Chapter 3: Group development
Primary Dimensions
Task Dimension: The work performed by the group
Social Dimension: The relationships that form between members in the group and their impact
on the group as a whole.
All decision making groups have both task and social dimensions
Output from a group’s task dimension: Productivity
Output from a group’s social dimension: Cohesiveness
Finding the optimum balance productivity (task dimension) and cohesiveness (social dimension)
is an important goal for all groups.
Periodic Phases of Group Development
1. Forming: Formation phase of group development
Reasons we join groups:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Need to belong: Satisfies a need to belong
Interpersonal attraction: Join because we are drawn by its members
Attraction to group activities: to participate in the group’s activities
Attraction to group goals: A purpose driven membership
Establishment of meaning and identity: Make sense of our world (don’t join cults)
Fulfillment of unrelated needs: Satisfy a desire unrelated to the groups goals
The reason individuals join groups have noticeable effects on the productivity and cohesiveness
of those groups.
Member diversity: Benefits and challenges of a diverse group (culture, ethnicity, gender, and age)
Benefits: Counteract biases more effectively, members with varied skills, different perspectives
and backgrounds
Challenges: Difficulty achieving agreement, competition for power, tough time identifying with
fellow members
2. Storming: Social tension phase experienced within groups
There are two types of social tension: Primary and secondary
Primary Tension: The initial uneasiness first felt when you gather in a group. Joking, laughing,
and chatting about your interests, experiences, and beliefs on noncontroversial subjects all serve
to reduce primary tension
Secondary Tension: The stress and strain that occur within a group later in its development.
Tension can energize a group, challenge the members to think creatively, and bring the group
together.
A group’s inability to accomplish tasks and to maintain a satisfying social climate demonstrates
excessive tension in a group
3. Norming: Setting rules that establish standards of appropriate behavior within a group
Explicit Norms: Rules that expressly identify acceptable behavior
Implicit Norms: Rules that are indirectly indicated by the behaviors and attitudes of members
The general purpose of norms is to achieve group goals.
Conformity: Adherence to group norms by group members. We conform to groups to be liked
and socially accepted. We conform to norms because we want to be right.
4. Performing: Group output phase of development
Collective effort: Group members are motivated to perform well if they are convinced that their
individual effort will help in attain results.
Social Loafing: Tendency of a group member to exert less effort on a task when working in a
group than when working individually.
Groups vs. Individual Performance: Although groups frequently outperform individuals, there
are certain conditions that the individual is superior to the group
Group – Wide range of information and skills, cover large tasks, and group decisions are
superior
Individual – Individual does not belong to group norms, groups may become too large, can work
well on simple tasks, takes less time
Newcomers and group development
Group Socialization- communication process in which new and established group members
adjust to one another
Strategies: Welcome members into the group, orient new members, and mentor newcomers