Group dynamics

GROUP DYNAMICS
By Anubha Maurya Walia
Trainer and Consultant
PRISM Trainings and Consultancy

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gd 3CR brinda 7/13/2012

Why are Groups Dynamic
• Powerful rather than weak
• Active rather than passive
• Fluid rather than static
• Catalytic on account of interdependent social
interaction
Kurt Lewin used the term ‘group dynamics’ to
stress on the powerful impact of these complex
processes on the group members

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GROUP DYNAMICS

• Scientific study of groups in terms of
their
▫ Actions
▫ Processes
▫ Changes that occur at a social level

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NATURE OF GROUP DYNAMICS
• REAL- 2 Levels of analysis ( individual & group)
• PROCESSES are also REAL
• MORE THAN A SUM OF THEIR PARTS
• LIVING SYSTEMS
• INFLUENTIAL
• SHAPE SOCIETY

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WHAT IS A GROUP
• THERE IS A MOTIVATION FOR MEMBERS TO JOIN
• PERCEIVE THE GROUP AS A UNIFIED UNIT OF
INTERACTING PEOPLE
• CONTRIBUTE IN VARYING AMOUNTS TO THE
GROUP PROCESSES
• REACH AGREEMENTS AND HAVE DISAGREEMENTS
THROUGH VARIOUS FORMS OF INTERACTION
• EACH INFLUENCES OR IS INFLUENCED BY EACH
OTHER
• SIZE???

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DEFINITION OF GROUP

• TWO OR MORE INDIVIDUALS
, INTERACTING AND
INTERDEPENDENT, WHO HAVE COME
TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE A PARTICULAR
GOAL/OBJECTIVE.

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TYPES OF GROUPS
• PRIMARY GROUP
• INFORMAL GROUPS- ESTABLISHED BY MEMBERS
• FORMAL GROUPS- FORMED BY ORGANISATION &
INCLUDED IN ORGANISATION CHART: EMERGENT &
PLANNED GROUPS
• COMMAND GROUPS
• TASK GROUPS
• INTEREST GROUPS
• FRIENDSHIP GROUPS

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FORMAL WORK GROUPS-OTHER THAN ORG CHART
• COMMITTEES
• GROUP THINK
• CROSS FUNCTIONAL GROUPS

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DESCRIBING GROUPS based on :

• INTERACTION ( Task or Relationship)
• INTERDEPENDENCE (
sequential, reciprocal or mutual)
• STRUCTURE ( Roles or Norms)
• GOALS
• COHESIVENESS

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Basic Types of Groups & its Characteristics
PRIMARY Small, Families, close friends,
GROUP Long Term, peer groups, gangs
Face to face interaction,
High levels of cohesiveness
and solidarity
Member identification
SECONDARY Larger Congregations,
GROUP Less intimate Work groups, unions ,
More goal focused professional
associations

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BASIC TYPES OF GROUPS & ITS CHARACTERISTICS

PLANNED Deliberately formed by members or by
specific authority
For a specific purpose

CONCOCTED Planned by individuals or authority Production lines,Military units
outside the group
Task force,Sports team

FOUNDED Planned by one or more individuals who Study groups small
remain within the group businesses, Expeditions
Clubs, associations

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BASIC TYPES OF GROUPS & ITS CHARACTERISTICS gd 3CR brinda 7/13/2012

EMERGENT Form spontaneously on account of
continuous interaction over time & settings

CIRCUMSTANTIAL Emergent Queues. Audience,
Unplanned that arise when external, bystanders
situational forces set the stage for people to
join together
Often only temporary
SELF ORGANISING Emerge when interacting individuals Study Groups,
gradually align their activities in a cooperative friendship cliques,
system of interdependence patrons in a bar

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BASIC TYPES OF GROUPS & ITS CHARACTERISTICS gd 3CR brinda 7/13/2012

Intimacy Small groups of moderate duration & permeability Families, street
Groups Substantial levels of interaction among members who value gangs
membership in the group

Task Groups Work groups in employment settings Teams , RWA
Goal focused groups in non employment settings

