Scribd
Upload
55 views29 pages

15 Group Behavior

This document discusses key concepts around groups and group behavior. It defines groups as two or more individuals interacting and interdependent who have come together to achieve objectives. Groups can be formal, defined by an organization's structure, or informal, arising naturally. Key group properties that influence behavior are discussed, including roles that members take on, norms or standards of acceptable behavior, status or rank within the group, size which impacts social loafing, and cohesiveness or bonding between members. Models of group development and decision making are presented, highlighting potential issues like groupthink. The conclusion emphasizes that understanding group dynamics is important for managing teams effectively.

Uploaded by

Fun Toosh345
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
55 views29 pages

15 Group Behavior

This document discusses key concepts around groups and group behavior. It defines groups as two or more individuals interacting and interdependent who have come together to achieve objectives. Groups can be formal, defined by an organization's structure, or informal, arising naturally. Key group properties that influence behavior are discussed, including roles that members take on, norms or standards of acceptable behavior, status or rank within the group, size which impacts social loafing, and cohesiveness or bonding between members. Models of group development and decision making are presented, highlighting potential issues like groupthink. The conclusion emphasizes that understanding group dynamics is important for managing teams effectively.

Uploaded by

Fun Toosh345
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 29

Foundations of Group

Behavior
Defining and Classifying
Groups
Group:
• Two or more individuals interacting and interdependent, who
have come together to achieve particular objectives
• Formal Group:
• Defined by the organization’s structure with designated work
assignments establishing tasks
• Informal Group:
• Alliances that are neither formally structured nor organizationally
determined
• Appear naturally in response to the need for social contact
• Deeply affect behavior and performance
Subclassifications of Groups
Formal Groups Informal Groups
• Command Group • Interest Group
• A group composed of the • Members work together to
individuals who report attain a specific objective
directly to a given manager with which each is
concerned
• Task Group • https://www.youtube.com/
• Those working together to watch?v=A-IDnmBZSfU
complete a job or task in
an organization but not • Friendship Group
limited by hierarchical
• Those brought together
boundaries
because they share one or
more common
characteristics
Why People Join Groups –
Social Identity
• Similarity
• Distinctiveness
• Status
• Uncertainty
Reduction
Five Stages of Group
Development Model
The Five Stages of Group
Development
1. Forming
• Members feel much uncertainty
2. Storming
• Lots of conflict between members of the group
3. Norming
• Members have developed close relationships and cohesiveness
4. Performing
• The group is finally fully functional
5. Adjourning
• In temporary groups, characterized by concern with wrapping up
activities rather than performance
An Alternative Model for
Group Formation
Temporary groups with deadlines don’t follow the five-stage model
Punctuated-Equilibrium Model
Temporary groups under deadlines go through transitions between
inertia and activity—at the halfway point, they experience an
increase in productivity.

• Sequence of Actions
1. Setting group
direction
2. First phase of
inertia
3. Half-way point
transition
4. Major changes
5. Second phase
of inertia
6. Accelerated
activity
Group Properties
Group Property 1: Roles
Role
• A set of expected behavior patterns attributed to someone
occupying a given position in a social unit
• Role Perception
• An individual’s view of how he or she is supposed to act in a given
situation
• Role Expectations
• How others believe a person should act in a given situation
• Psychological Contract: an unwritten agreement that sets out
mutual expectations of management and employees
• Role Conflict
• A situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent role
expectations
Zimbardo’s Prison
Experiment
• Philip Zimbardo in 1971 of Stanford University conducted the
prison experiment.
• To examine group behaviour and the importance of roles.
• 24 male college students who were considered “healthy,” both
physically and psychologically were chosen @ $15 per day.
• Half were randomly assigned to be prisoners and the other
half were assigned to be prison guards.
• The experiment played out in the basement of the Stanford
psychology department where Zimbardo’s team had created a
makeshift prison.
Zimbardo’s Prison
Experiment
• Within six days, the experiment was
halted due to following concerns:
• Guards had dehumanized the prisoners
• Prisoners were subservient
• Prisoners began to experience emotional
disturbances, depression, and helplessness.
• Prisoners identified themselves as numbers
rather than their names.
• When asked how they planned to leave the
prison, prisoners were confused - they had
completely assimilated into their roles.
• Fell into the roles as they understood them
• No real resistance felt
• Zimbardo’s Experiment
Group Property 2: Norms
Norms
• Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared
by the group’s members
• Classes of Norms
• Performance norms - level of acceptable work
• Appearance norms - what to wear
• Social arrangement norms - friendships and the like
• Allocation of resources norms - distribution and assignments of
jobs and material
Asch’s Experiment - I

