Group performance and
development
Recap
Types of interdependence
Fate
Task
Positive and negative
Group performance
Social facilitation
Process loss
Social loafing/motivation loss
Goals
Dealing with social loafing
Other issues in group performance –
which types of tasks are groups good
at?
How do groups change over time?
1
Social loafing
Reasons for social loafing
Equity – matching your partners’ effort
Anonymity of performance
Identifiable performance
Evaluation apprehension
Matching to standards
Reducing social loafing
Make performance identifiable,
knowingly evaluated
Give specific expectations for
General standards of performance
Teammates’ expected performance
Increase personal involvement in task
Improve group efficacy beliefs
Task type and group performance
Groups not equally effective at all
tasks
Tasks involving facts, right/wrong
answers vs. creative tasks
2
Decision-making performance
Collective knowledge gains may
outweigh process loss, motivation
losses
Shared mental models – similarity in
perceptions of goals, tasks, capabilities
Transactive memory systems – pieces
of knowledge/know-how distributed
across individuals
Creative tasks
Example of creative tasks
Brainstorming, ‘divergent thinking’ tasks
Big losses due to
Blocking (kind of process loss)
Conformity pressures
Creative tasks
Factors affecting performance on creative
tasks
Group composition
Diverse vs. homogenous groups
Acceptance, encouragement of dissenting
opinions
Communication medium
Face to face vs. computer-mediated
3
Group development
Cohesion
How tight are the social bonds in a
group?
How does it develop over time?
How does it affect performance?
Group development
Stage models of group development
Groups go through specific sequential stages of
development
Tuckman (1965)
Orientation (forming)
Conflict (storming)
Structure (norming)
Work (performing)
Dissolution (adjourning)
Orientation stage
Guarded interactions, tension,
monitoring of self and others
Forming opinions, inferences about
others
4
Conflict
Conflict over group goals, procedures,
individual roles, status
Leader-member conflict
Conflict may be healthy
Better understanding of other group
members’ perspectives
Forces group to clarify, consider goals;
come to a consensus
Structure
Develop clear norms of behavior, roles
Engage in task planning
Work stage
Focus on actually performing the task
Not all groups reach this stage!
5
Dissolution
Planned dissolution
Spontaneous (unplanned) dissolution
Cyclical models of group development
No clear sequence of stages – groups
go back and forth based on demands
of task, external environment
Bales’ equilibrium model
Groups try to maintain a balance
between social needs and task needs
Effects of cohesion
Positive outcomes
Greater performance!
Higher satisfaction
Lower stress, anxiety
Negative outcomes
Pressure for conformity
Avoidance of dissent, conflict
Negative behaviors directed towards dissenters
Ostracizing
Aggression
Scapegoating
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Group performance and
development
7