week 2 - group dynamics

Group

two or more people who perceive themselves as a group and interacts with each other

Group

members must see themselves as a unit

Dyad

2 people

Triad

3 people

Small Group

4-20 people

rewards

group must provide __________ to its members

Membership

_________ must be rewarding

Corresponding Effects

event that affects one member will affect other group members

goal

members must share a common __________

Common Goal

aim or purpose shared by members of a group

Assignment

employees are assigned to groups

Physical Proximity

tendency to form groups with people who live or work nearby

Affiliation

need to be with other people

Identification

need to associate with image projected by others

Emotional Support

to obtain emotional support

examples are Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, and Weight Watchers

Assistance for Help

to obtain assistance or help

Common Interest

seen in extracurricular school clubs (gaming clubs, music club)

Common Goals

pursuit of a common goal

while these people may share common interest, their primary purpose is to achieve a
certain goal

Group Cohesiveness

extent to which group members like and trust one another, are committed to accomplishing a goal, and share group pride

○ Performance

○ Decision Quality

○ Member Satisfaction

○ Member Interaction

○ Employee Courtesy

the more cohesive the group, the greater its :

Over-Cohesiveness

can lead to loss of organizational goals

organizational goals

When employees become too cohesive, they often lose sight of ______________

Low Production Norm

members may conform to lower productivity

higher

Employees in cohesive work groups may conform to a norm of lower production even though they are capable of ______ performance

Group Homogeneity

extent to which members are similar

Homogenous Group

members are similar in most ways

Heterogenous Group

members are different

Slightly Heterogeneous Group

few members differ from rest

Best Group Composition

mostly similar with some differences

Stability of Membership

extent membership remains consistent over time

High Stability Effect

increases cohesiveness and performance

Isolation

degree of physical distance from other groups

Isolation Effect

increases cohesiveness

Groups that are isolated or located away from other groups tend to be highly cohesive

Outside Pressure

psychological pressure from non-members

outside pressure

Groups that are pressured by _________ also tend to become highly cohesive

Psychological Reactance

reaction against influence by doing opposite

Straw Man

opponent who does not actually exist but used for criticism

made-up opponent or false idea that is easier to attack than the real truth.

Group Size

number of members in group

large

Studies have shown that _______ groups have lower productivity, less coordination, lower morale, less cohesive, and more critical

Optimal Group Size

approximately five members

five

Groups perform best and have greatest member satisfaction when they consist of approximately _______ members

Additive Tasks

group performance equals sum of individual performance

each contribution os important

Conjunctive Tasks

depends on least effective member

group performance depends on the least effective group member

Disjunctive Tasks

depends on most talented member

Social Impact Theory

adding members to cohesive group may be disruptive

Group Status

esteem group is held by outsiders

how much respect or importance other people give to a group.

high, low

Groups with ______-ability members outperform those with ______-ability members

Confidence

in group, _______ is key to success

task-related experience

Groups whose members have ____________ and score high in the personality dimensions of openness to experience and emotional stability will perform better

intellectual task

Groups working on _____________ will do better if their group members are bright

Physical Tasks

Groups working on __________ tasks will do better if their group members score high in the conscientious, extraverted, agreeable

Genetic Predisposition

research showed that ________ shows possibility of being effective group member

Communication Structure

manner in which members communicate

Effective Communication

key to group success

Communication Networks

various patterns of communication

communication networks

A variety of ________ can be used by small groups, and even more complex networks are possible with larger groups

good leader

A _________ carefully chooses the communication network that best facilitates the goals of his group

chain communication structure

⇒ best used in hierarchy

centralized communication structure

⇒ there is one decision-maker who relays information

circles communication structure

information cycles

open communication structure

best for brainstorming and informal interactions

Group Roles

extent members assume different roles

Task-Oriented Roles

behavior that involves offering ideas, coordinating, finding info

Social-Oriented Roles

encouraging participation and cohesion

Individual Role

blocking group activities, calling attention to oneself, and avoiding group interaction

Social Facilitation

positive effect of others’ presence on individual behavior

Social Inhibition

negative effect of others’ presence

Audience Effects

performance affected by observers

Audience size, proximity, and status

affects the performance of the group

large audiences of experts

Groups are most likely to be affected by __________ who are physically close to them

Coaction

people perform same task together

Coaction Effect

decreases creativity and productivity

Mere Presence

presence of others causes arousal

Comparison

comparing performance with others

Evaluation Apprehension

concern about being evaluated

Distraction

idea that social inhibition occurs because the presence of others provides a distraction that interferes with concentration

automatic

On well-learned tasks, the individual is able to perform despite the distraction because the behaviors are almost __________

novel tasks

On __________ distraction caused by other people’s presence keeps the individual from concentrating and learning the task

Social Loafing

individuals in a group often exert less individual effort than they would if they were not in a group

means some people work less hard when they are part of a group than when they work alone.

Social Loafing

occurs especially with poor performers

occurs with many task

Free-Rider Theory

group member realizes that his effort is not necessary and this does not work hard as he would if he were alone

Sucker Effect

occurs when a group member notices that other group members are not working hard and does are “playing him for a sucker”

happens when a person sees that other group members are not working hard, so they also stop trying as much.

Individual Dominance

one member dominates group

Accurate Leader Effect

improves group performance

Inaccurate Leader Effect

reduces group performance

Groupthink

group ignores important information due to cohesion

happens when a group wants to stay united and in agreement so much that it ignores important facts or better ideas.

group think

Members become cohesive and like-minded that they make poor decisions despite contrary information that might reasonably lead them to other options

Is cohesive

○ Is insulated from qualified outsiders

○ Has an illusion of invulnerability, infallibility, or both

○ Believes that it is morally superior to its adversaries

○ Is under great pressure to conform

○ Has a leader who promotes a favorite solution

○ Has gatekeepers who keep information from other group members

Groupthink most often occurs when the group

Leader should not state his own position or beliefs until late in the decision-making process

○ Leader should promote open discussion and encourage group members to speak

Groupthink can be reduced in several ways

Devil’s Advocate

member provides opposing opinion to that expressed by the leader or the majority of the group

Nominal Group

individuals work separately without interaction

Most effective with a single brainstorming problem

Interacting Group

members interact to solve problem

Most effective with complex problems

Group Polarization

beliefs become more extreme

group members will shift their beliefs to a more extreme version of what they already believe individually

Brainstorming

members freely share ideas

Work Team

three or more individuals working to produce outcome

a collection of three or more individuals who interact intensively to provide an organizational product, plan, decision, or service

Identification

extent members identify with team

Interdependence

members influence each other

Power Differentiation

members challenge and interrupt

overstepping roles, challenge opinions, interrupt each other, gives orders and use sarcasm

Social Distance

formal vs informal interaction

imaginary space that separates two colleagues such as treating them formally and very politely rather than being casual

Team Conflict Response

collaborate and compromise