Group Dynamics

Introduction

– Two or more people with a unifying

relationship is known as a group
– Two or more interacting and
interdependent individuals who come
together to achieve particular goals.
 Overview
• Introduction
• Types of teams and groups
• Types of group
• Stages of group development
• Group effectiveness
• Group dynamics
• Group cohesiveness
 Cont…
• Group norms
• Team effectiveness
• Model for team effectiveness
• Process of team effectiveness
• Conclusion
 Types of Teams and Groups
Permanent Temporary

Formal Production team Task force

Teams Management team Skunkwork

Informal
Groups Friendship group Commuter group
 Types of Groups in Organization
1. Formal group:
-Officially designated to serve a specific organizational
purpose.
(With definite measure of authority, responsibility and
accountability).
– May be permanent or temporary.
• Permanent work groups are command groups in the
vertical organization structure.
• Temporary work groups are task groups specifically
created to solve a problem or perform a defined task.
What are Teams?
• Groups of two or more people
• Exist to fulfill a purpose
• Interdependent -- interact and influence each other
• Mutually accountable for achieving common goals
• Perceive themselves as a social entity
Groups versus Teams
•All teams are groups
•Some groups are just people assembled
together
•Teams have task interdependence
whereas some groups do not (e.g., group
of employees enjoying lunch together)
Types of Groups in Organization

 Formal groups — cont.

– Virtual groups.

• Groups whose members convene and work

together electronically via networked
computers.
• Can accomplish the same things as members of
face-to-face groups.
 Types of Groups in Organization
2. Informal group:
It refers to the relationship between people in the
organisation based on personal attitudes, emotions,
prejudices, likes, dislikes….etc.
-Emerge without being officially designated by the
organization.
– Types of informal groups.
• Friendship groups.
• Interest groups.
• Friendship group: This group is based on more common
characteristics. Social alliances, which frequently extend
outside the work situation, can be based on similar age or
the holding of similar political views.

• Temporary group: They are called task forces or project

teams which investigate a particular problem or
opportunity and disband when the decision is made.

• Skunk works team: A cross functional teams, usually

separated from the main organisation, that borrow people
and resources and have relatively free rein to develop
new products or services.

• Commuter group: These are the groups bound together

by shared expertise and passion for a particular activity or
interest.
 Synergy
 Synergy
– Effective groups offer synergy.
– With synergy, groups accomplish more than the total of the
members’ individual capabilities.
– Synergy is necessary for organizations to compete effectively and
achieve long-term high performance.
Social loafing
– Social loafing is the tendency of people to work less hard
in a group than they would individually.

– Reasons for social loafing.

• Individual contributions are less noticeable in the group
context.
• Some individuals prefer to see others carry the
workload.
 Social loafing as a performance problem — cont.

– Ways of preventing social loafing.

• Define member roles and tasks to maximize individual
interests.
• Link individual rewards to performance contributions
to the group.
• Raise accountability by identifying individuals’
performance contributions to the group.
 Minimising social loafing
Make individual performance more visible
1. Form smaller teams: Splitting the team into several small groups
reduces social loafing because each persons performance is monitored.

2. Specialise tasks: Each members contribution is easier to see when each

team member performs a different activity.

3. Measure individual performance: Social loafing is minimised when each

members contribution is measured.

Increase employee motivation

4. Increase job enrichment: Social loafing is minimised when team members
are assigned jobs requiring more skills. (Members should have growth
need)

5. Select motivated employees: Social loafing can be minimised by carefully

selecting employees who are motivated by the task and have
collectivist value.
What are the stages of group development?

 A group or team passes through five

lifecycle stages.
– Forming.
– Storming.
– Norming.
– Performing.
– Adjourning.
Stages of Group Development
Stages of Group Development
 Forming stage.
– Initial entry of members to a group.
– Members concern’s include:
• Getting to know each other.
• Discovering what is considered acceptable behavior.
• Determining the group’s real task.
• Defining group rules.

Forming - orientation, guidance (dependence)

Stages of Group Development
 Storming stage.
– A period of high emotionality and tension among
group members.
– Members concern’s include:
• Formation of coalitions and cliques.
• Dealing with outside demands.
• Clarifying membership expectations.
• Dealing with obstacles to group goals.
• Understanding members’ interpersonal styles.

Storming - conflict, roles and responsibilities, rules and

procedures, individual recognition (counterdependence)
Stages of Group Development
 Norming stage.
– The point at which the group really begins to come
together as a coordinated unit.
– Members concern’s include:
• Holding the group together.
• Dealing with divergent views and criticisms.
• Dealing with a premature sense of accomplishment.

