Group

Dynamics
Jemma Lucitte A. Cabrillos
Presenter
 Group

General definition:

Two or more people who perceive

themselves as a group
and interact in some way
 Group

Other definitions:

Require that a group must involve

some degree of structure and
permanency.
Definition
Gordon (2001),
who believes that for a collection of people to be
called a group, the following four criteria must be
met:

(a) The members of the group must see

themselves as a unit;

(b) the group must provide rewards to its

members;

(c) anything that happens to one member of the

group affects every other member; and

(d) the members of the group must share a

common goal.
Characteristics of Groups

01 02 03
A group consists of more They meet together to satisfy The group may
than one person. some common motive or disintegrate when the
common purpose say to collect
money for flood-affected common motive is
persons, or national defense satisfied.
fund. The common motive may
be biogenic or sociogenic.
 Task accomplishment
Causes for The basic purpose of group formation is the
achievement of certain objectives through task

Formation of performance.

a Group
Problem Solving
When people foresee or face certain problems, they
unite to solve the problems. Unity has strength.
Proximity
People form groups because of proximity and
attraction toward each other. The group formation
theory is based on propinquity, which means that
individuals affiliate because of spatial or geographical
proximity.
Socio-psychological factors
Sentiments and action uniformities bring people
closer. They also form groups for safety, security, and
social achievements.
 Effects of Groups within
the Organization
Impact of Group on the
Change of Individual
Normative Effect of Attitude
Group on the Individual The group may increase or decrease
The “conformity behavior” to or prevent the change of attitude in
the group norm was mostly its members, namely if this change
observed in the persons at the of attitude is in the group’s norm,
medium level who suppose that then the group plays an increasing
they are recognized “partially” role in this change, but if it conflicts
among the bottom, medium, and with the group norm, then the
upper-status levels. group plays the preventive role in
this change of attitude.
 Effects of Groups within
the Organization
Impact of Groups on the
Impact of Group on the Decision-Making Process
Individual's Productivity Even if the wrong decisions are
During the analyses carried out taken by the group, their risk is
on the group, it is mentioned that shared by the group members with
the individual does more than equal responsibilities. As the
what he/she does by individual acts more deliberately
himself/herself within the group. and controlled while he/she is
This fact was observed in the first alone, he/she is affected by the
experimental research executed group’s thoughts in the decisions
with the groups and called passed by the group.
“Social Acceleration” by Allport
(Thibaut, 1959).
 Effects of Groups within
the Organization
Impact of Group on the Negative Results of Group
Performance (Social Membership
Acceleration)
When we examine the influence Since the individual must observe
of it on the people, feeling of the some principles and ideals due to the
existence of others by the group membership, he/she must
individual, especially knowing by regulate his/her actions and
the individual that he/she is behaviors and change them based
followed stimulates the individual on the group’s desires and
personally and this is reflected requirements.
positively or negatively to the
individual’s behaviors.
 Effects of Groups within
the Organization
Impact of Informal Group and Personal
Groups on the Formal Health
Groups It is not sufficient that the
individual becomes a certain group
The groups, which the employees in order to be healthy. In other
form between themselves in the words, unless the worker becomes a
organization, and informal full member of any group in the
organizations, formed by these organization, he/she will not reach
groups, may significantly affect psycho-social peace (Homans,
the operation of a formal 1971).
organization.
 Another factor that affects the
performance of a group is the extent
to which its members assume
different roles.
As we study group roles, remember
Roles of that we usually play more than one
role at a time and that we do not

Groups always play the same roles from

group to group.
There are four categories of groups –
task, social-emotional, procedural
and individual.
 Task Leader
Task Roles
the person who keeps the group
focused on the primary goal or
Those that help or task by setting agendas,
hinder a group’s ability controlling the participation and
communication of the group’s
to accomplish its goals. members, and evaluating ideas
and contributions of participants.
Opinion Devil's Advocate
Gatherers
the person who argues a
those who seek out contrary or opposing
and/or provide point of view.
subjective responses
about ideas and
suggestions.
Information
Gatherer
those people who seek
and/or provide the factual
information necessary for
evaluating ideas,
problem-solving and
reaching conclusions.
Energizer
the person who functions
as the group’s cheerleader,
providing energy,
motivation, and positive
encouragement.
Social-Emotional
Roles
those that focus on building
and maintaining relationships
among individuals in a group
(the focus is on how people
feel about being in the group).
Followers
group members who do
what they are told,
going along with
decisions and
assignments from the
group.
Social-Emotional Leader
the person who is concerned with
maintaining and balancing the
social and emotional needs of the
group members and tends to play
many, if not all, of the roles in this
category.
Tension Releaser
person who uses humor
or can skillfully change
the subject in an
attempt to minimize
tension and avoid
conflict.
Encourager
practices good listening
skills in order to create a
safe environment for
others to share ideas and
offer suggestions.
Compromiser
the one who mediates
disagreements or conflicts
among members by
encouraging others to give
in on small issues for the
sake of meeting the goals of
the group.

