Concept of group and group dynamics

1. GROUP
DYNAMICS
समूह गतिकीय
DR. MADHU SINGH
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
St. Xavier’s College of Education,
Patna

2. Group dynamics (समूह गतिकीय)
refers to a system of behaviors
and psychological processes
occurring within a social group
(intragroup dynamics) or between
social groups (intergroup
dynamics).

3. CONCEPT OF GROUP
DYNAMICS
 It was founded by Kurt Lewin to study group
decision ( समूह निर्णय ), group productivity (समूह
उत्पादकता), group interaction ( समूह अंतःनिया ) ,
group cohesiveness ( समूह संयोगनिलता ) and group
communication (समूह संप्रेषर् ).

4. CONCEPT OF GROUP
DYNAMICS
 Group dynamics contains two terms: group and
dynamics.
 Group is basically a collectivity of two or more
persons. Dynamics comes from Greek word
meaning FORCE.
 Thus, “Group dynamics is concerned with the
interactions of forces among group members in a
social situation.”

5. What is Group???
Two or more people
Shared goals
People see themselves
As members
There is interaction
Among members
Group

6. What is
Group???

7. Definition of Group

8. Why do people Join group ???
The people often join groups since the groups give the
members a stability and enhances their achievement capacity.
The main reasons to join a group are:
 Have a sense of security
 Have a status
 Develop Self-esteem
 Power
 Goal achievement

9. Group structure समूह सरंचना
Four different aspects of group structure
are:
 Norms मानदण्ड
 Roles भूमिका
 Status हैमियत
 Cohesiveness िंयोगमिलता

10. Group norms समूह मानदण्ड
Set of beliefs (विश्िास), (feelings) भािनाओं, and attitudes
(अभभिृति) commonly shared by group members. These are
also referred to as rules or standards of behaviour that
apply to group members. Norms serve three functions
namely
Predictive- basis for understanding
the behaviour of others
Relational- some norms
define relationships
Control- regulate the
behaviour of others

11. Role
various parts played by group members.
There are two elements that define this role identity-
 Role Perception भूमिका अनुभूमत -An individual is
expected to behave according to his own perception in
the group.
 Role Expectation भूमिका उम्िीद -It is defined as how
others believe one should behave in a given situation.

12. Status हैमियत
Status is “ a socially defined position or rank given to groups or
group members by others.” Group members get high status or low
status in the Group based on their authority (अनिकार) and performance.
 High status members of the group have more freedom to deviate
from the norms.
 This facility enables them to have the discriminatory powers in
decision making.
 Low status members of the group should not have freedom to deviate
from the norms as it leads to status inequality.

13. Group Cohesiveness
COHESION
SOCIAL TASK
the bonds of interpersonal
attraction that link
group members
the way in which skills and
abilities of the group
members mesh to allow
optimal performance

14. Results
Who won, and why?
Did your group act like this… … Or like this?
Groups with High Cohesiveness Get Better Results!

15. Importance of High
Cohesiveness
 High Cohesiveness
- Unity
- Interactive
- Positive Feelings
- Ability to Cope with
Problems
- More Productive
Low
Cohesiveness
- Negative Feelings
- More Problems
- Less Productive

16. GROUPS ARE LIVING SYSTEMS
A holistic perspective on groups prompted
researchers
 to examine how a group, as a unit, changes
over time.
 Some groups are so stable that their basic
processes and structures remain unchanged
for days, weeks, or even years, but such
groups are rare.
 Bruce W. Tuckman’s theory of group
development, for example, assumes that most
groups move through the five stage .

17. STAGES OF GROUP FORMATION
Members
get to know
each other &
set ground
rules
Members
come to
Resist
Control by
group
Leaders &
Show
hostility
Members
Work
Together
developing
Close
Relationships
& feelings of
Cohesiveness
Group
members
work
towards
Getting
their jobs
done
Group
may
disband
either
after
meeting
their goals
or because
members
Leave
Stage I
Forming
गठन
Stage II
Storming
विप्लि
Stage III
Norming
सामान्यिा
Stage IV
Performing
तनष्पादन
Stage V
Adjourning
स्थगगि

18.  In the forming stage, the group members become
oriented toward one another.
 In the storming stage, conflicts surface in the
group as members vie for status and the group
sets its goals.
 These conflicts subside when the group becomes
more structured and standards emerge in the
norming stage.
• In the performing stage, the group moves beyond
disagreement and organizational matters to
concentrate on the work to be done.
• The group continues to function at this level until it
reaches the adjourning stage, when it disbands.

