CLS1001 Leadership and Teams Lecture 3 - Team Identification 2024 PDF

CLS1001 Leadership and Teams Lecture 3 – Team Identification Prof. Allan Lee [email protected] Questions since Last week?  Quick Recap Last week we discussed individual characteristics and how these might influence teamwork. Focused on what ma...

CLS1001 Leadership and Teams Lecture 3 – Team Identification Prof. Allan Lee [email protected] Questions since Last week?  Quick Recap Last week we discussed individual characteristics and how these might influence teamwork. Focused on what makes individuals unique and how, for instance, personalities might fit together in a team Today we are shifting the focus from what makes us different from others to what makes us feel the same as others – move from individual identity to social identity  WHO ARE YOU? If I asked you to define yourself how would you answer?  The Importance of Social Groups Humans are social animals – we live and function in social groups Thus, a substantial part of our sense of self – who we think we are – derives from group memberships This forms our sense of social identity (Tajfel and Turner, 1979)  Today Introduce social identity theory How this relates to teamwork The advantages and disadvantages of team identification  From Me to We Psychologists argue that identity is made up of: Personal identity - how we see ourselves as different from others (e.g., interests, personality etc.) Social Identity – the groups we belong to and that we share similarities with (e.g., An Exeter Student)  Social Identity Theory Social identity is the sense of self that is derived from membership of social groups This involves the internalization of the group as part of the self Suggests our sense of personal identity (who am I) comes, at least partly, from our social identity. e.g., I am British e.g., I am an academic  Historical Context of SIT After World War II, many social psychologists wanted to understand the psychology of intergroup relations What could explain the psychological factors that led to the Holocaust? Initially it was suggested that it was born out of individuals – some irrational manifestation of something internal (e.g., frustration, unresolved conflict etc) Social identity approach focused on the bigger picture by looking at the group processes and intergroup relations  Historical Context of SIT Tajfel (1979) argued that the groups (e.g. social class, family, football team etc.) which people belonged to were an important source of pride and self-esteem. In order to increase our self-image we enhance the status of the group to which we belong. For example, England is the best country in the world! We can also increase our self-image by discriminating and holding prejudice views against the out group (the group we don’t belong to). For example, the French etc. are a bunch of losers! We divided the world into “them” and “us” based through a process of social categorization (i.e. we put people into social groups).  Three Components of Social Identity 1. Categorization The process of putting people, including ourselves, into categories 2. Identification The process by which we associate ourselves with certain groups. In-groups are groups with which we identify, and out-groups are ones with which we don’t identify. 3. Comparison The process by which we compare our groups with other groups, creating a favourable bias toward the  Many Identities We all belong to multiple social groups – some by choice other by chance. For example, we all have a nationality, a gender, an ethnicity, a hometown, a school, etc. We also choose to support sports teams, or join political parties or join social movements The importance of these social groups varies and thus their impact on our identity varies Different groups have different significance to us  Questions Which social groups are most important to you? Why do you identify with those groups? When do you most identify with those groups?  Context dependent Different social identities are made more salient (we are more aware of them) in different contexts For example, you might not think about your national culture until you go abroad or there is a big competition (e.g., the Olympics) Right now I identify with being a lecturer, when I get home I will identify with being a Dad – we alter our behavior accordingly!  The interpersonal-intergroup continuum Social identity theory states that group identity can influence individual behavior – towards group norms. Continuum between interpersonal behaviour and intergroup behaviour. Completely interpersonal behaviour would be behaviour determined solely by the individual characteristics Completely intergroup behaviour would be behaviour determined solely by the social category memberships Most of the time we are somewhere between two extremes  Social Identity and Groups Social identity turns strangers into someone who you have a connection with – forms the basis of group behavior. Social identity turns “other” into “self” When we categorize others as part of a social group which we feel members of it facilitates social connection e.g. communication, trust, connection, solidarity  Effects of Identity We orientate towards group membership that make us feel good or benefit us – it boosts our self esteem. To maintain this self-esteem we are biased towards our social groups We’re motivated to see our ingroup (‘us members of Exeter University’) as positive and distinct (better that members from Bristol