ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

GROUP DYNAMICS.

DEFITION OF GROUP

• Two or more people, in face-to-face interaction, each aware of their group membership and interdependence, as they strive to achieve their goals. Buchanan and Huczynski (2010)

• Any number of people who interact with each other are psychologically aware of one another and perceive themselves to be a group. Mullins 2013)

GROUP DYNAMICS

• The forces operating within the groups that affect their performance and their members’ satisfaction.

• This is all about how members of the group;

• communicate with each other,

• coordinate their activities,

• how they influence each other,

• what roles they play in the group

• What kind of relationship they have;

• Which members lead, and which follow;

• How they balance a focus on their task with social issues; and

• How they resolve conflict.

• Groups play an important role in our lives.

• Groups embody many important cultural values: teamwork, cooperation, a collective that is greater than the sum of its parts.

• Groups are seen as having a motivating, inspiring influence on the individual, drawing the best out of him or her, enabling him or her to perform feats that would be beyond him or herself as individual.

• Groups have a healing effect on individuals, bolstering their self-esteem and filing their lives with meaning.

• People join groups because of common goals, needs, interest, physical proximity, or cultural similarity, or may be assigned to them by management. McGrath ( 1984)

• The term groups and team are often used interchangeably.

• Group performance thus affects the success of the organisation.

• Likert (1961) argues that group forces influence the behaviour of individual work groups with regard to productivity, and thus affect the performance of the organisation.

• Formal group is one that has been consciously created by management to accomplish a defined task that contributes to organisation’s goals.

• Informal group is a collection of individuals who become a group when they develop interdependencies, influence one another’s behaviour, and contribute to mutual need satisfaction.

• Group self-organisation is the tendency of groups to form interests, develop autonomy and establish identities.

• People satisfy their needs through their relationship with others.

Tuckman and Jensen’s theory of group development. (1977)

• They suggest that groups pass through five clearly defined stages of development which they labelled forming, storming norming, performing, and adjourning.

All groups do not develop through all the stages, some get stuck in the middle and remain inefficient and ineffective.

• Progress through the stages may be slow, but appears to be necessary. And inescapable.

• The theorists suggest that the stages need not occur in sequence.

• The value of this theory is that it helps to explain the problems of group working.

STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT (Tuckman 1977)

GROUP COHESIVENESS AND PERFORMANCE

• The manager main concern is that the members of a work co-operate in order to achieve the results expected of them.

• Co-operation is likely to be greater in a united, cohesive group

• Membership of a cohesive group can be a rewarding experience for the individual;

• Can contribute to the promotion of morale;

• Can aid in the release of creativity and energy.

• Strong and cohesive groups have beneficial effects for the organisation.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT GROUP COHESIVENESS AND

PERFORMANCE The larger the group the more problems arise with communication and co-ordination.

Large groups are more difficult to handle and require a higher level of supervision.

Problems like absenteeism, friction with subgroups.

• There is no ideal size for a group, but it becomes difficult to achieve cohesiveness when the membership exceeds ten or twelve.

• The more homogeneous the members in terms of share backgrounds ,interests, attitudes and values of its members, the easier to promote cohesiveness.

• Cohesiveness is more likely when member of the group are together for a reasonable length of time.

• Frequent turnover of members is likely to have an adverse effect on the morale and cohesiveness of the group.

• The work environment:

• The nature of the task may serve to bring people together when it is necessary for them to communicate and interact regularly with each other in the performance of their duties.

• Where members of the group work in the same location or in close proximity to each other this will generally help cohesiveness.

• The more easily members can communicate freely with each other, the greater the likelihood of group cohesiveness.

• Where the nature of the work process involves a craft or skill-based ‘technology’ there is a higher likelihood of group cohesiveness.

• The forms of management and leadership styles adopted will influence the relationship between the group and the organisation.

• Cohesiveness will be affected by the manner the manager gives guidance, encouragement, helps, supports provides opportunities for participation, resolves conflicts and give attention to both employee relations and task problems.

• The group leader must establish trust among group members.

• H.R policies and procedures should be well developed and perceived to be equitable with fair treatment for all members.

• The more successful the group, the more cohesive it is likely to be, and cohesive groups are more likely to be successful.

