohesion is multifaceted, researchers use a wide variety
of methods to measure it.
  Theories of Group Development
-Some theories—successive-stage models—suggest that groups
DEVELOPING move through a series of separable stages as they develop.

COHESION -Cyclical models, in contrast, argue that groups repeatedly

cycle through periods or phases during their lifetimes, rather
than just moving through each stage once.
Five Stages of
Development
CONSEQUEN  Member Satisfaction and Adjustment

CES  Group Dynamics and Influence

 Group Productivity
OF COHESION
APPLICATIO  Cohesion and Initiations
N: - Many groups require individuals to demonstrate their

EXPLAINING commitment to the group before they are allowed to become full-
fledged group members.
INITIATIONS
 Initiations and Commitment
- Leon Festinger’s (1957) theory of cognitive dissonance offers
an intriguing explanation for the relationship between how much
new members invest in the group and their commitment to the
group.
 Severe Initiations and Group Attraction
 Hazing
- an entrenched group practice and has been documented in
ancient and modern societies and in all parts of the world
  Bonding and dependence
 Dominance
Hazing  Commitment
 Tradition
  Many members of groups defend their right to haze, citing the
benefits of initiation for increasing the cohesion of the group.
However, research does not offer very much support for this
position.

Is Hazing
Effective?  Groups that did use inappropriate hazing methods were judged
to be less cohesive rather than more cohesive. Hazing,
particularly illicit hazing, backfired, for it did not contribute to
increased cohesion, whereas more positive forms of
teambuilding did (van Raalte et al., 2007).
  Hazing is illegal in a number of states, is aggressive in
character, yields unhealthy consequences, and does not even
work to increase cohesion, yet this practice continues
unofficially.

Should Groups  Emergency room physicians report that they have treated
victims of hazing for alcoholic coma, chest trauma, aspiration,
Haze? 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns, syncope, vomiting, organ
damage, heart irregularities, gastrointestinal distress, brain
damage, multiorgan system failure, spinal cord injury,
exposure, depression, posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and anal,
oral, and vaginal trauma (Finkel, 2002).