HND – 10. Group Behavior Lim Sei Kee @ cK

Nature of groups Effective groups achieve high levels of: A group is a collection of two or more people who work with one another regularly to achieve common goals. Effective groups achieve high levels of: Task performance. Members attain performance goals regarding quantity, quality, and timeliness of work results. Members satisfaction. Members believe that their participation an experiences are positive and meet important personal needs. Team viability. Members are sufficiently satisfied to continue working together on an ongoing basis.

Group Two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives FORMAL GROUPS A designated work group defined by the organization structure INFORMAL GROUPS Appears in response to the need for social contact

Subclassifications of Groups 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 in an organization but not limited by hierarchical boundaries Interest Group Members work together to attain a specific objective with which each is concerned Friendship Group Those brought together because they share one or more common characteristics Within the category of formal groups there are two main types. The command group is one that reports directly to a given manager such as a department or unit. A task group is formed to accomplish a particular objective but is not limited by the structure or departments of the organization. Informal groups also have subgroups. They are typically formed around a common interest such as an interest group or around common characteristics such as a friendship group. Formal Groups Informal Groups (c) 2008 Prentice-Hall, All rights reserved.

Why do people join groups? Security Status Self-esteem Affiliation Power Goal Achievement

Why People Join Groups

Five stage group development Temporary group with task-specific deadline

Forming Characterized by a great deal of uncertainty about the group’s purpose, structure and leadership Uncertainty Feelings not dealt with Poor listening Weaknesses covered up Unclear objectives Low involvement in planning

Storming Characterized by intragroup conflict Accept existence Wider options considered Personal feelings raised Intragroup conflicts More listening

Norming Characterized by close relationships and cohesiveness Methodical working Agreed procedures Established ground rules Strong sense of group identity

Performing When the group is fully functional High flexibility/ability to lead process Maximum use of energy & ability Needs of all met Development is a priority High commitment, balanced team roles & shared leadership

Adjourning Characterized by concern with wrapping up activities rather than task performance Purpose fulfilled Everyone can move on to new things Feeling good about what's been achieved

Group structure Roles Norms Status Size Cohesiveness

Roles 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. 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 what management expects from the employees and vice versa Role conflict – a situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent role expectations

Roles Role research conclusions: People play multiple roles. People learn roles from the stimuli around them: friends, books, movies, television. People have the ability to shift roles rapidly when they recognize that the situation and its demands clearly require major changes. People often experience role conflict when compliance with one role requirement is at odds with another.

Norms Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group’s members Common classes of norms Conformity Deviant workplace behavior

Common classes of norms Performance norms – provide members on how hard they should work, how to get the job done, levels of output. Appearance norms – appropriate dress, loyalty to work group/organization, when to look busy and when it’s acceptable to goof off. Social arrangement norms – informal work groups and primarily regulate social interactions within the group. Allocation of resources norms – cover things like pay, assignment of difficult jobs and allocations of new tools and equipment

Conformity – 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 Deviant workplace behavior – antisocial actions by organizational members that intentionally violate established norms and that result in negative consequences for the organization, its members, or both.

Deviant workplace behavior 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 spread rumors Blaming coworkers Personal aggression Sexual harassment Verbal abuse Stealing from coworkers

Conformity and the Asch Studies Demonstrated that subjects conformed in about 35% of the trials Members desire to be one of the group and avoid being visibly different Members with differing opinions feel extensive pressure to align with others

Examples of Cards Used in Asch Study B C

Status A socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others Status Characteristics Theory Status and Norms Status and Group Interaction Status Inequity Status and Culture

Status Characteristics Theory – differences in status characteristics create status hierarchies within groups. People who control the outcomes of a group through their power or have the ability to control the group’s behavior People whose contributions to a group are critical to the group’s success Personal characteristics that are positively valued by the group such as good looks, money or intelligence

