Groups Flashcards
Groups
A collection of elements that share attributes and/or relate to one another in specific ways
General characteristics of groups
Group structure
Group process
Group structure
Structured in circular way
A group norm determines whether or not an element can be considered a member of the group
The strengths of the relationships between the elements indicates the cohesion of the group
Group process
Group evolves in a certain direction
Interactions amongst the elements may oppose one another leading to unexpected movements in the group as a whole
Some elements may interact more strongly than others which may exert a dominant influence in which the group progresses
Attributes of human groups
Awareness of group membership Interaction among members Common goals Cohesiveness Socio-metric structure Group norms Group polarisation Group think Group conflict Patterns of leadership and followership
Human membership
To experience group membership, the members have to have at least one thing in common
They have to believe that the benefit of the membership outweighs the disadvantages
They gradually become more committed to the group and socially integrate into it
Group norms
Shared expectations about the kinds of behaviours that are required by all group members
Rules that prescribe and forbid certain behaviours
Originate in three ways:
1. Formulated by group leaders
2. Product of group experience
3. Transferred from other groups
Group cohesion
Strength of relationships among group members
Highly cohesive groups identifies strongly with the group and defend it
A tight group is formed because they have strong sense of joint destiny (inside force)
Their group is threatened by other individuals (outside force)
Socio-metric structures
Members are not equally attracted to one another
There are patterns of liking and disliking which forms the socio-metric structure
Influenced by the groups’s degree of task orientation
If strongly task oriented, there is strongly there is less opportunity for it to focus on interpersonal relationships
Often develop particular patterns of communication (communication network)
The network determines hierarchy of communication, the frequency and the number of people involved in it
Process of human groups
Processes starts with interaction
As it develops, there are significant changes in the patterns and frequency in interaction
Normally have specific purposes which can be implicit or explicit
It defines its goals and its development and functioning are determined by them
Members have to perform specific roles, instrumental and affiliative
As groups develop they may change the way in which they emphasise different roles
Ringelmann effect
Max Ringelmann
When people work in groups, they exert less effort than when working alone
Today this is called social loafing
Social loafing
Occurs when group members feel that their individual performance is not evaluated and acknowledged, thus are less motivated to exert the required effort
Can be reduced by convincing group members that they are held accountable
Instrumental roles
Aimed at executing tasks
If groups aim is to produce a particular product instrumental role type is emphasied
Affiliative tasks
Aimed at support and interpersonal contact
Group polarisation
When group’s views swing towards extreme positions
Occurs when existing individual opinions, views, ideas and positions become more extreme during group discussion
Group conflict
Inevitable in the life of any group
Members may have different expectations of the group
May not agree of the group’s goals and methods of achieving them
May lead to negative feelings about one another
Whether it spirals out of control depends on the strength of the group’s purpose
