CRT LEARNING MODULE

Course Code PE04

Course Title Group Dynamics
Units 2
Module Title Physical Education: Fundamentals of Group
Dynamics

College for Research & Technology of Cabanatuan

MODULE 1.1
Physical
Document No. 001-2020
Education 01 Date Developed:
Module 1: Physical February 8, 2021
Education: Its value Date Revised: Issued by:
to the development Developed by: Page 1
and Adjustment of RG E. Mendoza CRT
the Individual.
 GROUP DYNAMICS: INTRODUCTION
“Fundamentals of Group Dynamics”

Learning Objective: After reading this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain the concept of Group and Group Dynamics.

2. Discuss the importance of Group Dynamics in any organizational setting.
3. Elaborate the process of Group Dynamics.
4. Identify the method used in conducting group dynamics through structured
games.

GROUP DYNAMICS: INTRODUCTION

“Fundamentals of Group Dynamics”

Group Dynamics is concerned with the formation and structure of groups and
the way they affect individual members, other groups and the organization.

What is Group? It has two or more persons which are interacting with one
another in such a manner that each person influences and is influenced by each
other.

 Group is defined as consisting of individuals who perceive the existence of a

group and their members in it.
 Group is defined on the basis of a common motivation or goal.
 There is a structure of the group. It is the relationships among group
members which binds them together into a group.
 The central element of a group is the interaction among its members.

What is Group Dynamics?

Group Dynamics is concern how groups form their structure and process,
and how they function. Group Dynamics are relevant in both formal and informal
groups of all types. It is also social process by which people interact in a small
group and in “face to face” manner is called group dynamics.

Group Dynamics contains two terms: group and dynamics. Group is

basically a collectively of two or more persons. Dynamics came from the Greek word
meaning FORCE. Thus, “Group Dynamics is concerned with the interactions of
forces among group members in social situations.”
Physical
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Education 01 Date Developed:
Module 1: Physical February 8, 2021
Education: Its value Date Revised: Issued by:
to the development Developed by: Page 2
and Adjustment of RG E. Mendoza CRT
the Individual.
 Group dynamics refer to the adjustive changes that take place in the group
structure as a result of changes in any part of it. As Kurt Lewin puts it, “a change in
a part brings change throughout the entire system analogous to the change
witnessed in an electrical or magnetic field.” The adjustive changes may take place
in the process of interpersonal behavior or intergroup behavior.

PRINCIPLE OF THE GROUP DYNAMICS:

1. The members of the groups must have a strong sense of belonging to the
group. The barrier between the leaders and to be led must be broken down.
2. The more attraction a group is to its member, the greater influence it would
exercise on its members.
3. The greater the prestige of the group member in the eyes of the member, the
greater influence he would exercise on the theme.
4. The successful efforts to change individuals sub parts of the group would result
in making them confirm to the norms of the group.
5. The pressures for change when strong can be established in the group by
creating a shared perception by the members for the need for the change.

FEATURES OF GROUP DYNAMICS:

1. Concerned with Groups
2. Changes
3. Rigidity or Flexibility
4. Continuous Process

According to Shaw a GROUP is defined as two or more persons engaged in

social interactions. The definition implies the each member of a group is aware of
the other members and is influenced by them.

GROUP: TYPES OF GROUPS:

o Two or more people 1. Formal
o Shared Goals  Command
o People see themselves as members  Task
o There is interaction among members 2. Informal
 Interest
 Friendship

Features of Group:
1. The term group refers to two or more individuals who bear an explicit
psychological relationship to one another.
Physical
Document No. 001-2020
Education 01 Date Developed:
Module 1: Physical February 8, 2021
Education: Its value Date Revised: Issued by:
to the development Developed by: Page 3
and Adjustment of RG E. Mendoza CRT
the Individual.
 2. The group consists of two or more individuals and possesses some
cohesiveness. It reveals some amount of interaction among its members who
have definite ideas of their position and role in it.
3. Relationships concentrating on status and roll along with common values or
norms are characteristics features of the group.
4. As the group operates on a common task, common attitudes develop and
members become aware that they are part of it.

Group Dynamics – Concept

The team “Group Dynamics” is concerned with the interactions and forces
among group members in an organization.

More specifically, it refers to the following issues:

 i. How a group has come into being?
 ii. Why the group has emerged?
 ii. What is its size and composition?
 iv. What are the activities of the group?
 v. How members interact and resolve things?
 vi. What are the processes used by members to share information, work related
issues?
 vii. How members behave and influence each other?
 viii. What informal networks are put to use to spread rumors?
ix. How members are reacting to formal leaders, work rules, challenges, etc.?
x. How the informal groups function and affect individual members, other groups
and the organization?

Important Characteristics of Group Dynamics:

I. Group dynamics describes how a group should be organized and operated.
This includes pattern of leadership and cooperation.
II. Group dynamics consists of a set of techniques such as role playing,
brainstorming, group therapy, sensitivity training etc.
III. Group dynamics deals with internal nature of groups, their formation,
structure and process, and the way they affect individual members, other
groups and the organization as a whole.
IV. Group dynamics refers to changes which take place within groups and is
concerned with the interaction and forces obtained between group members
in a social setting.

Physical
Document No. 001-2020
Education 01 Date Developed:
Module 1: Physical February 8, 2021
Education: Its value Date Revised: Issued by:
to the development Developed by: Page 4
and Adjustment of RG E. Mendoza CRT
the Individual.
Importance of Group Dynamics
There are many problems of human behavior which have disturbed the man
from the very beginning. There are certain questions which may be asked about the
human relations and the group behavior that are very difficult to answer.