Norming - issue resolution, develop social agreements,

cohesion, establish group norms (interdependence)
Stages of Group Development
 Performing stage.
– Marks the emergence of a mature, organized,
and well-functioning group.
– Members deal with complex tasks and handle
internal disagreements in creative ways.
– Primary challenge is to continue to improve
relationships and performance.

Performing - mutual assistance, creativity,

understanding goals and roles (independence)
 Stages of Group Development
 Adjourning stage.

– Particularly important for temporary groups.

– A well-integrated group is:

• Able to disband when its work is finished.

• Willing to work together in the future.

Adjourning - closure, symbolism, ceremonies, and

emotional support.
Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning

Uncertainty Conflict & Members Fully End of

about groups, Confrontation settle functional team [In
structure and among group into and case of
leadership members “TEAM” accepted task]
 What are the foundations
of group effectiveness?
 Key group inputs are:
– Nature of the task.
– Goals.
– Rewards.
– Resources.
– Technology.
– Membership diversity.
– Group size.
What are the foundations
of group effectiveness?

 Tasks.
– Technical demands of a task.
• Routineness, difficulty, and information
requirements.
– Tasks that are complex in technical
demands require unique solutions and
more information processing.
What are the foundations
of group effectiveness?

 Tasks — cont.
– Social demands of a task.
• Relations, ego involvement, and
controversies over ends and means.
– Tasks that are complex in social
demands involve difficulties in
reaching agreement on goals or
methods for accomplishing them.
 What are the foundations
of group effectiveness?

 Goals, rewards, and resources.

– Long-term performance
accomplishments rely on:
• Appropriate goals.

• Well-designed reward systems.

• Adequate resources.
What are the foundations
of group effectiveness?

 Technology.
– Provides the means to get work
accomplished.
– The right technology must be available
for the task at hand.
– Work-flow technology can affect the
way group members interact.
What are the foundations
of group effectiveness?
 Membership characteristics.
– A group must have the right skills and
competencies available for task
performance and problem solving.
• Homogeneous groups may not perform
well if they lack the requisite experiences,
skills, and competencies.
• Heterogeneous groups may perform well if
they effectively utilize a variety of
experiences, skills, and competencies.
 What are the foundations
of group effectiveness?
 Membership characteristics — cont.
– Diversity-consensus dilemma.
• Increasing diversity among group members makes it
harder for group members to work together, even
though the diversity itself expands the skills and
perspectives available for problem solving.
 What are the foundations
of group effectiveness?
 Group size.
– As group size increases, performance and
member satisfaction increase up to a
point.
• Division of work promotes performance and
increased satisfaction.
• Communication and coordination problems
occur, in turn decreasing performance and
satisfaction.
As size increases…
• Satisfaction of each member decreases
• Time to decision increases
• Cohesion decreases
• Disagreement increases
• Factions and antagonism increase
• Range of abilities & knowledge increases (added
resources for problem solving)
• Member participation decreases - Bales &
Strodbeck (1951)
Group size (conclusions)
• Ideal size is 5!
(Carley 1991 meta-analysis)
• Perceptive pleasure greater in smaller
groups
• Task satisfaction greater in larger groups
 Group dynamics
 Dynamics: Branch of science concerned with
forces and their effects on motion.

 Group dynamics concern the forces operating

within groups that affect the way members
relate to and work with one another.
 Group Dynamics
Effective group dynamics requires
• Respect for one another
• Clearly articulated shared goals
• Frequent interaction
• Shared decision-making power (with or without a formally
designated leader)
• Equitably divided tasks
• Shared responsibility for mistakes and successes
• Free expression of opinions, perspectives, & constructive
criticism
 Group Norms
• “Standardized patterns of belief, attitude, communication and
behavior within groups.”
• Social standards and acceptable behaviours
• Collectively held expectations of group functioning
• Provide regularity and predictability to group functioning
• Standards related to:
– Conduct
– Work performance/attendance
– Rearranging personal space
– Assisting co-workers
– Loyalty
– Dress codes
– Rewards
 Group Cohesiveness
– The degree to which members are attracted
to a group and share the group’s goals.
• Highly cohesive groups are more effective
and productive than less cohesive groups
when their goals aligned with
organizational goals.
 The Relationship Between
Cohesiveness and Productivity
 Consequences of cohesion
other consequences
– more/better communication
– maintains loyalty
– more power of group over members
– achieves goals
– facilitates verbal interaction
 Group Decision Making
• Advantages • Disadvantages
– Generates more complete – Time consuming
information and
– Minority domination
knowledge.
– Generates more diverse – Pressures to conform
alternatives. – Ambiguous responsibility
– Increases acceptance of a
solution.
– Increases legitimacy of
decision.
 Team Effectiveness

