Why Do People Join Groups

There is no particular reason answering why individuals join groups. Group helps individual to feel
stronger, have fewer self-doubts, and be more contrary to threats.
The following points help us understand the need of joining a group by individuals −
 Security mirrors strength in numbers. Status pinpoints a prestige that comes from belonging to a
specific group. Inclusion in a group is considered as important because it provides recognition and
status.
 Self-esteem transmits people's feelings of self-worth. Membership can sometimes raise feelings of
self-esteem like being accepted into a highly valued group.
 Affiliation with groups can meet one's social needs. Work groups significantly contribute to meet the
need for friendships and social relations.
 Groups represent power. What mostly cannot be achieved individually becomes possible with group
effort. Power might be aimed to protect themselves from unreasonable demands. Informal groups
provide options for individuals to practice power.
 People may join a group for goal achievement. Sometimes it takes more than one person to
accomplish a particular task.

Well-Functioning Groups
We know what a group is, why it is important to form a group, and what the group-oriented roles
are. Now we need to know how to mark a group as a well-functioning group, what features are
necessary for a group to mark it as efficient.
A group is considered effective when it has the following characteristics.

 Relaxed, comfortable, friendly atmosphere.

 Task to be executed are well understood and accepted.
 Members listen well and actively participate in given assignments.
 Assignments are made clear and are accepted.
 Group is acquainted of its operation and function.
 People express their feelings and ideas openly.
 Consensus decision-making process is followed.
 Conflict and disagreement center regarding ideas or method.

Group Norms: Parallel to performance and other standards established by the formal
organizational structure, the informal groups have their own norms as rules of conduct and a
standard of behavior that is expected of all members.
Groups Roles: There is an unwritten assignment within the group as to which task will be done by
whom and under what conditions. Some job roles are assigned by the management by matching
the job description with the person’s qualifications and some other roles develop within the
group. For example, some members may informally be technical advisors to others as to how to
do the job better and others may act as arbitrators in social problems or other differences that
may arise among members.
Group Cohesiveness: Cohesiveness refers to the degree and strength of interpersonal attraction
among members of the group. High degree of cohesion is highly motivating in achieving the
group goals. Members help each other and support each other. The degree of cohesiveness
depends upon the commonness of the perceived group goal, the size of the group and the ability
of the group leader to facilitate cohesion. Group cohesion also has synergetic effects where,
together they produce much more by the collective efforts than the sum product of the individual
efforts.

GROUP TYPES
One common way to classify group is by whether they are formal or informal in nature. Formal
work groups are established by an organization to achieve organizational goals. Formal groups
may take the form of command groups, task groups, and functional groups.

COMMAND GROUPS.
Command groups are specified by the organizational chart and often consist of a supervisor and
the subordinates that report to that supervisor. An example of a command group is an academic
department chairman and the faculty members in that department.

TASK GROUPS.
Task groups consist of people who work together to achieve a common task. Members are
brought together to accomplish a narrow range of goals within a specified time period. Task
groups are also commonly referred to as task forces. The organization appoints members and
assigns the goals and tasks to be accomplished. Examples of assigned tasks are the
development of a new product, the improvement of a production process, or the proposal of a
motivational contest. Other common task groups are ad hoc committees, project groups, and
standing committees. Ad hoc committees are temporary groups created to resolve a specific
complaint or develop a process. Project groups are similar to ad hoc committees and normally
disband after the group completes the assigned task. Standing committees are more permanent
than ad hoc committees and project groups. They maintain longer life spans by rotating members
into the group.

FUNCTIONAL GROUPS.
A functional group is created by the organization to accomplish specific goals within an
unspecified time frame. Functional groups remain in existence after achievement of current goals
and objectives. Examples of functional groups would be a marketing department, a customer
service department, or an accounting department.
In contrast to formal groups, informal groups are formed naturally and in response to the common
interests and shared values of individuals. They are created for purposes other than the
accomplishment of organizational goals and do not have a specified time frame. Informal groups
are not appointed by the organization and members can invite others to join from time to time.
Informal groups can have a strong influence in organizations that can either be positive or
negative. For example, employees who form an informal group can either discuss how to improve
a production process or how to create shortcuts that jeopardize quality. Informal groups can take
the form of interest groups, friendship groups, or reference groups.
INTEREST GROUPS.
Interest groups usually continue over time and may last longer than general informal groups.
Members of interest groups may not be part of the same organizational department but they are
bound together by some other common interest. The goals and objectives of group interests are
specific to each group and may not be related to organizational goals and objectives. An example
of an interest group would be students who come together to form a study group for a specific
class.