Status and Norms – high status members often are given more freedom to deviate from norms then other group members Status and Group Interaction – high status members tend to speak out more, criticize more, state commands and interrupt others Status Inequity – when inequity is perceived, it creates disequilibrium Status and Culture – make sure you understand who and what holds status when interacting with people from a culture different from your own

Size Group size affects behavior Size: Best use of a group: Twelve or more members is a “large” group Seven or fewer is a “small” group Best use of a group: Attribute Small Large Speed X Individual Performance Problem Solving Diverse Input Fact-finding Goals Overall Performance Size is an important factor in group behavior as well and impacts the behavior in groups. The larger the group, the harder it is to get contribution by all members and do so in a timely manner. Whereas small groups can be limited in their problem-solving ability and the availability of resources could be limited. (c) 2008 Prentice-Hall, All rights reserved.

Size Smaller groups Larger groups Better in problem solving Faster at completing tasks than the larger ones. Larger groups Better in problem solving Good in gaining diverse input

Group Structure - Size Social Loafing The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually. Group Size Performance Expected Actual (due to loafing) Other conclusions: Odd number groups do better than even. Groups of 7 or 9 perform better overall than larger or smaller groups.

Causes of social loafing Belief that others in the group are not carrying their fair share Dispersion of responsibility Group performance increases with group size, but addition of new member to the group has diminishing effects on group’s productivity

Cohesiveness Degree to which group members are attracted to each other and are motivated to stay in the group Encourage group cohesiveness – Make the group smaller Encourage agreement with group goals Increase the time spend together Increase the status of the group and perceived difficulty of attaining membership in the group Stimulate competition with other group Give rewards to the groups rather than individual Physically isolate the group

Relationship of Cohesiveness to Productivity High Low Strong increase in productivity Moderate increase in productivity High Alignment of group and organizational goals Decrease in productivity No significant effect on productivity Low

Group decision making Groups VS the Individual Groupthink and Groupshift Group Decision-making Techniques

Groups VS the Individual More efficient Speed No meetings No discussions Clear accountability Consistent values Group More effective More information and knowledge Diversity of views Higher-quality decisions Increased acceptance

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. In the decision-making process some problems can arise. A common problem is groupthink. This occurs when the group is seeking conformity and there is pressure to come to a conclusion without critically appraising alternative viewpoints. Another phenomenon in the group decision-making process is groupshift where once a solution is selected, group members tend to exaggerate the initial positions that they hold. This can cause a shift to a more conservative or risky decision. (c) 2008 Prentice-Hall, All rights reserved.

GROUPTHINK Phenomenon in which the norm for consensus overrides the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action

Symptoms of Groupthink Group members rationalize any resistance to their assumptions Members pressure any doubters to support the alternative favored by the majority Doubters keep silent about misgivings and minimize their importance Group interprets members’ silence as a “yes” vote for the majority

Groupshift A change in decision risk between the group’s decision and the individual decision that members within the group would make; can be either toward conservatism or greater risk Greater risk can be taken because even if the decision fails, no one member can be held wholly responsible.

Group decision-making techniques Interacting Groups Brainstorming Nominal Group Technique Electronic Meeting

Group Decision-Making Techniques Interacting Groups Typical groups, in which the members interact with each other face-to-face. 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 Brainstorming An idea-generation process that specifically encourages any and all alternatives, while withholding any criticism of those alternatives. Electronic Meeting A meeting in which members interact on computers, allowing for anonymity of comments and aggregation of votes.

TYPE OF GROUP Effectiveness Criteria Interacting Brainstorming Nominal Electronic Number and quality of ideas Low Moderate High Social pressure Money costs Speed Task orientation Potential for interpersonal conflict Commitment to solution Not applicable Development of group cohesiveness

PRESENTATION Q 1. What is a group? 2. Why do people join groups? 3. What are the stages of group development process? Describe. 4. As a manager, how can you encourage group cohesiveness? 5. Discuss groupthink and groupshift.