The extent to which a team achieves

its objectives, achieves the needs
and objectives of its members and
sustain itself overtime.
 Model of Team Effectiveness
2.Team design
4.Team
1. Organisational & effectiveness
Task characters
Team Environment
(Structured Goals)
Team size -Achieve
Reward Systems organisational
Team composition
Communication System Goals
Physical Space
Organisational environment 3.Team processes
-Satisfy member
Organisational structure Needs
Organisational leadership Team development
Team norms
-Maintain team
Team roles
survival
Team cohesiveness
 1. Organisational & team environment
a.Reward system: Team members tend to work
together more effectively when they are atleast partly
rewarded for team performance.

b. Communication system: Communication system can

starve a team of valuable information. Communication
system are particularly important when team members
are geographically dispersed.

c. Physical space: Layout of an office influences the

team’s ability to accomplish tasks.
d. Organisational environment: If external environment
is competitive that would motivate the employees to
work together most closely.

e. Organisational structure: Teams work better when we

have few layers of management.

f. Organisational leadership: Team leaders should

provide proper authority to their team to take proper
decisions. Leaders to have value system that supports
team performance more than individual success.
 2.Team Design Features
a. Task characteristics: Teams tend to perform effectively when they work
on well-structured tasks with meaningful goals. Task interdependence is
required which would make members to share common inputs or
outcomes and in the process of executing their work.

b. Team size: Teams should be large enough to provide the necessary

competencies , yet small enough to maintain efficient coordination and
involvement of each members.

c. Team composition: Members of the team should have the motivation to

perform the task in the team environment. Team members must abide
by its rules of conduct.
Each member needs only some of the necessary skills, but the entire
group must have the full set of competencies.

Team Diversity- A team could be Homogeneous or Heterogeneous

 3. Team process
Team process consist of
a. Team Development b. Team Norms
c. Team roles d. Team Cohesiveness

a. Team development
Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning

Uncertainty Conflict & Members Fully End of

about groups, Confrontation settle functional team [In
structure and among group into and case of
leadership members “Team” accepted task]
 b. Team Norms:
The informal rules and expectations that groups establish to regulate
the behaviour of their members. Norms exist only for behaviour
that are important to teams.

Trouble shouting dysfunctional team norms.

1. Introduce performance oriented norms as soon as the team is
created.
2.To select members who will bring desirable norms to the teams.
3.Selecting people with positive norms may be effective in new
teams, but not when selecting a new members to the existing
teams.
4.Team based reward systems can sometimes weaken counter
productive norms.
5.If dysfunctional norm is deeply ingrained, the best strategy is to
disband the group and replace it with people having more
favorable norms.
 c.Team roles
A set of behaviour that people are expected to
perform because they hold certain positions in a
team and organisation (Designation).

Note: In a dynamic environment, team members

often have to fulfill various roles temporarily as
the need arises.
 d.Team cohesiveness
The degree of attraction people feel toward the team and their
motivation to remain members. Employees feel cohesiveness
when their personal goals matches the team goals.
Cohesiveness is an emotional experience, not just a calculation of
whether to stay or leave the team.

Influence on team cohesiveness:

a. Member Similarity: Homogeneous teams become cohesive more

easily than do heterogeneous teams.
b. Team size: Smaller teams tend to be more cohesive than larger
teams.
c. Member interaction: Teams are more cohesive when team
members interact with each other fairly regularly. Here team
members also perform highly interdependent tasks and work in
same physical area.
d. Some what difficult entry: Teams tend to be
more cohesive when entry to the team is
restricted.

e. Team success: Cohesiveness increases with the

team’s level of success. Individuals are more
likely to attach themselves with successful
team’s.

f. External competition and challenges: Team

cohesiveness tends to increase when members
face external competition or valued objective
that is challenging.
 Troubles with teams
1. Teams are overused.
2. Process loss – Resources (including time and
energy) expended towards team
development & maintenance, rather than the
task.
3. Teams require right environment – which
might not be given by the company.
 References
• Ann marriner.T (2004), Effective leadership and management nursing. (6th
ed).Missouri: Mosby publication.
• Basavanthappa B.T. (2009), Nursing administration.(2nd ed). Newdelhi:
jaypee brothers medical publishers.
• Russell.c & Richard.c (2002), Introduction to management and leadership
for nurse managers.Canada: jones and barlett publishers.

• Sullivan.J &Decker.J (2005), Effective leadership and management nursing.

(6th ed). United states of america:pearson education

• kumari. N.(2011). Management of Nursing Services and Education.(1st

ed.).Pee Vee Publications
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