rls122 7. group dynamics

group

two or more people who are socially connected to one another.

• People typically belong to many different groups.

• It is crucial to understand group dynamics so as to most effectively lead groups.

  • some groups can be socially tight-knit, or distant/new. as leaders we need to be able to recognize this to see things like comfort zone, understanding with each other, what groups can do best together, etc.

  • dynamics shift over time; groups may get closer, more distant, etc.

group development

the growth and change within a group over time.

• There are three main models:

  • Sequential stage models

  • Recurring phase models

  • Equilibrium models

sequential stage model of group development

• Groups develop as a progression through multiple stages.

  • Stages have different characteristics.

  • Groups are thought to go through each stage of group development in chronological order

recurring stage model of group development

• Groups may experience a variety of stages multiple times throughout their existence.

  • The order of stages is not predetermined.

  • Groups may not necessarily experience all stages

  • a group can repeat stages, and they do not have to do each stage available. sometimes they can skip stages without doing all the steps and still have the same outcome as another group who did all the stages.

    • groups take steps backwards and forwards. not linear. more realistic than sequential

    • if groups are closer, they can skip steps more easily!

equilibrium stage model of group development

• Task and social elements of the group must maintain balance in order to be successful.

  • Equilibrium models do not support the premise that groups progress through stages.

  • Once a group is established, changes are minimal to maintain balance.

  • this doesn’t look at group development as a process, but rather a balance between social elements and tasks. are we making sure that we as a group have a good focus on what we need to do, while also maintaining our relationship? there are not many changes needed as long as equilibrium is maintained

norms

rules or parameters that guide behaviours in a group.

• can be very explicit like “don’t be late” “only take one lunch break” or it can be more implicit or unspoken norms like “do not make joke with others during meetings” “even though its not said you should try to be early”

• Behaviours that fall outside of the parameters or rules are not desired by the group.

  • are evaluated negatively.ppl don’t like when you don’t act properly. can lead to direct consequences “you didn’t study? low gpa” or social consequences too “they don’t try in school? oh i wouldn’t wanna be friends with them because they do not try”

• Those who do not abide by norms are evaluated negatively

  • people judge! and often times that judgement stays even if the behaviour is changed

Leaders can facilitate the development of norms by using three main techniques

1. stating

2. modeling

3. importing

norm development: stating

Directly telling the group which behaviours are suitable and which are not.

• “it is expected you do/don’t do this”

norm development: modeling

Consistently demonstrating the prescribed behaviours.

• stating and not modeling well will most likely not lead to good norm development (can even be confusing for the follower if the leader isn’t doing what they say!)

• e.g., my mom models the behaviours she wants me to do in her daily lifestyle

• “practice what you preach”

norm development: importing

Employing norms that are used in other situations and contexts.

• using something that worked in the past in the present

• e.g., importing the norm of using a buddy system from camp to new situation too

• or using a communication method i used before in a new group too

norm adherance

centered on how group members adhere to the established norms. are they following norms?

• Conforming to norms can be a positive or negative thing; it is not always one or the other.

  • too much conforming can lead to consequences like not being able to decide things on your own or can even lead to health detriments. e.g., if your friend group loves drinking, you may drink to much leading to health complications

  • too little conforming can lead to group judgement or even getting removed from the group/fired because you are not listening to norms and following expectations

roles

a set of behaviours that are expected from the occupants of specific positions within the group.

• social roles

• task roles

• formal roles

• informal roles

social roles

role that is more focused on supporting positive interactions and relationships (e.g., facilitator, mediator)

• prof made us do ice breakers in rls130 to build relationships

task roles

role is more focused on the direct pursuit of group goals and objectives (e.g., information seeking, evaluation).

• i was a researcher in my group project

formal roles

Formal roles are deliberately established by the group and are promoted as positions of importance. They often have titles (e.g., lead, captain).

