Foundations of Group Behavior

A Group is defined as two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives. groups can either be formal or informal. Different types of groups- command group, task groups, interest groups, friendship groups.

Why do people join groups

Security Status Self-esteem Affiliation Power Goal achievment

Stages of group development

Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning

The Punctuated Equilibrium model.

Group Structure
Some of the structural variables are: Roles role identity, role perception, role expectations which involves the psychological contract, role conflict Norms. Common classes of norms- performance norms, appearance norms, social arrangement norms, allocation of resources norms. Conformity to groups norms. Deviant workplace behavior Status. According to the status characteristics theory, differences in status characteristics create status hierarchies within groups. Status is derived from the following sources- the power a person wields over others, a persons ability to contribute to a groups goals and an individuals personal characteristics. Status and norms. Status inequity

Size Social Loafing is the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually. Cohesiveness refers to the degree to which members are attracted to each other and are motivated to stay in the group.
High Productivity Low Productivity
Moderate productivity Moderate to Low Productivity

Increasing group cohesiveness

encourage agreement with group goals,increase time that members spend with each other, increase status of the group, stimulate competition with other groups, give rewards to group members rather than individual members and physically isolate the group.

Group Decision Making

Group Vs Individual decision making Advantages of Group decision makingcomplete information and knowledge, increased diversity of views, higher quality of decisions and increased acceptance of a solution. Disadvantages- time consuming, conformity pressures, domination by one or a few members, ambiguous responsibility.

Groupthink : it describes situations in which group pressures for conformity deter the group from critically appraising unusual, minority or unpopular views. Groupshift Group Decision-Making Techniques Brainstorming The Nominal Group Technique Electronic meeting