Foundations of Group Behavior

9-1

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LO 1 Define Group, and Differentiate
Between Different Types of Groups
A group is defined as two or more individuals,
interacting and interdependent, who have come
together to achieve particular objectives.
Groups can be either formal or informal.
 Formal groups – those defined by the
organization’s structure.
 Informal groups – alliances that are neither
formally structured nor organizationally
determined. 9-2

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LO 1 Define Group, and Differentiate
Between Different Types of Groups
Social identity theory – considers when and why
individuals consider themselves members of groups.
 People have emotional reactions to the failure or
success of their group because their self-esteem
gets tied into the performance of the group.
 Social identities help us understand who we are
and where we fit in with people.
Ingroup favoritism
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LO 1 Define Group, and Differentiate
Between Different Types of Groups
Several characteristics make a social identity
important to a person
 Similarity
 Distinctiveness
 Status
 Uncertainty reduction

9-4

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LO 2 Identify the Five Stages of
Group Development

9-5

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LO 2 Identify the Five Stages of
Group Development
Group Effectiveness
 Groups proceed through the stages of group
development at different rates.
Those with a strong sense of purpose and strategy
rapidly achieve high performance and improve over
time.
Similarly, groups that begin with a positive social
focus appear to achieve the “performing” stage
more rapidly.
 Groups don’t always proceed clearly from one stage
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to the next.
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LO 2 Identify the Five Stages of
Group Development

9-7

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LO 3 Show How Role Requirements
Change In Different Situations
Role – a set of expected behavior patterns
attributed to someone occupying a given position in
a social unit.
 Role perception – one’s perception of how to act
in a given situation.
 Role expectations – how others believe one
should act in a given situation.
Psychological contract
 Role conflict – situation in which an individual
9-8
faces divergent role expectations.
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LO 4
Demonstrate How Norms and Status
Exert Influence On an Individual’s Behavior

Norms – acceptable standards of behavior within a

group that are shared by the group’s members.
 Performance norms
 Appearance norms
 Social arrangement norms
 Resource allocation norms
The Hawthorne Studies

9-9

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LO 4
Demonstrate How Norms and Status
Exert Influence On an Individual’s Behavior
Status – a socially defined position or rank given to
groups or group members by others.
 Status characteristics theory – differences in
status characteristics create status hierarchies
within groups.
Status is derived from one of three sources:
The power a person wields over others.
A person’s ability to contribute to a group’s
goals.
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An individual’s personal characteristics.
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LO 4
Demonstrate How Norms and Status
Exert Influence On an Individual’s Behavior
Status and Norms
 High status individuals often have more freedom
to deviate from norms.
Status and Group Interaction
 High status people are often more assertive.
Status Inequity
 Perceived inequity creates disequilibrium and can
lead to resentment and corrective behavior.
Status and Stigmatization
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 Stigma by association.
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LO 5 Show How Group Size Affects
Group Performance
Group size affects the group’s overall behavior.
 Large groups are good for gaining diverse input.
 Smaller groups are better doing something with input.
Social loafing – the tendency for individuals to
expend less effort when working collectively than
alone.

9-12

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LO 6 Contrast The Benefits And
Disadvantages Of Cohesive Groups

9-13

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LO 7 Explain the Implications of
Diversity For Group Effectiveness
Diversity – the degree to which members of the
group are similar to, or different from, one another.
Increases group conflict especially in the short term.
Culturally and demographically diverse groups may
perform better over time.
 Over time, diversity may help them be more open-minded
and creative.

9-14

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LO 8Contrast the Strengths and
Weaknesses of Group Decision Making
Strengths of group decision making:
 More complete information and knowledge
 Increased diversity of views
 Increased acceptance of solutions
Weaknesses of group decision making:
 Time consuming
 Conformity pressures
 Dominance of a few members
 Ambiguous responsibility 9-15

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LO 8Contrast the Strengths and
Weaknesses of Group Decision Making
Effectiveness and efficiency of group decisions:
 Accuracy
 Speed
 Creativity
 Acceptance

9-16

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LO 8Contrast the Strengths and
Weaknesses of Group Decision Making
Groupthink – situations in which group pressures for
conformity deter the group from critically appraising unusual,
minority, or unpopular views.
 Related to norms
Groupshift – a change between a group’s decision and an
individual decision that a member within the group would
make.
 The shift can be toward either conservatism or greater risk,
but is generally toward a more extreme version of the
group’s original position.
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LO 9
Compare the Effectiveness of Interacting,
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group Technique
Most group decision making takes place in
interacting groups.
 Members meet face-to-face and rely on both verbal and
nonverbal interaction to communicate with each other.
Interacting groups often censor themselves and
pressure individual members toward conformity of
opinion.

9-18

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LO 9
Compare the Effectiveness of Interacting,
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group Technique
Brainstorming can overcome pressures for
conformity.
 In a brainstorming session:
The group leader states the problem clearly.
Members then “free-wheel” as many
alternatives as they can.
No criticism is allowed.
One idea stimulates others, and group members
are encouraged to “think the unusual.” 9-19

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LO 9
Compare the Effectiveness of Interacting,
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group Technique
The nominal group technique - restricts discussion
or interpersonal communication during the decision
making process.
 Group members are all physically present, but members
operate independently.
 The main advantage is that it permits the group to meet
formally but does not restrict independent thinking, as
does the interacting group.
Research shows that nominal groups outperform
brainstorming groups. 9-20

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LO 9
Compare the Effectiveness of Interacting,
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group Technique
In a nominal group, a problem is presented, then…
 Each member independently writes down his/her
ideas on the problem.
 After this silent period, each member presents one
idea to the group.
 The ideas are discussed for clarity.
 Each group member rank-orders the ideas.
 The idea with the highest aggregate ranking
determines the final decision. 9-21

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LO 9
Compare the Effectiveness of Interacting,
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group Technique

9-22

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 Implications for Managers
Consider that the degree of congruence between
the employee’s and the manager’s perception of the
employee’s job influences the degree to which the
manager will judge that employee effective.
 Be certain your employees fully understand their roles so
you can accurately assess their performance.

9-23

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 Implications for Managers
In group situations where the norms support high
output, you can expect markedly higher individual
performance than when the norms restrict output.
 Group norms that support antisocial behavior increase the
likelihood that individuals will engage in deviant workplace
activities.

9-24

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 Implications for Managers
Pay attention to the organizational status levels of the
employee groups you create.
 Because lower-status people tend to participate less in
group discussions, groups with high status differences are
likely to inhibit input from lower-status members and
reduce their potential.

9-25

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 Implications for Managers
When forming employee groups, use larger groups
for fact-finding activities and smaller groups for
action-taking tasks.
 When creating larger groups, you should also provide
measures of individual performance.
To increase employee satisfaction, work on making
certain your employees perceive their job roles the
same way you perceive their roles.

9-26

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