Agenda Agenda Brief Introduction Brief Introduction Group Exercise Group Exercise Group Discussion Group Discussion Norms Norms Cohesiveness Cohesiveness Leadership Leadership Goals Goals Models of Group Development Models of Group Development Psychology 443/543 Ever belong to a group Where it felt like this?

Elements of Group Structure Norms - implicit or explicit rules that regulate the behavior of group members. Prescriptive - tell members how to behave. Proscriptive - tell members how NOT to behave. Cohesiveness - “forces” that bind group members together “Cost” of getting into group. External threats or severe competition Past history of success Group size. Smaller groups are more cohesive

Elements of Group Structure Goal - a desired state of affairs Direct and motivate group effort Provide a vision of what the group could/should be Aid in solving group conflict Used to evaluate effectiveness of group processes/procedures Latham & Baldes (1975) Roles - differentiation of function within groups. Task-oriented roles - focus on getting the group’s job done. Relations-oriented roles - focus on reducing interpersonal friction and maintaining good relationships within the group.

Stages of Group Development Stage 1 Forming - Members focus on each other, being accepted, learning more about the group. Stage 5 Adjourning - Groups disband and focus on closure. Stage 4 Performing - Group focuses on accomplishing task Stage 3 Norming - Members develop shared expectations about group member’s behavior. Stage 2 Storming - Members struggle for leadership, confront the issue of how much individuality to relinquish to belong to group.