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Group and Group Dynamics INTRODUCTION Group is a collection of individuals who have regular contact and frequent interaction, mutual influence, common feeling of belongingness and who work together to achieve a common set of goals. A group's members must be able to communicate freely and openly...

Group and Group Dynamics INTRODUCTION Group is a collection of individuals who have regular contact and frequent interaction, mutual influence, common feeling of belongingness and who work together to achieve a common set of goals. A group's members must be able to communicate freely and openly with all of the other members of the group. Groups will develop norms about discussion and group members will develop roles which will affect the group's interaction. The group dynamics is essential to study since it helps to find how the relationships are made within a group and how the forces act within the group members in a social setting. This helps to recognize the formation of group and how a group should be organized, lead and promoted. Meaning of Group  A group is simply a number of people who interact with each others on a regular basis it establish relationships among social beings.  Groups are units of society, having all characteristics of society, except for the fact that groups are concrete entities. A group is:  Two or more people who share a common definition and evaluation of themselves and behave in accordance with such a definition. (Vaughan & Hogg, 2002, p. 200)  A collection of people who interact with one another, accept rights and obligations as members and who share a common identity. Attributes of A Group Benson (2001) identifies the following distinctive attributes of a group: 1. A set of people engage in frequent interactions 2. They identify with one another. 3. They are defined by others as a group. 4. They share beliefs, values, and norms about areas of common interest. 5. They define themselves as a group. 6. They come together to work on common tasks and for agreed purposes. Group Dynamics The study of Groups, groups’ structure, groups’ functions and groups’ behavior is simply called group dynamics. The group dynamics is that division of social psychology that investigates the formation and change in the structure and functions of the psychological grouping of people into self-directing wholes. Concept of Group Dynamics The group dynamics refers to changes which take place within groups and is concerned with the interaction and forces obtained between group members in social settings. It is a study of forces operating within a group. A group doesn’t simply mean individuals possessing same identical features. For instance, a collection of students doesn’t form a group. These are class. A group is formed when the “Two or More individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives. Importance of Group Dynamics Psychological Aspects Scientific Aspects Sociological Aspects Practical Aspects Personal Aspects Types of Groups Psychological vs. Social Groups Formal vs. Informal Groups Primary vs. Secondary groups Membership vs. Reference groups Command vs. Task groups Interest vs. Friendship groups Group Structure and Size  Effective group performance depends to a large extent, on the size and composition of the group.  A group may consist of as few as two people (giving credibility to the statement that “two heads are better than one”), or as many as three or four hundred. In order to be effective, group size should be kept to a minimum without jeopardizing workload and goal achievement.  Larger groups increase the possibility of conflict due to the variety of viewpoints, few opportunities for the development of social relationships, a decrease in participation levels, and lack of opportunity for individual recognition.  Individual skills and performance must be a consideration in forming a group. Group Development  The appointment of individuals to a group based on their compatibility, diversity, or expertise does not assure effectiveness in achieving group goals.  A group is initially a collection of personalities with different characteristics, needs, and influences.  Organizational experts and practitioners have observed that new groups go through a number of stages before they achieve maximum performance. Each stage presents the members with different challenges that must be overcome before they can move on to the next stage.  These stages have been identified as forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. ".Forming: Group members come together and get to know each other. They figure out their roles and how they will work together. Storming: Conflicts and disagreements may arise as everyone tries to figure out their place in the group. People might challenge each other and the group's goals. Norming: The group starts to establish norms or rules. Roles become clearer, and members begin to trust each other and work together more smoothly. Performing: The group is now focused on achieving its goals. Members collaborate effectively, using their strengths to get things done. Adjourning: The group comes to an end, either because they've completed their task or for other reasons. There may be a sense of closure and reflection on what was accomplished together. Group Functions Three functions that influence the effectiveness and productivity of groups are task functions, maintenance functions, and self-interest functions. 1. Task Functions: The purpose of formation of the group is to accomplish the task. To achieve the task, they must have members that fulfill some or all of the following roles: a) Initiating, b) Information seeking c) Information giving, d) Clarifying ideas, e) Bringing closure, f) Consensus testing. 