FRIENDSHIP GROUPS.
Friendship groups are formed by members who enjoy similar social activities, political beliefs,
religious values, or other common bonds. Members enjoy each other's company and often meet
after work to participate in these activities. For example, a group of employees who form a
friendship group may have an exercise group, a softball team, or a potluck lunch once a month.

REFERENCE GROUPS.
A reference group is a type of group that people use to evaluate themselves. According to
Cherrington, the main purposes of reference groups are social validation and social comparison.
Social validation allows individuals to justify their attitudes and values while social comparison
helps individuals evaluate their own actions by comparing themselves to others. Reference
groups have a strong influence on members' behavior. By comparing themselves with other
members, individuals are able to assess whether their behavior is acceptable and whether their
attitudes and values are right or wrong. Reference groups are different from the previously
discussed groups because they may not actually meet or form voluntarily. For example, the
reference group for a new employee of an organization may be a group of employees that work
in a different department or even a different organization. Family, friends, and religious affiliations
are strong reference groups for most individuals.
FACTORS AFFECTING GROUP FUNCTIONING
A group is defined as two or more individuals, interacting and independent, who have come together
to achieve particular objectives. Group behaviors are affected or influenced by some significant
variables or factors. The major variables are:

1. Formal leadership: Almost every work group has a formal leader. The common titles of those leaders
are superior, foreman, project leader, department manager, general manager, chainman or managing
director etc. These leaders can play an important role in group’s success. They are also liable for the
failure of group.
2. Roles: The world is a stage and all men and women are merely players. All group members are actors;
they are playing different types of roles. A role is an expected behavior in a given position in a social
unit. Different groups impose different roles on different individual. We can have different concepts
about role in a group.
1. Role identity: there are certain attitudes and behaviors consistent with a role. This is called role
identity.
2. Role perception: Group’s members need role perception. Role perception in an individual’s view of
how he or she is supposed to act in a given situation.
3. Role expectations: Role expectations are defined as how others behave the one should act in a
given situation.
4. Role conflict: Role conflict is a situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent role
expectation.
3. Norms: All groups have some establish norms. Norms refer to the acceptable standards of behaviors
that are shared by the group’s members. Formalized norms are written up in organizational manuals,
and all the people in an organization are bound to follow that rules and regulations. But the majority of
norms in organizations are informal.
4. Group status: Status may be defined as a social rank or position given in a group by others. We live in
a class structured society. Status is important for group members.
5. Group size: The size of a group affects the group’s overall performance or behavior. Small groups are
faster at completing task than are larger ones. If the group is encouraged in problem solving, large
groups are perfect to small group. So if the goal of hand, smaller group is better in achieving
productivity.
6. Composition of the group: Since group is association of different types of people with variety of skills
and knowledge. When a group is heterogeneous rather than homogeneous in terms of age, gender,
race, educational background, personalities, opinions, abilities skills and knowledge, it can be effective
to complete a work.
7. Group cohesiveness: The degree in which members are attracted to each other and are motivated to
stay in the group are called group cohesiveness. Group behavior are significantly affected by group are
cohesiveness. The following suggestions can increase group cohesiveness:
i. the group smaller
ii. Make Increase the members spend together
iii. Encourage agreement about group goals
iv. Increase the status of the group
v . Stimulate competition with other group
vi. Give reward to the group rather than the members
vii. Physically isolate the group

GROUP STRUCTURE
Group structure is a pattern of relationships among members that hold the group
together and help it achieve assigned goals. Structure can be described in a variety
of ways. Among the more common considerations are group size, group roles,
group norms, and group cohesiveness.
GROUP SIZE.
Group size can vary from 2 people to a very large number of people. Small groups
of two to ten are thought to be more effective because each member has ample
opportunity to participate and become actively involved in the group. Large groups
may waste time by deciding on processes and trying to decide who should
participate next. Group size will affect not only participation but satisfaction as well.
Evidence supports the notion that as the size of the group increases, satisfaction
increases up to a certain point. In other words, a group of six members has twice
as many opportunities for interaction and participation as a group of three people.
Beyond 10 or 12 members, increasing the size of the group results in decreased
satisfaction. It is increasingly difficult for members of large groups to identify with
one another and experience cohesion.