Work Aggregation of individuals that form spontaneously Crowds, audiences,
associations Last only for a brief period bystanders
Have permeable boundaries
Social Aggregation of individuals who are similar to one another in terms of Physicians,
gender, ethnicity, religion or nationality Mumbaikars
Categories

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WHAT IS A TEAM
• THERE IS A SELECTION OF MEMBERS
• PERCEIVE THE TEAM AS A UNIFIED UNIT OF
INTERDEPENDENT PEOPLE
• CONTRIBUTE AS PER DEFINED ROLES TO THE
TEAM PERFORMANCE
• POSTPONE DISAGREEMENTS IN THE NAME OF
TEAMSPIRIT

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DEFINITION OF TEAM

• TWO OR MORE INDIVIDUALS
INTERDEPENDENT WHO HAVE BEEN
SELECTED TO ACHIEVE A
PARTICULAR TASK/TARGET

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WHAT IS A TEAM
• SPECIAL KIND OF GROUP-PROBLEM
SOLVING, SPORTS OR EVENT
MANAGEMENT, R& D OR SELF
MANAGED
• EFFECTIVENESS OF TEAM DEPENDS
ON:
1. TRAINING
2. WILLINGNESS TO SHARE INFORMATION
3. AUTHORITY GIVEN
4. REWARD ALLOCATION

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TYPES OF TEAMS AND THEIR DIFFERENCES

TYPE DIFFERENTIA INTEGRATI WORK CYCLE TYPICAL OUTPUTS
TION ON

ADVICE/ LOW LOW VARIABLE: either brief or long Decisions, Selections,
INVOLVEMENT Suggestions,
Recommendations
PRODUCTION/ LOW HIGH REPEATED OR CONTINUOS Manufacturing,
SERVICE PROCESS Processing, retail sales,
customer services, repairs
PROJECT/ HIGH LOW VARIABLE: often one time cycle Plans, designs,
DEVELOPMENT is team’s life span investigations, reports,

ACTION/ HIGH HIGH BRIEF PERF EVENTS, often Competitions,
NEGOTIATION repeated under new conditions matches,expeditions,conc
erns, missions, surgical
operations

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GROUP VERSUS TEAM
• MEMBER TOLD WHAT TO DO • MEMBERS CONTRIBUTE TO ORG
SUCCESS WITH THEIR TALENTS/
RATHER THAN ASKED WHAT KNOWLEDGE/ TEAM
THE BEST APPROACH OBJECTIVES.
WOULD BE. • MEMBERS WORK IN A CLIMATE
OF TRUST, ENCOURAGED TO
• MEMBERS DISTRUST EXPRESS IDEAS, OPINIONS,
MOTIVES OF COLLEAGUES DISAGREEMENTS,FEELINGS
• MEMBERS PRACTISE OPEN &
AS THEY SO NOT HONEST
UNDERSTAND ROLE OF COMMUNICATION.MAKE AN
OTHER MEMBERS. EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND EACH
OTHER’S VIEWPOINT.
EXPRESSING
OPINIONS/DISAGREEMENTS
ARE CONSIDERED DIVISIVE
OR UNSUPPORTIVE.
• MEMBERS CAUTIOUS.

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GROUP VERSUS TEAM
• MEMBERS MAY RECEIVE • MEMBERS ENCOURAGED TO
GOOD TRAINING BUT ARE DEVELOP SKILLS AND APPLY IT
LIMITED IN APPLYING IT TO ON THE JOB.ALSO RECEIVE
THE JOB BY SUPERVISOR OR SUPPORT FROM TEAM.
OTHER GROUP MEMBERS. MEMBERS RECOGNISE
• MEMBERS FIND THEMSELVES CONFLICT AS PART OF
NORMAL INTERACTION &
IN CONFLICT SITUATIONS
VIEW SUCH SITUATIONS AS AN
THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW
HOW TO RESOLVE. IDEAS & CREATIVITY.WORK TO
SUPERVISOR MAY PUT OFF RESOLVE CONFLICT QUICKLY
INTERVENTION UNTIL AND CONSTRUCTIVELY.
SERIOUS DAMAGE IS DONE.

