INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP

INTRODUCTION OF INDIVIDUAL –

Individual is a unit of society. He lives in society after having been born in it. In short, individual is such
unit of the society that he or she cannot live without society. Individualization is the process by which an
individual is made independent of his group. Individualization is the process in which man comes to
know himself and acquire the sense of inner responsibility. It is simply the process of attaining to one's
own self, when a man does things not simply because others do the same things but because his own self
approves it. He is carried by his own individuality which is a quality to him.

DEFINITIONS-

1. According to Maclver-

Individualization is 'the process in which men become autonomous or self determining in which they
advance beyond mere imitativeness or acceptance of standards which come to them with only an outer
sanction in which they become less bound by tradition and custom is the regulation of their lives, less
submissive to authority and dictation in matters of thought and opinion recognizing that each is a unique
focus of being and can achieve the ends of his life only, as these grow clear in his own consciousness
and become the objects of his own will .

2. It is the process of attaining to one's Own self. It is carried out by Individual himself. It is mainly
a mental process, which is spread through the prevailing ideas.

3. Individualization is that process which tends to make the individual more or less independent of
his group and to create in him a self-consciousness of his own.

4. Individualization makes him autonomous or self determining.

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ASPECTS OF INDIVIDUALIZATION-

Mannheim has distinguished four main aspects of individualization.

These are -

1. Individualization as a process of learning different from other people

2. Individualization on the level of new form of self regarding attitudes.
3. Individualization through objects.
4. Individualization as a kind of deepening into ourselves which implies receiving into our
experience of ourselves and submitting the individualizing forces around and within us. All these
process is entirely different phenomena.

SOME OTHER INDIVIDUALIZATION ASPECTS ARE -

 Family conditions
 Social mobility
 Democracy
 Social awareness of ones own character and character of others
 Superiority complex and selfishness
 Feeling high of themselves and degarding others efficiencies by criticism
 Privacy
 Partial isolation
 Loneliness
 Increasing desires and wishes which will leads to individualization
 Lack of introspection
 Feel its kind of own evaluation and introspection

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INTRODUCTION OF GROUP-

A basic meaning of a group is two or more people who have common needs and goals and who interact
with one another over a period of time. Through these interactions, members mutually influence one
another's Behaviour and attitudes. Over time, groups develop a set of rules and procedures (known as
norms) that indicate what is considered to be acceptable Behaviour for their members.

A team is a special type of group that is made up of people who have complementary skills, and who are
assigned the task of achieving a specific organizational objective. In most cases, team members
determine their own performance standards and work methods; other types of groups may not do

DEFINITION OF GROUP -

According to Stephen P. Robins: "Two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have
come together to achieve particular objectives."

According to G. C. Homans: "Any number of people who share goals, often communicate with each
other over a period of time, and are few enough so that each individual may communicate with all the
others, person-to-person."

In the modern days of IT, people need not physically come together, but they communicate and interact
with each other. i.e., virtually coming together.

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CHARACTERISTRICS OF GROUP-

1. Combination of two or more individuals.

2. Individuals are motivated to come closer physically, and/ or virtually for interaction.
3. They come closer to achieve their common and shared goals.
4. Group members achieve their common goals through integrated efforts.
5. Perceive the group as a unified unit and stable structure.
6. Members contribute different inputs (skills, know, effort, etc) towards achievement of group goals.
7. Reach agreement and disagreement through various forms of interaction.

NEED/REASONS FOR FORMATION OF GROUP-

Formation of groups is necessary as humans are basically social beings. Most people prefer to live and work
in groups
Some reasons could be:
1. Security
2. Empowerment through sharing of resources: exchange of skills, knowledge, talents, values, etc.
3. Becoming a leader: people with leadership skills can become leaders to form the groups, lead the
groups.
4. Synergy outcome of the group effort is greater than the sum of the individual contributions of the
group
5. Goal attainment
6. Status
7. Affiliation Needs
8. Self-esteem

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TYPES OF GROUPS-
Different people join groups with various purposes or due to the forces of different factors.
- Hence different types of groups are formed

1. Formal Group –
when two or more individuals join together as a group due to the official job structure and relationship in
an organization or The formal groups usually work under a single supervisor, even though the structure
of these groups may vary. For example, in one form of a group such as in production, the members of
the workgroup depend on each other as well as on the supervisor, and in another form of group, such
as sales force, the members of the group work fairly independently and their common contact may be the
district sales manager.

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 2 Informal Group –
When two or more individuals join together as a group in order to satisfy their social needs but not due to
official job structure and organization requirements. These are formed out of the common interests,
aptitudes, values, opinions, ideas and characteristics of the people. Ex: quality circles.

3 Command Group –
A group of the superior and his/her subordinates’. it is a group of individual employees and their manager to
whom they report. Ex: finance manger and asst. finance managers

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 4 Task Group –
People working together in order to accomplish a particular task.

