Summary
Summary Foundations of Group Behaviour
- Course
- Institution
- Book
Chapter 9:Foundations of Group Behaviour
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
More summaries for
-
Understanding Work Teams
-
Midterm Review
-
Hoofdstuk 9, 10, 12, 13, 17, 18 samenvatting
Seller
Follow
Nixon
Content preview
Chapter 9Foundations of Group Behaviour
Defining and Classifying Groups
• Group: Two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who come together to achieve
particular objectives
– Formal: Defined by the organization’s structure
– Informal: Neither formally structured nor organizationally determined
Roles
• Role: The set of expected behaviour patterns that are attributed to occupying a given position in
a social unit
– Role perception – our view of how we’re supposed to act in a given situation
– Role expectations – how others believe you should act in a given situation
– Role conflict – conflict experienced when multiple roles are incompatible
Norms
• Norms: Acceptable standards of behaviour within a group that are shared by the group’s
members
• Powerful means of influencing behaviour
– Performance norms
– Appearance norms
– Social arrangement norms
– Resource allocation norms
Norms and Behaviour
• Lessons from the Hawthorne studies (1920s-1930s):
– Productivity increased because groups were paid attention to by the observers – not
because of changes in environment
– Workers in groups do not maximize individual economic rewards
– Group standards are set and enforced by the group itself
Conformity
, • Reference groups: A person is aware of other members, defines self as a member, believes
group members to be significant
– Individuals try to conform to norms of these groups
• Asch Studies (1950s)
– Members avoid being visibly different
– Members with differing opinions feel extensive pressure to align with others
– Level of conformity has declined since 1950s
Deviant Workplace Behaviour
• Deviant Workplace Behaviour: Voluntary behaviour violates significant organizational norms
and, in doing so, threatens the well-being of the organization or its members
• Likely to flourish when:
– Supported by group norms
– People are in groups
Status
• Status: A socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others
• Determined by a person’s:
– power over others
– ability to contribute to a group’s goals
– personal characteristics
Impact of Status
• Status and Norms
– High-status members often have more freedom to deviate from norms and are better
able to resist conformity pressures
• Status and Group Interaction
– High status people are more assertive
– Low status members may not participate
– Group creativity may suffer
Group Size
• Smaller groups are faster at completing tasks – members perform better
• Large groups are consistently better at problem solving
• Social loafing: tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than
alone
Social Loafing
Causes Prevention
• Equity theory – unequal • Set group goals
distribution of work
• Increase inter-group competition
• Dispersion of responsibility – clouds
• Engage in peer evaluation
the relationship between individual
inputs and group output • Select members who have high
motivation and like to work in groups
• Distribute group rewards based on
members’ individual contributions
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Nixon. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $0.00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
64438 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now