Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 8/e
Stephen P. Robbins
Chapter 7
Foundations of
Group Behavior
7-1
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Groups
• Two or more individuals, interacting
and interdependent, who come
together to achieve particular
objectives
• Formal or informal
7-2
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Four Types of Groups
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•
•
•
Command
Task
Interest
Friendship
7-3
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Why People Join Groups
Reason
Affiliation
Benefits
Reduce the insecurity of “standing alone”; feel
stronger, fewer self-doubts, and more resistant to
threats
Inclusion in a group viewed by outsiders as
important; provides recognition and status
Provides feelings of self-worth to group members, in
addition to conveying status to outsiders
Fulfills social needs. Enjoys regular interaction; can
be primary source for fulfilling need for affiliation
Power
What cannot be achieved individually often
becomes possible; power in numbers
Goal
achievement
Some tasks require more than one person; need to
pool talents, knowledge, or power to complete the
job. In such instances, management may rely on
the use of a formal group
Security
Status
Self-esteem
7-4
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Basic Group Concepts
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•
•
•
•
•
Roles
Norms
Status
Cohesiveness
Size
Composition
7-5
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Roles
• To engage in a set of
expected behavior patterns
that are attributed to
occupying a given position
in a social unit
7-6
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Roles
Psychological contract
• Unwritten agreement that exists
between employees and their
employer
• Sets out mutual expectations
7-7
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Norms
• Acceptable standards of behavior
within a group
that are adopted
and shared by
the group’s
members
7-8
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The Hawthorne Studies
• Series of studies at Western Electric
Company’s Hawthorne Works, Chicago
• Examined the relation between the
physical environment and productivity
• Researchers’ findings contradicted their
anticipated results
7-9
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The Hawthorne Studies
• Concluded that a worker’s behavior
and sentiments were closely
related
• Group influences were significant in
affecting individual behavior.
7-10
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The Hawthorne Studies
• Group standards were highly
effective in establishing individual
worker output.
• Money was less a factor in
determining worker output than
were group standards, sentiments,
and security.
7-11
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Conformity and the Asch
Studies
• Demonstrated that subjects conformed
in about 35% of the trials
• Members desire to be one of the group
and avoid being visibly different
• Members with differing opinions feel
extensive pressure to align with others
7-12
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Examples of Cards Used
in Asch Study
X
A
B
C
7-13
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• Status - a socially
defined position or
rank given to
groups or group
members by
others
7-14
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What Determines Status?
• The power a person wields over
others
• A person’s ability to contribute to a
group’s goals
• An individual’s personal
characteristics
7-15
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• The importance
of status varies
between cultures
7-16
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Cohesiveness
The degree to which
members of the group are
attracted to each other and
motivated to stay in the
group
7-17
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Relationship of Cohesiveness
to Productivity
Cohesiveness
High
High
Low
Strong increase
in
productivity
Decrease
in
productivity
Low
Moderate increase
in
productivity
No significant
effect on
productivity
7-18
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How Can Managers
Encourage Cohesiveness?
• Make the group smaller
• Encourage agreement on
group goals
• Increase the time spent together
• Increase the status and
perceived difficulty of group
membership
7-19
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More Ways Managers Can
Encourage Cohesiveness
• Stimulate competition with
other groups
• Give rewards to the group
rather than members
• Physically isolate the group
7-20
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How Size Affects a Group
• Smaller groups are faster at
completing tasks
• Large groups are consistently better
at problem solving
• Increases in group size are inversely
related to individual performance
7-21
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• Social loafing tendency to
expend less effort
in a group than as
an individual
7-22
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Composition
• When a group is diverse,
there is an increased
probability that it will
possess the needed
characteristics to complete
its tasks effectively.
7-23
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Composition
• Diversity promotes
conflict, which
stimulates
creativity, which
leads to improved
decision making
7-24
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Individual versus Group
Decision Making
Individual
Group
•
•
•
•
•
•
• More effective
• More information and
knowledge
• Diversity of views
• Higher-quality decisions
• Increased acceptance
More efficient
Speed
No meetings
No discussions
Clear accountability
Consistent values
7-25
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Symptoms of Groupthink
• Group members rationalize any
resistance to their assumptions
• Members pressure any doubters to
support the alternative favored by the
majority
7-26
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Symptoms of Groupthink
• Doubters keep silent about misgivings
and minimize their importance
• Group interprets members’ silence as a
“yes” vote for the majority
7-27
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Variables Influencing Groupthink
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•
•
Group’s cohesiveness
Leader’s behavior
Insulation from outsiders
Time pressures
Failure to follow methodical decisionmaking procedures
7-28
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Groupshift
• Decision of the group reflects
the dominant
decision-making
norm that develops
during the group’s
discussion
7-29
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Selecting the Best DecisionMaking Technique
• Brainstorming
• Nominal group technique
• Electronic meetings
7-30
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