GROUP NORMS.
Norms are acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the
members of the group. Norms define the boundaries of acceptable and
unacceptable behavior. They are typically created in order to facilitate group
survival, make behavior more predictable, avoid embarrassing situations, and
express the values of the group. Each group will establish its own set of norms that
might determine anything from the appropriate dress to how many comments to
make in a meeting. Groups exert pressure on members to force them to conform to
the group's standards. The norms often reflect the level of commitment, motivation,
and performance of the group.
Performance norms determine how quickly members should work and how much
they should produce. They are created in an effort to determine levels of individual
effort. They can be very frustrating to managers because they are not always in line
with the organization's goals. Members of a group may have the skill and ability to
perform at higher levels but they don't because of the group's performance norms.
For example, workers may stop working a production machine at 20 minutes before
quitting time in order to wash up, even though they produced fewer items that day
than management intended.
Reward-allocation norms determine how rewards are bestowed upon group
members. For example, the norm of equality dictates equal treatment of all
members. Every member shares equally so rewards are distributed equally to
everyone. Equity norms suggest that rewards are distributed according to the
member's contribution. In other words, members who contribute the most receive
the largest share of the rewards. Members may contribute through effort, skill, or
ability. Social responsibility norms reward on the basis of need. Members who have
special needs therefore receive the largest share of the reward.
The majority of the group must agree that the norms are appropriate in order for the
behavior to be accepted. There must also be a shared understanding that the
group supports the norms. It should be noted, however, that members might violate
group norms from time to time. If the majority of members do not adhere to the
norms, then they will eventually change and will no longer serve as a standard for
evaluating behavior. Group members who do not conform to the norms will be
punished by being excluded, ignored, or asked to leave the group.

GROUP COHESIVENESS.
Cohesiveness refers to the bonding of group members and their desire to remain
part of the group. Many factors influence the amount of group cohesiveness.
Generally speaking, the more difficult it is to obtain group membership the more
cohesive the group. Groups also tend to become cohesive when they are in intense
competition with other groups or face a serious external threat to survival. Smaller
groups and those who spend considerable time together also tend to be more
cohesive.
Cohesiveness in work groups has many positive effects, including worker
satisfaction, low turnover and absenteeism, and higher productivity. However,
highly cohesive groups may be detrimental to organizational performance if their
goals are misaligned with organizational goals. Highly cohesive groups may also
be more vulnerable to groupthink. Groupthink occurs when members of a group
exert pressure on each other to come to a consensus in decision making.
Groupthink results in careless judgments, unrealistic appraisals of alternative
courses of action, and a lack of reality testing. It can lead to a number of decision-
making issues such as the following:

1. Incomplete assessments of the problem,

2. Incomplete information search,
3. Bias in processing information,
4. Inadequate development of alternatives, and
5. Failure to examine the risks of the preferred choice.

Social Loafing
Definition: The Social Loafing is the tendency of an individual to put less effort into the
job when he is a part of the group, as compared to when he is working alone.

The concept of social loafing can be further comprehended through a “free rider
effect” and the “sucker effect”. The former effect is based on an individual’s
assumption that, if he does not perform his task, any other member will cover that
loss on his behalf. Whereas, the sucker effect asserts that the members who are
giving their 100% would reduce their efforts, due to the attitude of the free riders in
the group.

Generally, the groups are formed to capitalize the skills and experience of all the
members, which may help in the accomplishment of a task more effectively. But,
some members do not participate effectively and thinks that their efforts will not
matter to the group, and hence exert less effort in the task.