19. GROUPS ARE MORE THAN THE SUM OF THEIR
PARTS
Allport initially believed that group behavior
was completely predictable by considering
the characteristics and qualities of the individual
members.
But Kurt Lewin’s (1951) field theory of group
dynamics assumed that groups are more than the
sum of their parts.

20. Field theory is premised on the principle of
interactionism, which assumes that the
behavior of people in groups is determined by
the interaction of the person and the
environment.
The formula
B = ƒ(P,E) summarizes this assumption.

21. GROUPS ARE MORE THAN THE SUM OF
THEIR PARTS(contd..)
In a group context, this formula implies that the
behavior (B) of group members is a function
( ƒ) of the interaction of their personal
characteristics (P ) with environmental
factors (E), which include features of the
group, the group members, and the situation.
Lewin applied the Gestalt dictum, “The whole
is greater than the sum of the parts,”.

23. Types of group
Group
Formal Informal
Task
Command Interest
Friendship
Group
formal informal
command interest
task friendship

25. GROUPS ARE INFLUENTIAL
Researchers who study groups are convinced
that if one wishes to understand individuals,
one must understand groups.
Human behavior is, more often than not, group
behavior, so people cannot be understood
when studied apart from their groups.
Groups have a profound Impact on individuals;
they shape actions, thoughts, and feelings.

26.  Children willingly amend their actions and
preferences to match the norms of their play
groups.
 Even very young children imitate the way
their playmates dress, talk, and act
 Children who do not like broccoli will eat it if
they are having lunch with a group of
broccoli-loving children.
 Twins who have the same friends are more
similar to one another in terms of personality
and academic achievement than twins who
are treated similarly by their parents

27. GROUPS SHAPE SOCIETY
At the same time psychologists began
studying how individuals react in group
settings.
sociologists began studying the role that
groups played in maintaining religious,
political, economic, and educational
systems in society.

29. What Causes Poor Group Dynamics?
Group leaders and team members can contribute to a
negative group dynamic.
Let's look at some of the most common problems that
can occur:
Weak leadership: when a team lacks a strong leader,
a more dominant member of the group can often take
charge. This can lead to a lack of direction, infighting, or
a focus on the wrong priorities.
Excessive deference to authority: this can happen
when people want to be seen to agree with a leader, and
therefore hold back from expressing their own opinions.

30. What Causes Poor Group Dynamics?
Blocking: this happens when team members
behave in a way that disrupts the flow of
information in the group. People can adopt blocking
roles such as:
The Aggressor (आक्रामक): this person often disagrees with
others, or is inappropriately outspoken.
The Negator (नकारात्मक): this group member is often
critical of others' ideas.
The Withdrawer: this person doesn't participate in the
discussion.
The Recognition Seeker : this group member is boastful,
or dominates the session.
The Joker: this person introduces humor at inappropriate
times.

31. PRINCIPLES OF THE
GROUP
DYNAMICS
 1 . The members of the group must have a strong sense
of belonging to the group .The barrier between the
leaders and to be led must be broken down.
 2. The more attraction a group is to its members, the
greater influence it would exercise on its members.
 3. The greater the prestige of the group member in the
eyes of the members, the greater influence he would
exercise on the them.

32. Contd…
 4.The successful efforts to change individuals sub parts
of the group would result in making them confirm to
the norms of the group.
 5. The pressures for change when strong can be
established in the group by creating a shared perception
by the members for the need for the change.

33. FEATURES OF GROUP
DYNAMICS
 Concerned with group
 Changes
 Rigidity or flexibility
 Continuous process

34. CONCLUSION:
The groups operate on a common task
and common attitudes. The group dynamics is
concerned with the interaction between the group
members in a social situation. This is concerned
with the gaining in the knowledge of the group,
how they develop and their effect on the individual
members and the organization in which they
function.

35. CONCLUSION:
The group dynamics is essential to study since it
helps to find how the relationships are made
within a group and how the forces act within the
group members in a social setting. This helps to
recognize the formation of group and how a
group should be organized, lead and promoted.