University). Effects of Identity The power of Social Identities The effects of identification can be powerful Because social identity is tied to our self-esteem we have a strong bias towards in-group members Conversely we tend to have strong prejudices against out-groups. Can be used to explain racism, discrimination etc When the us vs them distinction is salient – people see themselves as representatives of the group and not as individuals Some Famous Research Tajfel et al. (1970) - “Minimal Groups” studies Tajfel was looking at groups that people had the minimal possible reason to feel loyal to (e.g., flipped a coin or chose an artwork) 14 year old boys were randomly assigned to groups – e.g., told it was on the basis of preference for a particular painting Then played a game which allowed the boys to choose how to allocate points to others. On the basis of these minimal groups – the boys showed “ingroup bias” Some Famous Research Sherif et al., Robbers cave experiment,  Minimal Group Paradigm We see examples of in-group favouritism and out-group derogation everywhere (e.g., republicans vs democrats) but these are hard to study Most us vs them examples are steeped in history and both sides would argue that the animosity is justified. This makes studies of minimal groups powerful – it shows that Us vs Them occurs easily and supports social identity theory. Identity and Teamwork  Social Identity Theory and Teams How does social identity theory inform us about teams in organizations? Organizations are keen to build identity – towards the organization and teams In theory if employees identify with their organization that should see it’s success as their own  How to build identification 1. Distinctiveness of the group in relation to others – e.g., why Exeter University is different from others 2. Prestige – linked to the motive for self-esteem 3. Salience of out-groups – create comparisons (e.g., from other organizations or groups within organizations) 4. Interpersonal factors – similarity, liking, proximity, shared goals etc.  For example 1. Create proximity and clear divides – give team own areas, give them time to interact, make them clearly distinct from other organizational groups 2. Uniforms – quick way to create groups (different uniform for different groups) 3. Highlight shared goals and values and the benefits of achieving goals  Consequences for Organizations In theory there are many advantages to having team identifications When team-members identify with they work teams they should see team success as their success and be motivated to achieve Team identification should bond members of the group together and create group cohesion and harmony  Consequences for Organizations Research supports this idea showing that high team identification leads team members to be more likely to engage in extra-role behavior (e.g., going beyond formal requirements to help the group) – Blader & Tyler 2009 Employees’ identification with teams relates to job satisfaction, in- role and extra-role behavior, job involvement, and reduced turnover intentions – Riketta and van Dick 2005 Next week we will discuss diversity and how categorization and how this can lead to prejudice and discrimination.  Identification and Workaholism High identification can also have negative consequences (some of which we will discuss next week) High identification at work has been linked to negative consequences – such as workaholism (Avanzi, van Dick, Fraccaroli, & Sarchielli, 2012) and working long hours (Escartín et al., 2013) Can predict work-to-family conflict (Li, Fan, & Zhao, 2015)  Identification and Unethical Behaviour Research also shows that high identification with ones organization predicts willingness to commit unethical behaviour that benefits the company - (Umphress et al., 2010) High identifiers are more likely to ignore or defend unethical behaviour within their organization (Ploeger & Bisel 2013) This may also depend on individual differences (e.g., low morals)  Identification and Conformity Creative performance may be compromised by high identification because of conformity and loyalty to established ways of doing things. Furthermore, work group identification may cause conflict between groups in the same organization especially under conditions of competition.  More on Assignment 1 See ELE for some examples of good essays. These are just some examples – you can focus on different topics It is vital to support your arguments with academic research and theory – it is not about pure reflection It will improve your mark if you do your own research and cite it  More on Assignment 1 There are various databases you can use to search for relevant journal articles Exeter elibrary, proquest search, web of science Perhaps the easiest is google scholar  More on Assignment 1 You need to provide in text citations and a full reference list You can use software like endnote to organise references Generally more references the better!  Example In your essay perhaps you might say something like: The achievement striving facet of conscientiousness, means that individuals have a strong drive and focus to reach a desired outcome, often promoting competition (Marinova et al., 2013). Marinova, S. V., Moon, H., & Kamdar, D. (2013). Getting ahead or getting along? The two facet conceptualization of conscientiousness and leadership emergence. Organization Science, 24(4), 257-1276. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1120.0781