Group behavior

1. Group behavior José Onofre Montesa Andrés Universidad Politécnica de Valencia Escuela Superior de Informática Aplicada 2003-2004

2. Groups • When individuals are in groups, they act differently than do when they are alone. • football, • Parties • … GpiIC-2A Group behavior

3. Introduction • As we know, people needs social interaction, that can be satisfied in the group context. • Group performance: • 2+2 = 3 • 2+2 = 5 • …, it depends on the group. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

4. Group Definition • Two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives. • People with interpersonal relations as friendship, affection, belongingness or that have similar points of view. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

5. Classifying Groups • Formal groups. • Those defined by the organization’s structure, with designated work assignments establishing tasks. • Informal groups. • Are alliances that are neither formally structured nor organizationally determined. • Appears in response to the need for social contact. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

6. Formal groups classification • Command group • Subordinates who report directly to a given manager. • Task group • Those working together to complete a job task. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

7. Informal groups classification • Interest group • Thos 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 GpiIC-2A Group behavior

8. Why do people join groups? • Security. • Status. • Self-Esteem. • Affiliation. • Power. • Goal Achievement. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

9. Stages of group development • Five stage model. • The classical: Forming, storming, Norming, performing y adjourning. • The punctuated-equilibrium model. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

10. Five stage model. • The classical one: • Forming: uncertainty, testing the waters. • Storming: Intragroup conflict, resist the constraints. • Norming: relationship and cohesiveness. • Performing: fully functional. • Adjournment: wrapping up activities. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

11. Forming • Characteristics: • caution, observation • Diffused group objectives • Low performance, • ¿which is mi role? ¿who are the others? • Actions: • Animate to participate • Clarify project objectives, the time table, the roles,.. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

12. Forming (subgroups) • Characteristics: • Affinity subgroups, comfort. • Objectives clarification • Assigning tasks to subgroups • Performance improvement • Blockage /Group thinking • Actions: • Integrate - disaggregate subgroups GpiIC-2A Group behavior

13. Storming • Characteristics: • Conflicts generalization • identification of key points • Cohesion improvement • productivity improvement • Subgroups structure change • Auto-admiration • Actions: conflicts resolution • Constructive confrontation, problem resolution • Identify supra-ordinary objectives • Every body is needed to achieve the objectives. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

14. Norming • Characteristics: • Formal rules establishment • Evaluation of members because they differences • Good personal relations • Danger if excess or relations and structure • Actions: • Redirect the group toward the objective, remind to people their function • facilitator, advance assessment in accordance with the plan • Know and celebrate the success GpiIC-2A Group behavior

15. Performing • Characteristics: • Clarity in the objectives y information share • Individual freedom • Listen to the others, efficacy y performance • collaboration • Interpersonal support • If conflicts they are in tasks • Consensus in the decisions • Actions: • Do nothing, help if needed,... GpiIC-2A Group behavior

16. The punctuated-equilibrium model. • Phase 1 (50% assigned time) • Transition • Phase 2 (high performance) • Completion High Transition completion performance First meeting Low Phase 1 Phase 2 B A (A+B)/2 GpiIC-2A Group behavior

17. Sociometry • An analytical technique for studying group interactions • Seeks to find out who people like or dislike and whom they would or would not wish to work with. • Who would you like to associate within the process of carrying out your job? • Name several members with who you would like to spend some of your free time... GpiIC-2A Group behavior

18. Sociometry • Social networks: Specific set of linkages among a defined set of individuals. • Clusters: Groups that exist within social networks. • Prescribed clusters: Formal groups like departments, work teams, task forces, or committees. • Emergent clusters: informal, unofficial groups • Coalitions: temporary union with specific purpose. • Cliques: Relatively permanent informal Groups that involve friendship. • Stars: Individuals with the most linkages in a network. • liaisons: Individuals in a social network who connect to two or more clusters but are not members of any cluster. • Bridges: Individuals in a social network who serve as linking pins by belonging to two or more clusters. • Isolates: Individuals who are not connected to a social network GpiIC-2A Group behavior

19. Why are some group effort more successful than others? Group task Group member resources external Conditionsimposed on the group Performance and satisfaction Group process Group structure GpiIC-2A Group behavior

20. External Conditions imposed on the group • Organization Strategy. • Authority Structures • Formal Regulations • Organizational Resources • Human Resource Selection Process • Performance Evaluation and Reward System • Organizational Culture • Physical work setting GpiIC-2A Group behavior

21. Group member resources • Abilities • Individuals who hold crucial abilities for attaining the group’s task tend to be • more involved in group activity, generally contribute more , • more likely to emerge as group leaders, • more satisfied if their talents are effectively utilized by the group. • Personality Characteristics. • Sociability, self-reliance and independence. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

22. Group structure • Formal Leadership. • Roles • Norms • Status • Size • Composition GpiIC-2A Group behavior

23. Roles • “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” Shakespeare • All group members are actors, each playing a role. • Definition: • By this term, we mean a set of expected behavior patterns attributed to someone occupying a given position in a social unit. • We are required to play a a number of diverse roles, both on and off our jobs. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

24. Role: identity • Certain attitudes and behaviors consistent with a role. • People have the ability to shift roles rapidly when they recognize that the situation and it’s demands clearly requires a major change. • For instance: Union... GpiIC-2A Group behavior

