1

Swacx di best..!

Group Dynamics

What is a group?

A group is:

o “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)

o “a collection of people who interact with one another, accept rights and obligations

as members and who share a common identity”

Group dynamics is the study of groups. 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.

Criteria for a group include:

o Formal social structure

o Face-face interaction

o Three or more persons

o Common fate

o Common goals

o Interdependence

o Self-definition as group members

o Recognition by others

Why people join groups

Among other factors that influenced a person’s decision to join a group, the following are

probably the most powerful ones:

o Attraction to others who are members

o Commitment to the goals of the group

o Enjoyment of the activities of the group

2

o Perceived instrumental value, e.g. a businesswoman may join the Chamber of

Commerce because it is a source of business contacts.

Tuckman’s (1965) model of group development is commonly used to describe the

evolving experience and organization of most groups.

Tuckman’s (1965) Four Stages of Group Development

Tuckman described the four distinct stages that a group can go through as it comes together

and starts to operate. This process can be subconscious, although an understanding of the

stages can help a group reach effectiveness more quickly and less painfully.

Stage 1: Forming

o Individual behaviour is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid

controversy or conflict.

o Serious issues and feelings are avoided, and people focus on being busy with

routines, such as team organization, who does what, when to meet, etc.

o This is a comfortable stage to be in, but the avoidance of conflict and threat means

that not much actually gets done.

Stage 2: Storming

o Individuals in the group can only remain nice to each other for so long, as important

issues start to be addressed.

o Some people's patience will break early, and minor confrontations will arise that are

quickly dealt with or glossed over.

o These may relate to the work of the group itself, or to roles and responsibilities

within the group.

o Depending on the culture of the organization and individuals, the conflict will be

more or less suppressed, but it will be there, under the surface.

o To deal with the conflict, individuals may feel they are winning or losing battles, and

will look for structural clarity and rules to prevent the conflict persisting.

Stage 3: Norming

o As Stage 2 evolves, the "rules of engagement" for the group become established,

and the scope of the group's tasks or responsibilities are clear and agreed.

o Having had their arguments, they now understand each other better, and can

appreciate each other's skills and experience.

3

o Individuals listen to each other, appreciate and support each other, and are

prepared to change pre-conceived views: they feel they're part of a cohesive,

effective group.

o However, individuals have had to work hard to attain this stage, and may resist any

pressure to change - especially from the outside - for fear that the group will break

up, or revert to a storm

Stage 4: Performing

o Not all groups reach this stage, characterized by a state of interdependence and

flexibility.

o Everyone knows each other well enough to be able to work together, and trusts each

other enough to allow independent activity.

o Roles and responsibilities change according to need in an almost seamless way.

o Group identity, loyalty and morale are all high, and everyone is equally task-

orientated and people-orientated.

o This high degree of comfort means that all the energy of the group can be directed

towards the task(s) in hand.

o Ten years after first describing the four stages, Bruce Tuckman revisited his original

work and described another, final, stage:

Stage 5: Adjourning

o This is about completion and disengagement, both from the tasks and the group

members.

o Individuals will be proud of having achieved much and glad to have been part of such

a group.

o They need to recognize what they have done, and consciously move on.

o Some authors describe stage 5 as "Deforming and Mourning", recognizing the sense

of loss felt by group members.

Tuckman's original work simply described the way he had observed groups evolve,

whether they were conscious of it or not. But for us the real value is in recognizing

where a group is in the process, and helping it to move to the Performing stage. In the

real world, groups are often forming and changing, and each time that happens, they

can move to a different Tuckman Stage.

Group Cohesiveness

4

An important aspect of work groups is the cohesiveness of the group, i.e. the extent to

which the group members cooperate together and operate as a single entity instead of

separate individuals.

LEADERSHIP

Leadership is another aspect of group process that is important. The leader emerges as the

individual possessing qualities that the other members perceive as critical to the satisfaction

of their specific needs.

Definition:

Tannebaum and Massarik (1957) define leadership as “interpersonal influence exercised in a

situation and directed, through the communication process, towards the attainment of a

specific goal or goals.”

The following are some of the functions exercised by leaders in exercising leadership:

o The translation of directives from higher levels in the organization into goals for

those he/she is leading

o Provide direction by giving clear, unambiguous goals

o Set an example for subordinates to follow

o Influence subordinates to do the required job

o Make decisions

o Monitor progress towards the goals

o Make external contacts relevant to the group’s activities

Leadership styles

There are three styles of leadership:

The autocratic leader – who dictates how the work should be done, the work method and

who works with whom.

The democratic leader – who behaves as a member of the work group and encourages the

full development of each member.

The laissez-faire leader – who gives complete freedom to the group, there is little

dependence on the leader.

Consequences of different styles of leadership

Autocratic

5

o Group members do not contribute to decision making and so tend not to regard the

decision as being “theirs” but rather imposed.

o Group members are liable to be dissatisfied and there is little cohesion in the group.

Democratic:

o The group is not dependent on the leader and can function in his or her absence.

o Group members contribute to decision making and regard decisions being made as

“theirs”.

o Group members tend to be satisfied with their work.

o The group can develop high cohesion.

Laissez-faire

o The group does not depend on the leader, or need the leader.

o Group members make decisions, but not in a coordinated way.

o Group members are generally dissatisfied with their work.

o The group has poor cohesion.