group cohesion

GROUP COHESSIVENESS

PRESENTED BY,

JENY THOMAS MAYURI S J

What is group cohesiveness?

Group cohesiveness is the ability to think and act 'as one' if the

group is physically together or not.

According to Stephen P Robbins, “Group cohesiveness is the

degree to which members are attracted to each other and are

motivated to stay in the group.”

Dimensions of group cohesiveness

Group Unity

Attraction

Team work

Group unity

Many theorists believe that group cohesion results

from a deep sense of “we-ness” or belonging to a

group as a whole.

By becoming enthusiastically involved in the efforts of

their group and by recognizing the similarities that exist

among group members, individuals tend to develop a

close connection with their group and its members.

Attraction

According to Hogg (1992), group cohesiveness

typically develops from a depersonalized attraction

to group members based on their status as group

members, rather than a personal attraction based

on specific relationships.

Team work

Some theorists stress that cohesion comes from

group members’ commitment to work together to

complete their shared tasks and accomplish their

collective goals.

Members of task-oriented groups typically exhibit

great interdependence and often possess feelings of

responsibility for the group’s outcomes.

1. Threat & Competition

Whenever the common group goal is threatened,

cohesiveness increases.

Also, such cohesiveness increases the importance of the goals.

When we fight for a goal, the goal gets the highest priority.

Thus the threatening party will have less chance of success

when faced with a unified force.

2. Difficulty in Entry

Some groups are not easy to join. The members are very

carefully selected and the selected members feels a sense

of pride and accomplishment.

The more difficult it is to get into a group, the more

cohesive that group becomes.

The reason being that in exclusive and elite groups the

members are selected on the basis of certain characteristics

and these characteristics being common to all add to the

degree of liking and attraction towards each other.

3. Time Together

It is quite natural that the more time people spend

together, the more they will get to know each other

and more tendency there will be to get closer to each

other, thus strengthening the degree of cohesiveness.

In an organizational setting, people who work near

each other are more likely to spend more time

together.

4. Group Size

Since continuous and close interaction among

members is a fundamental necessity for

cohesiveness, it would be natural to assume that

large groups restrict the extent of communication

and interaction with each other, thus resulting in

reduction of degree of cohesiveness.

5. Previous Success

When a group achieves a meaningful goal, the

cohesiveness of the group increases because the

success is shared by all the members and each one

feels responsible for the achievement.

For example, when a sports team wins an important

game, every one in the team congratulates every

other member of the team for this success.

6. Similarity of Attitudes & Values

One of the strongest source of group cohesiveness

is the similarity in values, morals, beliefs and code

of conduct.

We enjoy the company of others who hold similar

opinions and characteristics as ourselves.

Relationship b/w Group Cohesiveness, Performance norms

and Productivity

HIGH

PERFORMANCE NORMS

LOW

low high

Cohesiveness

Moderate productivity

Low productivity Moderate to low productivity

High productivity

HOW TO INCREASE COHESSION?

Induce agreement on group goals.

Increase membership homogeneity.

Increase interactions among members.

Decrease group size.

Contd…

Introduce competition with other groups.

Allocate rewards to the group rather than

individuals.

Provide physical isolation from other groups

HOW TO DECREASE COHESSION?

Induce disagreement in group goals.

Increase membership heterogeneity.

Restrict interaction among members.

Increase group size.

Contd…

Allocate reward to individuals rather than to a

group as a whole.

Remove physical isolation.

Introduce a dominating member

BENEFITS

Increased morale

Increased productivity

Improved communication

Conformity and influences

Conclusion

Group cohesion has been linked to a range of

positive and negative consequences.

People in cohesive groups are confronted with

powerful pressures to conform to the group’s goals,

norms, and decisions.

THANK YOU