Group Behavior

Compiled by:
Khondoker Mokaddem Hossain
Ex-Pro Vice Chancellor, Bangladesh Open University &
Founder Director and Professor
Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies
University of Dhaka
Email: mokaddemdu@yahoo.com

9-0
 A group can be defined as two or more interacting and
interdependent individuals who come together to achieve
particular objectives.
 A group behavior can be stated as a course of action
a group takes as a family. For example: Strike.
 Groups have their own various subcultures, distinct
subsystems (or cliques), diversity of leadership styles and
levels of communication.
 While certain structures are often useful in small groups, they
are absolutely necessary on an ongoing basis in larger groups.
 For example, larger groups should have a clearly established
purpose that is continually communicated, and formal plans
and policies about ongoing leadership, decision making,
problem solving and communication

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 Handy (1993) describes a group as ‘any collection of people who
perceive themselves to be a group’, whilst Shaw (1981) after
reviewing 80 definitions of a group, says ‘ a group is defined as
two or more people who are interacting with one another in such
a manner that each person influences and is influenced by each
other person’.
 Cartwright and Zander (1968) describes, a group as one whose
members are committed to a set of values that define the overall
pattern of activity (meaning), have accumulated or generated the
resources necessary for the task at hand (resources), have worked
out an appropriate form of role differentiation and developed a
sufficient level of morale for the task (integration) and have
sufficient control in the form of leadership to coordinate the use
of resources by the members to attain specific roles (goal
attainment).
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 Basic Concept of Group
 A collection of individuals who have regular contact and
frequent interaction, mutual influence, common feeling of
camaraderie, and who work together to achieve a common
set of goals.
 Two or more individuals interacting with each other in
order to accomplish a common goal.
 Groups that are larger than that range tend to have another
level of complexity not apparent in small groups. For
example, the nature and needs of larger groups are often
similar to those of entire ongoing organizations.


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 Defining and Classifying Groups
 Group:
– Two or more individuals interacting and interdependent,
who have come together to achieve particular objectives
 Formal Group:
– Defined by the organization’s structure with designated
work assignments establishing tasks
 Informal Group:
– Alliances that are neither formally structured nor
organizationally determined
– Appear naturally in response to the need for social contact
– Deeply affect behavior and performance

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 The Nature of Group
 Temporary Groups. Temporary groups are
represented by the crowd, the mob, the assembly, and
by the public (a quasi-temporary form of association).
 Some crowds are heterogeneous, i. e., are composed of
persons who at the given time possess conflicting
purposes.
 A number of persons at a busy street corner are a
heterogeneous group—they have varied purposes and
are going in different directions.
 The real crowd is homogeneous; its members have a
common aim. Further, each member is aware that the
other individuals are stirred by the wine purposes as he
is.
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 The homogenous crowd must have a leader. It moves frantically
until it gets a leader.
 The members of a homogeneous crowd ordinarily suffer a
lessened sense of individual responsibility, because responsibility
is distributed among all.
 Anonymity tends to prevail. Excitement reigns, feelings rise, and
the rational processes of thought are hindered. The members
experience a heightened state of suggestibility.
 (203) People act less rationally when under crowd influence than
as individuals.
 Feelings rather than reason secure control. Crowds act quickly
but reason slowly.
 The crowd is recidivistic; its members revert to lower standards
than ordinarily.

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 A person who makes an important decision while under the
influence of the crowd has a hard struggle before him.
 Such decisions must usually be followed consistently by personal,
thoughtful, and sincere attention on the part of interested people.
 There are spectator crowds and participator crowds. The
spectator group may be single- or double-minded; it may be
united or bi-partisan. The bi-partisan spectator crowd is in
constant danger of degenerating, An athletic contest brings out
two spectator
 (204) crowds. First one spectator crowd and then the other will
give vent to expressions such as these: "Kill them," "Give them
the axe," "They are a rotten bunch.

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 Group Dynamics
 Group dynamics is a system of behaviours and
psychological processes occurring within a
social group (intragroup dynamics), or between
social groups (intergroup dynamics).
 Humans are inherently social animals, and individuals
greatly influence each other.
 A useful framework of analysis of group influence on
the individual is the so called reference group—the
term comes about because an individual uses a
relevant groupas a standard of reference against which
oneself is compared.

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 Stages of Group Development
 When developing a team, it helps a great deal to have some basic sense of the
stages that a typical team moves through when evolving into a high-
performing team.
 Awareness of each stage helps leaders to understand the reasons for
members’ behavior during that stage, and to guide members to behavior
required to evolve the team into the next stage.
 1. Forming
 Members first get together during this stage. Individually, they are
considering questions like, “What am I here for?”, “Who else is here?” and
“Who am I comfortable with?” It is important for members to get involved
with each other, including introducing themselves to each other. Clear and
strong leadership is required from the team leader during this stage to
ensure the group members feel the clarity and comfort required to evolve to
the next stage.

