Foundations of

Group Behavior

Defining
Defining and
and Classifying
Classifying Groups
Groups
Group(s)
Two or more individuals interacting and
interdependent, who have come together to
achieve particular objectives

Formal Group

Informal Group

A designated work group

defined by the
organizations structure

A group that is neither formally

structured nor organizationally
determined; appears in
response to the need for social
contact

Defining
Defining and
and Classifying
Classifying Groups
Groups (contd)
(contd)
Command Group

Task Group

A group composed of the

individuals who report
directly to a given
manager

Those working together to

complete a job or task

Interest Group

Friendship Group

Those working together to

attain a specific objective
with which each is
concerned

Those brought together

because they share one
or more common
characteristics

Why
Why People
People Join
Join Groups
Groups
Security
Security
Status
Status
Self-esteem
Self-esteem
Affiliation
Affiliation
Power
Power
Goal
GoalAchievement
Achievement

The
The Five-Stage
Five-Stage Model
Model of
of Group
Group Development
Development
Forming Stage
The first stage in group development, characterized by
much uncertainty

Storming Stage
The second stage in group development, characterized
by intragroup conflict

Norming Stage
The third stage in group
development, characterized
by close relationships and
cohesiveness

Group
Group Development
Development (contd)
(contd)
Performing Stage
The fourth stage in group development, when the group
is fully functional

Adjourning Stage
The final stage in group
development for temporary
groups, characterized by
concern with wrapping up
activities rather than
performance

Stages
Stages of
of Group
Group Development
Development

Group
Group PropertiesRoles
PropertiesRoles
Role(s)
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 individuals view of how he or she is
supposed to act in a given situation

Group
Group PropertiesRoles
PropertiesRoles (contd)
(contd)
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

Group
Group PropertiesNorms
PropertiesNorms
Norms
Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that
are shared by the groups members

Classes
ClassesofofNorms
Norms
Performance
Performancenorms
norms
Appearance
Appearancenorms
norms
Social
Socialarrangement
arrangementnorms
norms
Allocation
Allocationofofresources
resourcesnorms
norms

Group
Group PropertiesNorms
PropertiesNorms (contd)
(contd)
Conformity
Adjusting ones behavior to align with
the norms of the group

Reference Groups
Important groups to which
individuals belong or hope to
belong and with whose norms
individuals are likely to
conform

ASCH
ASCH
STUDY
STUDY

Group
Group PropertiesNorms
PropertiesNorms (contd)
(contd)
Deviant Workplace Behavior
Antisocial actions by organizational members that
intentionally violate established norms and result in
negative consequences for the organization, its
members, or both
Group norms can influence the
presence of deviant behavior.

Group
Group PropertiesStatus
PropertiesStatus
Status: A socially defined position or rank given to groups or
group members by others
Power
Powerover
over
Others
Others
Ability
Abilityto
to
Contribute
Contribute
Personal
Personal
Characteristics
Characteristics

Norms
Normsand
and
Interaction
Interaction
Group
GroupMember
Member
Status
Status
Other things influencing or
influenced by status
Status
StatusInequity
Inequity

National
NationalCulture
Culture

Group
Group PropertiesSize
PropertiesSize
Social Loafing
The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when
working collectively than when working individually

Ex
p

ec

te
d

Performance

ua
t
Ac

to
e
du
(
l

a
lo

g)
n
fi

Group Size

Other
OtherConclusions
Conclusions
Odd
Oddnumber
numbergroups
groupsdo
do
better
betterthan
thaneven.
even.
Groups
Groupsofof55toto77perform
perform
better
betteroverall
overallthan
thanlarger
larger
or
smaller
groups.
or smaller groups.

Group
Group PropertiesCohesiveness
PropertiesCohesiveness
Cohesiveness
Degree to which group members are attracted to each
other and are motivated to stay in the group

Increasing
IncreasingGroup
GroupCohesiveness
Cohesiveness
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.
6.
6.
7.
7.

Make
Makethe
thegroup
groupsmaller.
smaller.
Encourage
Encourageagreement
agreementwith
withgroup
groupgoals.
goals.
Increase
Increasetime
timemembers
membersspend
spendtogether.
together.
Increase
Increasegroup
groupstatus
statusand
andadmission
admission
difficultly.
difficultly.
Stimulate
Stimulatecompetition
competitionwith
withother
othergroups.
groups.
Give
Giverewards
rewardsto
tothe
thegroup,
group,not
notindividuals.
individuals.
Physically
Physicallyisolate
isolatethe
thegroup.
group.

Effects
Effects of
of Cohesiveness
Cohesiveness
Interaction
Threat
Co-operation
Shared Goals
Attitude Value
Size

Consequences
Advantages
Disadvantages

Using
Using teamwork
teamwork to
to build
build aa better
better
workplace
workplace
Working in teams
Most people belong to a number of different teams. Some of these teams will
be formal teams while others will be informal teams:
A formal team is a structured team, created for a specific purpose. It will have
a leader and everybody within the team will have a distinct role. For example, a
football team would be aformal team. There would be a team captain and
everybody in the team will have a position to play when each game starts.
An informal team has no structure and everybody within the team has equal
status. They often come together by chance. An informal team provides an
opportunity for everybody to work together. For example, a group of friends
might arrange a holiday together.
Within all organisations there may be a number of formal and informal teams.
Informal groups are particularly good at providing support for formal groups.
For example, if a number of people at work are friends, this may support the
work of their formal team. Informal groups help as they provide opportunities
for sharing ideas and communicating across departments. For instance, the
operations and finance managers might meet over lunch to discuss progress.
2007 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

 The task to be undertaken . Small groups may better

undertake urgent tasks. This may require their
undivided attention. Teams are particularly good for
dealing with complex and challenging tasks. This is
because teamwork provides an opportunity for
combining the skills and knowledge of each of the
members. One team member may come up with a
more efficient method of tackling a challenge that the
other members had not thought of.
Meredith Belbin's work on team roles is important in
extending understanding of how different roles affect
the output of the team.

2007 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

TEAM
TEAM BEHAVIOR
BEHAVIOR
Within teams the behavior of team members may be influenced by
group norms. These are acceptable behaviours for each member of
the team. These informal rules tend to regulate how everybody
works. For example, a group norm might be for a very dynamic and
positive approach to work. This may encourage team members to
compete to achieve higher levels of output. Individual members of
the team may influence a groups behavior. For example, highly
motivated individuals may push the team to work harder. They may
also help them to achieve higher standards. However, on the other
hand, a team member who produces shoddy work may negatively
affect a teams performance.
The management style will clearly influence how teams work. An
autocratic manager will tend to provide top-down instructions with
little or no consultation. On the other hand, a democratic manager
may delegate authority to individuals. Teams or team members may
also be empowered to make decisions if they feel their manager
values their opinions.

Group
Group Decision
Decision Making
Making
Decision Making

Decision making is the process of choosing

a course of action among alternatives.

It play a vital role in the organization.

Decision
Decision Making
Making Process
Process
Diagonse the Problem
Develop Alternatives
Evaluate Alternatives and select the
best One
Implementing and Monitoring

How
How do
do Groups
Groups Make
Make Decision
Decision
Decision by Lack of Response
Decision by Authority Rule
Decision by Minority
Decision By Majority Rule

Consequences
Consequences of
of Group
Group Decision
Decision
Making
Making
Advantages of
Group Decision
Making

Disadvantage of
Group Decision
Making