• swan is a manager

informal roles

role grows out of experiences within the group and are created by the group (e.g., comic relief, group nurturer).

• maybe someone is the group listener who listens to people. not a real role but an implied one.

challenges with group roles

• role ambiguity

• role conflict

role ambiguity

a lack of clarity regarding one’s role within the group. Role ambiguity can be caused by an absence of information.

• sometimes identifying roles OR what to do in that role is not clear / was not told to you and we don’t know what role to take. most often caused by an absence of information. as leaders, ensure we are clear and explicit when giving roles to individuals. say “your role is this AND i expect you to do this”

role conflict

an incongruity between the requirements of two roles.

• two roles conflict each other and you may not know which role to take. i.e., might not be able to be both roles at the same time, or a conflict of interest with those you are supervising

• e.g, parent-coach. coaching your kid you don’t know whether to be tough on them like all your other players or to adjust it so that they learn the way they like to learn when you are parenting them, or not knowing when you should be a parent and when you should be a coach.

the process of joining a group

• Leaders must consider fostering positive individual experiences in addition to fostering positive group experiences.

• A person’s group entry, membership, and exit are dependent on a number of factors.

• Similar to models of group forming (i.e., sequential models) discussed earlier in the chapter.

• important if we are joining groups or looking at how your participants create groups

• STAGES:

  • investigation

  • socialization

  • maintenance

  • resocialization

  • remembrance

process of joining a group: investigation

• Identifying and evaluating potential groups to join.

  • + HOW i am looking at groups! am i looking online, thru WoM, and how do i evaluate them?

  • Weighing both costs and benefits.

    • financial, social, personal, etc. can be any pros / cons!

• Leaders can help in the investigation stage by giving potential members a realistic picture of both the costs and benefits of group membership.

  • give a REALISTIC picture; not just the pros but also the cons!

• Many groups only share the benefits and/or do not provide sufficient detail surrounding the costs.

  • financial, time, physical, social, transportation costs, etc.

• Having all of the information helps leaders, group members, and potential group members to avoid challenges in the future.

  • being transparent allows members to know what they are getting into, declare expectations, and see a trusting and open leader which also makes them wanna join! group members are aware, and therefore challenges with joining are limited

process of joining a group: socialization

• Understanding how the new member will fit into the group.

  • are we learning effectively, in a way that allows us to understand and stay in the group?

• The new member learns the group’s norms, standards, and approaches to communication.

  • learning how the group works and how each members thinks and does things / contributes to the group, and also how you can integrate and what you can do in the group. standards and norms are usually quickly learned

• This stage can be compromised if there are negative perceptions by the new member and/or of existing members.

  • not always sunshine and rainbows. sometimes when ppl join groups they might not stay, or fight with members or something. something about the new person may not align with the group, or maybe the person joining the group has some neg opinions on the members of the group as well. especially bad if the new member is stuck with the group for a while and cannot really leave (e.g., with a job). SOCIALIZATION DOESN”T MEAN YOU’LL ALWAYS BE ACCEPTED INTO THE GROUP.

  • “the manager here looks down on me i don’t like her” or “the newbie isn’t working well with the group i don’t like them”

• Leaders can use a variety of approaches to ensure that new members become accepted within the group (e.g., full value contract, team building, mentors, group discussions).

  • leaders can help ensure new members are accepted and work to make it work integrating them. full val contract maybe enforces behaviours with new ppl, icebreakers are good (if done well), etc.

process of joining a group: maintenance

• Characterized by continued accommodation and assimilation on the part of all group members.

  • the group is rollin, and people continue to join and being more involved in work, yet things are still running smoothly. similar to norming stage of group development!

  • keeping the momentum of ppl joining + work being done well

• The group is operating effectively when considering both tasks and relationships.

• Checking in at the individual and group level can help promote continued group membership.

  • as leaders, make sure the group is okay! allows us to see why the group is doing so well/not well, how to enhance/make improvements + maintain it. leaders need to take an active role in order for this stage to work.

process of joining a group: resocialization

• The individual and group evaluate where they are now and where they are heading.