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GROUP VERSUS TEAM
• MEMBERS MAY OR MAY • MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN
NOT PARTICIPATE IN DECISIONS AFFECTING
DECISIONS AFFECTING THE TEAM BUT UNDERSTAND
TEAM. CONFORMITY LEADERSHIP’S
OFTEN APPEARS MORE PREROGATIVE TO GIVE
IMPORTANT THAN RULING. POSITIVE
POSITIVE RESULTS. RESULTS ,NOT
CONFORMITY ARE THE
GOAL.

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WHY GROUPS GET FORMED
• Biological predisposition to join together with other
members of our species. William McDougall, in his An
Introduction to Social Psychology, 1908, argued that a
"herd instinct" drives us to join others.
• Socio-biology or evolutionary psychology is the modern
instinct view of groups. It stresses the extraordinary
advantages of sociality over isolation.
• Psychological Needs and Sociality- Freud states that being
a member of a group satisfies basic psychological needs
and desires. These could be Self Serving Needs and Group
Serving Needs

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• Group formation in organizations has been analyzed on the
basis of need theories, which are classified as:
• Internal sources of need satisfaction- interpersonal
attraction, group activities, group goals, social
identification, and social affiliation. External sources of need
satisfaction- pursuit of goals outside the group- could even be
counter-productive to the team as well.
• Abraham Maslow's (1962) famous hierarchy of needs includes
ones that are relevant to social living- sense of belongingness
and self-esteem emanate from this. Level 3& 4 needs emerge
from the socialisation perspective

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• SOCIAL NEEDS- Maslow (level 3& 4),Herzberg’s
hygiene; Alderfer’s relationship needs, McClennand’s
nAff & nPow
• SOCIAL PROVISIONS –psychological intimacy and
integrated involvement ( Shaver & Buhreister )
• IPA-SYMLOG (Bales) focusing on socio emotional and
task issue/ by individuals and groups influence in terms
of submission/dominance, positive/negative and
forward/backward linkages
• LAIG (Parsons & Shills)-theory of sequence of actions;
latent pattern maintenance, adaptation, integration and
goal attainment

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• The Instinct of Gregariousness Aristotle's famous quote
suggests that we are, by our vary nature, herd animals:
driven by an unrecognised, pervasive, Alderfer’s ERG –
relationship need emerges from the socialisation process
in groups
• Henry Murray's (1938) manifest needs
approach, classifying needs as physiological and
psychological and focusing on intensity and direction of
these needs.
• Moorehead Griffin identifies security, status, self-
esteem, affiliation, power and goal achievement as reasons
why people join groups.

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STAGES OF GROUP FORMATION
• FORMING-uncertainty, confusion, not sure about
purpose, structure, task & leadership- PROCESS OF
GROUP DEVELOPMENT
• STORMING-characterised by conflict, confrontation
INTRA GROUP
• NORMING- settle for cooperation with high
cohesion, group identity & camaraderie CLOSE
RELATIONSHIP & COHESIVENESS
• PERFORMING-accomplishment of task FUNCTIONAL
PROCESS
• ADJOURNING WRAPPING UP

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Stages of Group Formation

Group Structure - Size
Performance

Other conclusions:
• Odd number groups do
better than even.
Group Size • Groups of 7 or 9 perform
better overall than larger
or smaller groups.

TYPES OF NORMS
• PRESCRIPTIVE define socially appropriate way to respond
in a situation- normal course of action; Positively
sanctioned behavior
• PROSCRIPTIVE identifies types of action that should be
avoided if possible; Negatively sanctioned behavior
• DESCRIPTIVE define what most people would do, feel, or
think in a particular situation; Consensual standard
• INJUNCTVE sort of behavior people ought to perform ;
evaluative Consensual standard
• SOCIAL NORMS & GROUP NORMS
• INFORMAL ; IMPLICIT
• SELF GENERATING; STABLE

Group Structure - Norms (cont’d)

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
Group Cohesiveness, Performance Norms, and
Productivity

GROUP SOCIALISATION
C
O
M ACCEPTANCE
M DIVERGENCE

I
T
M
ENTRY EXIT
E
N
T Investigation Socialization Maintenance Resocialization Remembrance

Group dynamics

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