exam #2 prep

Group

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

Formal Groups

Groups defined by an organization's structure.

Informal Groups

Alliances that are neither formally structured nor organizationally determined.

Command Groups

A group composed of individuals who report directly to a given manager.

Task Groups

Groups working together to complete a specific job or task.

Interest Groups

Groups working together to attain a specific objective concerning each member.

Friendship Groups

Groups formed because members share one or more common characteristics.

Social Identity Theory

The theory that explains why individuals consider themselves members of groups and how their self-esteem is tied to the performance of these groups.

Five Stages of Group Development

The stages are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Role

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

Role Perception

One's perception of how to act in a given situation.

Role Expectations

How others believe one should act in a given situation.

Role Conflict

A situation where an individual faces divergent role expectations from different groups.

Norms

Acceptable standards of behavior within a group shared by its members.

Status

A socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working alone.

Cohesiveness

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

Brainstorming Technique

A group decision-making technique where members freely generate ideas without criticism.

Nominal Group Technique

A decision-making technique where members operate independently to write down ideas before discussing them.

Work Group

A group that interacts primarily to share information and make decisions to help individual members perform their tasks.

Work Team

A group whose individual efforts result in a performance greater than the sum of the individual inputs.

Communication

The transfer and understanding of messages between individuals.

Downward Communication

Communication that flows from a higher level to a lower level within an organization.

Upward Communication

Communication that flows to a higher level in the group or organization.

Lateral Communication

Communication that takes place among members of the same work group or between work groups at the same level.

Grapevine

The informal communication network in an organization revealing employee sentiment and concerns.

Barriers to Effective Communication

Factors like filtering, selective perception, information overload, emotions, and language differences that impede clear communication.