Understanding The group

dynamics in community
development
What is group dynamics?

Group dynamics refers to the study of forces

within a group. Since human beings always had
an innate desire for belonging to a group, group
dynamism is bound to occur.

It is also a way of resolving any kind of

problem, influencing teamwork, and to be more
innovative and more productive as one
organization.
FORMING
STORMING
NORMING
PERFORMING
ADJOURNING
 Forming
This is the first phase, where individuals become a part of the group.
These individuals interact with each other and introduce themselves to
others. They discuss the group's purpose and ways to achieve goals and
create expectations related to workplace behaviour and output.
 Storming
The second stage is the storming stage, where team members share
their opinion. As a result, managers are likely to see some disagreement
between them. Some members might want the leadership position,
resulting in conflict. Overcoming these challenges and concerns is
essential to create a positive dynamic and successfully achieve
organisational goals.
 Norming
During the norming stage, team members decide the group's
expectations and how they can achieve their objectives. In this phase,
team members develop understanding and coordination with each other
and try to work unanimously. Typically, the leaders create the roles and
responsibilities for each team member and define a protocol or process
for each member to follow. In this stage, team cohesion starts, which
helps in achieving a shared purpose and a stronger team dynamic.
 Performing
As team members know their roles and responsibilities, they perform
their tasks to achieve organisational goals. While working together,
they build rapport and cohesion that helps them collaborate, make
decisions and resolve any issues that might arise. Team members are
highly active and work together to achieve their goals. During this
stage, every member contributes in their way.
 Adjourning
 coming together to celebrate one another's efforts. Each member commends one
another on completing the project, recognizing that they could not have achieved
their goal on their own.
FUNCTION OF GROUP DYNAMICS

TASK FUNCTIONS
Maintenance Behaviour
Self-interest Behaviour
 Task functions
This is the most important reason for forming a group. They'll need members who can play one or
more of the following roles to complete the task:
a) Initiating: by proposing tasks or goals, defining problems and suggesting procedures for a
solution
b) Information seeking: by demanding facts, pursuing relevant information, and requesting for
suggestions or ideas;
c) Information giving: by presenting the facts, giving information, stating beliefs, and giving
suggestions or ideas;
d) Clarifying ideas: by analysing and clarifying input, implying alternatives, and giving examples;
e) Bringing closure: by summarising, restating, and providing solutions;
f) Consensus testing: by verifying for agreements and sending up 'trial balloons'
 Maintenance Behaviour
To be effective, each group requires social-emotional support.
Some members of the organisation will take the lead in delivering this assistance, which will include:
a) Motivating: by showing regard for other members and providing positive response to their
contributions
b) Increasing group cohesion: by expressing group feelings, sensing moods and relationships, and
sharing feelings
c) Harmonizing: by reconciling differences and reducing group tension
d) Compromise: by admitting errors and looking for alternatives;
e) Gate-keeping: by attempting to keep communications flowing, facilitating the participation of
others, and suggesting procedures for sharing discussion
f) Standard-setting:by reminding members of group norms, rules, and roles.
 Self-interest Behaviour
This third function displayed by some individuals, members generally takes away from group
performance and affects task achievement at the expense of the group. Activities that identify self-
interest behaviour are as follows:
a) Dominating and controlling: by displaying lack of respect for others, cutting them off,
not listening, and restating other members’ suggestions with a different meaning;
b) Blocking: by stifling a line of thought, and changing the topic either away from the point of view
or back to his or her own interest;
c) Manipulating: by providing self-serving information, or a single point of view designed to achieve
a decision that is consistent with their position;
d) Belittling: through put-downs, sneering at other’s point of view, or making jokes about another
member’s contribution;
e) Splitting hairs: by nit-picking, searching for insignificant details that delay a solution, or
undermining another person’s point of view
 IMPORTANCE OF
GROUP DYNAMICS
Group dynamics can be defined as the
interactions that influence the behavior and
attitudes of individuals when they are in
groups. This is very important in the areas
of sociology, psychology, and
communication studies.
 TYPES OF GROUP DYNAMICS

 Formal and informal teams

 Committees
 Problem-solving teams
 Self-directed and self-managed teams
 Formal and informal teams
These teams are usually a group of small employees who come
together to address some specific goal or need. Organizations appoint
these formal teams, intentionally for an organized and resourced
purpose to be addressed let it be a specific and important goal or need.
Whereas, informal teams are usually loosely organized groups of
members who come together to address a not so critical, short-term
purpose.
 Committees
Committees are basically organized to address, some major ongoing
functions or tasks in an organization, also the membership of the
committees might often be based on the official position of each of the
members of a particular committee, for example, committees in Boards
of Directors.
 Problem-solving teams
When a certain critical issue is to be addressed these teams are formed
by the organization. Here, their overall goal is to provide the
organization with a written report that might include recommendations
for solving any problem. Here it is often comprised of people who
perceive and/or experience the problem, as well as those who can do
something about it.
 Self-directed and self-managed teams
These types of teams come into picture extensively when:
1) Group dynamics in a team is working on a really complex challenge in a
rapidly changing environment.
2) The thing of utmost importance here is the strong ownership and participation of
members which is extremely important.
These types of teams provide great grip on how members achieve the overall results
to be achieved by the teams. Here, the role of leader in a team might change during
the team activities depending on where the team is in its stage of progress of tasks.
 REFERENCES:

1. https://www.peoplehum.com/glossary/group-dynamics?fbclid=IwAR2JVFEFHa
O7Dydt2fzzHKQcuAx-MpwQZv3VNDI3zpyYVKzRxDK9WeNi50A
2. https://in.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/group-dynamics
3. https://www.123helpme.com/essay/The-Importance-Of-Group-Dynamics-76401
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