Introduction to Group Dynamics Chapter 1

Overview What is a group? What are some common characteristics of groups? What assumptions guide researchers in their studies of groups and the processes within groups? What fields and what topics are included in the scientific study of group dynamics?

Watching a Toronto Maple Leafs game at the ACC? Individuals taking the subway? 3 children playing in a sandbox? The American Idols? An executive board? Individuals on a flight from Toronto to Montreal? Do You Consider These To be a Group?

Definition:  Two or more individuals who are connected to one another by social relationships. Size: dyads and triads to large collectives (this class, mobs, audiences) Connected: members are linked, networked Social, interpersonal connection: not categorical What is a Group?

Perceiving groups: people intuitively draw distinctions between intimate groups, task- focused groups, loose associations, and more general social categories. Billions of groups in the world, but they can be classified into basic categories, or clusters How are groups classified? Types of Groups

Cooley (1909) drew a distinction between primary and secondary groups Types of groups:  Primary  Secondary  Planned (concocted and founded)  Emergent (circumstantial and self-organizing)

Congregations, work groups, unions, professional associations Larger, less intimate, more goal-focused groups typical of more complex societies Secondary groups Families, close friends, tight-knit peer groups, gangs, elite military squads Small, long-term groups characterized by face-to-face interaction & high levels of cohesiveness, solidarity, & member identification Primary groups ExamplesCharacteristicsType of Group (Cooley, 1909) Types of Groups (cont’d)

Arrow and her colleagues (2000) offer a more fine-grained analysis planned vs. emergent ConcoctedFoundedCircumstantial Self-Organizing Types of Groups (cont’d)

Study groups, friendship cliques in a workplace, regular patrons at a bar Emerge when interacting individuals gradually align their activities in a cooperative system of interdependence. Self-organizing Waiting lines (queues), crowds, mobs, audiences, bystanders Emergent, unplanned groups arising when external, situational forces set the stage for people to join together, often only temporarily, in a unified group Circumstantial Groups that form spontaneously as individuals find themselves repeatedly interacting with the same subset of individuals over time and settings Emergent groups Study groups, small businesses, clubs, associations Planned by one or more individuals who remain within the group Founded Production lines, military units, task forces, crews, professional sports teams Planned by individuals or authorities outside the group. Concocted Deliberately formed by the members themselves or by an external authority, usually for some specific purpose or purposes Planned groups ExamplesCharacteristicsType of Group

Women, Asian Americans, physicians, U.S. citizens, New Yorkers Aggregations of individuals similar to one another in terms of gender, ethnicity, religion, or nationality. Social categories Crowds, audiences, clusters of bystanders Aggregations of individuals that form spontaneously, last for brief periods, and have very permeable boundaries Weak associations Teams, neighborhood associations Work groups in employment settings and goal-focused groups in a variety of non- employment situations Task groups Families, romantic couples, close friends, street gangs Small groups of moderate duration & permeability characterized by large levels of interaction amongst members, who value membership in the group Intimacy groups ExamplesCharacteristicsType of Group

Interaction: task and relationship Interdependence: sequential, reciprocal, mutual Structure: roles, norms, relations Goals: generating, choosing, negotiating, executing What are some common characteristics of groups?

Groups are systems that create, organize, and sustain interaction among members Task Interaction – actions performed by individuals pertaining to group’s tasks and goals Relationship Interaction – actions performed by the group relating to emotional and interpersonal bonds Characteristics of Groups - Interaction

Experiences are determined by other members of the group and vice versa Sequential – influence of one member to the next. Reciprocal – two or more members may influence each other Multilevel – the outcome of larger groups are influenced by the activities of smaller groups Characteristics of Groups - Interdependence

Interdependence Diagram

Groups’ structure are often organized in predictable patterns Roles – set of behaviours expected of people who occupy certain positions Norms – a consensual standard that describes what behaviours should and should not be performed in a given context Characteristics of Groups - Structure

Characteristics of Groups - Goals Groups often strive towards some common outcome McGrath’s Circumplex Model of Group Tasks  Generating  Choosing  Negotiation  Executing

 Group Cohesion: the strength of the bonds linking individuals to the group  Attraction to specific group members and efforts to achieve goals  Entitativity is perceived groupness rather than an aggregation of independent, unrelated individuals Cohesiveness

Campbell’s Theory of Entitativity (1958) Common Fate – do individuals experience the same outcomes? Similarity – do individual perform similar behaviours or resemble one another Proximity – how close together are the individuals in the group Cohesiveness

… the "field of inquiry dedicated to advancing knowledge about the nature of groups" (Cartwright & Zander, 1968) Group Dynamics

What Assumptions Can Be Made?  Group dynamics describes both: Interpersonal processes in groups The scientific study of groups and group processes (Kurt Lewin)  Level of Analysis Individual level: focus on the individual (psychological) Group level: focus on the group and social context (sociological) Multilevel: adopts multiple perspectives on groups  Groups are influential  Groups shape society

Assumptions (cont’d)  The paradigm: Assumptions and Orientations Groups are real Group processes are real  Groupmind – hypothetical mental force linking group members together  Sherif's (1936) study of norm formation  Groups are influential  Groups shape society

Person A Person B Person C Convergence Alone Group Session 1 Group Session 3 Group Session 2 Average distance estimates

Groups are more than the sum of their parts  Lewin's (1951) field theory: behavior is a function of the person and the environment  B = f(P, E). Assumptions (cont’d)

Groups are living systems: Tuckman's (1965) theory of group development  forming  storming  norming  performing  adjourning Group Development

Forming Storming Norming Adjourning Task Performing

What Fields Study Group Dynamics?  Interdisciplinary: psychology sociology political science anthropology business

Team performance; effects of victory and failure; cohesion and performance Sports & Recreation Self & society; influence of norms on behavior; devianceSociology Team approaches to treatment; counseling; groups & adjustmentSocial Work Personality and group behavior; problem solving; perceptions of other people; motivation; conflict Psychology Leadership; intergroup and international relations; political influence; power Political Science Classroom groups; team teaching; class composition and educational outcomes Education Organization of law enforcement; gangs; jury deliberationsCriminal Justice Information transmission in groups; discussion; decision making; problems in communication; networks Communication Therapeutic change through groups; sensitivity training; training groups; self-help groups; group psychotherapy Clinical/Counseling Psychology Work motivation; productivity; team building; goal settingBusiness / Industry Groups in cross-cultural contexts; societal change; social and collective identities Anthropology TopicsDiscipline

 Action research: integrates basic and applied research.  Topics: group formation, cohesion, structure, influence, performance, conflict, etc. Fields and Topics (cont’d)