FOUNDATIONS OF GROUP BEHAVIOR

Types of Groups

Stages of Group Work 5 STAGE MODEL Forming: uncertainty about group’s structure & leadership Storming: conflict within the group regarding control Norming: close relationships, group structure in place Performing: group fully functional Adjourning: concerned with wrapping up activities.

Punctuated - Equilibrium Model Timing of when the groups form and change the way they work is highly consistent. 1st meeting : sets the group’s directions Phase1: period of inertia. locked into fixed course of action Transition at halfway mark: concentrated burst of changes sets revised directions for phase2 Phase2: execute plans created during transition Completion: final burst of activity to finish its task

Sociometry: Seeks to find out who people like or dislike to work with. Sociogram: is visual representation of preferred social interactions Applications: predict grapevine, turnover, conflict

Prescribed clusters: formal groups Emergent clusters: informal groups Coalition: clusters who temporarily come together to achieve a specific purpose Cliques: relatively permanent informal groups which involve friendship Stars: individuals with most linkages in a network Isolates: individuals who are not connected to a social network

Roles Role identity: behaviors consistent with role union leader promoted to manager Role perception: how he is supposed to act in a given situation: internship programs Role conflict: confronted by divergent role expectations, manager to report against plant manager to MD

TO WHAT EXTENT DOES ROLE IMPACT AN INDIVIDUAL’S BEHAVIOR? ZIMBARDO’S SIMULATED PRISON EXPERIMENT

Norms Norms: acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group’s members. List different types of group norms

Norms Appearance norms: appropriate dress code Arrangement norms: come from informal work groups and regulate social interactions Performance norms: how hard to work, level of output. Extremely powerful in effect

To what extent does STATUS impact an individual’s behavior & attitude William Whyte restaurant experiment

Status Status: a socially defined position given to groups by others. It is a significant motivator What are the status determinants used by: 1. Business executives 2. Government bureaucrats 3. Workers seniority, pay & company, size of budget/department,

Status Business executives use pay or reputation of their company as status determinants, Government bureaucrats use the size of their budgets Workers use seniority.

What is the ideal group size? Diversity?

Maximum cohesiveness leads to max productivity. Degree to which group members are attracted to each other & are motivated to stay in the group. Relationship of cohesiveness to productivity Maximum cohesiveness leads to max productivity. True or False?  Why?

Cohesiveness False Relationship of cohesiveness to productivity Max. cohesiveness + Max. performance norms leads to Max productivity. Cohesiveness is increased by?  

Cohesiveness Increase cohesiveness by: 1. making the group smaller 2.       encourage agreement with group goals 3.       increase time spent together 4.       stimulate competition with other groups 5.       positive reinforcement to group not individual         

group decisions strengths & weaknesses?

Groupthink Symptoms of groupthink phenomenon: 1. members do not speak up because of shyness 2.  silence is seen as an agreement 3.  group pressurizes those who express doubts 4.  members who have doubts minimize their importance 5.  there is an illusion of unanimity.

Groupshift In discussing alternatives members exaggerate their position ( aggressive or conservative ) & groups tend towards a risky shift. Why?   Groupshift diffuses individual responsibility

TEAMS  

Work Group v/s Work Team Work groups Criteria Work teams Share info. Goal Collective performance Neutral or -ve Synergy positive Individual Accountability Individual & mutual Varied Skills Complementary

Creating high-performance teams * Size * Communication * Trust * Abilities: matching individual skills with task * Commitment to a common vision * Goals: realistic & measurable * Performance evaluation & rewards: team & individual

Why would you trust your boss or what you would expect your boss to be?

The Dimensions of Trust * Integrity: honesty  * Competence: technical knowledge & interpersonal skills  * Consistency: reliability, predictability * Loyalty: willingness to protect & stand up for a person * Fairness in dealings * Openness: willing to share ideas & information freely