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 2. Storming
 During this stage, members are beginning to voice their
individual differences, join with others who share the
same beliefs, and jockey for position in the group.
 Therefore, it is important for members to continue to
be highly involved with each other, including to voice
any concerns in order to feel represented and
understood.
 The team leader should help members to voice their
views, and to achieve consensus (or commonality of
views) about their purpose and priorities.

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 Developemnt of Groups
 3. Norming
 In this stage, members are beginning to share a common
commitment to the purpose of the group, including to its overall
goals and how each of the goals can be achieved. The team leader
should focus on continuing to clarify the roles of each member,
and a clear and workable structure and process for the group to
achieve its goals.
 4. Performing
 In this stage, the team is working effectively and efficiently
toward achieving its goals. During this stage, the style of
leadership becomes more indirect as members take on stronger
participation and involvement in the group process. Ideally, the
style includes helping members to reflect on their experiences and
to learn fromInc.them.
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
 Reference Group
 A useful framework of analysis of group influence on
the individual is the so called reference group—the term
comes about because an individual uses a relevant
group as a standard of reference against which oneself
is compared. Reference groups come in several
different forms.
 The aspirational reference group refers to those others
against whom one would like to compare oneself. For
example, many firms use athletes as spokespeople, and
these represent what many people would ideally like to
be.

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 Types of Reference Group
 Associative reference groups include people who more realistically represent
the individuals’ current equals or near-equals—e.g., coworkers, neighbors, or
members of churches, clubs, and organizations.

 Paco Underhill, a former anthropologist turned retail consultant and author of

the book Why We Buy has performed research suggesting that among many
teenagers, the process of clothes buying is a two stage process.

 Finally, the dissociative reference group includes people that the individual
would not like to be like. For example, the store literally named The Gap came
about because many younger people wanted to actively dissociate from parents
and other older and "uncool" people. The Quality Paperback Book Club
specifically suggests in its advertising that its members are "a breed apart"
from conventional readers of popular books.

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 Reference groups come with various degrees of
influence. Primary reference groups come with a great deal of
influence
 e.g., members of a fraternity/sorority.
 Secondary reference groups tend to have somewhat less
influence—e.g., members of a boating club that one encounters
only during week-ends are likely to have their influence limited to
consumption during that time period.
 Another typology divides reference groups into
the informational kind (influence is based almost entirely on
members’ knowledge), normative (members influence what is
perceived to be "right," "proper," "responsible," or "cool"),
or identification.

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 The difference between the latter two categories
involves the individual’s motivation for compliance.
 In case of the normative reference group, the individual
tends to comply largely for utilitarian reasons—
dressing according to company standards is likely to
help your career, but there is no real motivation to
dress that way outside the job.
 In contrast, people comply with identification groups’
standards for the sake of belonging—for example, a
member of a religious group may wear a symbol even
outside the house of worship because the religion is a
part of the person’s identity.

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 Subclassifications of Groups
Formal Groups
 Command Group
– A group composed of the
individuals who report
directly to a given manager
 Task Group
– Those working together to
complete a job or task in an
organization but not limited
by hierarchical boundaries
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Informal Groups
 Interest Group
– Members work together to
attain a specific objective with
which each is concerned
 Friendship Group
– Those brought together
because they share one or
more common characteristics
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 Why People Join Groups?

 Security
 Status
 Self-esteem
 Affiliation
 Power
 Goal Achievement

See E X H I B I T 9-1

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 Five Stages of Group Development Model

E X H I B I T 9-2

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 The Five Stages of Group Development
1. Forming
– Members feel much uncertainty
2. Storming
– Lots of conflict between members of the group
3. Norming Stage
– Members have developed close relationships and
cohesiveness
4. Performing Stage
– The group is finally fully functional
5. Adjourning Stage
– In temporary groups, characterized by concern with
wrapping up activities rather than performance
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 An Alternative Model for Group Formation
Temporary groups with deadlines don’t follow the five-
stage model
Punctuated-Equilibrium Model
– Temporary groups under deadlines go through transitions
between inertia and activity—at the halfway point, they
experience an increase in productivity.
– Sequence of Actions
1. Setting group direction
2. First phase of inertia
3. Half-way point transition
4. Major changes
5. Second phase of inertia
6. Accelerated activity
E X H I B I T 9-3

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 Group Property 1: Roles
 Role
– A set of expected behavior patterns attributed to someone
occupying a given position in a social unit
 Role Identity
– Certain attitudes and behaviors consistent with a role
 Role Perception
– An individual’s view of how he or she is supposed to act in a given
situation – received by external stimuli
 Role Expectations
– How others believe a person should act in a given situation
– Psychological Contract: an unwritten agreement that sets out
mutual expectations of management and employees
 Role Conflict
– A situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent role
expectations
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 Group Property 2: Norms
 Norms
– Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are
shared by the group’s members
 Classes of Norms
– Performance norms - level of acceptable work
– Appearance norms - what to wear
– Social arrangement norms - friendships and the like
– Allocation of resources norms - distribution and assignments
of jobs and material

