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Unit:5 GROUP DYNAMICS

Introduction: An organisation is a formal group. It is composed of people, material and
financial resources. People in an organization form groups for various reasons. For example, in
college you are likely to associate more with selected friends, rather than all your classmates.
Thus, you have formed a friendship group of your own. Similarly, the members of the college
cricket team form a group. In this case, some member of this group may also be part of a goup of
common friends. In the same way, a number of groups exist in an organisation, of which a
person may or may not be a member. The formation of a group is not always spontaneous. It may
be formed by a process and with a specific purpose.
Marwin E. Shaw defined a group as ' a collection of two or more people who interact with and
influence each other towards a common purpose'.
Robbins defined group as 'a group is two or more individuals interacting and interdependent,
who have come together to achieve particular objectives'.

RSR Engineering College, Kadanuthala.

K.Hareesh Chowdary
GROUP DYNAMICS
Group dynamics is the study of groups, and also a general term for group processes. Relevant to
the fields of psychology, sociology, and communication studies, a group is two or more
individuals who are connected to each other by social relationships.[1] Because they interact and
influence each other, groups develop a number of dynamic processes that separate them from a
random collection of individuals. These processes include norms, roles, relations, development,
need to belong, social influence, and effects on behavior. The field of group dynamics is
primarily concerned with small group behavior. Groups may be classified as aggregate, primary,
secondary and category groups.
In organizational development (OD), or group dynamics, the phrase "group process" refers to the
understanding of the behavior of people in groups, such as task groups, that are trying to solve a
problem or make a decision. An individual with expertise in 'group process, such as a trained
facilitator, can assist a group in accomplishing its objective by diagnosing how well the group is
functioning as a problem-solving or decision-making entity and intervening to alter the group's
operating behavior.
Because people gather in groups for reasons other than task accomplishment, group process
occurs in other types of groups such as personal growth groups (e.g. encounter groups, study
groups, prayer groups). In such cases, an individual with expertise in group process can be
helpful in the role of facilitator.
Well researched but rarely mentioned by professional group workers, is the social status of
people within the group (i.e., senior or junior). The group leader (or facilitator) will usually have
a strong influence on the group due to his or her role of shaping the group's outcomes. This
influence will also be affected by the leader's sex, race, relative age, income, appearance, and
personality, as well as organizational structures and many other factors.

Reasons for formation of Groups:

There are a number of theories regarding formation of groups, which provide reasons for
formation of groups in organisations. Some of the reasons for formation of groups are given
below:

•Goal realization: Groups assist members in the realization of goals. Groups pool resources and
provide support for members. They provide knowledge, strength, experience, and power for
the realization of goals; groups also help members in problem solving.
•Authority and Power: Groups provide an opportunity to use authority and power. An
individual's strength is enhanced in a group, as one can put forth demands and force the
management to accept them. Hence, groups are regarded as power centers in organizations.
Groups use authority and power against management oppression.

•Satisfaction of social and security needs: A group is a source for understanding,

companionship, interaction and creating social relationships. Groups create an environment
in which members are free to discuss their problems and find solutions. Friendship and warm
relationships are promoted. Groups fulfill an individual's inherent desire for socializing,
affiliation and relationships with others, and acceptance by others.
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•Identity: One of the most essential desires of an individual is recognition and identity as human
being. A group recognises the individuals as members. It also helps individuals to identify
themselves with the group. This identity gives them security and esteem.
•Esprit de corps: As the saying goes 'united we stand and divided we fall'. Groups help
individuals to unite in order to solve many organisational problems. They help in protecting
individual interests in the work place. Even Henry Fayol used this concept in his 14
principles of management.
•Safety valve: Groups act as a safety valve to release daily tensions, worries and stress. For
instance, if an employee has problems with his superior, he can share his experience with
other members of the group, and release any tension he may be feeling.

•Satisfaction of ego, self-esteem, and self-actualisation needs.

Benefits of Support Groups

RSR Engineering College, Kadanuthala.

K.Hareesh Chowdary
 •1. They can boost your emotional and even physical well-being: Some people may feel
too shy or embarrassed to discuss their difficulties relating to the illness. Others may feel
support groups are nothing more than an emotional “hand-holding” for those who are
insecure.

•2. You can talk to others suffering with the same illness who can understand what you
are going through: It is often a relief and reassuring to find others with the same illness
and understand what you are going through.

•3. You can find mutual encouragement: Support group members can encourage each
other to take care of themselves.

•4. You can learn more about FMS and ME/CFS: Many support groups have medical
practitioners speak at their meetings. Members can advise you of where you can access
information.

FORMATION OF GROUP:
Development of a group is not always spontaneous. Groups are formed out of a conscious effort
of the members to come together and share common goals. Groups are developed due to
interaction among members. It follows a model or a process. Ralph Stogdill/Tuckman's
identified five stages in the development of groups.

