lecture 6-foundations-of-group-behavior.ppt

© 2007 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.
Foundations of
Group Behavior
Chapter Nine

Learning Objectives
 Differentiate between formal and informal groups.
 Compare two models of group development.
 Explain how role requirements change in different
situations.
 Describe how norms exert influence on an individual’s
behavior.
 Explain what determines status.
 Define social loafing and its effect on group performance.
 Identify the benefits and disadvantages of cohesive
groups.
 List the strengths and weaknesses of group decision-
making.
 Contrast the effectiveness of interacting, brainstorming,
nominal, and electronic meeting groups.

A Model of Group Formation and
Development
Types of
Groups
Formal
1. Command
2. Task
3. Team
Informal
1. Interest
2. Friendship
Reasons for
Group
Formation
- Security need
satisfaction
- Social need
satisfaction
- Esteem need
satisfaction
- Proximity &
attraction
- Group goals
- Economic
reasons
Stages of
Group
Development
1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning
Some Group
Characteristics
- Composition
- Status
hierarchy
- Roles
- Norms
- Leadership
- Cohesiveness
End
Results
- Performance
- Satisfaction
- Development

Defining and Classifying Groups
Group(s)
Two or more individuals interacting and
interdependent, who have come
together to achieve particular
objectives.
Formal Group
A designated work
group defined by the
organization’s
structure.
Informal Group
A group that is neither
formally structured nor
organizationally
determined; appears in
response to the need for
social contact.

Defining and Classifying Groups (cont’d)
Command Group
A group composed of
the individuals who
report directly to a
given manager.
Task Group
Those working together
to complete a job or
task.
Interest Group
Those working
together to attain a
specific objective with
which each is
concerned.
Friendship Group
Those brought together
because they share one
or more common
characteristics.

Why People Join Groups
• Security
• Status
• Self-esteem
• Affiliation
• Power
• Goal Achievement

Why People Join Groups
 Security – by joining a group, individuals can reduce the
insecurity of “standing alone”.
 Status – inclusion in a group that is viewed as important
provides recognition & status for its members.
 Self-esteem – groups can provide people with feelings of
self-worth.
 Affiliation – groups can fulfill social needs.
 Power – what cannot be achieved individually often
becomes possible through group action. There is power in
numbers.
 Goal Achievement – when it takes more than one person to
accomplish a particular task – there is a need to pool
talents, knowledge, or power in order to complete a job. In
such cases, management will rely on formal groups.

Why People form Groups
Slide 1 of 2
Need Satisfaction Proximity &
Attraction
Social Needs
Security Needs
Esteem Needs
Proximity is the physical
distance between
employees. Attraction is
typically engendered by
similarities in attitudes,
performance or
motivations.

Why People form Groups
Slide 2 of 2
Achievement of
Group Goals
Economic
Benefits
Group goals, if clearly
understood, can be a
reasons why people are
drawn to a group.
In many cases, groups
form because people
believe they can derive
greater economic
benefits from their jobs
if they organize.

The Five-Stage Model of Group Development
Forming Stage
The first stage in group development,
characterized by much uncertainty.
Storming Stage
The second stage in group development,
characterized by intragroup conflict.
Norming Stage
The third stage in group
development, characterized
by close relationships and
cohesiveness.

…Group Development (cont’d)
Performing Stage
The fourth stage in group development, when
the group is fully functional.
Adjourning Stage
The final stage in group
development for temporary
groups, characterized by
concern with wrapping up
activities rather than
performance.

Forming Stage
The first stage in group development, characterized by much
uncertainty about the group’s purpose, structure, &
leadership.
 Members are ”testing the waters” to determine what types of
behavior are acceptable.
 People tend to be polite during this stage and will accept to
the existing authority of a formal or informal leader who must
provide an initial set of rules & structures for interaction.
 Members experience a form of socialization as they try to find
out what is expected of them & how they will fit into the
team/group.

Storming Stage
The second stage in group development, characterized by
intragroup conflict.
 Members accept the existence of the group, but there is
resistance to the constraints that the group imposes on
individuality.
 There is a conflict over who will control the group.
 This stage is marked by interpersonal conflict as members
become proactive & compete for various group roles.
 Coalitions may form to influence the team/group`s goals &
means of goal attainment.
 Members try to establish norms of appropriate behavior &
performance standards. This is a tenuous (weak) stage in
the team`s development.