X A B C D
Asch’s Experiment - II

X A B C D
Asch’s Experiment - III

X A B C D
Asch’s Experiment - IV

X A B C D
Asch’s Experiment - V

X A B C D
Asch’s Experiment - VI

X A B C D
Norms and Behavior
• Conformity
• Gaining acceptance by adjusting one’s behavior to align with the
norms of the group
• Reference Groups
• Important groups to which individuals belong or hope to belong
and with whose norms individuals are likely to conform
• Solomon Asch’s studies [Experiment]
• Demonstrated the power of conformity
• Culture-based and declining in importance
Defying Norms: Deviant
Workplace Behavior
• Deviant Workplace Behavior
• Also called antisocial behavior or workplace incivility

• Voluntary behavior that violates significant organizational norms


and, in doing so, threatens the well-being of the organization

• Typology:
• Performance – working speed
• Material – damage and stealing
• Interpersonal – favoritism, gossip, and sexual harassment
Group Influence on Deviant
Behavior

• Group norms can influence the presence of deviant behavior


• Simply belonging to a group increases the likelihood of deviance
• Being in a group allows individuals to hide – creates a false sense of
confidence that they won’t be caught
Group Property 3: Status
Status
• A socially defined position or rank given to groups or group
members by others – it differentiates group members
• Important factor in understanding behavior
• Significant motivator

•Status Characteristics Theory


• Status derived from one of three sources:
• Power a person has over others
• Ability to contribute to group goals
• Personal characteristics
Status Effects
• On Norms and Conformity
• High-status members are less restrained by norms and pressure
to conform
• Some level of deviance is allowed to high-status members so long
as it doesn’t affect group goal achievement
• On Group Interaction
• High-status members are more assertive
• Large status differences limit diversity of ideas and creativity
• On Equity
• If status is perceived to be inequitable, it will result in various
forms of corrective behavior.
Group Property 4: Size
Size
• Twelve or more members is a “large” group
• Seven or fewer is a “small” group
• Group size affects behavior
• http://vimeo.com/4192258
• Best group sizes based on requirement:
Attribute Small Large
Speed X
Individual Performance X
Problem Solving X
Diverse Input X
Fact-finding Goals X
Overall Performance X
Issues with Group Size
Social Loafing
• The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when
working collectively than when working individually
• Ringelmann’s Rope Pull: greater levels of productivity but
with diminishing returns as group size increases
• Caused by either equity concerns or a diffusion of
responsibility (free riders)
Group Property 5:
Cohesiveness
Cohesiveness
− Degree to which group members are attracted to each
other and are motivated to stay in the group
•Cohesion increases productivity
•Managerial Implication
• To increase cohesiveness:
• Make the group smaller.
• Encourage agreement with group goals.
• Increase time members spend together.
• Increase group status and admission difficulty.
• Stimulate competition with other groups.
• Give rewards to the group, not individuals.
• Physically isolate the group.
Group Decision Making vs.
Individual Choice
• Group Strengths:
• Generate more complete information and knowledge
• Offer increased diversity of views and greater creativity
• Identifying team members
• Increased acceptance of decisions
• Generally more accurate (but not as accurate as the most
accurate group member)
• Group Weaknesses:
• Time-consuming activity
• Conformity pressures in the group
• Discussions can be dominated by a few members
• A situation of ambiguous responsibility
Group Decision-Making
Phenomena
• Groupthink
• Situations where group pressures for conformity deter the group
from critically appraising unusual, minority, or unpopular views
• Hinders performance
• Groupshift
• When discussing a given set of alternatives and arriving at a
solution, group members tend to exaggerate the initial positions
that they hold. This causes a shift to more conservative or more
risky behavior.
Food for thought!
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRbzVgRPw9s (Project)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOHvMz7dl2A (Culture)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfw0KapQ3qw (MT)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE47-5Mi6d8 (Laxmi)
• http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indias-first-transgender-
college-principal-resigns-after-alleged-non-cooperation-from-
staff-1643260 (Manabi)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QQ3jdV8jd8 (Manabi)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIUQJN1B0aQ
(satyamev)

You might also like