Understanding Group Dynamics

• Social process where people interact and behave in a group environment.
• Group dynamics involves influence of personality, power, and behavior on group processes.
• It separates groups into formal and informal.

Formal Groups

• Structured to pursue specific tasks.
• Created to address persisting and long-term objectives.
• Characterized by member appointment, delegated authority, and responsibility.

Informal groups

• Emerge naturally in response to organizational or member interests.
• Include basic groups that handle particular situations.
• They can improve social and member relationships.
• Formation of formal groups must be carefully deliberated to address advantages and disadvantages

Group Size

• Small groups are overwhelmed by the workload.
• Large groups prone to conflict.
• Groups should be as small as possible without compromising workload.

Group Skills and Performance

• Groups must consider time, resources, and relations to other groups.
• Members should be segregated according to skills, relationships, and performance.
• Objectives should not be compromised by time, resources, or rivalries.

Group Diversity

• Groups must be balanced according to tasks/objectives.
• Male-only groups work faster, but may not be diverse enough.
• Diverse groups may meet organization requirements, but diversity may hamper overall performance.

Stages of Group Development

• Issues can be addressed after group formation via the various stages.

Forming

• Occurs after member assignment.
• Members familiarize themselves with the task and to other members of the group.

Storming

• Also called counter-dependent stage.
• Critial stage if the group will be effective.
• Encounters conflict as members confront and criticize the group's approach to their task.
• Issues include identification of roles/responsibilities, procedures, and individual recognition.

Norming

• Members resolve issues and develop social agreements and compromises.
• Members recognize interdependence, develop group cohesion, and agree on effective norms.

Performing

• Social structure gets sorted out.
• The group understands its goals and individual roles.
• Mutual assistance and creativity are prominent themes.

Adjourning

• Group completes or continues success in fulfilling its tasks.
• Resort to events with rites and rituals like socials, parties, or ceremonies.

Group Functions

• Must be identified to determine the effectiveness and productivity of groups.
• Categorized into task functions, maintenance behavior, and self-interest behavior.

Task Functions

• Embody the primary reason the group is formed.
• It's accomplished by fulfilling roles like initiating, information-seeking, and information-giving.
• Also accomplished by clarification, closure, and consensus testing.

Maintenance Behavior

• Addresses the group's need for consistent social and emotional support.
• Consists of encouraging, consensus creation, harmonizing, compromising, and gatekeeping.
• Includes standard setting.

Self-Interest Behavior

• Negative function displayed by individuals that may undermine group success.
• Includes domination, blocking, manipulation, and belittling.
• Also includes splitting hairs.

Organizational Culture

• Underlying beliefs, assumptions, values, and ways of interacting.
• Contribute to unique social and psychological environment.
• Includes organization's expectations, experiences, philosophy, and values.
• Expressed in member self-image, inner workings, interactions, and future expectations.

Types of Culture

• Includes person, market, adaptive, adhocracy, power, role, hierarchy, and task culture.
• Organizations can create, be created, or be influenced by other cultures and subcultures.

Person Culture

• Horizontal structures are most applicable.
• Individuals are seen as more valuable than the organization itself.

Market Culture

• Results-oriented, with a focus on competition, achievement, and "getting the job done."

Adaptive Culture

• Values change and action-oriented, increasing survival likelihood.

Adhocracy Culture

• Dynamic and entrepreneurial.
• Focus on risk-taking, innovation, and doing things first.

Power Culture

• Persons make decisions and strategies; requires deference to person/s in charge.

Role Culture

• Create functional structures, delegate jobs, report to superiors, and value efficiency and accuracy.

Hierarchy Culture

• Similar to role cultures.
• More focus on efficiency, stability, and correctness.

Task Culture

• Groups with specific expert members to solve particular problems.
• Organizational culture is not static.
• Members develop shared beliefs over time about what yields success.
• Evolves to stay relevant in a changing environment.

Guidelines for Culture Change

• Formulate a clear strategic vision.
• Display commitment.
• Model culture change at the highest level.
• Modify the organization/group to support change.
• Select and socialize newcomers, and terminate deviants.
• Develop ethical and legal sensitivity.

Steps to Manage a Potential Conflict

• Diagnose the situation.
• Involve all parties.
• Collect all information.
• Reinforce agreements.
• Negotiate disagreements.
• Solidify agreements.