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 Norms and Behavior
 Conformity
– Gaining acceptance by adjusting one’s behavior to align with
the norms of the group
 Reference Groups
– Important groups to which individuals belong or hope to
belong and with whose norms individuals are likely to
conform
 Asch Studies
– Demonstrated the power of conformance
– Culture-based and declining in importance

E X H I B I T 9-4

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 Defying Norms: Deviant Workplace Behavior
 Deviant Workplace Behavior
– Also called antisocial behavior or workplace incivility

– Voluntary behavior that violates significant organizational

norms and, in doing so, threatens the well-being of the
organization

– Typology:
• Production – working speed
• Property – damage and stealing
• Political – favoritism and gossip
• Personal Aggression – sexual harassment
E X H I B I T 9-5

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 Group Influence on Deviant Behavior

– Group norms can influence the presence of deviant behavior

– Simply belonging to a group increases the likelihood of
deviance
– Being in a group allows individuals to hide – creates a false
sense of confidence that they won’t be caught

E X H I B I T 9-6

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 Group Property 3: Status
A socially defined position or rank given to groups or
group members by others – it differentiates group
members
– Important factor in understanding behavior
– Significant motivator

Status Characteristics Theory

– Status derived from one of three sources:
• Power a person has over others
• Ability to contribute to group goals
• Personal characteristics

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 Status Effects
 On Norms and Conformity
– High-status members are less restrained by norms and
pressure to conform
– Some level of deviance is allowed to high-status members so
long as it doesn’t affect group goal achievement
 On Group Interaction
– High-status members are more assertive
– Large status differences limit diversity of ideas and
creativity
 On Equity
– If status is perceived to be inequitable, it will result in
various forms of corrective behavior.

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 Group Property 4: Size
 Group size affects behavior
 Size:
– Twelve or more members is a “large” group
– Seven or fewer is a “small” group
 Best use of a group:
Attribute Small Large
Speed X
Individual Performance X
Problem Solving X
Diverse Input X
Fact-finding Goals X
Overall Performance X

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 Issues with Group Size
 Social Loafing
– The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when
working collectively than when working individually
– Ringelmann’s Rope Pull: greater levels of productivity but
with diminishing returns as group size increases
– Caused by either equity concerns or a diffusion of
responsibility (free riders)
 Managerial Implications
– Build in individual accountability
– Prevent social loafing by:
• Setting group goals
• Increase intergroup competition
• Use peer evaluation
• Distribute group rewards based on individual effort

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 Group Property 5: Cohesiveness
Degree to which group members are attracted to each
other and are motivated to stay in the group

Managerial Implication
– To increase cohesiveness:
• Make the group smaller.
• Encourage agreement with group goals.
• Increase time members spend together.
• Increase group status and admission difficulty.
• Stimulate competition with other groups.
• Give rewards to the group, not individuals.
• Physically isolate the group.
E X H I B I T 9-7

9-30
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 Group Decision Making vs. Individual Choice
 Group Strengths:
– Generate more complete information and knowledge
– Offer increased diversity of views and greater creativity
– Increased acceptance of decisions
– Generally more accurate (but not as accurate as the most
accurate group member)
 Group Weaknesses:
– Time-consuming activity
– Conformity pressures in the group
– Discussions can be dominated by a few members
– A situation of ambiguous responsibility

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 Group Decision Making Phenomena
 Groupthink
– Situations where group pressures for conformity deter the
group from critically appraising unusual, minority, or
unpopular views
– Hinders performance
 Groupshift
– When discussing a given set of alternatives and arriving at a
solution, group members tend to exaggerate the initial
positions that they hold. This causes a shift to more
conservative or more risky behavior.

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 Groupthink
 Symptoms:
– Group members rationalize any resistance to the
assumptions they have made
– Members apply direct pressures on those who express
doubts about shared views or who question the alternative
favored by the majority
– Members who have doubts or differing points of view keep
silent about misgivings
– There appears to be an illusion of unanimity
 Minimize Groupthink by:
– Reduce the size of the group to 10 or less
– Encourage group leaders to be impartial
– Appoint a “devil’s advocate”
– Use exercises on diversity
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 Group Decision-making Techniques
Made in interacting groups where members meet face-to-
face and rely on verbal and nonverbal communication.
Brainstorming
– An idea-generating process designed to overcome pressure
for conformity
Nominal Group Technique (NGT)
– Works by restricting discussion during the decision-making
process
– Members are physically present but operate independently
Electronic Meeting
– Uses computers to hold large meetings of up to 50 people

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