2. Maintenance Behavior Each group needs social-emotional support to be effective. Some members of the group will take the lead in providing this support which consists of the following: a) Encouraging, b) Improving group, c) Harmonizing, d) Compromising e) Gate-keeping, f) Standard setting..when someone takes it upon themselves to decide who does or does not have access or rights to a community or identity". D Gate keeping 3. Self-interest Behavior This third function displayed by some individuals, members generally takes away from group performance and affects task achievement at the expense of the group. Activities that identify self-interest behavior are as follows: a) Dominating and controlling, b) Blocking, c) Manipulating, d) Belittling, refers to sneering at other’s point of view, or making jokes about another member’s contribution. e) Splitting hairs refers to searching for insignificant details that delay a solution, or undermining another person’s point of view. Group Norms Development of the group is time taking activity that starts with the developments of standards and acceptable behaviors named as norms. Group norms can be named as: Loyalty norms such as the belief that managers have to work on weekends and holidays or accept transfers to prove their loyalty to the company. Dress norms may include anything from uniforms to shirt and ties to bikinis, depending on the establishment or business. Reward norms include perks or benefits that come as a result of individual or group performance. Principles of the Group Dynamics The members of the group must have a strong sense of belonging to the group. The barrier between the leaders and to be led must be broken down. The more attraction a group is to its members, the greater influence it would exercise on its members. The grater the prestige of the group member in the eyes of the member in the eyes of the members, the greater influence he would exercise on the theme.(If a group members sees someone as highly respected or important, that person will have more influence over the group's decisions and actions) The successful efforts to change individuals sub parts of the group would result in making them confirm to the norms of the group. (When individuals within a group are encouraged or persuaded to change their behavior to fit in with the group's norms, it helps them become more like the rest of the group) Cont… strong pressure for change in a group occurs when everyone agrees that change is necessary. When all members share the same view that something needs to be different, it creates a powerful motivation for the group to take action and make those changes happen. Information relating to the need for change, plans for change and the consequence of the changes must be shared by the members of the group. The changes in one part of the groups may produce stress in the other parts, which can be reduced only by eliminating the change or by bringing about readjustments in the related parts. The groups arise and function owing to common motives. The groups survive by pacing the members into functional hierarchy and facilitating the action towards the goal. The intergroup relations, group organization, member participation is essential for effectiveness of a group. Features of Group Dynamics Group dynamics is concerned with group.Wherever a group exists the individuals interact and members are continuously changing and adjusting relationship with respect to each 15 other. The members of the group may interact , may be in state of tension , may be attracted or repelled to each other, may seek the resolution of these tensions and return to equilibrium after the resolution. Dynamic group always is in continuous process of restructuring, adjusting and readjusting members to one another for the purpose of reducing the tensions, eliminating the conflicts and solving the problems which its members have in common. Socio Cultural Foundation According to Print (1993), “the society and culture exercise massive powers on the formation curriculum and the reason behind that it was society who created schooling to safeguard the survival of their cultural heritage, and survival of their species.” The social and national stimulations influence curriculum. Curriculum designers and curriculum developer consciously and unconsciously are affected deeply by socio cultural foundation and it is obvious from the curriculum that their influence is profound. For example in Pakistan curriculum is designed in such a way that is a reflection of the society and civilization of the country and that leads society to change. Curriculum and society both are integrated and one cannot be separated from the other. Roles of Individuals within the Classroom Several roles are available to individuals in groups. Leader:leader in a class is someone who guides and inspires classmates by taking charge and setting a positive example. "class clown" refers to a student in a classroom setting who often seeks attention and humorously disrupts lessons or activities to make their classmates laugh. A fall guy is an individual who takes blame and punishment in order to gain favor with the group. Fall Guys A fall guy is an individual who takes blame and punishment in order to gain favor with the group. Instigators Instigators are individuals who cause trouble, but appear not to be involved. Teachers role to optimize the functioning of Group Psychological Roles of Teachers Representatives of society Source of knowledge Role of Director Causes of Class Management Difficulties Transference Group-as-a-Whole Group Roles A Systems Approach Parallel Process Transference: Students might unconsciously project feelings they have from home or other situations onto their teachers or classmates, affecting how they behave in class. Group-as-a-Whole: Instead of just individual students, the entire class behaves as a group with its own ways of interacting and causing issues that affect everyone. Group Roles: Each student takes on a role within the class, like leaders, followers, or troublemakers. These roles can clash and create problems in managing the class. A Systems Approach: This means seeing the classroom as a complex system where everything that happens (like behaviors or conflicts) affects everything else (like learning and atmosphere). Parallel Process: Behaviors or issues among students can also affect how students interact with teachers, making it harder to manage the class environment effectively.