External conditions affecting the work group

Organization Strategy

Any organization will have a strategy which defines what business it is in or wants to be
in, and the kind of organization it is or wants to be .It is set by top management, often in
collaborations with lower-level managers. Strategy outlines the organization’s goals
and the means for attaining these goals. It might, for example direct the organization
toward reducing costs, improving quality, expanding market share, or shrinking the size
of its overall operations .The strategy that an organization is pursuing at any given time,
will influence the power of various work groups which, in turn, will determine the
resources that the organization’s top management is willing to allocate to it for
performing its tasks. To illustrate, an organization that is retrenching through selling off
or closing down major parts of its business is going to have work groups with a shrinking
resources base, increased member anxiety, and the potential for heightened intra group
conflict.

Authority Structures

Organizations have authority structures that define who reports to whom, who makes
decisions, and what decisions individuals or groups are empowered to make .This
structure typically determines where a given work group is placed in the organization‘s
hierarchy, the formal leader of the group, and formal relationships between groups. So,
while a work group might be led by someone who emerges informally from within the
group, the formally designated leader—appointed by management —has authority that
others in the group don’t.

Formal Regulations

Organizations create rules, procedures, policies, and other forms of regulations to

standardize employee behavior. If McDonald has standard operating procedures for
taking orders, cooking hamburgers, and filling soda containers, then the discretion of
work group members to set independent standards of behaviors is severely limited. The
more formal regulations that the organization imposes on all its employees, the more the
behavior of the work group members will be consistent and predictable.

Organizational Resources

Some organizations are large, profitable, with an abundance of resources .When

organizations have limited resources, so do their work groups. What a group actually
accomplishes is, to a large degree, determined by what it is capable of accomplishing
.The presence or absence of resources such as money, time raw material, equipment—
which are allocated to the group by the organization—have a large bearing on the
group’s behavior.

Personnel Selection Process

So the criteria that an organization uses in its selection process will determine the kinds
of people that will be in its work groups. The terms of the union’s collective
bargaining contract will play a key part in specifying who is hired as well as acceptable
and unacceptable behaviors of work group members.

Performance Evaluation and Reward System

Another organization-wide variable that affects all employees is the performance

evaluation and reward system. Since work groups are part of the larger organizational
system, each group member’s behavior will be influenced by how the organization
evaluates performance and the kinds of behavior that deserve to be rewarded.

Organizational Culture

Every organization has unwritten culture that defines for employees standards of
acceptable and unacceptable behavior. The employees after a few months of work know
very well about the organizational culture, dress culture, what behavior is accepted and
what is not and what are the Rules to be followed.

Physical Work Setting

Finally, we propose that the physical work setting that is imposed on the group by
external parties has an important bearing on work group behavior. Architects industrial
engineers, and office designers make decisions regarding the size and physical layout of
an employee’s work space, the arrangement of equipment, illumination levels, and
the need for acoustics to cut down on noise distractions
 External and internal factors effecting team
Internal team factors to consider include:

 Task Structure: Is the team task clear, and consistent with the team’s purpose? Does
the team have a meaningful piece of work to do for which members share
responsibility and accountability, and that provides opportunities for the team to
learn how well it is doing?

 Team Composition: Is the team well staffed? Is it the right size, given the work to be
done? Do members have the expertise required to perform the task well? Do they
have sufficient interpersonal skill to function collaboratively? Are team members so
similar in background and perspectives that there is little for them to learn from one
another? Or are they so different that they risk having difficulty communicating and
coordinating with one another?

 Core Norms: Expectations of what is “acceptable” team behavior tend either to be

“imported” to the team by members or established very early in the team’s lifespan.
Articulating these “norms” ahead of time via a “team charter” or “team vision
statement” can be very helpful, and should cover areas such as how the team will
make decisions, communicate and evaluate itself.

External team factors to consider include:

 Reward System: Does the company’s reward system provide recognition,

reinforcement and compensation that are contingent on team performance? Are
rewards administered to the team as a whole or to individuals within the team?
Does the reward system truly encourage team members to work collaboratively?

 Educational System: Is training or technical assistance available to the team for any
aspects of the work for which members do not already have adequate knowledge,
skill or experience?

 Information System: Does the team have ready access to the data, tools and other
resources that enable superior performance?