Procedural Roles
are concerned with how the
group accomplishes its task.
Gatekeepers
are those group members
that attempt to maintain
proper communicative
balance.
Facilitator
acts like a traffic director by
managing the flow of information
to keep the group on task.
Recorder
the person responsible
for tracking group
ideas, decisions, and
progress.
Individual Roles
includes any role “that
detracts from group goals and
emphasizes personal goals
Self-Confessor
Uses the group as a
setting to discuss
personal or emotional
matters not relevant to
the group or its task.
Aggressor
Engages in forceful or dominating
communication to put others
down or initiate conflict with
other members.
Withdrawer
Shows little interest in
the group or the
problem at hand and
does not contribute in a
meaningful way, or at
all.
Blocker
The person who fusses or
complains about small
procedural matters, often
blocking the group’s
progress by not letting
them get to the task.
Joker or Clown
Uses inappropriate humor or
remarks that can steer the
group from its mission
TYPES OF GROUPS
1. FORMAL
This is made up of employees who mutually influence
and interact regularly with one another on work-
related matters.
Formal work groups are established by an
organization to achieve organizational goals.

2. INFORMAL
Informal groups are formed naturally and in response to the
common interests and shared values of individuals.
They are created for purposes other than the accomplishment of
organizational goals and do not have a specified time frame.
Informal groups are not appointed by the organization and
members can invite others to join from time to time. 02
FORMAL GROUPS
1. Command Groups
Command groups are specified by the organizational chart and often
consist of a supervisor and the subordinates that report to that supervisor.
An example of a command group is an academic department chairman
and the faculty members in that department.
2. Task Groups
Task groups consist of people who work together to achieve a common
task. Members are brought together to accomplish a narrow range of goals
within a specified time period. Task groups are also commonly referred to
as task forces. The organization appoints members and assigns the goals
and tasks to be accomplished. Ex. Ad hoc committee, project groups
3. Functional Groups
A functional group is created by the organization to accomplish specific
goals within an unspecified time frame. Functional groups remain in
existence after achievement of current goals and objectives. Examples of
functional groups would be a marketing department, a customer service
department, or an accounting department.
INFORMAL GROUPS
1. Interest Groups
Interest groups usually continue over time and may last
longer than general informal groups.
Members of interest groups may not be part of the same
organizational department but they are bound together
by some other common interest.
An example of an interest group would be students who
come together to form a study group for a specific class.
2. Friendship Groups
Friendship groups are formed by members who
enjoy similar social activities, political beliefs,
religious values, or other common bonds.
Members enjoy each other's company and often
meet after work to participate in these activities.
For example, a group of employees who form a
friendship group may have an exercise group, a
softball team.
INFORMAL GROUPS
3. Reference Groups
A reference group is a type of group that people use to
evaluate themselves.
According to Cherrington, the main purposes of reference
groups are social validation and social comparison.
Reference groups have a strong influence on members'
behavior. By comparing themselves with other members,
individuals are able to assess whether their behavior is
acceptable and whether their attitudes and values are
right or wrong.
For example, the reference group for a new employee of
an organization may be a group of employees that work
in a different department or even a different organization.
Family, friends, and religious affiliations are strong
reference groups for most individuals.
Factors Affecting
Group Performance

Once the groups have been formed, it

happens that some groups perform well
whereas some groups do not perform well.
This happens because there are several
factors both within and outside the groups,
that effect its performance.
 Factors Affecting
Group Performance
External Conditions

A group is a part of a large

organization.
They are created by the
Group Structure
organization and as such, they do
not exist in isolation.
A group has to rather work within A group comprises a number of
the framework provided by the individuals and has a well-defined
structure.
organization.
Groups have structures that shape
Every group is influenced by a the behavior of their members and
number of external conditions make it possible to predict and
imposed from outside it. explain the individual behavior within
These external conditions include the group as well as the
the organization’s strategy, its rules, performance of the group as a
regulations, its culture, physical whole.
work setting, employee selection
process etc.
Structural Components
Group Size
A minimum of two persons is required to form a group, as far
as the maximum number is concerned, the group should
have as many members as can interact meaningfully with
one another.
However, the ideal group size is said to comprise 5-7
members over a smaller group in terms of idea generation.
The evidence indicates that smaller groups are faster at
completing tasks than larger ones.
The group size should be determined by taking into
consideration factors such as the nature of the task to be
performed, the maturity of the group members etc.

