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Summary IOP2607 Summarised Study Notes
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- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
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IOP2607NOTES
,IOP2607 – Work Group Dynamics &
Diversity
1: Conceptualising work group
dynamics & diversity
Work group psychodynamics
Systems psychodynamics
Study & interpretation of collective interdependent un & conscious indiv, group &
intergroup processes resulting from interconnection btwn indivs, groups &
subgroups within social system
*Through psychoanalytic thinking uses observed behav to explore underlying indiv &
group psychodynamics (unconscious behav) to understand conscious behav with ref
to diversity & diversity M
Open systems theory explores structures like boundaries, authority, roles & tasks in
org context
Affords us opp to attend to uncon phenomena within ppl, org context & complex
interactions btwn the 2
Indiv psychodynamics
Study of unconscious processes within indiv
Through past exp, dev intra-psychic reality on unconscious level & try make sense of
external reality
Main assumption - motivated by anxiety so use defence mechanisms to feel at ease
Group psychodynamics
Study of unconscious group processes
Main assumption indivs within group are motivated by anxiety so use defence
mechanisms to feel at ease
Principles
Study unconscious meaning of observed behav > dynamics of org > org structures >
org dynamics based on indiv & group dynamics > psychodynamics of it all
To recognise & explore psychodynamics, NB to
o Observe human behav in particular context
o Recognise complex info about self & group in relation to observed behav
o Think about complex matters in self & group in relation to behav
o Put ideas about observation in words
1
,Diversity
*Diversity
Indiv diffs that can be drawn on to dev goals of org, any mix of indiv & group diff &
similarities that contr to distinct social identities
Eg race, gender, age, mental health, marital status, sex orientation, lang, birth
position in fam, geography, career, job, socioeconomic class, religion, personality
Diversity within org encompasses every indiv diff that affects task so has impact on
prods as well as personal, interpersonal & org activities
Diversity can be present in homogeneous group eg diff ages, exp in all male org
*Primary dimensions – core attributes that can't change eg age, race, gender,
physical appearance, sexual orientation
*Secondary dimensions - changeable attributes eg education, religion, income,
relats, comm style, work exp
Interaction btwn P&S dimensions shapes indivs values, priorities & perceptions
Assumption – effective human relations amongst diversity is possible only if
differences are valued & accepted
*Workforce diversity
Indisputable fact, catalyst of org change, HR goal, busn obj, learning opp
Relats btwn ppl & org in context of ongoing culture
*Diversity M
Org strat towards workforce diversity dev, org culture change & empl empowerment
Shift from assumptions defined by affirmative action & towards inclusive M
reflecting diverse workforce
Pragmatic approach to anticipate & plan for change, not fearing diffs, view
workplace as forum for indiv growth & skill change with direct cost benefit to org
Behav science research, theory & methods to M org change to support diversity
Est org culture change through deliberate, strat diversity initiatives
LT process to create multicultural org with responsive env to diversity
Aim – improve health & effectiveness of org while valuing respect for diffs
Principles
Applied to orgs, diversity is P&S dimensions defining each person, subgroup & group
as unique entity & the way these perceived S&D are interpreted & acted upon
Through diversity M try deal with difficulties by assessing nature & implementing
diversity initiatives to address indiv, group & org behav processes, particularly fears,
perceptions & attitudes
Diversity psychodynamics
*Psychodynamics of diversity (Pretorius)
Main assumptions
o Diversity is relational phenomenon where indivs make assumptions about
others & then behave certain way
2
, o Observed human behav towards others occurs un & consciously
Diversity psychodynamics is relational phenomenon focusing on
o S&D based on P&S dimensions btwn indivs & groups
o Manner in which un & consciously perceive, interpret & act upon these S&D
By exploring observed human behav in context of diversity, able to understand the
uncon processes that drive behav towards others & informs us how we deal with
diversity & implementing diversity M in orgs
Manifestation of work group dynamics & diversity in org
In terms of org behav, diversity refers to every human indiv & group diff that impacts
a task as well as personal, interpersonal & org activities in org
Effect on work performance (technical aspects)
Own competence to tasks eg cognitive ability, aptitude, interest, motivation,
emotional sensitivity, interpersonal style
Often have standardised permanent structures leading to boredom & stagnation
resulting in lower productivity
Should be allowed to use diverse thinking, prob solving & creativity
Effect on relats (social aspects)
All empl must realise their indiv diversity to realise aspects of self
Risk – don’t define too broadly coz ppl will take refuge in broadness & avoid looking
at own discomforting diffs eg sexism, racism, which prevents uncovering & truly
valuing another’s uniqueness
Confusion about what diverse is – heterogeneity & gender can't be categories as
race & gender can be present in homogeneous group eg male workers can be diff
regarding age, skills, race
To capture variability, indiv must be described to recognise diffs rather than labels
2: Indiv psychodynamics
Conflict btwn rational behav as defined by tasks of org & unconscious indiv & group
processes, result from 3 categories of anxiety (primitive anxiety, anxiety from nature
of work & personal anxiety)
Freud’s conscious & unconscious theories
*Iceberg model (conscious awareness)
Conscious (above surface) – all info u aware of
Unconscious (under surface) – anxieties & feelings unaware of
Preconscious - bridge btwn un & conscious, info that is accessible but not always
available (tip of tongue feeling)
3
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