Group dynamics and team cohesion - L5

What is a group?

A collection of interacting individuals who have a sense of shared purpose or a common goal

What are 5 characteristics of a team?

• We-ness - a collective sense of identity

• Distinctive individual roles

• Structured modes of communication

• Norms - social rules that guide members

• Task interdependence - teamwork

What are the 4 stages in the linear perspective of team development?

Forming, storming, norming, and performing

What are characteristics of the forming stage?

• Familiarisation

• Social comparison

• Identifying strengths and weaknesses

• Asking if you belong in that team

What are characteristics of the storming stage?

• Resistance

• Infighting

• Establishment of roles or status

• Communication - positive or negative

• Clique formation

What are characteristics of the norming stage?

• Conflicts are resolved

• Solidarity

• Cooperation

• Sense of unity

• Common goals

• Economy of effort

What are characteristics of the performing stage?

• Togetherness

• Team success

• Problem solving

• Roles are defined

• Testing new ideas

Draw the conceptual model of cohesion

• Environmental factors influence personal factors and leadership factors

• Personal, environmental, and leadership factors all influence team factors

• Team factors influence cohesion

• Cohesion influences group outcomes and individual outcomes

What are the environmental factors for the conceptual model of cohesion?

• Contractual responsibility

• Organisational climate

What are the personal factors for the conceptual model of cohesion?

• Individual orientation

• Individual differences

What are the leadership factors for the conceptual model of cohesion?

• Leadership style

• Coach/athlete personalities

What are the team factors for the conceptual model of cohesion?

• Productivity/communication

• Group size

What is cohesion made up of in the conceptual model of cohesion?

• Task cohesion

• Social cohesion

What is group outcomes made up of in the conceptual model of cohesion?

• Team stability

• Performance effectiveness

What is individual outcomes made up of in the conceptual model of cohesion?

• Behavioural/emotional consequences

• Performance effectiveness

What are characteristics of groups with low cohesion?

Minimal effort and they look fragmented

What are characteristics of cohesion?

• Multidimensional - many factors cause a group to stick together

• Dynamic - can change over time, particularly with success and failure

• Instrumental - groups stick together for different reasons

What is task cohesion?

The degree to which members of a group work together to achieve common goals

What is social cohesion?

The degree w=to which members of a group like each other and enjoy each other’s company

What is the conceptual framework of group effectiveness?

Actual productivity = potential productivity - group process losses

What is potential productivity made up of?

Relevant resources, player abilities, knowledge and skills (mental and physical)

What are group process losses made up of?

Faulty group processes, motivation losses, and coordination losses

What is the Ringelmann effect?

A tendency for individual members of a group to become increasingly less productive as the size of the group increases

What is individual effort like in a group of 2 people?

93% of individual potential because they are co-dependent and don’t want to let each otjer down

What is individual effort like in a group of 3 people?

85% of individual potential because they may start to think they aren’t needed and reduce effort

What is individual effort like in a group of 8 people?

49% of individual potential because each individual perceives their contribution to be minimal to the outcome

What is social loafing?

Only giving high levels of effort in front of a big crowd

What are the causes of social loafing?

• Free rider - perception that their effort is relatively unimportant for the outcome

• Minimising strategy - motivated to get by doing as little as possible

• Allocation strategy - save their best efforts for when it’s most beneficial for them

• (false) impression that increased effort won’t be recognised

How is social loafing counteracted?

• Emphasising the importance of individual contributions

• Increasing accountability

What does the group environment questionnaire measure?

Reasons for people being in a group. It measures task and social attractions, and cohesion

What does a high score on the group environment questionnaire indicate?

Stronger cohesion

How does team size influence team cohesion?

A larger team makes cohesion more difficult

What is the optimal team size for maximal cohesion?

6

What are formal roles in a team and how are they decided?

Specific team and tactical roles. They are dictated by the nature and structure of the organisation

How are informal roles established in a team?

They evolve from group dynamics or interactions

How does role clarity and acceptance influence team cohesion?

The way roles are decided, by dictation or election, can influence team cohesion

How does team stability influence team cohesion?

Teams that have lower turnover are more effective. Instability causes disruption and team formation repeats each time a team changes

What is the short and long term effect of a new manager?

New managers generally have a bout of success because player effort increases to impress the new manager and to get into the team. However, the success will plateau after the manager has been there for a while. Therefore, new managers rarely outperform old managers unless the talent, players, and staff also change

Explain the cohesion-performance relationship

Cohesion predicts success and success predicts cohesion. This is because a lot of time spent on team building can increase cohesion, but success without any time spent on team building can also increase cohesion

How can team cohesion be developed?

• Increase team distinctiveness/identity

• Increase social cohesiveness

• Clarify team goals

• Improve team communication

What is personal disclosure mutual sharing (PDMS)?

It is a technique where people with similar problems sit and talk to each other about it

Why is PDMS useful?

People hear different experiences, solutions, and things they’ve never thought of before. In sport, this causes people to work harder for each other