Group Composition
A group comprises a number of individuals with varied qualities and characteristics. In fact, most group
activities require a variety of skills and knowledge.
As far as group composition is concerned, a group may be homogeneous or heterogeneous.
Homogeneous groups are those which are composed of similar individuals, similar in terms of
personality, age, gender, experience, knowledge, etc.
Heterogeneous groups, on the other hand, are the ones that comprise dissimilar individuals i.e. the
individual who differ from one another in one way or the other. In some types of tasks homogeneous
groups could be more appropriate while in other types heterogeneous groups could be more
appropriate.
Structural Components
Group Status
The term status refers to the relative ranking that a person holds
in a group.
Status defines the rank of an individual relative to others in the
organization and the group.
Status is in fact defined in terms of rights, privileges, duties, and
obligations the individual holds in an organization.
It is an important factor in understanding human behavior. When
an individual perceives a disparity between his status with that of
other group members, it creates a disequilibrium that results in
interpersonal conflicts.
So, what is important for the group members is to believe that the
status hierarchy is equitable and just.

Group Norms
Group norms are the “The oughts” or “should be” of behavior. They are prescriptions
for acceptable behaviour determined by the group.
“Group Norms are a set of beliefs, feelings, and attitudes commonly shared by
group members. These are also referred to as rules or standards of behaviour that
apply to group members”.
Structural Components
Group Roles
All members of the group are expected to play specific
roles.
By this term, we mean a set of expected behavior patterns
attributed to someone occupying a given position in a
social unit.
Quite often, this role is a function of the individual’s job
description.

Conformity

Conformity means adjusting one’s behavior to align with the norms

of the group.
There is considerable evidence that groups can place strong
pressures on individuals to change their attitudes and behaviours
to conform to the group’s standards.
Sometimes, people belong to many groups at the same time and
their norms vary in some cases, there may be even contradictory
norms.
Structural Components
Group Resources
These are the resources that an individual member brings
to the group.
These resources may be categorized into two types:
(i) Knowledge, skills, efficiency, capabilities and
(ii) Personality characteristics (such as openness, honesty,
dominance, extrovertness etc.)
Both these resources strongly affect the group
performance by influencing how an individual will interact
with other group members.

Group Process
A process can be simply defined as a systematic method of
handling activities.
Some of these processes that affect group performance include –
communication patterns, leader behavior, group decision making,
inter-group behavior, group cohesiveness, etc.
The group processes may have a positive or at times even a
negative impact on the group performance.
 85%

Group Conflict 22%

When individuals work together in groups or in formal

teams, there is always potential for conflict.

Conflict is the psychological and behavioral

reaction to a perception that another person is
keeping you from reaching a goal, taking away your
right to behave in a particular way, or violating the
expectancies of a relationship.
Group Conflict
Perception
key components to conflict
For example, two people may share the same
goals, but if one person perceives that their
goals are different, the possibility of conflict
increases.
Thus, conflict is often the result of one
person’s misperception of another’s goals,
intentions, or behavior.
Because conflict can often be attributed to
misperceptions, an important part of conflict
resolution is for each party to discuss his or
her perceptions of a situation.

LEARN MORE

Interpersonal Conflict
occurs between two individuals.
In the workplace, interpersonal
conflict might occur between
two coworkers, a supervisor
and a subordinate,
an employee and a customer,
or an employee and a vendor.
Type of
CONFLICT
Individual-Group Conflict Group - Group Conflict
usually occurs when the individual’s needs
The third type of conflict
are different from the group’s needs, goals,
occurs between two or more
or norms.
groups. In academia, such
For example, a marine might want more
group–group conflict occurs
independence than the Corps will give him, a
annually as departments fight
basketball player might want to shoot when
for budget allocations
the team needs him to set picks, a faculty
and space.
member might be more interested in
teaching when his university wants him to
publish, and a store employee might be
more interested in customer relations when
the store wants him to concentrate on sales.
LEARN MORE
Causes of Conflict
when demand for a resource
Competition of
exceeds its supply, conflict occurs
Resources

comes when the performance of some

Task
group members depend on the performance
Interdependence
of other group members

when geographical boundaries or

Jurisdictional
lines of authority are unclear.
Ambiguity
Causes of Conflict
The barriers to interpersonal communication can
Communication be physical, such as separate locations on
Barriers different floors or in different buildings; cultural,
such as different languages or different customs;
or psychological, such as different styles or
personalities.

Conflict is most likely to occur when individuals or

Beliefs groups believe that they
are superior to other people or groups;
have been mistreated by others;
are vulnerable to others and are in harm’s way;
cannot trust others; and/or
are helpless or powerless (Eidelson & Eidelson,
2003).

Conflict is often the result of people

Personality with incompatible personalities who
must work
together.
Any Question?
Thank You!