 Organizational Culture: Does the company for which the team works have a
collaborative culture that genuinely fosters and supports teams? Or is it a culture
that still promotes and recognizes individual achievement? Do the company’s top
leaders really “buy into” the concept of teams?

Several factors within an organization itself influence team effectiveness, including

its organizational culture, level of autonomy, and types of feedback mechanisms.
But the factors that influence the effectiveness of a team most directly stem from its
internal structure and processes.
  Structural factors include team or group type, size, and composition of skills
and abilities.
 Team processes include stages of team development, cultural norms, roles
cohesiveness, and interpersonal processes such as trust development,
facilitation, influence, leadership communication, and conflict resolution.

CONSENSUS BUILDING IN TEAMS

One of the conditions necessary for successful team work is team members' ability
to make decisions and solve problems as a group. Some of the most effective
decision making processes include building consensus.
Consensus building (also known as collaborative problem solving or collaboration)
is a conflict-resolution process used mainly to settle complex, multiparty disputes.

Building Consensus
Consensus means coming to an agreement. Creating consensus in a team setting
means finding a proposal acceptable enough that all team members can support it,
with no member opposing it. Consensus includes:

 pooling opinions;
 listening effectively;
 discussing ideas and differences;
 not getting all you want; and
 coming to an agreement that everyone "can live with."

Consensus is not:

 a unanimous vote;
 majority or minority rule;
 one person rule; or
 bargaining.

Methods that help teams reach consensus

Teams can reach consensus using formal and informal methods. Highly developed
teams may be able to reach consensus informally. However, new teams or groups of
employees who are not familiar with each other will need more structured methods
to help them build consensus methods such as brainstorming, multi-voting, and
nominal group technique.
Brainstorming is a simple and effective method of generating ideas in a group. It
begins with a facilitator defining the problem or the topic. Then, each team member
suggests ideas either in turn or as ideas arise and those ideas are written on a board
or flip chart.Team members should not criticize or evaluate any idea during the
brainstorming session. After the team generate the ideas, the group refines the list
by asking for explanations, combining ideas, and if necessary, prioritizing ideas
from most effective to least effective.
Multi-voting can reduce a list containing a large number of items to a manageable
few. At the beginning of the process, each member gets a number of votes equal to
no more than one half or one third of the total number of items listed. Members
cast their votes for the items they perceive as best on the list, but may cast only one
vote per item. Items receiving votes from half or more of the group are circled. The
process repeats, with members casting limited votes for the best of the remaining
circled items. The team continues multi-voting until it reduces the list to three to
five items.
Nominal group technique is a two part process that provides a more structured
approach than brainstorming or multi-voting. First, the team runs a brainstorming
session to generate a list of ideas. Once they have the list, members discuss and
clarify the ideas. Then, each member receives small cards to equal a fraction of the
number of ideas still on the list. The members use the cards to vote for the ideas
they like the most by recording one idea per card and assigning that idea a rank
order, with "1" being the least favorite. The facilitator or team leader gathers the
cards and tallies the ranks given to each idea. The idea that has the highest point
total is the team's selection.
Summary
Brainstorming, multi-voting, and nominal group technique are structured methods
for helping teams discuss issues, develop ideas and solutions, and reach a decision
that everyone can live with. Not all decisions must or should be made through
consensus, but it can enhance both the quality of a decision and its acceptance by
all involved.

Why is Consensus Building Important?

Consensus building is important in today's interconnected society because many problems exist
that affect diverse groups of people with different interests. As problems mount, the organizations
that deal with society's problems come to rely on each other for help -- they are interdependent.
The parties affected by decisions are often interdependent as well. Therefore it is extremely
difficult and often ineffective for organizations to try to solve controversial problems on their own.
Consensus building offers a way for individual citizens and organizations to collaborate on
solving complex problems in ways that are acceptable to all.

Consensus-building processes also allow a variety of people to have input into decision-making
processes, rather than leaving controversial decisions up to government representatives or
experts. When government experts make decisions on their own, one or more of the stakeholder
groups is usually unhappy, and in the U.S. system, they commonly sue the government, slowing
implementation of any decision substantially. While consensus building takes time, it at least
develops solutions that are not held up in court.