Group Success

Group Task: You have 15 minutes to create a ‘group identity’. The group I choose to join will win a prize! Some things to consider: Group name Brand Morals Activities Social events Goals Ways to present your group Group A: Anush Anish Fawaz Joe Group B: Anna Phoebe Jessie Alex

What is a group? 2 or more people Shared common goal Structured forms of communication Collective identity

Stages of group formation Forming – development of relationships within the group Storming – conflict within the groups individuals attempt to establish their position Norming – group gain stability and starts to become cohesive Performing – players work together towards their common goal

Cohesion The extent to which a group works together to achieve a common goal Depends on group members and the task Co-interacting – fulfilling positional requirements Co-acting – all completing the same action

Carron’s antecedents (factors) which contribute to the cohesiveness of a group Environmental/situational factors – size of group/time available/training facilities Member characteristics – ability/motivation of the group Leadership factors – style/behaviour – involvement of the individuals in decision making Team factors – shared experiences of the group – the more success the more cohesion

Which one do you think is more important? Group cohesion Task cohesion: Interactions of individuals and how well they work together to achieve their common goal Social cohesion Interaction of individuals and how well they relate to each other, the level of support offered and the degree of trust. Which one do you think is more important?

Task cohesion is vital for success Social cohesion often develops as task cohesion improves

Why can social cohesion sometimes have a negative impact? Formation of cliques Not challenging poor performance

Strategies to develop an effective group and cohesion Practice/training Give individuals goals/responsibilities Provide feedback on performance Develop peer support/open environment Vary practice to maintain motivation Improve fitness levels Social outings Avoid social cliques Create a group identify (kit) Develop self-efficacy Maintain team stability

Steiner’s model of group productivity Group productivity – the effectiveness of a group when completing a task Actual productivity = potential productivity – loses due to faulty processes

Actual productivity = the performance of a group at a given time Potential productivity – quality and quantity of the group’s resources relevant to the task (ability/skill level/task difficulty) Faulty processes – factors which interfere with the group reaching it’s full potential Coordination loses: lack of team work/communication Motivational loses: concentration/low self-confidence

Ringelmann effect As group size increases – increased likelihood of co-ordination problems occurring and the performance of an individual decreasing.

Social loafing Performer attempts to hide when placed in a group situation, ‘coasting’ through the game and not performing to their full potential

Strategies to minimise the effects of social loafing Give individual responsibility Give feedback – praise contribution Use video analysis Target setting Use situations where it is hard to allow social loafing to occur – e.g. small sided games Develop fitness Vary practice to maintain motivation

Exam questions: Identify and explain Carron’s factors that contribute to the cohesiveness of a group (3marks)

A. Environment/situational factors – size of group/time/facilities/age or equivalent B. Member/personal factors – ability/motivation/satisfaction/similarity of group or equivalent C. Leadership factors – style/behaviour/personality/relationship with group or equivalent D. Team factors – task/motivation/stability/ability/shared experiences or equivalent E. Four correct factors named but no explanation

2. Explain the term ‘task cohesion’ and why it is vital for success in any game (4 marks)

A. Task cohesion – the ability of the group to achieve a common goal B. Players need to be able to interact effectively/ good communication C. Understand own role/other’s role/good co-ordination D. Poor cohesion can be classed as a faulty process E. Good task cohesion can help social cohesion F. Social cohesion – the ability of the group to relate well to each other/get along socially G. Social cohesion is not vital for group success/task cohesion is more important than social cohesion

Explain how faulty processes can have a negative impact on group productivity. (5 marks)

A. Actual/group productivity = Potential productivity - losses due to faulty processes B. (Faulty process) Co-ordination losses C. (Any one of) poor tactics/lack of communication/poor teamwork or equiv D. Ringlemann Effect E. (explanation) as the group size increases the individual contribution decreases/more opportunity for communication breakdown F. (Faulty process) Motivational losses G. (any one of) incorrect arousal levels/feeling under-valued/low self- efficacy/poor concentration/avoidance behaviour/fear of failure H. Social loafing I. (explanation) reduction in motivation and individual effort/individual hides in the group/coasts J. Cohesion/Task cohesion decreases/actual productivity decreases K. Social cohesion is poor - social cliques formed