Foundations of Group

Behaviour
Prof. Prakash R Sahay
 What is a group
 Two or more individuals who mutually influence one
another through social interaction (Forsyth, 1990)

 Corporate giants like Toyota, Motorola, General Mills and

General Electric were the first to use groups. Today, most
organizations form different types of groups to achieve
specific results

 Harold H. Kelley and J.W. Thibaut define a group as “a

collection of individuals…the members accept a common
task, become interdependent in their performance, and
interact with one another to promote its accomplishment.”
 The characteristics of a Group
 • Members engaged in frequent interaction
 • Those involved define themselves as group members
 • Others define members as belonging to a particular
group
 • They share common norms and mutual interests
 • They identify with one another and share values
 • They feel a sense of collective responsibility
 • They act in a unified way towards the organization
Types of Groups

Formal Group Informal Group

 A designated work group  A group that is neither
defined by the formally structured nor
organization’s structure. organizationally determined;
These groups are structured rather it appears in response to
the need for social contact
and created to fulfill the
organizational goals. These
 Greatly influences the behavior
of their members and therefore
groups usually have specific
determine their productivity
targets, well defined roles to
perform, well organized
norms and regulations
 Types of Formal Group

 Command groups - composed of a manager and the employees, who

report directly to a manager. The relationship is instruction or
command focused which flows from the top level to the bottom
 Task Groups - Those working together to complete a job or task.
Here the focus is on the actions or tasks they perform together
 Committee – A specialized group consisted of employees who have
been chosen or elected to carry out some crucial functions. For e.g.
the grievance committee, vigilance committee etc
There are basically two types of committees – standing
committees and ad hoc committees. Standing committees are
permanent in nature and are formed by the standing orders, bylaws,
rules and regulations of an organization. Ad hoc committees are
committees which are constituted for a short-term to serve a specific
purpose
 Steps to develop effective committees

 The purpose and the authority structure of the committee should be properly
defined.
 The tasks, responsibilities and deadlines should be clearly specified.
 The manner of reporting should be clearly defined.
 The role of each committee member should be clearly specified.
 The term of office for the committee members as well as the method of
recruitment should be clearly specified.
 The method of selection of committee members and the budget for the
committee should be established.
 The resources needed for the achievement of the goals of the committee
should be determined.
 A reward and recognition scheme should be designed to motivate the
members
 Characteristics of informal Group
 The informal groups are created independently by colleagues
regardless of position, actual job in the organization or age.
 They have no officially installed leaders rather leadership is earned
either through contribution to the group, experience or even influence
in the group.
 Power in the informal group therefore could change rapidly from
person to person depending on how much the group respects
influence within their members.
 Informal groups are encouraged but controlled in most organizations
so as to promote employee job satisfaction in the organization’s
environment.
 Most of these groups are usually monitored by the organizations so
the discussions or actions don’t negatively affect the organizations
 Types of informal group
 Friendship Groups – People of similar characteristics, interests, value systems,
and beliefs usually form close bonding with each other. Sometimes within a
big friend circle cliques are formed between some individuals who are very
close to each other

 Interest Group - Those working together to attain a specific objective with

which each is concerned consists interest group. Their relationship is centered
on their common interest and activities associated with them. For e.g. cultural
group within the organizations. Sometimes memberships are formed on the
basis of common interest. In membership groups the members are expected to
remain active for the protection of each other’s interest. They may even enjoy
certain benefits by the virtue of being member of those groups

 Reference Groups – These groups act as reference points for comparisons.

Sometimes, employees perceive them as role models and strive to achieve
them. Some other times these groups are used as negative examples and people
find pleasure in criticizing them and feel relaxed by believing that they are
better than those employees
Difficulties Associated with Informal Groups and the solutions
 Prevent organizational
change
 Role conflict
 Increased scope for
rumors
 Pressure to conform to
group norms
 If the management underplays
the importance of the informal
groups, these groups are likely
to generate a lot of internal
conflicts and cause problems
for the organization
 Management should try to
blend together both the formal
and informal groups
 Must Adopt a positive attitude
towards it, and try to obtain
the direct or indirect
cooperation of the informal
group
Stages of group development

1. Forming Stage
2. Storming Stage
3. Norming Stage
4. Performing Stage
5. Adjourning Stage
 Forming Stage

 Highly influenced by emotional factors and interpersonal relationships

between the members. Uncertainties regarding norms, leadership role,
various positions, power conflict between the members etc are
prevalent in this stage. Members are unsure about the accepted.
Members vaguely develop a sense of belongingness with the group

 The “polite “stage in which the team starts to form.

 Everyone is trying to figure out what the team concept is.
 Initial “silent “leaders may take the rein
 The team is usually positive –for the most part –for the initial meetings.
 No one has offended anyone at this point yet!
Forming stage includes feelings and behaviours of

› Excitement, anticipation, and optimism.

