Group Cohesion and Climate Quiz

Group Cohesion and Climate

• Group cohesion refers to the commitment of group members to the group's purpose and activities. Social cohesion refers to attraction and liking among group members.
• For task-oriented groups, high task cohesion is ideal; for relational-oriented groups, high social cohesion is ideal.
• Cohesive groups set goals easily, exhibit high commitment to group purpose, are more productive, have fewer attendance issues, have members who stick with the group during difficulties, have satisfied members who promote and defend the group, have members willing to listen and provide support and constructive criticism, and experience less anger and tension.
• Assessing cohesion can be done by evaluating group behaviors and characteristics.

Supportive and Defensive Group Climates

• Defensive communication occurs when a person perceives a threat in the group.
• They focus on how they appear to others, protecting their self image, and avoiding perceived attacks. This leads to defensive listening and defensive behaviors from others. This cycle can be detrimental to group effectiveness.
• Supportive communication reduces defensiveness.
• Six pairs of defensive and supportive communication categories emphasize this:
  • Evaluation vs. Description
  • Control vs. Problem Orientation
  • Strategy vs. Spontaneity
  • Neutrality vs. Empathy
  • Superiority vs. Equality
  • Certainty vs. Provisionalism
• Defensive behaviors can be inhibited if the listener perceives the speaker as an equal and open.

Conflict in Groups

• Conflict is an expressed struggle between interdependent parties over incompatible goals or insufficient resources.
• Conflict can be functional (e.g., stimulating innovation) or dysfunctional (diverting energy and harming well-being).
• Moderate conflict can be beneficial.
• Five types of conflict include substance (intrinsic, differing views), value (differing values/priorities), process (disagreements on procedures), misperceived differences (misunderstanding actions/emotions), and relationship (personality clashes).
• Conflict can be either functional or dysfunctional depending on the nature of the conflict, its intensity, and its duration.

Social Loafing

• Social loafing is the phenomenon where individuals exert less effort in a group than they would if working independently.
• Causes of social loafing include perceptions of unequal contributions, submaximal goals, reduced contingency between input and outcome, lack of evaluation, and unequal compensation distribution.
• Effects on groups include decrease in overall output, dissatisfaction with team members, and creation of in-groups/out-groups.
• Effects on individuals include lack of satisfaction, reduced opportunity for growth, possible resentment from others doing most of the work, increased potential to become psychologically invisible to the team.
• Cultural and gender variations exist; people from collectivistic cultures are less likely to loaf, and women report less loafing than men.
• Social loafing is observed in activities like pulling on a rope (Ringlemann Effect), and yelling or clapping in groups.

Group Decision-Making

• Group decisions can be more creative and effective than individual decisions due to diverse perspectives and shared experiences.
• Disadvantages include potential for process losses (coordination problems, social loafing, groupthink), longer timeframes, and potential for groupthink (avoiding critical evaluation of shared ideas within the group).
• Consensus decision-making, while time-consuming, can create buy-in from all members.
• Voting offers a quick decision method, but can lead to a loss of commitment from the minority.

Group Problem Solving

• The problem-solving process has three key components: undesirable situation, desired situation, and obstacles between them.
• Key factors to consider in problem-solving include task difficulty, number of potential solutions, group member interest/familiarity, and solution acceptance needs.
• John Dewey's reflective thinking process is a useful framework for a systematic problem-solving approach.
• The six-thinking hats method (White, Red, Black, Yellow, Green, Blue) encourages diverse perspectives and critical thinking.
• A problem statement summarizes the problem, while a problem question guides the solution process.
• Strategies to improve problem-solving include visualization techniques (like whiteboards).

Leadership in Groups

• Leaders play important roles in groups, whether designated or emergent.
• The trait approach focuses on leadership qualities (e.g., height, attractiveness, communication).
• The situational approach views leadership as dependent on the context and specific skills and motivation of the followers. Stages of emergent leadership include initial selection and the struggle between candidates.
• The functional approach focuses on the communication behaviors that support a given group (task, procedural, & relational).
• Leadership in virtual or remote teams must focus on clear expectations, effective organization, prompt/meaningful interaction, and positive tone/feedback.

Situational and Transformational Leadership

• Situational leadership aims to match leadership styles (directing, coaching, supporting, delegating) to the development levels of group members.
• Hersey & Blanchard's model of situational leadership matches leadership strategies to individuals' abilities and responsibilities.
• Transformational leadership inspires a vision and motivates group members beyond expectations.
• Transformational leadership focuses on idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation.
• Transactional leadership differs by exchanging rewards for performance.
• Transformational leadership involves inspiring others to achieve more than expected.
• Leaders can facilitate positive conflict.

Test your knowledge on group cohesion and climate dynamics. This quiz covers concepts such as task cohesion, social cohesion, and the impact of communication styles on group interactions. Understand how these elements contribute to group productivity and member satisfaction.