Professional Documents
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Group Behavior and Conflict What Is A Group? A Working Definition
Group Behavior and Conflict What Is A Group? A Working Definition
Mere aggregates of people do not fit this definition because they do not interact
and do not perceive themselves to be a group even if they are aware of each
other as, for instance, a crowd on a street comer watching some event (nominal
groups). True groups posses all of the qualities of groups, especially the quality
of interaction (interacting groups).
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Factors Affecting Group Performance
Cohesiveness is the strength of group members' desires to remain a part of their
groups. Cohesion is strengthened by:
homogeneity
the severity of the initiation to join the group.
a high external threat or competition.
the amount of time spent together.
the smallness of the group.
the group's history of success.
Group cohesion has some important consequences as well:
Positive
people enjoy membership.
members participate more fully.
they tend to be highly productive.
they experience low turnover.
Negative
groupthink arises when groups are too cohesive.
group commitment might hinder productivity.
groups may conspire to sabotage employers for the group's
benefit.
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Presence of Others - when someone performs differently, either more effectively
or less effectively, in the presence of others than when alone, they are
experiencing social facilitation. This phenomenon is explained by several
psychological processes.
While there is a lot of research to support this theory, the "why" of it is still
unclear. Social facilitation may result in evaluation apprehension, the fear of
being evaluated or judged by another. Another explanation is the distraction-
conflict model which recognizes that the presence of others creates a conflict
as to where attention is directed.
Some explain social loafing through social impact theory, that the impact of any
social force acting on a group is divided equally among its members. As a result,
each member feels less than fully responsible for the outcome and puts in less
effort.
Another explanation is that the contributions of others makes each individual feel
that his/her contribution is less important.
Group Dominance
Groupthink – coined by Irving Janis, groupthink refers to the tendency of
cohesive groups to make bad decisions due to a failure to consider alternative
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points of view. Actual events that could be explained by this phenomenon
include:
The Bay of Pigs
Escalation of Troops in the Vietnam War
The Challenger Launch Decision
The Introduction of “New Coke”
Group Conflict
Conflict is a problem that occurs at several levels: between organizations;
between groups; between members within groups; within an individual and
between the multiple roles of a person's life. (interorganizational, intergroup,
interpersonal; intrapersonal and interrole.
Causes of Conflict
Competition for Resources
Task Interdependence
Ambiguity
Communication Barriers
Personality