6.

1 The nature of Group:

It may seem pretty obvious what a group is, but it's worth giving it some thought anyway.
Most of us spend much of every day as part of some kind of group - a group of
Communication Studies students co-operating on some research in the library; the group
of students in the library; the group of people in the library, including the librarian and
other administrators; our family group; a group of people in the pub; a group of friends
travelling to college on the bus; the group of passengers on the bus. Are these groups in
any way different? I think we sense immediately that the group of Communication
students co-operating on research in the library is somehow different from the much
bigger group of people in the library. After all, if we're going to say that all the people in
the library constitute a group, then why not all the people in the college, the town, the
county and so on? But just what is this difference we're aware of?

Definitions of group: A group is defined as,

two or more individuals, interacting & interdependent, who have come together to
achieve particular objectives.

According to “Sechien” a group consists of :

“Any number of people who interact with each other are psychologically aware of one
another perceive themselves to be a group”

A man always prefers to live in a group rather than isolation. Thus, each individual
member of one or the other group can perform his activities in or through groups. A group
exists in every organization and affects the behavior of its members as well as has an
impact on other groups and on the organization as a whole also.

Types of Groups with explanations

 Primary & Secondary

 Membership & Reference

DR Types of Group 1
  In & Out groups
 Open & Closed groups
 Formal & Informal groups
Forms of formal groups

- Command group
- Functional group
- Permanent group
- Temporary group
- Committees

Forms of Informal groups

- Cliques
- Sub cliques
- Isolates
- Interest group
- Friendship group

DR Types of Group 2
 Standing
Friends Reference task

Informal Formal
Interest
Task

Primary Secondary
Groups

Closed

Change of Out
membership In & Out

Open In

1(a) Membership groups: Membership group is one to which a person consciously

belong but which he has no more than a minimal relationship. e.g. faculty in university or
religious organization.

1(b) Reference groups: These are groups to which one may belong and allow oneself
to be influenced by its member’s behavior. E.g. ‘X’ may aspire to make a university
basket-ball team and be determined to do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal.
For this reason, he may be greatly influenced by individuals who have already made the
team. In other words, these are the groups in which the person identifies or to which he
would like to belong.

2(a)&(b) In Groups and Out-Groups: The groups to which we belong are in-groups
and groups to which we do not belong are out-groups, especially if we look upon them

DR Types of Group 3
with a certain amount of antagonism. The in-group versus out-group concept is
applicable to friendly rivalries between schools, clubs and associations, but is also
applicable to much more hostile groups. On a small scale it is descriptive of violent
neighborhood gangs; on a larger scale it is descriptive of wars between nations. The in
v/s out groups is linked to enthnocentricism, means that one’s own group is the best and
the other is to judged on its terms. Ethnocentric attitudes are mentioned in relation to
national rivalries. One can be ethnocentric about one’s community, state, social class, or
even race.

3(a) Open groups: It is always in a constant state of change; with regard to changing
group membership, members keep changing a new members joining and existing ones
leaving. With regard to frame of reference, that a high rate of turnover helps it to expand
its references. New members bring new perspectives to the group’s activities & problems
and can enhance creativity. It has a short time perspective. Because of changing
membership, open group is easily susceptible to imbalance and instability.

3(b) Closed groups: It is quite stable group. A closed group maintains a relatively
stable membership, with few additions and losses in members overtime. Power and
status relationships are usually well established and fixed. The stability of membership,
usually results in a relatively narrow frame of reference. In this group, it can become very
unlikely to change its established perspectives. It has a long term perspective. These
groups are not susceptible to imbalance and instability.

4(a) Formal groups: A formal group is one that is deliberately created to perform a
specific task. Members are usually appointed by the organization, but it may not always
be the case. A number of people assigned to a specific task form a formal group. E.g.
committee, work units i.e. dept. , management team or a small assembly. A distinctive
feature is that a hierarchy of authority exists, with specified member rules and regulations.
Rules, regulations, incentives and sanction guide the behavior of small groups.

DR Types of Group 4
 Interaction
among
member

Two or
more people

People see Shared

themselves Goals
as member

A Formal Group

(i) Command group: Also known as ‘standing task’ group, is permanently

specified in the organizational structure and consists of a supervisor who
exercises formal authority over subordinates. E.g. a foreman and his group
constitute command.
(ii) Task group: Also known as ‘task group’ is created to solve specific problem.
They (members) may not report necessarily to one supervisor. Once the
task is completed, its gets disband and members return to their respective
task groups.
(iii) Permanent formal groups: These are bodies such as top management
team, work units in various departments of the organization, staff groups
providing specialized services to the work org, permanent committees etc.
such groups meet regularly over a period of time and are generally
stabilized for several years.

DR Types of Group 5
 (iv) Temporary formal groups: These are task forces or ‘committees’ such as a
meeting, conference, a summit meeting of vice-chancellors of the
universities, or a meeting of the Board of Directors, or Board of Studies etc.
(v) Committee: It is a body of persons appointed for a specific function by and
usually, out of, a larger body. E.g. parliamentary committee etc.

4(b) Informal groups: Also called a ‘clique’, is an alliance that is neither formally
structured, nor organizationally determined. These are formed naturally in the work
environment which appear in response to the need for social contact. They do not
possess formal structures. Rather, member roles are loosely defined, based on member
expectations, and the needs of a group at any particular moment. A member’s behaviour
is guided by his own internalized perception.

(i) Interest group (Informal): It is made up of individuals who affiliate to achieve

an objective of mutual interest that may have nothing to do with their formal
task group memberships. E.g. working mothers.
(ii) Friendship group (Informal): It develops on common characteristics such
as marital status, political views, college affiliations and sports. These
groups are important because they satisfy affiliation needs of their
members. E.g. various clubs etc.
(iii) Cliques: Groups of person who operate at the same level or within same
area (horizontal) within a given dept. from different level (vertical cliques),
and, groups of members of different ranks, from different depts.. and from
different physical location (mixed). E.g. Horizontal cliques – workers
associations, Vertical cliques – one or two workers, managers, Mixed
cliques – Head of dept. cultivate a relationship with best worker.

5(b) Primary groups : It is characterized by intimate face to face association and co-
operation. Such are small groups who interact frequently over long periods, develop a
deep awareness about each other as individuals, satisfy the individual’s most basic

DR Types of Group 6
needs, and are developers of each person as a social being. Being small, has a feeling
of comradeship, loyalty and a common sense of values among its members. E.g. are
peer groups or neighborhood group.

5(b) Secondary groups: Secondary groups are those groups where the inter-
relationships are more general and remote. The membership of such group is generally
voluntary and easily withdrawn. The less frequent and less intense interactions takes
place within a broader setting, from the great impersonality of a large university to the
functioning of a municipality or state.

DR Types of Group 7