25. Role Perception • An individual’s view of how he or she is supposed to act in a given situation • Where do we these perceptions? • Stimuli all around us: • Friends, films, bocks, news,… • Watch an expert. • (“pasante de abogado” in Spain”) GpiIC-2A Group behavior

26. Role Expectations • How others believe a person should act in a given situation. • Example: politicos, priest, polices,… • When we put a role in a person, we do a psychological contract. • An unwritten agreement that sets out what management expects from the employee, an vice versa. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

27. Role conflict • A situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent role expectations • Different roles expectations can be mutually contradictory • Resolution: • Conciliate, bureaucratic, withdrawal, negotiation, stalling, redefining the facts or the situations to make them appear congruent. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

28. Norms • Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group’s members. • Influences the behavior of members with a minimum of control. • Can be formal or informal. • Can you fly a paper airplane? … GpiIC-2A Group behavior

29. Common classes of norms • Performance related processes. • How hard people should work, how to get the job done. • Appropriate communication channels. • Appearance norms • Dress, loyalty, look busy,… • Informal social arrangements • Informal group norms, friendships on job... • Allocation resources • allocation of new tools and equipment, ... GpiIC-2A Group behavior

30. The “How” and “Why” of norms • Norms develop gradually as group members learn what behaviors are necessary for the group to function effectively. • Develop in the following ways: • Explicit statements made by a member • Critical events in the group history. • Primacy (The first behavior pattern) • Carry-over behaviors from past situations GpiIC-2A Group behavior

31. What makes a norm important? • If it facilitates the group’s survival. • If it increases the predictability of group members’ behavior. • If it reduces embarrassing interpersonal problems for group members. • If it allows members to express the central value of the group and clarify what is distinctive about the group’s identity GpiIC-2A Group behavior

32. Conformity • Si deseas ser aceptado ... • Adjusting one’s behavior to align with the norms of the group. • Reference groups, important groups which individuals belong or hope to belong and with whom’s norms individuals are likely to conform. • Example of cards... ;Politician groups GpiIC-2A Group behavior

33. Status. • A socially defined position or rank given to groups or group member by others. • Important factor in motivation • Formal and informal status • titles, amenities • Status and norms. • High-status, more freedom . • Status equity. • You can feel better if promotions are for people with higher level… GpiIC-2A Group behavior

34. Size • Depends on what dependent variables you look at. • Problem solving -> Big (12) • Gaining diverse input. • Completing tasks -> Smaller (7) • Faster • Best: Odd number and from 5 to 7 m. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

35. Big groups and social loafing. • The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

36. Composition • skills and knowledge < > • Group demography • Degree to which members of a group share a common demographic attribute, such as age, sex, race, educational level, or length of service in the organization • < > better but difficult • Turnover greater if <> GpiIC-2A Group behavior

37. cohesiveness • Degree to which group members are attracted to each other and are motivated to stay in the group. • Determinants • Time spent together • Size (small) • Experience external threats • Cohesiveness is important because is correlated with group productivity GpiIC-2A Group behavior

38. Relationship: cohesiveness, performance norms and productivity Cohesiveness Performance norms GpiIC-2A Group behavior

39. To encourage group cohesiveness... • Make the group smaller • Agreement with group goals • Increase time spend together • Increase status and difficulty to enter. • Stimulate competition with other groups • Rewards to the group • Isolate the group GpiIC-2A Group behavior

40. Group Process Potential Group Effectiveness Process Losses Actual Group Effectiveness Process Gains = + - • Synergy • Action of two or more substances that results in an effect that is different from the individual summation of the substances. • Social facilitation effect • Tendency for performance to improve or decline in response to the presence of others. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

41. Group tasks. • Complex tasks: discussion benefits • Novel or non routine • High uncertainty • Information processing • Interdependency • Big groups • Simple tasks: • Routine tasks • Small groups GpiIC-2A Group behavior

42. Group decision Making • Groups vs. the individual. • Strengths of group decision making • Weaknesses of group decision making • Effectiveness and efficiency • Groupthink and group shift • Group decision-making techniques. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

43. Strengths of group decision making • More complete information and knowledge • Increased diversity of views • Increased acceptance of a solution. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

44. Weaknesses of group decision making • Time consuming. • Conformity pressures • Dominated by one ore a few members • Ambiguous responsibility GpiIC-2A Group behavior

45. Effectiveness and efficiency • Effective depends on criteria: • accuracy (Groups). • speed (Individuals) • Creativity (Groups) • Acceptance (Groups) • Efficiency: • Individuals GpiIC-2A Group behavior

46. Groupthink and group shift • Groupthink • 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. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

47. Interacting groups Brainstorming Nominal group technique Electronic meeting Comparison Group decision-making techniques. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

48. Interaction • Typical groups, where members interact with each other face to face • groupthink GpiIC-2A Group behavior

49. Brainstorming • An idea generator process that specifically encourages any and all alternatives, while withholding any criticism of those alternatives. • Creativity. GpiIC-2A Group behavior

50. Nominal group technique • Members meet but before discussion each member independently write ideas (individual) • Each member presents one idea, until all ideas are presented. (all) • Discusses for clarity and evaluate ideas. • Each member rank-order ideas (individual) • The highest agregate ranking determines the final decision GpiIC-2A Group behavior