› Pride in being chosen for the project.
› A tentative attachment to the team Suspicion and anxiety about
the job.
› Defining the tasks and how they will be accomplished.
› Determining acceptable group behavior.
› Deciding what information needs to be gathered.
› Abstract discussions of the concepts and issues, and for some
members, impatience with these discussions. There will be
difficulty in identifying some of the relevant problems
 Storming Stage
 Interpersonal conflicts arise and differences of opinion about the group
and its goals will surface
 The honeymoon is over.
 The silent leaders may be clashing for control of the group.
 People disagree and may blame the team concept, saying it doesn’t work.
 Management needs to do a lot of coaching to get people to work past their
differences
 Usually the highly committed members who focus more on the goal of the
group not on the interpersonal relationships survive the blows of this
phase and stay back.
 Storming stage includes feelings and behaviours of

 Resisting the tasks.

 Resisting quality improvement approaches suggested by other
members.
 Sharp fluctuations in attitude about the team and the project's
chance of success.
 Arguing among members even when they agree on the real issues.
 Defensiveness, competition, and choosing sides.
 Questioning the wisdom of those who selected this project and
appointed the other members of the team.
 Establishing unrealistic goals. Disunity, increased tension, and
jealousy
 Norming Stage
 Formal and informal procedures are established in delegating
tasks, responding to questions, and in the process by which the
group functions
 The team is starting to work well together, and has turned
around from the ‘storming”phase.
 They may start to “brag up” the team concept to others who
aren’t in the team and will be very positive about their
role/team group.
 Often, the team will bounce back and forth between “storming
“and “norming” when issues crop up.
 The natural leaders at this stage may not be the ones who were
visible in stages 1 & 2 (those people may no longer have the
“unofficial lead roles”within the team
 Norming stage includes feelings and behaviour of:

 An ability to express criticism constructively.

 Acceptance of membership in the team.
 An attempt to achieve harmony by avoiding conflict.
 More friendliness, confiding in each other, and sharing of
personal problems.
 A sense of team cohesion, spirit, and goals.
 Establishing and maintaining team ground rules and
boundaries
 Performing Stage

 This is the level where the team is a high–performance team

 They can be given new projects and tasks and accomplish them
successfully, and very seldom fall back into the “storming” phase
 At this level, the team is taking on new work on their own, and selling
it to other team
 The team can usually take on a new member or two with little
trouble as far as regressing goes
 They are a complete self-directed team and require little, if any,
management direction
 In many organizations, this can take 6 months or longer to reach this
state this stage
 Performing stage includes feelings and behaviours of:

 Members have insights into personal and group processes,

and better understanding of each other's strengths and
weakness
 Constructive self–change
 Ability to prevent or work through group problems.
 Close attachment to the team
 Adjourning Stage
 Adjourning is the end of the task and disengagement from
relationships
 A planned conclusion usually includes recognition for participation
and achievement and an opportunity for members to say a personal
thank you or goodbye
 Ending a group can create some fear - in effect, a minor crisis
 Many organizations and groups have a “wrap up party,” or a
graduation ceremony to mark this stage
 The team briefs and shares the improved process during this phase.
 When the team finally completes that last briefing; there is always a
bittersweet sense of accomplishment coupled with the reluctance to
say good–bye.
 Many relationships formed within these teams continue long after the
team disbands
Diagrams of Group Formation
 Structure of Group

 Formal Leadership
 Roles (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)
› Role expectations (How others believe a person should act in a given
situation)
› Psychological Contract (An unwritten agreement that sets out what
management expects from the employee and vice versa)
› Role Overload(To many roles to perform within a perceived short time)
› Role Ambiguity (Difficulty to understand exactly what is expected)
› Role conflict (A situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent
role expectations.
 Structure of Group (cont…)
 Norms (Acceptable standards of behavior within a group
that are shared by the group’s members)
  
› Performance Related Norms(Norms pertaining to performance
related processes which suggests how to get the work done)
› Appearance norms (Norms regarding dress code and other
rules associated with appearance)
› Norms pertaining to informal social arrangements (Sitting
arrangements, work stations, rules regarding lunch breaks,
etiquettes etc)
› Norms that regulate the allocation of resources(pay,
assignment of new jobs etc)
 
 Structure of Group (cont…)

 Status (A socially defined position or rank given to groups or

group members by others)

 Size (Number of members involved in the group and the

possibilities of forming sub-groups)

 Composition (Combination of various members from their

respective background)