Norming Stage
The third stage in group development, characterized by
close relationships and cohesiveness.
 There is now a strong sense of group identity.
 During this stage the group develops its first real sense of
cohesion as roles are established & a consensus forms
around group objectives.
 Members develop common expectations & assumptions
about how the team`s goals should be accomplished.

Performing Stage
The fourth stage in group development, when the group is
fully functional.
 The structure at this point is fully functional & accepted.
 Group energy has moved from getting to know &
understand each other to performing the task at hand.
 Group members have learned to coordinate & resolve
conflicts more efficiently.
 There is a climate of mutual support in which team
members feel comfortable about taking risks, making
errors, or asking for help.

Adjourning Stage
The final stage in group development for temporary
groups, characterized by concern with wrapping up
activities rather than performance.
 For permanent work groups, performing is the last stage in their
development.
 Temporary groups, task forces & similar groups prepare for
disbandment, in this stage.
 Attention is directed toward wraping up activities.
 In this stage, some members may be basking in the group`s
accomplishments while others may be depressed/sad over the
loss of relationship/friendship.

 Uncertainty
about the
purpose,
structure and
leadership
Forming
Stages of Group Development
 Marked by
conflict
 Emotionally
intense stage
Storming
 Marked by
cooperation
and
collaboration
Norming
 Stage where
the group is
fully
functional
Performing
 Involves the
termination of
group
activities;
disbandment
Adjourning

Stages of Group Development
E X H I B I T 9–2

An Alternative Model: Temporary Groups with
Deadlines
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
Punctuated-
Equilibrium Model
Temporary groups
under time
constrained deadlines
go through
transitions between
inertia and activity---
at the half-way point,
they experience an
increase in
productivity.

The Punctuated-Equilibrium Model
Temporary groups with deadlines do not seem to
follow the five-stage model.
 Their first meeting sets the group’s direction.
 This first phase of group activity is one of inertia
 A transition takes place at the end of this first
phase, which occurs exactly when the group has
used up half its allotted time
 A transition initiates major changes
 A second phase of inertia follows the transition ,
and
 The group’s last meeting is characterized by
markedly accelerated activity.

The Punctuated-Equilibrium Model
E X H I B I T 9–3

Group Development .... compared
 Punctuated-Equilibrium Model characterizes
groups as exhibiting long periods of inertia
interspersed ( things scattered or placed at intervals) with brief
revolutionary changes triggered primarily by their
members` awarness of time & deadlines.
 If compared with Five-stage group development
model, the group begins by combining the
forming & normring stages, then goes through a
period of low performing, followed by storming,
then a period of high performance, and , finally,
adjourning.

Group Properties
 Roles
 Norms
 Status
 Size
 Cohesiveness

Group Properties - Roles
Role(s)
A set of expected behavior patterns attributed to
someone occupying a given position in a social unit.
Role Identity
Certain attitudes and behaviors
consistent with a role.( promotion to the next
higher rank may invoke certain attitudes &
behaviors)
Role Perception
An individual’s view of how he or she is
supposed to act in a given situation.

Group Properties - Roles (cont’d)
Role Expectations
How others believe a person should act in a given
situation. (e.g., an Imam selling a concert tickets)
Role Conflict
A situation in which an individual is confronted
by divergent role expectations.
Psychological Contract
An unwritten agreement that sets out what
management expects from the employee and
vice versa.

Implications.........
What happens when role expectations as implied
in the psychological-contract are not met?
 If management is derelict ( negligent in the performance of
one`s duty) in keeping its part of the bargain, we can
expect negative repercussions on employee
performance & satisfaction.
 When employees fail to to live up to expectations,
the result is usually some form of disciplinary
action up to and including firing.

Group Properties - Norms
Classes of Norms:
• Performance norms
• Appearance norms
• Social arrangement norms
• Allocation of resources
norms
Norms
Acceptable standards of behavior within a
group that are shared by the group’s
members.

