Inter Group Dynamics

How to establish high productive collaborative inter group

relations?

Problems:
A. How other groups perceived
B. How my own role is perceived
C. Leader’s perception may – turn to interpersonal also.

Spent for productive purpose

Group’s total
energy Spent coping with other groups
Some consequences of inter group competition

A. What happens in each competing group?

1. Each group – more close – demands greater loyalty – members

close rank and bury difference.

2. Group climate changes from informal, playful to formal

task orientation (perceived task)

3. Leadership pattern – Democratic Autocratic

4. Each group becomes highly structured & organised

5. Group demands more loyalty & conformity to present a

“solid front”
B. What happens between competing groups?

1. Other groups perceived as enemy.

2. Begin to experience distortions of perception – perceive only best part of itself –

deny its weakness – tends to perceive only the worst parts of other groups.
(They don’t play fair like we do)

3. Hostility towards other groups – increase communication – decrease (easier to

maintain negative stereotype – perceptual distortions continue – defence)

4. If groups are forced to interact – each group listens to own representative & not
listen to other group except to find fault.
They listen to that only which supports their stand, their own position.

If groups perceive themselves as competitors – more difficult to

resolve differences.
Many intra organizational situation becomes win-lose situation-
consequences.
C. What happens to winner? – May Result :-

1. Retains cohesion – May become more cohesive

2. Release tension – Loose fighting spirit

3. High concern for member’s need – Low concern for task

accomplishment.

4. Complacent – Reconfirm our positiveness & their (enemy group’s

negativeness
D. What happens to loser?

1. Deny reality of losing and find psychological escapes –

“ Judges were biased”, “ If luck was not against us !”
“ Rules were not explained properly.”

2. Loss accepted – Residual feelings come up – Fights break

out – Splinter

3. Loser tense, eager for revenge, blame leader

4. Low cooperation, low concern for members need.

5. Loser may learn about itself – Reorganize, & becomes more

cohesive & effective.

Examine – Is competition legitimate or for distorted perception; then

need is collaboration and not competition.
 Perception
It is the process of assigning meaning to sensory information.
Eyes, ears, nose, skin, tongue is receiving various kind of stimuli
always.

Stages
(1) Selection
(A) Physiological – Dogs – Smell, Sound etc. Human – Weak Eyes –
can’t see well
(B) Interest – Architect – Design –invalid- levels
(C) Need – Driving – Observe Traffic; Holidays – Nature

(2) Organization – Simplicity

 A B C
C

A D B

A B C
 A B

X Y
“Our youth today loves luxury. They have bad manners, contempt

for authority, disrespect for old people. Children nowadays are

tyrants! They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and

tyrannize their teachers”.

Socrates
(writing in the year 5 B.C.)
Pattern

Proximity

Good ( Familiar) Form

(3) Interpretation

Mind Selects, organizes and completes perception by interpreting it.

Interpretation gives perception meaning.

Communication is based on this perception. If mind has distorted

perception, communication is also likely to be distorted.

Misperception leads to inaccurate, misleading and at times dangerous

Communication.
 Assumptions
X Y
1 Work is inherently distasteful to most 1 Work is as natural as play, if the
people. conditions are favourable

2 Most people are not ambitious - have little 2 Self control is often indispensable
desire for responsibility and prefer to be in achieving orgainsational goals.
directed

3 Most people have little creativity in 3 Creativity is evenly and widely

solving organisational problems distributed in population

4 Motivation occurs only at physiological 4 Motivation occurs at social, esteem,

and safety levels self-actualisation levels as well as
physiological and safety levels

5 Most people must be controlled and 5 People can be self directed and
often coerced to achieve organisational creative at work if properly
goals motivated