UGBA 105 Midterm 2 Test, Questions and Answers
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5 Characteristics of Work Groups - ✔✔Affect the way members behave and the group's
overall performance
1. Group Size
2. Group Composition
3. Group Function
4. Group Status
5. Group Efficacy
Group Size - ✔✔A characteristic of work groups
- Smaller groups: members are likely to know one another and interact regularly, easier to
share information, recognize individual contribution to group, and identify with group's goals
=> may lead to increased motivation and commitment to group goals and higher levels of
satisfaction
- Bigger groups: less personal, less interaction, may feel unimportant, difficult to share
information, duplication of effort => less motivation and commitment to group
However, bigger groups are better in certain cases because there are more resources such as
skills, ability, and accumulated work experience and knowledge. Also has division of labor
Goal: balance size to maximize performance
Group Composition (2 types) - ✔✔Characteristics of members of a group; how
different/similar they are to each other
1. Homogeneous Group - Similarity; many characteristics in common (gender, race,
socioeconomic background, culture, age, education, personality traits, etc.)
,2. Heterogeneous Group - Diversity; not many characteristics in common
Similarity = easier to get along, less conflict, easier to share information, less communication vs
heterogeneous groups but prone to *group think* which is dangerous
Diversity = different perspectives which may lead to better decisions, group members more
likely to challenge each other, can handle more different problems
But members must be able to understand each others' differences
Group Function - ✔✔Characteristic of a work group
The work a group performs as its contribution to the accomplishment of organizational goals
- Gives its members a sense of meaning and purpose
- Members become motivated when they see how their group's work affects the work of other
groups
- affects intrinsic motivation
Group Status - ✔✔Characteristic of a work group
The implicitly agreed upon, perceived importance for the organization as a whole of what a
group does. (how important your work is to the organization)
- ex. a top management team may have high status bc it sets the organization's goals and
determines how it will achieve them
While a group of accountants may not be as central to the organization's performance as a
whole, still important but not as important
Higher status = more likely to be motivated to perform well because they see their work as
especially important for the success of the organization as a whole
, Group Efficacy - ✔✔Characteristic of a work group
The shared belief group members have about the ability of the group to achieve its goals and
objectives
Develops over time as members work together
High Efficacy: can lead to more effort, more persistence, and higher aspirations
Low Efficacy: less effort, less persistence, lower aspirations
- If certain skills lacking, add more members
- If members can't work together effectively, use group training and development
- If group is having trouble developing appropriate task strategies, reevaluate what works and
what doesn't
Social Facilitation (and the 2 types) - ✔✔The effects that the presence of others has on
performance, enhancing the performance of easy tasks and impairing the performance of
difficult tasks
1. Audience Effects - effects of *passive* spectators on individual performance
2. Co-action Effects - effects of the presence of other group members on the performance of an
individual when the other group members are performing the same task as the individual
- The presence of other group members enhances the performance of well-learned behaviors
that have been performed repeatedly in the past
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