 Cohesiveness (Degree to which group members are attracted to

each other and are motivated to stay in the group)
 Conformity

 Change in a person's behavior or opinions as a result of

real or imagined pressure from a person or a group of
people. Conforming is acting at odds with one's beliefs or
perceptions because others are acting that way
Variables affecting Conformity
Situational Factors Individual factors
 Type of person (Self
confidence, esteem, lack of
 Group’s cohesiveness assertiveness , intelligence
 Ambiguous situation level, emotional maturity,
excessive need for affiliation,
 Rewards and fear of rejection etc)
punishments (normative  Need to stand out of the crowd
pressure) wish to avoid in order to be noticed
punishment (rejection,  Desire for personal control -
ridicule, embarrassment); the theory of psychological
wish to gain acceptance reactance - people will react
or love against attempts to control
their behavioral freedom
 Size of group
Burger (1987) desire for
personal control (high and low
Group Decision Making

Difficult decisions typically involve There are six steps to making an

issues like: effective decision:

 Uncertainty - Many facts may not be  Create a constructive

known environment

 Complexity - You have to consider  Generate good alternatives

many interrelated factors

 High-risk consequences - The impact

 Explore these alternatives
of the decision may be significant
 Choose the best alternative
 Alternatives - Each has its own set of
uncertainties and consequences  Check your decision
 Interpersonal issues - It can be
difficult to predict how other people
 Communicate your decision, and
will react take action
 Decision Making Techniques
 Brain Storming
 Nominal Group Technique
 Delphi Technique
 Electronic Meetings
 Devil’s Advocacy
 Quality Circles and Quality Themes
 Self Managed Teams
 Brain Storming
 Brainstorming is by far the most widely used tool to stimulate creative thinking. It
was developed in the 1940s by the American advertising executive Alex Osborn who
believed that anyone could learn to generate creative solutions for a wide variety of
problems

Steps of Brainstorming:

 Brief idea about the topic is given

 Ideas, solutions, options are asked for from all the team members
 Criticism of ideas isn't allowed
 All ideas, no matter how wild, are encouraged
 Every participant should try to build on or combine the ideas of
others
 Leader may intervene and add few more ideas
 The modification of ideas and editing is done by all the members
 Nominal Group Technique

 The members make a list of their ideas silently

 Then a decision is made from those ideas

 Criticism is not allowed

 It is a very effective method for solving a crucial problem

from various perspective
 Electronic Meeting

 People type their responses on a computer

 The responses are finally displayed

 The names of them members are not usually flashed
which gives them the opportunity of being brutally honest
 Delphi Technique

 From various locations the members send their responses

 Since the members are not physically present in that
group so they can give their reaction independently
without getting influenced by others
 Takes a lot of time to form a decision
 Devil’s Advocacy
 A critic is chosen from the group who pin
points the pitfalls of a proposed decision

 This method helps the members to be sure

about their decision before they place it in
front of others
Quality Teams and Self Managed Teams

 Quality teams are formed  Self managed teams evolve

usually with subordinates who
give advice to the managers
 They give recommendations
and suggestions for betterment
 They don’t have the authority
to implement any change
from Quality teams
 They are directly involved in
the decision making process
 This group should be consisted
of rational matured and
emotionally stable members
 Obstacles in Group Productivity
 Break down due to role conflict, role overload, role
ambiguity
 Groupthink: due to overemphasis on mutual
affiliation proper decision making and productivity
of group gets affected
 Social loafing and compensation: Some members
do not put effort (loafing) and others over work for
striking balance (compensation)
Team
A team is a small number of employees with
complementary competencies (abilities, skills and
knowledge) who are committed to common
performance goals and working relationships for which
they hold themselves mutually accountable

Two or more people who are interdependent who share

responsibility for outcomes, who see themselves as
(and who are seen by others as) an intact social entity
in a larger social system are also called as “Teams”.

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Characteristics of Team
 Vary closely bonded
 Has significant influence over each
other
Capable of being effective (potency).
Performing important and valuable tasks
(meaningfulness)
Having independence and discretion
(autonomy) in performing the work, and
Experiencing a sense of important and
significance (impact) in the work performed
and goals achieved

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Types of Teams

 Problem solving teams (Focuses on problem solving)

 Cross-functional teams (same hierarchy, different work level )
 Self-managed teams (a group of employees who have day-to-day
responsibility for managing themselves and the work they do)
 Functions of Team
 Scheduling work and vacations by members,
 Rotating tasks and assignments among members,
 Ordering materials,
 Deciding on team leadership,
 Setting key team goals,
 Budgeting
 Hiring replacements for departing team members, and
 Evaluating one another’s performance

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 Reasons for Using Team

 High productivity as the unhealthy competitions are

controlled

 Good interpersonal relationship and better organizational

environment

 Greater flexibility
 Meets belongingness needs
 Enhances organizational commitment