The Nature of
Groups
Ch. 8
What is a group?

“a small collection of people who
interact with each other, usually face to
face, over time in order to reach goals.”
In order to be considered a
group, members must:
Interact
 Be interdependent -members rely on
one another
 Interact for a length of time
 Be a particular size (at the very least
three members)
 Have hopes of achieving one or more
goals

Types of Goals

Individual Goals - the motives of
each individual group member

Group goals – the ultimate outcome
the group hopes to accomplish
4 Types of Groups
Learning groups
 Growth groups
 Problem-solving groups
 Social groups

Learning groups

where the purpose is to increase the
knowledge and skill of each member
Growth groups

focus on teaching members more about
themselves
Problem-solving groups

when members form in order to solve a
problem that affects all of them
Social Groups

Groups that meet for the sole purpose
of satisfying the social needs of their
members
CHARACTERISTICS OF
GROUPS

•
•
•
•
All groups have certain characteristics in
common.
Rules and norms
Member have individual Roles
Patterns of interaction
Decision-making methods
Rules and Norms
Rules- clearly defined guidelines
governing the ways in which members
are expected to behave
 Norms- are rules that are not stated or
discussed, but members know they are
supposed to be followed

3 types of norms
Social norms – effect the relationships
that occur between members
 Procedural norms – outline the ways
in which the group is to operate
 Task norms – how the job at hand
will be carried out

Roles

The behavior that is expected from
each group member
Types of roles
Formal roles – assigned by an
organization
or group often to establish order
Informal roles – roles that work to
satisfy a particular function
Two types of informal
roles:
•
•
Task roles – help the group accomplish
its goals
Maintenance roles- help the
relationships among members run
smoothly.
Dysfunctional roles

behaviors that prevent the group from
working effectively
Patterns of interaction
Interactions that take place within a
group tend to follow a particular
pattern.
Types of patterns of interaction:
• All-channel network
• Chain network
• Wheel network

All- channel network
Takes place if group members stay
together and shared every piece of
information with one another.
 Group members must be face-to-face

A chain network
When interaction and communication
moves sequentially from one member
to another
 Good for simple messages
 Tend to break down with more complex
messages

Wheel network

All communication within the group
goes through one person who is at the
center of the groups operation.
Decision-Making Methods

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5 ways in which groups make
decisions:
Consensus
Majority control
Expert opinion
Minority rule
Authority rule
CONSENSUS

Takes place when every member of the
group supports the decision
MAJORITY CONTROL

Decisions are based on what the
majority of members desire
EXPERT OPINION
When decisions are left to one member
who is believed to be an expert on the
decision to be made
 Works if the person is truly an expert

MINORITY CONTROL

Takes place when a few members of a
group decide on a matter
AUTHORITY RULE

When the leader or the person with the
most power makes the decisions for the
group
THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE
ON GROUPS
Cultural influences on
group communication



Groups are effected greatly by culture
Culture provides the rules and norms
that determine how members will
interact with one another
Culture also determines how members
will achieve the goals of the group
Geert Hofstede’s (4) cultural forces
that shape the attitudes and
behaviors of groups and individuals
Individualism vs. Collectivism
 Power distance
 Uncertainty avoidance
 Task versus social orientation

(1) Individualism vs.
collectivism

Describes the way that some cultures
place value on the individual, while
cultures place value on the group
Individualism
Individualistic values stress the
importance of pursuing personal goals
and independence
 Individualistic cultures are focused on
individual goals
 Those with individualistic orientation are
concerned with standing out in the
crowd

Collectivism
Collectivistic values focus on the
importance of group harmony, fitting in,
and relational dependence
 Collectivistic cultures are focused on the
goals in the group
 Those with collectivistic orientation are
concerned with fitting in with the rest of
the group

Individualistic vs. Collectivistic
countries
The United States, Canada, Australia,
and Britain.
 Latin American and Asian societies tend
to be more collectivistic

Cultural influence on view of
conflict
Individualistic cultures view conflict
as a positive, and tend confront it head
on
-use more direct language (low-context)
 Collectivistic cultures tend to view
conflict negatively, and avoid it
-use less direct language (high-context)

(4) Power distance

The accepted distance of power
between to people of status and power
within a culture
Low Power Distance
If people are relatively equal there will
be low power distance
 Cultures low in power distance tend to
push toward equality among members

High Power Distance

If people differ greatly in level of
power there will be a high power
distance

Cultures high in power distance accept
differences in power and status as a
way of life
Countries with Low Power
Distance
Israel
New Zealand
Germany
U.S.A
Countries with High Power
Distance
Philippines
 Mexico
 India
 France

(3) Uncertainty Avoidance
Takes place when people try to avoid
that which is uncertain
 Different cultures react differently to
uncertainty:
-some cultures avoid uncertainty as
much as possible
-other cultures welcome uncertainty

Countries with low uncertainty
avoidance
Singapore
 India
 Philippines
 U.S.A

Countries with high
uncertainty avoidance
Greece
 Japan
 Peru
 Mexico

(4)Task vs. Social Orientation

Some cultures are focused more on
getting the job done, while other
cultures are focused more on the social
orientation of the group
Task Oriented Societies
Focus is on getting the job done
 Focus on making the team more
competent
 Highly concerned with individual
success

Socially Oriented Societies
Focus more on collective concerns of
the group
 Cooperative problem solving
 A friendly environment
 Good working conditions

Countries High in Task
Orientation:
Japan
 Austria
 Italy
 Mexico

Counties High in Social
Orientation
Sweden
 Norway
 Chile
 Portugal

In conclusion…

An awareness of the ways in which
different cultures deal with conflict and
problem solving helps to eliminate
miscommunication and misconceptions
that may take place within groups.