The presentation describes the processes involved in group’s formation, development, performance and the interaction among the group members. It helps in acquiring the necessary skills to intervene and improve individual and group performance in an organizational context and in building more successful organizations by applying techniques that provide positive impact on goal achievement.

1. Group Dynamics: Theory and
Practice
Ari Sudan
Tiwari, Ph. D.

2. Objectives
To identify and analyze the processes that impact on group’s:
Formation
Development
Performance
Interaction among the group members
To acquire the necessary skills to intervene and improve
individual and group performance in an organizational context
To build more successful organizations by applying techniques
that provide positive impact on goal achievement

3. Groups: Concept
Group means there are
Two or more individuals
Interacting and interdependent
Perceive themselves as members of the group
Come together to achieve particular shared objectives
and goals

4. Groups: Formation and development
Stages of group formation and development (Tuckman, 1965)
Forming: Orientation, guidance (dependence)
Storming: Conflict over roles and responsibilities, rules and
procedures, individual recognition (counter-dependence)
Norming: Issue resolution, Social
agreements, cohesion, establishment of group norms
(interdependence)
Performing: Mutual assistance, creativity, understanding
goals and roles (independence)
Adjourning/Reforming/Transforming

5. Groups: Functions
Task behaviours
Maintenance behaviours
Self-interest behaviours

6. Task behaviours
Initiating
Information seeking/giving
Clarifying ideas
Brining closure
Consensus testing

7. Maintenance behaviours
Encouraging
Improving group atmosphere
Harmonizing
Compromising
Gate-keeping

8. Self-interest behaviours
Dominating/controlling
Blocking
Manipulating
Belittling
Splitting hairs

9. Group dynamics: Concept
Structure of the group guiding interaction among
group members
The social process by which people interact in a
group environment
The influences of personality, power and behaviour
on the group process

10. Group dynamics: Exchange theory
Cost involved
Reward received
Outcome (reward-cost)
Comparison level: Societal norms, past
experiences, observations, alternate
interactions
(Reward-Cost)-CL

11. Factors of group dynamics: Types
Structural factors
Norms
Roles
Status
Functional factors
Cohesiveness
Social loafing
Conflict: Group and inter-personal

12. Group norms
Social standards and acceptable behaviours
(formal/informal)
Collectively held expectations of group functioning
Provide regularity and predictability to group functioning
Norms differ among groups, communities and societies;
but they all have them

13. Group norms: Types and classes
Prescriptive Norms: Expectations within group regarding
what is prescribed/supposed to be done
Proscriptive Norms: Expectations within group regarding
behaviors in which members are not prescribed/supposed to
engage
Classes of norms
Performance norms
Appearance norms
Arrangement norms
Allocation of resources norms

14. Roles
Concept
The set of behaviours and tasks that a group member is expected
to perform because of his or her position in the group
Types
Assigned roles: Cross-functional/specific
Emergent roles
Issues in role play
Role Identity: Attitude and behavior associated with a role
Role Ambiguity: Unclear job definition
Role Conflict: Job overlap

15. Status
Socially defined position or rank given to the group
members
Differences in status characteristics create status
hierarchies within group

16. Cohesiveness
Degree to which members are:
Attracted to one another
Motivated to stay in the group
Share group goals
Have common values

17. Cohesiveness: Sources and consequences
Sources Consequences
Group size
Level of participation
Effectively managed
diversity
Group
cohesiveness Level of conformity
Group identity and
healthy competition Emphasis on group
goals
Success

18. Enhancing cohesiveness
Making small groups
Encouraging agreement with the group goals
Increasing the time members spend together
Increasing the status of the group and the perceived difficulty
of attaining membership in the group
Stimulating competition with the other groups
Reward to the group rather than to the individual members

19. Social loafing
Concept
The human tendency to put forth less effort in a group than
individually
Results in possibly lower group performance and failure to
attain group goals
Reducing social loafing
Make individual efforts identifiable and accountable
Emphasize the valuable contributions of individual members
Keep group size at an appropriate level

20. Conflict: Group and inter-personal
Concept
Scarcity of resources and valued commodities
Competition and struggle between people of
groups over:
Opposing needs and goals
Ideas, values and attitudes

21. Conflict: Behaviour modes
Competing
Avoiding
Compromising
Accommodating
Collaborating

22. Conflict: Sources
Prejudices: Negative attitude towards a person only on the basis
of his/her belongingness to a particular social group/section
Discrimination: Expressed behaviours based on ones prejudices
Social categorization: Us-vs.-Them
Enhanced self-identity
Socio-biological roots
Realistic conflict and relative deprivation: Robbers’ cave study

23. Conflict: Resolution
Increased proximity
Social re-categorization
Increased cooperation and super ordinate goal: Robbers’ cave
study

24. Group dynamics: An optimum model
Individual Level Group Level Organizational Level
Cohesiveness
Trust Shared Functions
Adaptability
Group effectiveness

25. Group dynamics: Practicing principles
What is the group’s goal
What are the patterns of communication in the group?
What determines how influential each member is?
What method of decision making is used and how effective is it?
Why do/why don’t members challenge each other?
What and how do conflicts arise and how are they managed?
What actions by the group members help/hurt the group
effectiveness?

26. Thank You