5 Interested Group –
A special interest group is a community within a larger organization with a shared interest in advancing a
specific area of knowledge, learning or technology where members cooperate to affect or to produce
solutions within their particular field, and may communicate, meet, and organize conferences.

6 Friendship Group –
People with common characteristics like hard working, work avoiding, smart working, status seeking,
family orientation, risk taking, etc.

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 7 Primary Groups –
Individuals with a feeling of comradeship, loyalty and a common sense of values form into a group. Ex:
group of family members such as father, mother, brother and sister.

8 Coalitions –
Individuals from different groups form into an and group in order to achieve a specific task or goals. Here
the individuals have dual membership, i.e., one in the original group and another in the coalition.
The coalition gets dissolved once the goal is attained.

STAGES OF GROUP FORMATION-

1. Forming-

 Characterised by uncertainty and confusion.

 Members observe others, various events and issues and decide what type of behaviour is
acceptable.
 Thus members 'test the waters during this stage and decide within themselves as part of a group.

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2. Storming-

 Characterised by conflict and confrontation among the group members.

 Members accept the group, but there would be conflict over the leadership
 Members know the hierarchy and chain of command when the leader within the group is determined
 This stage is complete when the members are clear about the leader and the hierarchy.

3. Norming-
 Members settle, start cooperating and collaborating with each other, develop close relationship
among them, exhibit cohesiveness and prefer to identify themselves with the group.
 Members formulate common goals and expectations of the group.

4. Performing-

 Group members exert all their energies towards functioning and performing the tasks in order to
attain the group goals.

5. Adjourning-

 Attention is directed toward wrapping up activities.

 The group prepares for its disbandment. but this may cause worry to some due to loss of
friendship and effective leaders.

GROUPS AT THE WORK PLACE-

Work place is more prominent for the formation and development of groups.
1. Groups are formed both officially (formal groups) and
2. Unofficially (informal groups) at the work place.

1 . Formal Groups-
A formal group is one that is deliberately created to perform a specific task.
 Management formulates the groups.
 These are relatively permanent groups.
 However, they get changed whenever there are changes in org structure, job structure, job design,
etc.
 A hierarchy of authority exists with specified members, rules and regulations.
 Rules, regulations, incentives and sanctions guide the behaviour of group.

Two types of formal groups-

a. Command group-
A permanently specified in the organisational structure and consists of a supervisor who exercises formal
authority over subordinates.

b. Task Group-

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  A temporary formal group is created to solve specific problems.
- The group comprises emphases who work together to complete a particular task or
project, but who do not necessarily report to the same supervisor.
- The emphases belong to different departments.
- They stay together till the task is complete and once the work is completed, they disband
and return to their respective task groups

2. Informal Group-

 Groups are formed out of social interaction, social needs, attitudes, likes and dislikes, values,
opinions, personality traits and other psychological factors.
 It is outside the officially prescribed relationships, line of authority and responsibilities of the
org.
 These groups are formed within the structure of the organization, but by the members
themselves.
 They are important in the organizations from the point of view of their members and they have a
great utility to the org.

THEORIES OF GROUP FORMATION-

1. Propinquity theory-
Individuals affiliate with one another because of spatial or geographical proximity. Ex: in the org, emphases
working in the same area would more probably form into groups than those who are not physically located
together.

2. Homan's theory: George C. Homans –

The more activities persons share, the more numerous will be their interactions and the stronger will be their
shared activities and sentiments; and the more sentiments persons have for one another, the more will be
shared activities and interactions."
 It is based on three concepts: activities, interactions and sentiments which are directly related to each
other.
 The members share activities and interact with one another not just because of physical proximity,
but also to accomplish group goals.
 The key element is interaction because which they develop common sentiments for one another.
1. Activities
2. Interactions
3. Sentiments

3. Balance Theory- Theodore Newcomb

 "Persons are attracted to one another on the basis of similar attitudes towards commonly relevant
objects and goals. Once a relationship is formed, it strives to maintain a systematically balance b/w

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 the attraction and the common attitudes. If an imbalance occurs, attempts are made to restore the
balance. If the balance cannot be restored, the relationship dissolves."
 Both propinquity and interaction play a role in the balance theory.
 There must be a balance in the relationship between the group members for the group to be formed
and for its survival.

4. Exchange Theory-
Based on reward-cost outcomes of interaction between people.
 To be attracted towards a group, a person thinks in terms of what he will get in exchange of
interaction with the group members.
 A minimum positive level (reward cost) of an outcome must exist in order for attraction or affiliation
to take place.
 Rewards gratify needs and costs incur anxiety, frustrations, embarrassment, etc.
 Propinquity, interaction and balance theory all have roles in the exchange theory.

FACTOTRS THAT ENFLUENCE THE EFFECTIVE GROUP-

A group history is critical to our understanding of present and future group behaviour. For example, the
success of a sports team can be related to how the team selects, trains, and indoctrinates new members.
In addition to group maturity, other factors can influence effectiveness; the chief ones among these are
described below.