Common Class of Norms
 Performance Norms: Work groups typically provide their members
with explicit cues on how hard they should work, how to get the job
done, their level of output, appropriate levels of tardiness, and the like.
These norms are extremely powerful in affecting an individual
employee`s performance.
 Appearance Norms: This includes things like appropriate dress,
loyalty to the work group or organization, when to look busy etc. Some
organizations have formal dress codes.
 Social Arrangement Norms: These norms come from informal
work groups and primarily regulate social interactions within the group.
With whom group members eat lunch, friendships on & off the job,
social games, and the like are influenced by these norms.
 Allocation of Resources Norms: These norms can originate in
the group or in the organization & cover things like pay, assignment of
difficult jobs, and allocation of new tools & equipment.

Group Properties – Common Classes of Norms
Conformity
Adjusting one’s behavior to align
with the norms of the group. (When
an individual's opinion of objective data
differs significantly from that of others in
the group, he or she is likely to feel
extensive pressure to align his/her opinions
to conform with those of the others)
Reference Groups
Important groups to which individuals belong or
hope to belong and with whose norms individuals
are likely to conform.
Asch Study

Group Properties - Norms (cont’d)
Deviant Workplace Behavior
Antisocial actions by organizational
members that intentionally violate
established norms and result in negative
consequences for the organization, its
members, or both.
Group norms can influence the
presence of deviant behavior.

Typology of Deviant Workplace Behavior
E X H I B I T 9–5
Category Examples
Production Leaving early
Intentionally working slowly
Wasting resources
Property Sabotage
Lying about hours worked
Stealing from the organization
Political Showing favoritism
Gossiping and spreading rumors
Blaming coworkers
Personal Aggression Sexual harassment
Verbal abuse
Stealing from coworkers
Source: Adapted from S.L. Robinson, and R.J. Bennett. “A Typology of Deviant Workplace
Behaviors: A Multidimensional Scaling Study,” Academy of Management Journal, April 1995, p. 565.

Group Properties - Status
Status:
A socially defined position or rank given to
groups or group members by others.
 Status has some interesting effects on the power
of norms & pressures to conform.
 For example, high status members of groups
often are given more freedom to deviate from
norms than are other group members.
 High-status people also are better able to resist
conformity pressures than their lower-status
peers.

Group Properties - Size
Group Size
Performance
E
x
p
e
c
t
e
d
Actual (due to
loafing)
Other conclusions:
• Odd number groups do
better than even.
• Groups of 5 to 7 perform
better overall than larger
or smaller groups.
Social Loafing
The tendency for individuals to expend less effort
when working collectively than when working
individually.

What causes Social Loafing effect?
 It may be due to the belief that others in the group are not
carrying their fair share. If you see others as lazy or inept,
you can reestablish equity by reducing your effort.
 Dispersion of responsibility.Because the results of the
group cannot be attributed to any single person, the
relationship between an individual`s input & the group`s
output is clouded. ( free-rider)
 In other words, there will be a reduction in efficiency where
individuals think that their contribution cannot be
measured.

Group Properties - Cohesiveness
Increasing group cohesiveness:
1. Make the group smaller.
2. Encourage agreement with group goals.
3. Increase time members spend together.
4. Increase group status and admission difficultly.
5. Stimulate competition with other groups.
6. Give rewards to the group, not individuals.
7. Physically isolate the group.
Cohesiveness
Degree to which group members are attracted to
each other and are motivated to stay in the
group.

E X H I B I T 9–8
S. Adams, Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies (Kansas City MO: Andrews &
McMeal, 1991), p. 31. Dilbert reprinted with permission of United Features Syndicate, Inc.

Group Decision-Making Techniques
Interacting Groups
Typical groups, in which the members interact with
each other face-to-face.
Members rely on both verbal & nonverbal interaction to communicate with
each other. Interacting groups often censor (A person who exercises
supervision or judgment over the conduct or morals of others ) themselves &
pressure individual members toward conformity of opinion.
Nominal Group Technique
A group decision-making method in which
individual members meet face-to-face to pool
their judgments in a systematic but independent
fashion.

Group Decision-Making Techniques
Electronic Meeting
A meeting in which members interact on computers, allowing
for anonymity of comments and aggregation of votes.
Brainstorming
An idea-generation process that specifically encourages
any and all alternatives, while withholding any criticism of
those alternatives.
Rules of Brainstorming:
Do not criticize ideas. Provide as many ideas as possible. Say all
ideas that come to mind, no matter how wild. Combine &
improve ideas suggested by others.

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