The scientific study of groups; also the actions, processes, and changes that occur in social groups.

1. 1
THE NATURE OF GROUP
DYNAMICS
The scientific study of groups; also the actions, processes, and changes
that occur in social groups.

2. Work groups or teams
 Work groups, or teams, are increasingly common in
organizations. Formal groups are those designated as
work groups by the organization.
 The members of these groups usually have shared
task objectives. Examples of these formal groups
include health care teams, management groups,
mining crews and research and development project
groups.
 Informal work groups are not defined by the
organization as functional units, but nevertheless
have an impact on organizational behavior. Examples
include friendship and pressure groups.

3. Types of group and what makes
them effective
 In some organizations, groups as a whole may be
hired, fired, trained, rewarded and promoted.This
trend has developed as organizations have grown
and become increasingly complex, demanding that
shared experiences and complementary skills are
constantly utilized in decision-making processes.
 Group is defined as two or more individuals who are
connected to one another by social relationships.

4. Types of group and what makes
them effective
 De Muse and Futrrel distinguish four main types of
formal work teams
1. Advice / involvement team i.e. committees,
boars, advisory councils
2. production/ service group i.e. assembly teams
manufacturing crews
3. Project development groups i.e. research group,
task force, planning team
4. Action/ negotiation group i.e. entertainment
group, negotiation team, surgery team cockpit
crew

5. Groups at work

6. Types of group and what makes
them effective
 A group can range in size from two members to
thousands of members.Very small collectives, such as
dyads (two members) and triads (three members) are
groups, but so are very large collections of people,
such as mobs, crowds, and congregations
 WHO ARE CONNECTEDTO ONE ANOTHER Like a
series of interconnected computers, the individuals in
any given group are networked:They are connected one
to another.
 These connections, or ties, may be strong emotional
bonds, like the links between the members of a family
or a clique of close friends.The links may also be
relatively weak ones that are easily broken with the
passage of time or the occurrence of relationship-
damaging events. Even weak links, however, can
create robust outcomes across an entire group of
networked individuals.

7. Types of Groups
 Types of groups:
 Primary
 Secondary
 Planned (concocted and founded)
 Emergent (circumstantial and self-organizing)

8. Congregations, work
groups, unions,
professional associations
Larger, less intimate, more
goal-focused groups typical
of more complex societies
Secondary
groups
Families, close friends,
tight-knit peer groups,
gangs, elite military
squads
Small, long-term groups
characterized by face-to-face
interaction & high levels of
cohesiveness, solidarity, &
member identification
Primary groups
ExamplesCharacteristicsType of
Group
(Cooley, 1909)
Types of Groups

9. Study groups, friendship
cliques in a workplace,
regular patrons at a bar
Emerge when interacting individuals
gradually align their activities in a
cooperative system of
interdependence.
Self-organizing
Waiting lines (queues),
crowds, mobs, audiences,
bystanders
Emergent, unplanned groups arising
when external, situational forces set
the stage for people to join together,
often only temporarily, in a unified
group
Circumstantial
Groups that form spontaneously as individuals find themselves
repeatedly interacting with the same subset of individuals over
time and settings
Emergent groups
Study groups, small
businesses, clubs,
associations
Planned by one or more individuals
who remain within the group
Founded
Production lines, military
units, task forces, crews,
professional sports teams
Planned by individuals or authorities
outside the group.
Concocted
Deliberately formed by the members themselves or by an external
authority, usually for some specific purpose or purposes
Planned groups
ExamplesCharacteristicsType of Group

10. Women, Asian Americans,
physicians, U.S. citizens,
New Yorkers
Aggregations of individuals similar to
one another in terms of gender, ethnicity,
religion, or nationality.
Social
categories
Crowds, audiences, clusters
of bystanders
Aggregations of individuals that form
spontaneously, last for brief periods, and
have very permeable boundaries
Weak
associations
Teams, neighborhood
associations
Work groups in employment settings and
goal-focused groups in a variety of non-
employment situations
Task groups
Families, close friends,
street gangs
Small groups of moderate duration &
permeability characterized by large
levels of interaction amongst members,
who value membership in the group
Intimacy
groups
ExamplesCharacteristicsType of
Group

11. GOALS
 GOALS Groups usually exist for a reason. A team strives to
outperform other teams in competitions. A study group
wants to raise the grades of all of the students
 who are members. A jury must make decisions about guilt
or innocence.
 The members of a congregation seek religious and spiritual
enlightenment. In each case, the members of the group are
united in their pursuit of common goals. In groups, people
solve problems, create products, create standards,
communicate knowledge, have fun, perform arts, create
institutions, and even ensure their safety from attacks by
other groups. Put simply, groups make it easier to attain
our goals. For this reason, much of the world’s work is done
by groups rather than by individuals.

12. Group Development
1. Forming - orientation, guidance (dependence)
2. Storming - conflict, roles and responsibilities, rules and
procedures, individual recognition (counter dependence)
3. Norming - issue resolution, develop social agreements,
cohesion, establish group norms (interdependence)
4. Performing - mutual assistance, creativity, understanding
goals and roles (independence)
5. Adjourning / Transforming- closure, symbolism,
ceremonies, and emotional support