• The group development and maturity and the manner that it progresses through the stages of development can affect it cohesiveness.

• Groups faced with external threats may enhanced members co-operation with one another.

• Conflict between groups will also increase the cohesiveness of each group.

SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY (Henri Tajfel and John Turner 1986)

• This theory holds that a person’s self-concept is based not only on their individual characteristics or personal identity.

• It is also based on their membership of groups which affects people’s sense of who they are.

• It also contributes to our self-esteem.

DANGER OF STRONG COHESIVE GROUPS

• Strong and cohesive groups can present potential disadvantage to management.

• Performance varies with the extent to which the group accepts or rejects the goal of the organisation.

• With high levels of cohesiveness and attention to social activities, there may be a fall in output.

• The level of production is likely to conform to a standard acceptable as norm by the group.

• Once fully developed and very cohesive, it is more difficult for managers to successfully change the attitudes and behaviours of the group.

• Once group has developed and established its own culture, it is also difficult to change the attitudes and behaviours of the group.

• Strong, cohesive groups may develop a critical or even hostile attitude towards people outside the group.

• As a result resentment and inter-group conflict arise to the detriment of the organisation.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE WORK GROUP

• A belief in shared aims and objectives;

• A sense of commitment to the group; acceptance of group values and norms;

• A feeling of mutual trust and dependency;

• Full participation by all members and decision-making by consensus;

• A free flow of information and communication;

• The open expression of feelings and disagreements;

• The resolution of conflict by the members themselves;

• A lower level of staff turnover, absenteeism, errors, and complaints.

INDIVIUAL INFLUENCES ON GROUP ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR.

• Compliance a majority’s influence over a minority;

• Conversion minority’s influence over a majority;

• Conversion is achieved through by on e strong person taking a position, creating tension, being consistent and persistent, being firm, unyielding, self-confident creating self doubt and getting others to defect from the majority.

INTERACTION ANALYSIS.

• The basic assumption behind interaction analysis is that the behaviour in groups maybe analysed from the viewpoint of its function.

• These can be differentiated between task and socio-emotional functions.

• In terms of socio-emotional positive reactions

• Show solidarity, supports helps,

• Shows tension release jokes laughs.

• Agrees passive acceptance, concurs complies.

In terms of negative reactions;

disagrees;

• With respect to the task whether the group ask questions in terms of orientation, information ask for opinions or ask for suggestions.

• The extent that the group attempt answers by giving suggestion, opinion and orientation.

• In order for groups to be effective, whatever their structure or pattern of interrelationships among members, the must undertake the task functions and the maintenance functions.

• The task functions are directed towards problem-solving, the accomplish o the task of the group and the achievement of its goals.

• Maintenance goals are concerned with the emotional life of the group and directed towards building and maintaining the group as an effective unit.

• Tasks and maintenance functions can be performed by either the group leader or by members. ultimately the leader is responsible.

GROUP DYNAMICS AND SENSITIVITY TRAINING.

• Sensitivity training is directed toward members of the group understanding of their own behaviour and perceiving themselves as others see them.

• T-group which is an which provides participants with an opportunity to learn more about themselves, and their impact on others, and how to function more effectively in face-to-face situations.

• T-groups are small leaderless unstructured groups ,there is no fixed agendas or planned activities. The agenda becomes the group’s own behaviour as it attempt to cope with the lack of structure or planned activities.

• Training is intended to concentrate on the process rather on the content.

• Faced with confusion and lack of direction individuals will act in characteristic ways

• Participants are asked to examine their own self concepts and be receptive to the feelings and behaviour of others.

• Feedback among members are encouraged and this creates tension and anxiety and the

• Individual’s self examination leads to ne behaviours, values and attitudes.

• These T- groups are used to improve management development and organisational performance.

THE JOHARI WINDOW A FRAMEWORK FOR LOOKING AT SELF-INSIGHT

Members must establish an atmosphere of openness and trust in other that hidden and blind behaviours are reduced and the public behaviours enhanced.

Groups and teams are important to the effectiveness of organisation, but group decision making have some pitfalls. Social loafing, risky-shift phenomenon and groupthink.