Organizational
Behaviour
Module No. 008
Foundations of Group Behavior
By
Muhammad Shahid Iqbal
Group and Importance of Working in
Groups
Group: A group is defined as a collection of individuals who come
together with a common purpose, shared interests, or a specific
objective. They interact and communicate with one another, working
collaboratively to achieve their goals.
Each employee brings unique skills and knowledge and grouping them
allows for sharing and benefiting from each other's experience.
A group setting encourages discussion, leading to more ideas, greater
creativity, better problem-solving. Unlike working alone, collaboration
offers diverse perspectives that reveal effective ways to complete tasks.
Individual projects rely on one employee to get the facts straight
without any mistakes, while group projects offer built-in checks as team
members can spot and correct mistakes early.
A supportive team environment can encourage employees to take more
risks, offering motivation and confidence that may not be present when
working alone.
Sub Classifications of Groups
Sub Classifications of Groups
Informal Group: These groups emerge naturally within a larger
organization or community, driven by personal relationships and
informal interactions among individuals. These types of
interactions among individuals deeply affect their behavior and
performance. For example: 3 employees from different
departments who regularly have lunch or coffee together are an
informal group. Further two types of informal group.
Interest Group: Members work together to attain a specific
objective with which each is concerned. i.e improvement in
working condition, to support a peer who has been fired.
Friendship Group: Those brought together because they share
one or more common characteristics. Similar age, similar views.
Support for regional cricket teams during PSL matches.
Support groups: Affinity groups
Social Identity Theory
Why do people develop a social identity?
Stages of Group Development
This model characterizes groups as proceeding through the five
distinct stages.
Forming: is characterized by a great deal of uncertainty about
the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership. The major goals
of the group have not been established. Thus, forming is an
orientation period when members get to know one another and
share expectations about the group. Members learn the purpose
of the group as well as the rules to be followed.
Storming: In this stage, conflicts and disagreements arise as
members express their different ideas, opinions, and
perspectives. Members often challenge group goals and struggle
for power. Individuals often vie for the leadership position
during this stage of development. There’s conflict over who will
control the group and what the group needs to be doing. During
this stage, a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership and
agreement on the group’s direction emerge
Stages of Group Development
Norming: at this stage is the group starts to resolve conflicts and
establish common norms, values, and expectations. Group
members will begin to develop a feeling of trust, cohesiveness
and identity. Cooperative effort should begin to yield results.
Responsibilities are divided among members and the group
decides how it will evaluate progress.
Performing: At the performing stage, the group is highly
functional and productive. Members work together effectively,
utilizing their diverse skills and experiences to achieve their
objectives. Decision-making processes become streamlined,
communication flows smoothly, and the group achieves its goals.
Adjourning: the group prepares to disband. The group focuses
its attention on wrapping up activities. At tis stage it is important
for group members to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts and
achievements of the group, as well as the individual contributions
of each member.
Stages of Group Development
Prestage 1 Stage I Stage II
Forming Storming
Stage III Stage IV Stage V
Norming Performing Adjourning
Group Properties
Group Properties
Group Properties
Group Properties
Group Decision Making
Decision-making groups may be widely used in organizations, but are
group decisions preferable to individual alone?
diversity of different perspectives and ideas that are brought to the
table. When individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and
knowledge come together, they can provide a wider range of solutions
and insights, this lead to more creative and innovative decisions.
Increased acceptance of solutions: When individuals feel included
and have had a chance to voice their opinions and contribute to the
decision-making process, they are more likely to support and be
committed to the final decision.
group decision making can foster a sense of ownership and cohesion
within the group. By involving each member in the decision-making
process, it creates a shared responsibility and a sense of teamwork.
This can strengthen the bonds between group members and enhance
collaboration in future endeavors.
Group Decision Making
Weaknesses of group decision making:
Time consuming: Group decision making can take longer than
individual since it involves discussions, debates, and consensus
building, which can be time-consuming and result in delays.
Conformity pressures: Peer pressure or social dynamics within a
group can influence decision making. Individuals may feel
pressured to conform to the majority opinion or hesitate to voice
their concerns or objections, leading to compromised decisions
Dominance of a few members: some individuals may be more
dominant or influential, resulting in their ideas or opinions
overshadowing others. This can lead to certain perspectives being
overlooked or not given enough consideration.
Lack of accountability: In a group, responsibility for decision
outcomes may be diffused, making it difficult to hold specific
individuals accountable if things go wrong.
Group Decision Making
Group Decision-Making Techniques:
interacting groups: Members meet face to face and rely on both
verbal and nonverbal interaction to communicate. It involves open
discussion, active listening, and finding common ground.
Brainstorming: This technique encourages group members to
generate ideas without judgment or evaluation. The goal is to
produce a large quantity of ideas.
Nominal group technique: each member of the group
independently generates ideas or solutions, which are then pooled
together and discussed. This technique ensures equal participation
from all members while minimizing dominant personalities.
Devil's Advocacy: This technique involves assigning one or more
individuals to take on the role of the critic. They question and
challenge the decision under consideration, allowing the group to
critically examine their assumptions and potential flaws.
Electronic meeting: Interaction of members on computers, allowing
for anonymity of comments and aggregation of votes.
Differences B/w Groups and Teams
Purpose and Goals:
Group: A group may come together for various reasons, such as
sharing information, making decisions, or socializing. The
members may not have a common goal or a shared purpose.
Team: A team is a group of individuals who work together towards
a common goal. Team members have a shared purpose and are
collectively responsible for achieving specific objectives.
Individual vs. Collective Accountability:
Group: In a group, individuals are typically accountable for their
own tasks, and there may not be a strong sense of collective
responsibility.
Team: Team members share a collective responsibility for the
team's success or failure. The success of the team is dependent
on the contributions of each member.
Differences B/w Groups and Teams
Interdependence:
Group: Members of a group may work independently, and their
tasks may not be directly related to the tasks of other group
members.
Team: Team members are interdependent, meaning that the work of
one member affects and is affected by the work of others. There
is a high level of collaboration and coordination.
Roles and Relationships:
Group: Individual roles in a group may not be clearly defined, and
there may be less emphasis on specialized roles.
Team: Teams often have specific roles and responsibilities for each
member. Roles are often complementary and designed to
maximize each member's strengths.
Differences B/w Groups and Teams
Communication:
Group: Communication in a group may be less structured and may
not always be focused on achieving specific goals.
Team: Communication in a team is typically more structured and
goal-oriented. There is a need for effective communication to
ensure coordination and collaboration.
Leadership:
Group: Leadership in a group may be informal and may not be
clearly defined. There may not be a designated leader.
Team: Teams often have a designated leader or a coach who
provides guidance, direction, and facilitates collaboration among
team members.
Differences B/w Groups and Teams
Synergy:
Synergy refers to the combined efforts of a group or team that
result in a greater outcome than the sum of individual efforts. It
implies that the collective impact of working together is more
powerful than what each individual could achieve alone.
The synergy in groups is neutral sometimes negative where work
teams have a positive synergy because team members
complement each other's strengths and compensate for
weaknesses, leading to enhanced productivity and better results.