Tuckman's Group Development Model

•Forming
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In the first stages of team building, the forming of the team takes place. The individual's
behavior is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or conflict.
Serious issues and feelings are avoided, and people focus on being busy with routines, such as
team organization, which does what, when to meet, etc. But individuals are also gathering
information and impressions - about each other, and about the scope of the task and how to
approach it. This is a comfortable stage to be in, but the avoidance of conflict and threat means
that not much actually gets done.
The team meets and learns about the opportunities and challenges, and then agrees on goals and
begins to tackle the tasks. Team members tend to behave quite independently. They may be
motivated but are usually relatively uninformed of the issues and objectives of the team. Team
members are usually on their best behavior but very focused on themselves. Mature team
members begin to model appropriate behavior even at this early phase. Sharing the knowledge of
the concept of "Teams - Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing" is extremely helpful to
the team.
Supervisors of the team tend to need to be directive during this phase.
RSR Engineering College, Kadanuthala.
K.Hareesh Chowdary
The forming stage of any team is important because, in this stage, the members of the team get to
know one another, exchange some personal information, and make new friends. This is also a
good opportunity to see how each member of the team works as an individual and how they
respond to pressure.

•Storming
Every group will then enter the storming stage in which different ideas compete for
consideration. The team addresses issues such as what problems they are really supposed to
solve, how they will function independently and together and what leadership model they will
accept. Team members open up to each other and confront each other's ideas and perspectives. In
some cases storming can be resolved quickly. In others, the team never leaves this stage. The
maturity of some team members usually determines whether the team will ever move out of this
stage. Some team members will focus on minutiae to evade real issues.
The storming stage is necessary to the growth of the team. It can be contentious, unpleasant and
even painful to members of the team who are averse to conflict. Tolerance of each team member
and their differences needs to be emphasized. Without tolerance and patience the team will fail.
This phase can become destructive to the team and will lower motivation if allowed to get out of
control.
Supervisors of the team during this phase may be more accessible but tend to still need to be
directive in their guidance of decision-making and professional behavior. The groups will
therefore resolve their differences and group members will be able to participate with one
another more comfortably and they won't feel that they are being judged in any way and will
therefore share their own opinions and views...

•Norming
The team manages to have a one goal and come to a mutual plan for the team at this stage. Some
may have to give up their own ideas and agree with others in order to make the team work. In
this stage, all the team members take the responsibility and have the ambition to work for the
success of the goals of the team.

•Performing
Some teams will reach the performing stage. These high-performing teams are able to function
as a unit as they find ways to get the job done smoothly and effectively without inappropriate
conflict or the need for external supervision. Team members have become interdependent. By
this time they are motivated and knowledgeable. The team members are now competent,
autonomous and able to handle the decision-making process without supervision. Dissent is
expected and allowed as long as it is channeled through means acceptable to the team.
Supervisors of the team during this phase are almost always participative. The team will make
most of the necessary decisions. Even the most high-performing teams will revert to earlier
stages in certain circumstances. Many long-standing teams will go through these cycles many
times as they react to changing circumstances. For example, a change in leadership may cause
the team to revert to storming as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of
the team.
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•Adjourning and transforming

Tuckman later added a fifth phase, adjourning, that involves completing the task and breaking up
the team. Others call it the phase for mourning.
A team that lasts may transcend to a transforming phase of achievement. Transformational
management can produce major changes in performance through synergy and is considered to be
more far-reaching than transactional management. For example, intelligence department.
Because they form as group when they are working for a case, after solving the case they will
adjourn.

Group development
The goal of most research on group development is to learn why and how small groups change
over time. To do this, researchers examine patterns of change and continuity in groups over time.
Aspects of a group that might be studied include the quality of the output produced by a group,
the type and frequency of its activities, its cohesiveness, the existence of conflict, etc.

RSR Engineering College, Kadanuthala.