  • when we are in a group (and the group as a broader community): where are we now as a group, and where are we headed? are we staying together or not? what are we going to do next?

  • task is done and we are considering what happens next.

• There may be convergence or divergence at this stage depending on this assessment:

  • Convergence

  • Divergence

• Regardless of outcome, this stage can be a time to celebrate contributions.

  • ppl who retire or leave to get their final job are celebrated for what they contributed and impacted the group! like going away parties.

• Thia stage may be a good time to make adjustments to the group.

  • making adjustments based on what was done, what went wrong and needed to be changed, etc. if people are leaving, adjustments are probably going to be needed anyways to accommodate for those leaving. this could be role changes / adding, removing / adding services, rule changes, etc.

process of joining a group: remembrance

• Remembrance is characterized by debriefing their experiences individually and collectively.

• Group members viewed positively “live on” through group history and tradition.

  • like celebs, or famous team players

• Based on positive or negative experiences with a group, members may behave differently:

  • Potentially recommending the group to others (aka pos WoM!)

  • Approach or avoid group activities

  • Varying valence of memories

• remembering the experiences and it may change the way they behave. BOTH pos and neg experiences have impacts. how do these experiences impact me and the way i talk about it to others?

cohesion

the tendency for groups to stick together when working toward reaching goals.

• Cohesion is a dynamic process in that as groups change and evolve (e.g., share experiences over time, change perspectives), the group’s goals may shift as well.

  • not stable process, sometimes we can feel we are doing rlly good and are connected, or not!

• Groups remain together (i.e., demonstrate cohesion) for a variety of reasons.

common issues with groups

• groupthink

• social loafing

  • free riding

groupthink

• tendency for group members to seek agreement with one another.

  • come at the expense of critical thinking / debate. ppl will not voice opinions at the expense of consensus. BAD!

• The desire for agreement is so strong that any potential concerns about a decision from

  • individuals in the group are pushed aside in favour of absolute consensus.

  • There may be support or confidence for ideas that may be problematic.

• There are a variety of conditions that may contribute to the potential for groupthink

• There are warning signs that a group may be experiencing groupthink

There are a variety of conditions that may contribute to the potential for groupthink

• Separation/no consideration from outside sources of information

• Leadership styles that repress people who disagree

  • leaders who consider everyone’s opinions make it clear that u can go against their opinion, but leaders who do not make it clear / safe to say something different, it leads to groupthink

• Lack of different ranges of experiences and backgrounds of group members

  • i.e., people think the same / come from the same place. we do NOT want groupthink/echochamber so we want ppl with diff experiences!

There are warning signs that a group may be experiencing groupthink

• Pressure on those who disagree with the majority of favoured opinion (peer pressure to conform)

• Stereotyping of those who are outside of the group that disagree and/or provide alternative solutions

  • looking down on outside opinion; “they think this way so they’re an idiot”

• Self-censorship in order to silence individual concerns (e.g., being particularly cautious of what you say)

  • walking on eggshells because they see that there is consensus and will just conform

social loafing

refers to group members who contribute very little to the group and assume that others will do more to complete the task.

• there IS contribution but VERY LITTLE / no where near as much as other members

• Typically, those who are “social loafers” tend to hide or remain invisible in a group and do not fully and equally contribute.

• Can occur as a result of:

  • Low group cohesion

  • Individual inputs that are not recognized or acknowledged

  • Group size that is too large

  • Perception that other members are not contributing

    • “if they’re not trying why should i? if they’re still getting credit why should i try?”

  • in places of low accountability, communication, expectations, etc,

free riding

an extreme form of social loafing, and occurs when an individual claims membership in a group but does not contribute in any meaningful way to the group process. literally doing NOTHING

true or false: high cohesion, accountability, and ethics lessen the chances of social loafing

true