Some of the questions are as follows:

1. How should we consider the relationship between individuals and the group?
2. What are the needs of the group, the individual needs? And if so then what
are the properties of the group?
3. Do groups learn? Have they any goals? Do they feel frustrated? Do they
develop?
4. Are they formed or deformed? Are these all properties found in individuals?
5. Are the groups good or bad? How do individuals behave with the group?

PRECONCEPTIONS:
Generally, these preconceptions are integral parts of an individual’s personal
philosophy.
Such perceptions may be:
(1) Negative or,
(2) Positive.

Negative View Point:

The people having negative view points are of the view that:
(a) Groups do not exist and these are the product of distorted thought
processes generally known as abstractions;
(b) Groups are not good. They like that their members must be loyal to the
groups without their head and brain.

Positive View Point:

Followers of positive view say that:
(a) Groups do exist. Acceptance or non-acceptance of an individual by a
group counts much to that individual and it proves the existence and
importance of groups.
(b) Groups are not bad, they are good. They satisfy the higher order needs of
an individual such as affection, recognition and self-esteem. They stimulate
altruism and self-sacrifice. Groups provide the means to get such things
through mutual interaction that a person can never attain them individually.
Physical
Document No. 001-2020
Education 01 Date Developed:
Module 1: Physical February 8, 2021
Education: Its value Date Revised: Issued by:
to the development Developed by: Page 5
and Adjustment of RG E. Mendoza CRT
the Individual.
The characteristics of the positive attitude may be called the characteristics of so-
called group dynamics movement. The intention of the promoters of group dynamics
is that the work should be done in group. Individual responsibility and man to man
supervision are bad.
Individual problem solving and individual theory are bad. Committee-
meetings, group decisions, collective problem solving and group therapy are the
index of the group prosperity.
Though group dynamics studies the relationship of individuals, yet we forget
the every individual in the group is different in attitude and behavior. The manager
of an organization must not forget that each member of a positive group does not
have similarity in views in a particular situation and they are quite different in views
and have their own self-respect.

Main Principles in Group Dynamics by Darwin Carl Wright

In order to achieve the best use of Group Dynamics the following

principles of group dynamics have been discussed by Darwin Carl Wright
and they are as follows:

(1) “If the group is to be used effectively as a medium of change, those people who
are to be changed and those who are to exert influence of change must have a
strong sense of belongingness to the same group”.
(2) The more attractive the group is to its members the greater is the influence that
the group can exert on its members.
(3) In an attempt to change attitudes, values or behavior, the more relevant they
are to the basis of attraction on the groups, the greater will be the influence that the
group can exert upon the members.
(4) The greater the prestige of a group member in the eyes of the other members,
the greater the influence he can exert.
(5) Efforts to change individuals or sub-parts of a group, which, if successful, would
have the effect of making them deviate from the norms of the group, will encounter
strong resistance.
(6) Information relating to the need for change, plans for change and consequences
of change must be shared by all relevant people in the group.

Physical
Document No. 001-2020
Education 01 Date Developed:
Module 1: Physical February 8, 2021
Education: Its value Date Revised: Issued by:
to the development Developed by: Page 6
and Adjustment of RG E. Mendoza CRT
the Individual.
(7) Strong pressure for change in the group can be established by creating a shared
perception by the members of the need for change, thus making the source of
pressure for change lie within the group.
(8) Change in one part of a group produce strain in other related parts which can be
reduced only by eliminating the change or by bringing about re-adjustment in
related parts.”

HOW LONG DO A MEMBERS GROUP EXIST?

The existence of any group is assumed to depend on the participation and
satisfaction of the individuals comprising such group.

WHAT ARE THE TWO PRINCIPAL TYPES OF GROUP PROCESS?

One is generally called “meeting” wherein people are discussing ideas. The
other is called a “team” wherein people perform tasks together.

A meeting convened for different purposes. These are for information,

advice, decision making, negotiation, coordination and creative thinking. A
committee is a specific type of meeting in which members in their group role have
been delegated authority with regard to the problem at hand.

HOW MAY GROUPS BE UTILIZED?

They may be used in many ways but the three important ones are:
brainstorming, nominal groups and Delphi decision making.

 Brainstorming – is a method which encourages creative thinking. This

approach produces more ideas, requires no preparation other than general
information about the subject.
 Nominal Groups – is another way of decision making. When the problem is
presented to each individual, they present solutions individually. Their ideas are
shared in a structured format and discussed for clarification.
 Delphi Decision Making – is a process which does not allow the members to
meet but send their replies through written communication.

WHAT METHOD IS USED IN CONDUCTING GROUP DYNAMICS THROUGH

STRUCTURED GAMES?

The method is described as an EXPERIENTIAL APPROACH. The

experiential learning is based on the premise that learning which utilizes cognitive,
affective and psychomotor domains of human behavior can also be acquired to
group procedures.

This is used supplement the direct teaching method or traditional approach

used in the classroom. Through adequate experiences students could discover by
Physical
Document No. 001-2020
Education 01 Date Developed:
Module 1: Physical February 8, 2021
Education: Its value Date Revised: Issued by:
to the development Developed by: Page 7
and Adjustment of RG E. Mendoza CRT
the Individual.
themselves meaningful relationships towards each other by observing and noting
how they react and reacted upon by the participants of the game during the
processing activity. The participant learns from his own behavior patterns voluntarily
rather than changing such patterns because someone else told him to do so.
The structured games are presented with objectives, procedure and
processing of the experience in both cognitive, and affective aspects to elicit insights
derived from such experience.

Physical
Document No. 001-2020
Education 01 Date Developed:
Module 1: Physical February 8, 2021
Education: Its value Date Revised: Issued by:
to the development Developed by: Page 8
and Adjustment of RG E. Mendoza CRT
the Individual.