K.Hareesh Chowdary
A number of theoretical models have been developed to explain how certain groups change over
time. Listed below are some of the most common models. In some cases, the type of group being
considered influenced the model of group development proposed as in the case of therapy
groups. In general, some of these models view group change as regular movement through a
series of "stages," while others view them as "phases" that groups may or may not go through
and which might occur at different points of a group's history. Attention to group development
over time has been one of the differentiating factors between the study of ad hoc groups and the
study of teams such as those commonly used in the workplace, the military, sports and many
other contexts.
if you want to know what are the theories on group development go to the following hyperlink.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_developmen
TEAM DECISION MAKING METHODS:
“Though fashion occasionally underscores one or another of these approaches, there is no right
or wrong way to decide an issue. The important thing is that the team decides, in advance, what
decision-making method will be used. No surprises. If members are apprised of the process, even
autocratic methods acquire the consent and blessing of all”.
So if a team is planning to make a major decision it should, wherever possible, discuss and agree
on how the decision will be reached (e.g. using one of these 7 methods) BEFORE the decision-
making discussion starts. The leader or customer of the particular meeting should introduce the
decision which needs to be made and then propose a decision-making method which is then
discussed and agreed.
1.CONSENSUS: Consensus decision-making is where all team members get a chance to air
their opinions and must ultimately agree on the outcomes. If any team member does not
agree, discussions continue. Compromise must be used so that every team member can
agree with and commit to the outcome.
2.MAJORITY RULE: Majority decision-making is democracy in action. The team votes,
majority win. Simple.
3.MINORITY RULE: Minority decision-making usually takes the form of a subcommittee
of a larger team that investigates information and makes recommendations for action.
4.AVERAGING: Averaging is the epitome of compromise; it is how our esteemed Congress
decides: team members haggle, bargain, cajole, and negotiate an intentional middle
position. Usually no one is happy with the result except the moderates on the team.
5.EXPERT: This is simple. If you don’t already have someone in your team find or hire an
expert, listen to what they say, and follow their recommendations.
6.AUTHORITY RULE WITHOUT DISCUSSION: This is where there is usually no room
for discussion, as with predetermined decisions handed down from higher authority
Moses on Mount Sinai. Trust is often killed with this method when a team leader tries to
fool team members into thinking that their opinions about the decision really can affect
the decision. Team members know when a team leader is jerking them around.
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7.AUTHORITY RULE WITH DISCUSSION: This method is also known as Participative

Decision Making. Under this method, those in the decision-making role make it clear
from the onset that the task of decision-making is theirs. Then they join in a lively
discussion of the issues; their opinions count just like other team members. When they
have heard enough to make an educated decision, they cut off the discussion, make the
decision, and then get back to all team members to let them know how their inputs
affected their decision. Most team members feel listened to and willing to participate in
another team decision using this method.

TYPES OF GROUPS:
An organisation is itself a large formal group. It has a defined purpose and
structure of activities. Within an organisation there are several small formal
and informal groups. While formal groups are in the form of committees and
other work groups, informal groups exist among the employees. These
RSR Engineering College, Kadanuthala.
K.Hareesh Chowdary
groups serve different purposes. Various types of groups found in an
organisation are presented below.

1. Formal Groups: A formal group is a combination of two or more people,

interdependent and interacting for a shared purpose. There is continuous
interaction among the members. The characteristics of a formal group are:

•Goals, roles, and responsibilities are clearly defined. It has a well-defined

structure of activities, formal communication and controls.

•They are usually larger than informal groups.

•The focus is on functions to be performed rather than informal

interaction. Committees, plural executives, work groups etc., are
examples of formal groups.

•They are relatively permanent and provide continuous interaction. They

regulate behaviour by a well-defined set of rules and regulations.

Two types of formal groups are found in organistions:

A.Command groups: A command group consists of subordinates, who

report to a given superior.

B.Task groups: Task groups are formed to achieve specific tasks. The
members of a task group report to every level of management with
whom the work is required to be coordinated.

2. Informal groups: Informal groups are of two or more employees, formed

by mutual attraction. They are formed to achieve short-term goals, and
provide social satisfaction. They are also called cliques. The characteristics of
informal groups are as follows:

•Informal groups are formed voluntarily and spontaneously. They provide

social satisfaction.

•The goals are not well defined. The structure is not defined clearly and
the nature of the group is dynamic.

•Informal groups are usually smaller than formal groups.

•Group norms, values and beliefs regulate the behaviour of members.

•Leadership is informal. The leader's authority is given by members and is

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not due to the position.

•Rewards are non-financial. They are in terms of recognition, praise, and

esteem.

•Communication is unstructured, does not follow any particular direction

and is mostly in the form of gossip. It is referred as a 'grapevine'.

•Controls are based on group goals.

Informal groups exist for a longer time and are called 'cliques'. They are
classified into three types.

A.Horizontal cliques: Employees of the same rank and status in an

organisation form horizontal cliques. Horizontal cliques can be either
defensive or aggressive. Horizontal cliques have different directions
RSR Engineering College, Kadanuthala.
K.Hareesh Chowdary
 and goals. They mostly carry out cross-departmental drives to effect
changes rather than to resist them. They promote inter departmental
harmony and act as a mutual aid block in the organisation. Thus, these
cliques are positive for the management. Management encourages the
formation of these cliques.

B.Vertical cliques: Employees belonging to different hierarchical levels

working in the same functional department form vertical cliques. It is a
tie between superiors and subordinates.

C.Random Cliques: Employees of all ranks and status, working in

different departments, form random cliques. They are formed to share
power and authority in order to neutralize management operation.
Random cliques are used to intensify informal activities in the
organisation.

There are two other types of informal groups found in an

organisation.

i.Interest groups: A group, spontaneously formed by employees,

to attain a specific common objective is called an interest
group. It supports peers and oppressed members and
provides security.

ii.Friendship groups: Friendship groups are formed purely by

social interactions. They exist outside the work environment,
and usually consist of persons of the same age, with similar
habits and attitudes and a common work environment.