Group Dynamics Flashcards
Describe informal vs formal groups
A formal group is established by organisations to facilitate organisational goals
An informal group emerges naturally in response to the common interests of members
Describe how group capability relates to the capability of individuals within the group
Groups tend to perform better for an average individual, but usually slightly worse than the best individual in the group
Describe Groupthink
Groupthink is a situation in which a group pressure deters the group from critical evaluation of unusual or unpopular ideas
Describe Asch’s experiment
A group of participants were asked to identify a series of fairly obvious answers; however, all but one of the people in the group were secretly researchers, who would gradually agree on an incorrect answer. Conformity overall was 33% to incorrect responses, and 74% of people conformed to the wrong choice at least once in 12 rounds.
What was the effect of having an ally in Asch’s experiment?
Conformity decreased by 75%
What are some reasons that we conform?
People don’t want to be a troublemaker
Dominant (and confident) members have influence
Confidence is often mistaken for competence
Culture conforms - individualistic cultures less so
How do you solve the issue of Groupthink?
Dissent must be valued
People must feel comfortable speaking up
- A devil’s advocate role could exist
- Outsiders could be brought in
- Idea’s could be evaluated anonymously
What is social loafing?
The tendency to withhold physical or intellectual effort when performing a group task
How can social loafing be counteracted?
Make individual performance visible
What are some causes of social loafing?
Diffusion of responsibility
Individualistic culture has higher tendency than collective culture
