Chapter 5

 Social groups: important for survival  As infants, we would die if it weren’t for “family groups”  As adults, we need even more!

 Sherif took 12-yr-old boys to summer camp.  ½ given a cabin & named Eagles, ½ given cabin & named Rattlers  Had own paraphernalia & played competitive games  won knives, etc.  At first, everyone friendly, but then…

 They became fierce competitors!  Calling each other names, raiding cabins, fighting, etc.

IN-GROUPSOUT-GROUPS  Boys strongly tied to their group  Used symbols to identify themselves (names, slogans, dress, badges)  View themselves in positive stereotypes  Inclined to compete w/out-group  Boys that were not a member of that group  Out-groups stereotyped in a negative way All showed how easily loyalty turns into hostility & aggression with competition

 Competition does strengthen unity  Sherif made camp’s only water tank break down & called on all boys to fix it  As they worked together, the cooperation eroded the hostility

 AKA: Reference Groups – group used as a frame of reference for evaluating one’s own behavior (ex. = gangs)  Gangs evaluate themselves based on standards they’ve created & agree on – like a mugging or raping Called normative effect – aka a norm

 Opposite of this, also have comparison effects & associative effects – comparing yourself & your success to others  Leads to negative feelings

 Instrumental leaders - achieve group’s goal by getting others to focus on task performance (“the go-getters”)  Expressive leaders – achieve group harmony by making others feel good; value partnership over leadership  Laissez-faire leaders – “let do”; lets others do their work more or less on their own

 Instrumental – effective, but rubs people the wrong way; least liked, most effective  Expressive – most liked, less effective  Laissez-faire – assumes if people are left alone, then will perform well. Reality = offers no social support; well liked, least effective

 As leader, you are given privileges that allow you to deviate from group’s norm = idiosyncrasy credit  You must conform to the group’s changing ways, or will be forced out

 Members of a cohesive group maintain census to extent of ignoring the truth  Pressure to conform can lead to disastrous consequences  DIVERSITY helps to avoid groupthink  However, groups naturally develop social networks – webs of social relationships

 Formal Organizations – secondary groups whose activities are rationally designed to achieve specific goals (like teacher/student)  Key to increase productivity is through Informal Organizations – group formed based on personal interactions

 Bureaucracy – organization that’s rational in achieving it’s goal efficiently (Max Weber); most efficient form of organization  Rationalization – process of replacing subjective, informal, or diverse ways of doing things with a planned, objective, unified method; based on abstract rules

 1. Rules & regulations – based on what’s known, not what’s anticipated  2. Grows unnecessarily larger! Called Parkinson’s Law = work expands to fill time available for its completion to appear busy Start to feel overworked, want bigger salary, more perks & incentives until you reach your “dead point” of retirement = PETER PRINCIPLE