QUALITIES OF A GROUP

Do You Consider These

To be a Group?
Individuals on a flight from Toronto to
Montreal?
Watching a Toronto
Maple Leafs game at the
ACC?
Individuals taking the subway?
3 children playing in a sandbox?
The American Idols?
An executive board?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

INTERACTION
INTERDEPENDENCE
STRUCTURE
GOALS
COHESIVENESS

A. INTERACTION
The

social actions of individuals in a

group, particularly those that are
influenced either directly or indirectly by a
group.
Arguments, talk over issues, and make
decisions.
Group members teach one another new
things; they communicate with one
another verbally and nonverbally.

2 CLASSES OF INTERACTION
TASK INTERACTION it includes all group behavior
that is focused principally on the groups work,
projects, plans and goals.
- members must coordinate their various skills,
resources and motivations.
B. RELATIONSHIP INTERACTION actions performed by
group members that relate to or influence the
emotional and interpersonal bonds within the group,
including both positive actions (social support,
consideration) and negative actions (criticism,
conflict).
- kind words, suggestions and other forms of help.
-they sustain emotional bonds linking the members
to one another and to the group.
A.

B. INTERDEPENDENCE
Mutual

dependence or influence, as when

ones outcome, actions, thoughts,
feelings, and experience are determined in
whole or in part by others.
Members are obligated or responsible to
other group members, for they provide
each other with support and assistance.

Interdependence Diagram

 Sequential

influence of one
member to the next.
Reciprocal two or more members
may influence each other
Multilevel the outcome of larger
groups are influenced by the
activities of smaller groups

C. STRUCTURE
Norms,

roles and stable patterns of

relations among members of a group.
Roles specify the general behaviors
expected of people who occupy different
positions within the group.
Leader, seeker, information giver, elaborator,
procedural technician, encourager,
compromiser, harmonizer,

 NORMS

a consensual and often

implicit standard that describes what
behaviors should and should not be
performed in a given context.

D. GOALS
The

aim or outcome sought by the

group and its members.
People solve problems, create
products, create standards,
communicate knowledge, have fun,
perform arts, create institution
McGraths Circumplex Model of
Group Tasks

e. Cohesiveness

Group Cohesion: the strength of the

bonds linking individuals to the group

FEELINGS of attraction to specific group

members and efforts to achieve goals

The unity of the group

The degree to which group members

coordinate their efforts to acheve goals