Chapter 9 Foundations of Group Behavior Defining and classifying groups There are four types of groups Command group individuals in the same chain of command all the employees who report to the same boss Project group a group working together to accomplish a task Interest group groups who gather to pursue a common hobby or cause Friendship group groups who enjoy each other s company People join groups for Security Status Self Esteem Affiliation Power Goal Achievement At the Individual level groups help employees Learn about the organization and one s self Gain new skills Obtain rewards not available to individuals Fulfill important social needs At the Organizational level groups Provide strength in numbers of ideas and skills Improve decision making and control Facilitate change as well as organizational stability There are two basic attributes that defines a group 1 Members of a group interact with one another 2 Members of a group perceive that they can accomplish certain goals by belonging to the group Groups 2 or more individuals interacting and interdependent who have come together to achieve particular objectives Formal groups a designated work group defined by the organization s structure Informal group a group that is neither formally structured nor organizationally determined appears in response to the need for social contact Command group a group composed of the individuals who report directly to a given manager Task group those working together to complete a job task Interest group those working together to attain a specific objective with which each is concerned Friendship group those brought together because they share one or more common characteristics Stages of group development 5 stage model THE FIV E STA GES OF GROUP DEV ELOPMENT Stage 2 Storming Members come to resist control by group leaders and show hostility Stage 3 N orming Members work together developing closer relationships and feelings of camaraderie Stage 1 Forming Members get to know each other and seek to establish ground rules Stage 5 A djourning Groups may disband either after meeting goals or because members leave Stage 4 Performing Group members work toward getting their jobs done An alternative model for temporary groups with deadlines Punctuated equilibrium model transitions temporary groups go through between inertia and activity Group Properties Roles norms status size and cohesiveness Roles Role 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 conflict a situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent role expectations Norms Norms acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group s members Reference groups important groups to which individuals belong or hope to belong and with whose norms individuals are likely to conform Conformity adjusting one s behavior to align with the norms of the group Deviant work behavior voluntary behavior that violates significant organizational norms and in doing so threatens the well being of the organization or its members Status Status a socially defined position or make given to groups or group members by others Status characteristics theory the theory stating that difference sin status characteristics create status hierarchies within groups Size Social loafing the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually Cohesiveness Cohesiveness degree to which group members are attracted to each other and are motivated to stay in the group to encourage group cohesiveness o make group smaller o encourage agreement with group goals o increase the time members spend together o increase the status of the group and the perceived difficulty of attaining membership in the group o stimulate competition with other groups o give rewards to group rather than individual members o physically isolate the group Group Decision Making MA NA GEMENT S ROLE IN MA NA GING GROUPS Group formation Providing goals and direction Provide resources and infrastructure Set boundaries Provide feedback GROUPS V S IN DIV IDUA LS A dvantages of groups More info and knowledge Diversity of views More acceptance More legitimacy A ccuracy Creativity Disadvantages Slow Inefficient Pressure to conform Domination by few A mbiguous responsibility Risky shift Groupthink Groups vs the Individual Groupthink and group shift Group think phenomenon in which the norm for consensus overrides the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action Group shift a change in decision risk between the group s decision and the individual decision that members within the group would make can be either toward conservatism or greater risk What can we expect from highly cohesive groups o Improved communication o Increased participation o Lower turnover o High level of conformity to group o Goal accomplishment Are highly cohesive groups always positive No o they tend to socialize o there is generally a high level of conformity Groupthink can occur o They also tend to think that they are outside of the organization GROUPTHINK COHESION GONE BA D Norms for consensus override the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action A ssumptions are rationalized and evidence ignored Pressure is applied to those who disagree Those with different views keep quiet There is an illusion of unanimity Groups with strong leaders that are isolated face a common outside threat and are very cohesive are most susceptible Group decision making techniques Interacting groups typical groups in which members interact with each other face to face Brainstorming an idea generation process that specifically encourages any and all alternatives while withholding any criticism of those alternatives Nominal group technique a group decision making method in which individuals meet face to face to pool their judgments in a systematic but independent fashion CREA TING HIGH PERFORMA NCE TEA MS Size Smaller is better A bilities Good mix of technical problem solving decision making and interpersonal skills Common Purpose Super ordinate goals Specific Goals
View Full Document
Unlocking...