Week 10 (Group Dynamics & Teams) - COMM 151

What is a group?

Two or more people interacting interdependently to achieve a common goal.

What is interaction in groups?

The basic element that defines who is in the group; can be verbal, non-verbal, or virtual.

What is interdependence in groups?

The degree to which group members rely on each other to achieve shared goals.

Why is group membership important?

It shapes beliefs, values, and behaviours and provides a context to influence others.

Formal work group

Groups created by organizations to achieve specific organizational goals.

Types of formal work groups

Task forces, project teams, command groups, committees.

Informal group

A group that emerges naturally among people with shared interests or friendship.

Why do informal groups form?

To satisfy social needs, share information, and foster mutual support.

Stages of group development

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning.

Forming stage

Members orient themselves, test boundaries, and look for guidance.

Storming stage

Conflict arises over roles and leadership; testing of group dynamics.

Norming stage

Group cohesion grows, norms develop, and cooperation improves.

Performing stage

Group works effectively toward goals with established structure.

Adjourning stage

Tasks complete; group disbands or transitions.

Group roles

Expected behaviours attached to positions in a group.

Assigned roles

Formally prescribed by the organization (e.g., manager, engineer).

Emergent roles

Naturally developed roles to meet social/emotional or task needs.

Role ambiguity

When job goals or methods are unclear.

Role conflict

When incompatible role expectations are experienced.

Social norms

Collective expectations about behaviour that guide group members.

Why do norms develop?

To provide consistency, security, and predictability in behaviour.

Types of group norms

Dress norms, performance norms, reward allocation norms.

Dress norms

Social rules on how to dress in an organization.

Performance norms

Social cues about appropriate levels of effort and productivity.

Reward allocation norms

Equity, equality, reciprocity, and social responsibility.

Compliance

Conforming to norms to gain rewards or avoid punishment.

Identification

Adopting norms to be like admired group members.

Internalization

Truly accepting and believing in the group’s norms and values.

Status

The rank or social position of a group member, either formal or informal.

Formal status system

Official status symbols like titles, office location, and salary.

Informal status system

Status based on job performance, charisma, or experience.

Group cohesiveness

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

Factors influencing cohesiveness

Threat/competition, success, diversity, group size, initiation toughness.

Consequences of cohesiveness

Increased participation, conformity, and group success.

Threat and competition effects on group cohesion

Increase group cohesion when facing external challenges.

Success and failure effect on cohesion

Success increases cohesion; failure may reduce it unless “misery loves company” effect exists.

Are smaller or larger groups more cohesive?

Smaller groups are generally more cohesive.

Member diversity effect on cohesion

Can hinder cohesiveness unless shared task focus exists.

Toughness of initiation

Difficult entry increases group attractiveness.

Social loafing

Withholding effort in a group due to shared responsibility.

Free rider effect

Withholding effort expecting others to compensate.

Sucker effect

Reducing effort because others are not contributing fairly.

Counteracting social loafing

Make performance visible, interesting tasks, increase feedback, and reward team performance.

What is a team?

A group with strong shared commitment and synergy beyond individual contributions.

What defnes work group effectiveness?

Output quality, member satisfaction, and future team viability.

Key elements of effective teams

Psychological safety, team reflexivity, shared mental models, improvisation, efficacy, resilience.

Psychological safety

Shared belief that it is safe to take risks in the team.

Team reflexivity

Consciously reflecting on team goals and processes to adapt behaviour.

Shared mental models

Common understanding of tasks and interactions.

Improvisation

Flexibility to adapt plans when things go wrong.

Collective efficacy

Shared belief in the team's capability to perform tasks.

Team resilience

Ability to bounce back from setbacks and adversity.

Self-managed team

A team that regulates much of its own behaviour with little supervision.

Key requirements for self-managed teams

Complex tasks, expertise, stability, support systems.

Cross-functional team

Team composed of different functional specialties to improve products/services.

Success factors for cross-functional teams

Superordinate goals, composition, proximity, autonomy, rules, leadership.

Virtual teams

Groups using technology to collaborate across time and space.

Benefits of virtual teams

Around-the-clock work, reduced travel costs, larger talent pool.

Challenges of virtual teams

Trust development, miscommunication, isolation, management issues.

Success factors for virtual teams

Careful recruitment, training, personalization, clear leadership, peer feedback.

Social information processing theory

People interpret events and appropriate behaviour using cues from others.

Effect dependence

Reliance on others for rewards, punishments, and behavioural cues.

Social conformity motives

Compliance, identification, internalization.

Organizational socialization

Process of learning attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours needed to function in a group.

Psychological contract

Employee’s beliefs about mutual obligations between them and their organization.

Stages of socialization

Anticipatory socialization, encounter, role management.

Organizational culture

Shared beliefs, values, and assumptions that shape member behaviour.

Strong culture

Intense, widely shared values with a large impact on behaviour.

Benefits of strong culture

Coordination, conflict resolution, financial success.

Liabilities of strong culture

Resistance to change, culture clash, pathological cultures.

Institutionalized socialization

Structured process with group exposure, formal training, and shared role models.

Individualized socialization

Unstructured and ambiguous, promotes innovation and personal styles.

Socialization tactics

Collective vs. individual, formal vs. informal, sequential vs. random, fixed vs. variable, serial vs. disjunctive, investiture vs. divestiture.

Mentoring

Relationship where senior members guide junior ones in career and psychosocial aspects.

Developmental networks

Multiple mentors from inside and outside the organization.

Proactive socialization behaviours

Feedback seeking, information seeking, networking, boss-relationship building, job change negotiation.

Culture transmission methods

Stories, rituals, ceremonies, symbols, selection, reward systems, training, role models.

Organizational folklore

Stories that communicate values and help interpret experiences.

Founder’s role in culture

Founders often imprint values that become core to the culture.