1. Geographical Location-

Sometimes group members work in different buildings or live-in different cities. If this is the
case, the interactions among members will decrease, making it harder for the group to achieve its
goals. In addition, it takes longer for the group to reach maturity when members are widely
separated.

2. Physical Setting-
The physical arrangements of the work setting can influence group interactions and group
effectiveness. Where people sit, whom they sit next to, and the closeness of the seats in a meeting
can affect the amount of interaction between members, attitudes toward job tasks in the group,
and attitudes toward one another. For example, you have probably had a teacher who arranged
the classroom desks in a circle when the class was working on a group project. The teacher may
even have asked you to exchange seats with your neighbour from time to time. Your teacher did
this for a good reason. Circle seating arrangements with frequent seat exchanges encourage
communication and more equal participation of group members.

3. Task Complexity-
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 Group effectiveness may be influenced by the nature of the problem to be solved. In most cases,
it is harder for a group to solve a complex problem than a simple one. When confronted with a
complex problem, the group needs to be well organized to be effective. That is, each member's
responsibilities must be clearly defined, and the leader needs to ensure that communications
between group members are effective and efficient. A classic story of a group solving a complex
problem concerns the creation of the Macintosh computer. Apple's leader and founder, Steven
Jobs, created an environment that facilitated the design of a new and innovative project.

4. Leadership-
As you know, a leader has many important functions within a group. The most important is to
coordinate group activities so that the group achieves its goals. The group leader also plays a key
role in the selection process of new members and in the relations between the group and other
groups.

5. Environmental Factors-
Group effectiveness is affected by external as well as internal factors. Some of the key
environmental factors are briefly discussed below.

6. Technology-

Technology, which refers to the resources, knowledge, and techniques that transform raw
materials into products or services for an organization, can influence the quality and quantity of
communication within a group. For instance, communication is easier for group members who
work on handcrafted pottery than it is for those who work on a noisy assembly line; yet both
these technologies have their advantages and disadvantages. The technology used by the potters
will promote close relationships and a stronger sense of identity within the group, whereas the
assembly line is a more efficient means of producing merchandise.

7. Resources-
A group's effectiveness is influenced by the extent to which it has access to the needed resources,
such as work facilities, equipment, technology, and personnel. Currently, many groups have
inadequate resources because organizations do not have adequate funds. Scarcity in resources can
lead to competition and conflict among group members. These behaviours can decrease a group's
ability to achieve its goals.

8. Reward Systems-
Group effectiveness is influenced by the rewards provided by the organization. For instance,
effectiveness may suffer when reward systems emphasize individual as opposed to group
contributions.3 Indeed, reward systems based on individual contributions may encourage

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 competition among members. When this happens, members become unwilling to help one
another and the group's ability to achieve its goals is reduced.

9. Structure, Size, and Culture-

The size, structure, and culture of the organization can influence the success of the group. For
instance, a group with an egalitarian status structure may have difficulties functioning in an
organization with a rigid hierarchical structure. Similarly, an organization that emphasizes
individual performance and competitiveness may have groups that are less effective. Finally,
groups within very large organizations may be less effective because they have less personalized
support and recognition.

10. Social Loafing-

Social loafing occurs when one or more group members contribute little or nothing to the group
and rely on the efforts of other members to accomplish group goals. Social loafing can cause
friction among group members and tends to delay group maturity. Methods that have been
developed to prevent social loafing include member self-evaluation and identifiable individual
contributions to the group. When a member's contribution is visible to others, people are less
likely to loaf.

11. Group think-

Groupthink is conformity with majority opinion at any cost. It was first identified by social
psychologist Irving Janis, who studied the decision-making policies made by governmental
groups.4 Groupthink is not an inevitable consequence of highly cohesive groups, and steps can
be taken to avoid it. For instance, the group leader can encourage new ideas and constructive
criticism, and facilitate rather than direct group activities and discussions. Another way to avoid
groupthink is to invite outside consultants to participate in and evaluate group discussions.

SUMMARY-
Groups in organizations may be classified in terms of whether they are formal or informal, or on the
basis of their primary purpose. Groups have defined characteristics and modes of behaviour that
facilitate their collective work. All groups develop through typical stages, from creation to maturity.

Social loafing and groupthink can compromise a group's effectiveness. However, the benefits of groups
outweigh their drawbacks, and in recent years organizations have focused attention on expanding work
teams and empowering their members. The success of a group can be measured by its ability to advance
the goals of the larger organization.

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BIBILIOGRAPHY-

1. Basheer, P Shabeer. (2020), A Concise Textbook of Advanced Nursing Practice. (2 nd edition),

Bangalore; Emmess, 530-531.

2. Indrani, TK. (2018), The Textbook of Sociology for Nurses. (2nd edition), Chennai; Jaypee Brothers, 22-25.

3. Anthikad, Jacob. (2014), The Textbook of Sociology for Graduate Nurses. (2 nd edition) , Bengaluru; Jaypee
Brothers , 24-25.

4. Www.Goggle .Com.

5. Www.Slideshare.Com.

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