GROUP STRUCTURE

SESSION 3
 Flow of the Session

• What is group structure?

• What are norms, how do they develop, and how do they work
to regulate behavior?
• What kinds of roles are common in groups and how do they
influence members?
• How do social networks shape status, attraction, and
communication processes in groups?

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 Properties of group structure include:
• Norms
• Roles
• Inter-member relations

• Emergent (self-organizing) and/or deliberately designed

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 The nature of social norms
Norms are shared beliefs • Norms are group
regarding the social behaviors standards.
expected of its members, • Provide direction and
motivation
These are consensual and
often implicit standards that • Organize social
describe what behaviors interactions
should and should not be • Make others’ responses
performed in a given context. predictable
• Folkways are ubiquitous
social standards
• Mores are more strictly
enforced moral rules
•

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 What characteristics describe a norm
that is likely to be internalized?

good, useful, and appropriate

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The nature of social norms

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 Sherif's (1936) autokinetic effect studies

• What Is A Norm?
• What Is The Social Psychological Function Of A
Norm, And
• How Do Norms Develop And hold their potency?

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How group norms develop?

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Autokinetic effect: the stationary dot of light
will seem to move

It moved about
3.5 inches

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Looks like 1 inch

I’d say 2 inches

7.5 inches

What if people make their judgments with

others, and state estimates aloud?
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 Person A

Convergence
estimates
distance
Average

Person B

Person C

Alone Group Group Group

Session 1 Session 2 Session 3

Conformity!
Initially, they differ; but over trials, they converge
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INTERACTION PROCESS

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 Robert Freed Bales, group observation and interaction
processes.
 R. F. Bales pioneered the development of systematic methods of group
observation and measurement of interaction processes
 First coding system was IPA (Interactive Process Analysis), which was used to
classify group behavior into task- and relationship-oriented behaviors

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 Bales’ Interaction Process Analysis

Seems friendly
Positive socio-emotional Dramatizes
Agrees
Gives suggestion
Task: attempted answers Gives opinion
Gives information
Asks for information
Task: attempted questions Asks for opinion
Asks for suggestion
Disagrees
Negative socio-emotional Shows tension
Seems unfriendly

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 Systematic Multiple Level Observation of Groups

 This then developed into SYMLOG (Systematic Multiple Level Observation of

Groups) in 1970 (Systematic Multiple Level Observation of Groups).
 It was based on the assumption that three fundamental dimensions structure
interactions in groups:
 Dominance/submission. Is this member active, outgoing, and talkative – or
passive, quiet and introverted?
 Friendliness/unfriendliness. Is this member warm, open and positive – or
negative and irritable?
 Acceptance of authority/non-acceptance of authority. Is this member analytical,
and task-oriented – or emotional, untraditional and (possibly) resentful.
(Forsyth 2006: 41)

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 Using SYMLOG gives the practitioner the ability to use the same
instrument to:
 assess current problems and desired future outcomes, whether for
individuals, teams, or an organization’s culture;
 assess both the inferred values and observed behavior,
 Define common problems throughout the organization and integrate
solutions using the same language for individual, team, and
organization development; and,
 track progress toward development goals by using repeated measures.
 These features are unique to the SYMLOG system.
 It puts into the hands of organization development consultants, and
human resource practitioners, a powerful tool for systematic data
collection, analysis, and feedback.

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A Map of Conversation

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TEAM ROLE

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 ROLES

 Defined -- Group position that has a set of expected

behaviors
Formal role -- job description
Informal role -- what your work group expects of you
beyond job description, what you add on your own
Role taking makes organizational life orderly and
predictable

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 The Apollo Syndrome

“Working in Science or Technology is intellectually

demanding. Such teams, to be most effective, should
therefore be composed of bright individuals”….

True or false? Why?

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 Why Did They Fail ?
 They spent excessive time in abortive or destructive debate,
trying to persuade other team members to adopt their own view
 They had difficulties in their decision making, with little
coherence in the decisions reached (several pressing and
necessary jobs were often omitted). Leading to Deadly Embrace
 Team members tended to act along their own favorite lines
without taking account of what fellow members were doing,
resulting in teams that were difficult to manage.
 No one seemed to convert another or be converted.
 However, each seemed to have a flair for spotting the weak
points of the other’s argument.

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 Belbin Team Roles

 Dr Raymond Meredith Belbin (1924-), British

management theorist known for researching into (9)
team work roles;
 In 1981 book Management Teams presented
conclusions from his work studying how members of
teams interacted
 Key conclusions: effective team has members that cover
eight (later nine) key roles in managing the team and
how it carries out its work.
 Some roles are can be easily fulfilled by the same
person; some are less compatible and are likely to be
done well by people with different behavioral clusters.
This means that a team need not be as many as nine
people, but perhaps should be at least three or four.
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 His research distinguishes between:
 Functional roles-based on expertise, skill and experience
 Team roles-based on our personality, behaviour and
interrelationships

A team role is.....a tendency to

behave, contribute and interrelate
with others in a particular way

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Belbin Team Roles

Now, lets find out who are you on a team...

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Belbin team roles

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Belbin's Team Roles

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 Team size and Belbin’s roles

 Not necessary to have nine people on a team but each role

should be represented.
 Individual members will usually be combinations of two
strong team roles.
 Belbin: “Employers who select teams based on ‘individual
star players’ without looking at personality blends are
doomed to failure.”
 Need for a well balanced team of competent individuals

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Thank you

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