HUMAN RELATIONS IN GROUP

PEOPLE, GROUPS AND THEIR LEADERS

ObjectivesExplain why people join groups.Define a group.Discuss formal groups and how they develop.Explain the importance of status and conformity within groups.

Discuss informal groups.Examine barriers to group effectiveness.

WHAT MAKES A GROUP?

Two or more people who interact, share common goals, have unspoken or formal rules or norms, maintain stable role relationships, and form subgroups.

•A formal group is one that is usually governed by the formal structure of the organization.

•Informal group a group that tends to form around common interests, habits, and personality traits.

Two Categories of Group

People join groups to fulfil needs that can’t be fulfilled when acting alone. Those needs and their fulfilment fit the following categories:•1. Affiliation•2. Attraction•3. Activities•4. Assistance•5. Proximity

FORMAL GROUPS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT

TASK ACTIVITY- the assignment of task to get a job done.

GROUP PROCESS- the way group members deal with one another while working on a task.

FORMAL GROUPS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT

1. Forming•During this phase, members take a close look at their task, adjust themselves in terms of what behaviours are expected of them, and begin accepting one another.

FORMAL GROUPS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT

2. Redefining•At this point, group members re-examine the task as a group problem.

FORMAL GROUPS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT

•3. CoordinatingThis stage often lasts the longest. Here the group starts collecting information and translating it into group objectives.

FORMAL GROUPS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT

4. FormalizingThis is the point where the group works smoothly in its roles and can accomplish its objectives.

STATUS AND CONFORMITY IN GROUPS•Status is the rank an individual holds within a group. •Status symbols- are possessions or affiliations that reflect the owner’s wealth and social standing.

•Conformity -Behaving in a way that meets a specified standard, in coordination with a group.

INFORMAL GROUPSBasic qualities common in an informal group;

1.They fulfill the needs of members.2.They are usually necessary to an organization.3.They are always changing.4.They are not affected by formal boundaries.

BARRIERS TO GROUP EFFECTIVENESS

GROUPTHINK•A problematic type of thinking that results from group members who are overly willing to agree with one another because of time pressure, stress, and low collective self-esteem.

Solutions to Group Effectiveness Barriers

•1. Changing ineffective norms.•2. Identifying problems.•3. Improving the composition of the group.

Passive AggressionSometimes a member with a hidden agenda will show unusual stubbornness or resentment toward a group goal. He or she will not openly criticize it, but will do indirect things to sabotage it because it does not match his or her agenda.