Lec 27 - Group Behavior (Print)

2007 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights

reserved.

Foundations

Of

Group Behavior

Chapter NINE

Defining and Classifying Groups

Group(s)

Two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives.

Formal Group

A designated work group defined by the organizations structure.

Informal Group

A group that is neither formally structured nor organizationally determined; appears in response to the need for social contact.

According to the previous definition, which are groups and which are not?

7 people riding in a train?

No

3 boys playing with a softball?

Yes

Two police officers and a robber?

No

5 members in a family?

Yes

What is the nature of groups in organizations?

Groups:

Help organizations to accomplish important tasks.

Help to maintain a high-quality workforce by satisfying members needs.

Organizational Behavior: Chapter 9 3


Effective groups achieve high levels of:

Task performance.

Members attain performance goals regarding quantity, quality, and timeliness of work results.

Members satisfaction.

Members believe that their participation an experiences are positive and meet important personal needs.

Team viability.

Members are sufficiently satisfied to continue working together on an ongoing basis.


Situations - Groups are superior to Individuals

When there is no clear expert in a particular problem or task.

When problem solving can be handled by sharing of information.

When creativity and innovation are needed.


Social loafing as a performance problem.

Social loafing is the tendency of people to work less hard in a group than they would individually.

Reasons for social loafing.

Individual contributions are less noticeable in the group context.

Some individuals prefer to see others carry the workload.



Social loafing a performance problem cont.

Ways of preventing social loafing.

Define member roles and tasks to

maximize individual interests.

Link individual rewards and raise

accountability by identifying individuals

performance contributions to the group.


Group Vs Individual

Which is better? It depends on the situation.

Problem solving

Efficiency

Learning

Creativity

Motivation

Types of Groups

Formal Groups

Command

Groups

Task

Groups

Types of Groups

Formal groups are defined by the organizational structure:

Command groups Groups defined by the organizational chart. Example - MBA Dept.

Task groups Focus is on completing a task, i.e., quality circles.

Project groups Focus is on completing some specific project.

Types of Groups

Informal Groups

Interest

Groups

Friendship

Groups

Types of Groups

Informal groups are groups that form to respond to common interests or social interaction: Interest groups People working together

for a common interest.

Friendship groups The focus is on people bonding together and sharing common characteristics.

Reference groups An imaginary group.

Benefits of informal groups

Can speed up work flow by supplementing

formal lines of authority.

Can satisfy needs that are thwarted or

unmet by the formal group.

Can provide members with social

satisfaction, security, and a sense of

belonging.


Why do People Join Groups?

Security

Status

Affiliation

Self-esteem

Power

Goal achievement

Why Do People Join Groups?

Security By joining a group, individuals can reduce the insecurity of standing along. People feel stronger, have fewer self-doubts, and are more resistant in threats when they are part of a group.

Status Inclusion in a group that is viewed as important by others provides recognition and status for its members.


Affiliation Groups can fulfill social needs. People enjoy the regular interaction that comes with group membership. For many, the on-the-job interactions are their primary source of fulfilling their needs for affiliation.

Self-Esteem Groups can provide people with feeling of self-worth.


Power There is strength in numbers. What cannot be achieved individually often becomes possible through group action.

Goal achievement There are times when it takes more than one person to accomplish a particular task there is a need to pool talents, knowledge, or power in order to complete a job.

Characteristics of an Effective Group

Clear understanding of goals High degree of communication Effective decision making Highly productive Use of members unique resources and experiences

The Five-Stage Model of Group Development

Forming Stage

The first stage in group development, characterized by much uncertainty.

Storming Stage

The second stage in group development, characterized by intragroup conflict.

Norming Stage

The third stage in group development, characterized by close relationships and cohesiveness.

Group Development (contd)


reserved.

Performing Stage

The fourth stage in group development, when the group is fully functional.

Adjourning Stage

The final stage in group development for temporary groups, characterized by concern with wrapping up activities rather than performance.

Stages of Group Development


reserved.

E X H I B I T 92

Stages of group development:

Forming stage - caution, confusion, uncertainty.

Initial entry of members to a group.

Members concerns include:

Getting to know each other.

Discovering what is considered acceptable behavior.

Determining the groups real task.

Defining group rules. 22


Storming stage - tension, hostility, and intragroup conflict. A period of high emotionality and tension among

group members. Members concerns include:

Formation of coalitions and cliques. Dealing with outside demands. Clarifying membership expectations. Dealing with obstacles to group goals. Understanding members interpersonal styles.

23


Norming stage - group norms and developing of close relationships.

The point at which the group really begins to come together as a coordinated unit.

Members concerns include:

Holding the group together.

Dealing with divergent views and criticisms.

Dealing with a premature sense of accomplishment.

24


Performing stage - focusing on the

accomplishment of the task.

Marks the emergence of a mature, organized, and

well-functioning group.

Members deal with complex tasks and handle

internal disagreements in creative ways.

Primary challenge is to continue to improve

relationships and performance.

25


Adjourning stage - getting closure.

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.

26

Group Properties

Roles

Norms

Status

Size

Cohesiveness


reserved.

Group Properties - Roles


reserved.

Role(s)

A set of expected behavior patterns attributed to someone occupying a given position in a social unit.

Role Identity

Certain attitudes and behaviors consistent with a role.

Role Perception

An individuals view of how he or she is supposed to act in a given situation.

Group Properties - Roles (contd)


reserved.

Role Expectations

How others believe a person should act in a given situation.

Role Conflict

A situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent role expectations.

Role Ambiguity

An unwritten agreement that sets out what management expects from the employee and vice versa.

Group Properties - Norms


reserved.

Classes of Norms:

Performance norms

Appearance norms

Social arrangement norms

Allocation of resources norms

Norms

Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the groups members.

Group Properties - Status


reserved.

Power over

Others

Ability to

Contribute

Personal

Characteristics

Group Member

Status

Status: A socially defined position or rank given to groups

or group members by others.

Norms &

Interaction

Status Inequity National

Culture

Other things influencing

or influenced by status

Group Properties - Size


reserved.

Group Size

Performance

Other conclusions:

Odd number groups do better than even.

Groups of 5 to 7 perform better overall than larger or smaller groups.

Social Loafing The tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working collectively than when working individually.

Group Properties - Cohesiveness


reserved.

Increasing group cohesiveness:

1. Make the group smaller.

2. Encourage agreement with group goals.

3. Increase time members spend together.

4. Increase group status and admission difficultly.

5. Stimulate competition with other groups.

6. Give rewards to the group, not individuals.

7. Keeping the members isolated from other groups.

Cohesiveness

Degree to which group members are attracted to each other and are motivated to stay in the group.

Group Decision Making

Strengths

More complete information

Increased diversity of views

Higher quality of decisions (more accuracy)

Increased acceptance of solutions

Weaknesses

More time consuming (slower)

Increased pressure to conform

Domination by one or a few members

Ambiguous responsibility


reserved.

Identify

Problem

The Decision-Making

Process

Select

Alternative

Implement

Alternative

Evaluate

Results

1

Develop

Alternatives

Analyze

Alternatives

Develop

Decision

Criteria

Allocate

Weights to

Criteria

2 3

4 5

6

7

8

Documents

Lec 27 - Group Behavior (Print)