Affiliation In The Workplace

Group 2

Affiliation at Work OverviewPart One- Need for Affiliation, FIRO Theory, FIRO-B Scale,

Social Comparison and Misery Loves Company.

Part Two-, Downward Social Comparison, Upward Social

Comparison,self- evaluation maintenance ( SEM) model and

Social Comparison Orientation.

Part Three- Stress and Affiliation, Sources of Social

Support, Companionship and Loneliness.

Part One

Need For AffiliationAccording to Forsyth (2010) “The dispositional

tendency to seek out others” (p. 92)

Workers who have a high need for affiliation take

pride in their friendships at work. They want

cooperation instead of contending amongst co-

workers .

Workers have a low need for affiliation tend to be

more recluse and socialize less often with co-

workers.

William Schutz “FIRO” TheoryFundamental Interpersonal Relations

Orientation classifies three basic needs that can be fulfilled by groups.

The first basic need is inclusion similar to the need for affection.

The second basic need is control, similar to the need for power.

The third basic need is affection, similar to

the need for intimacy. (Forsyth,2010,p. 93).

FIRO- B ScaleMeasures the need to express and receive

inclusion, control, and affection.

The greater the needs in any person than it is

more likely that they will attempt to form

relationships at work.

This scale is used in team performance and

leadership.

Social Comparison In The Workplace

In the workplace individuals experience

both achievements and failures.

People use social comparison at work

to compare their qualities with other

co-workers, set their own personal

goals, help out other people and realize

that they are superior to people around

them (Forsyth,2010, p. 96).

Misery loves….“Misery loves Company”

involves co-workers facing potential layoffs or issues with a boss may reach out to those who have dealt those issues in the past

Embarrassed misery can result in a worker wanting to avoid asking questions about a work project for fear of embarrassing his/herself in front of co-workers.

In a test study done by William Morris in 1976, he found that when groups are faced with a fearful situation they interact the most (Forsyth,2010).

PART TWO

Downward Social Comparison

Downward social comparison is comparing yourself to someone who is performing less than you (Forsyth, 2010,p.99).

An example: Employee A finished his project a day late. When talking to a fellow co-worker Employee B compared himself to Employee A, “ Well at least I turned it in, A still hasn’t written up his report”.

Upward Social Comparison Upward social comparison is

comparing yourself to someone who is better off than you are (Forsyth, 2010, p.99).

Upward social comparison can have both negative and positive effects.

An example: Employee A was just named CEO of ABC Bank. Employee B saw Employee A go from a teller to a CEO and feels inspired to take the same path and achieve the same success.

The negative can be Employee B working just as hard as Employee A and not getting the CEO position. This can leave employee B having both envy and jealously towards employee A.

Social Comparison Orientation According to Forsyth (2010), “Social comparison orientation is the dispositional

tendency to compare oneself to others” (p.101).

Employee B saw Employee A doing a good job and it makes him angry that he is better

than you but happy you still have a good co-worker who gets tasks done. In another

sense Employee A may feel great that he has this new title as CEO but pity for

Employee B and all the others who were inline for the job as well.

Individuals will understand social comparisons at work in a positive way when their

work atmosphere is one that is cooperative. When high social orientation is displayed

at work, individuals will view social comparisons as competitive (Buunk, Zurriaga,

Péiró, Nauta,, & Gosalvez, 2005, p. 76).

Part Three

Stress & Affiliation McGuire’s (2007) study found the

following:When going through stress or going through a rough patch social support can range from sharing with co-workers to

counseling co-workers (p. 139).

Individuals experiencing work stress like layoffs, deadlines, bad bosses and coworkers, cwill ope by joining fellow stressed out co-workers(McGuire, 2007).

Besides sharing with co-workers we listen to co-workers regarding not just work issues but relationships issues, illness, death, issues with children.

Workplace Social Support

According to Harris, Winskowski & Engdahl (2007), “The four types of workplace social support are as follows: Task support, career mentoring, coaching and collegial social support (p.150).

Four Types of Workplace Social

Support

Task support

giving-and-taking

approach of work

assignments and ideas.

“You help me I’ll help you”

Four Types of Workplace

Social Support

Career Mentoring

work relationships you

have with a more

experienced, seasoned co-

worker(s).

Four Types of Workplace

Social Support

Coaching

the teaching of goals

and rules of the

organization you are a

part of.

Four Types of Workplace

Social Support

Collegial social support

the friendships you share

at work. These are your

confidants who you go to

for most anything.

Workplace Social Support ContinuedHarris et al. (2007) found “task support and career

mentoring as both being the most positive predictors for

job tenure” (p.154).

Today many individuals are spending more time at work

than at home. Individuals are relying more on the social

support from work (McGuire, 2007).

Companies offer trainings in dealing with personal issues

outside of work, which tends to make the company have

an at home feeling.

Companionship & Loneliness In The Workplace

At some point in our lives we feel a companionship towards someone whether it be a family member, friend or spouse. Some people reach times in their lives when they feel lonely.

Mr. A has been was hired by a large company three months

ago. Mr. A had many friends at his old job at WAWA but not

feels social loneliness in his new large company.

Mr. B notices Mr. A sitting alone in the cafeteria and offers

an invite to his table of friends. Mr. A has spent the last two

weeks eating lunch with the group and his social loneliness

at work has subsided.

References Buunk, B. P., Zurriaga, R., Péiró, J. M., Nauta, A., & Gosalvez, I. (2005). Social Comparisons at

Work as Related to a Cooperative Social Climate and to Individual Differences in Social

Comparison Orientation. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 54(1), 61-80.

doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2005.00196.x

Forsyth, Donelson (2010). Formation. In J.D. Hague (Ed.) Group Dynamics (pp. 87 114).Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

Harris, J., Winskowski, A., & Engdahl, B. E. (2007). Types of Workplace Social Support in the

Prediction of Job Satisfaction. Career Development Quarterly, 56(2), 150-156.DOI:

10.1002/j.21610045.2007.tb00027.x

McGuire, Gale (2007) Intimate Work: A Typology of the Social Support That Workers Provide to

Their Network Members. Work and Occupations ,34 (2), 125-147,doi:10.1177/0730888406297313