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Chapter 9: Foundations of

Group Behavior

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Define
Group,
and
Differentiate
LO 1
Between Different Types of
Groups
A group is defined as two or more
individuals, interacting and interdependent,
who have come together to achieve
particular objectives.
Groups can be either formal or informal.
Formal groups those defined by the
organizations structure.
Informal groups alliances that are
neither formally structured nor
organizationally determined.
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Define
Group,
and
Differentiate
LO 1
Between Different Types of
Groups
Social identity theory considers when
and why individuals consider themselves
members of groups.
People have emotional reactions to the
failure or success of their group because
their self-esteem gets tied into the
performance of the group.
Social identities help us understand who
we are and where we fit in with people.
Ingroup favoritism
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Define Group, and Differentiate


LO 1
Between Different Types of
Groups
Several characteristics make a social
identity important to a person
Similarity
Distinctiveness
Status
Uncertainty reduction

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Identify the Five Stages of


Group Development

LO 2

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Identify the Five Stages of


Group Development

LO 2

Group Effectiveness
Groups proceed through the stages of
group development at different rates.
Those with a strong sense of purpose and
strategy rapidly achieve high
performance and improve over time.
Similarly, groups that begin with a
positive social focus appear to achieve
the performing stage more rapidly.
Groups dont always proceed clearly from
one stage to the next.
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Identify the Five Stages of


Group Development

LO 2

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LO 3

Show How Role Requirements


Change In Different Situations

Role a set of expected behavior patterns


attributed to someone occupying a given
position in a social unit.
Role perception ones perception of how
to act in a given situation.
Role expectations how others believe
one should act in a given situation.
Psychological contract
Role conflict situation in which an
individual faces divergent role expectations.
Zimbardos prison experiment
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Demonstrate
LO
4

How Norms and Status


Exert Influence On an Individuals
Behavior
Norms acceptable standards of
behavior within a group that are shared by
the groups members.
Performance norms
Appearance norms
Social arrangement norms
Resource allocation norms
The Hawthorne Studies
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Demonstrate
LO
4

How Norms and Status


Exert Influence On an Individuals
Behavior

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Demonstrate
LO
4

How Norms and Status


Exert Influence On an Individuals
Behavior
Status a socially defined position or
rank given to groups or group members by
others.
Status characteristics theory
differences in status characteristics
create status hierarchies within groups.
Status is derived from one of three
sources:
The power a person wields over
others.
A persons
to contribute
to a
Copyright ability
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Ltd.

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Demonstrate
LO
4

How Norms and Status


Exert Influence On an Individuals
Behavior

Status and Norms


High status individuals often have more
freedom to deviate from norms.
Status and Group Interaction
High status people are often more
assertive.
Status Inequity
Perceived inequity creates disequilibrium
and can lead to resentment and
corrective behavior.
Status and Stigmatization
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LO 5
Show
How Group Size Affects
Group Performance

Group size affects the groups overall


behavior.
Large groups are good for gaining
diverse input.
Smaller groups are better doing
something with input.
Social loafing the tendency for
individuals to expend less effort when
working collectively than alone.
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Contrast
The
Benefits
And
LO 6
Disadvantages Of Cohesive
Groups

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Explain the Implications of


Diversity For Group Effectiveness

LO 7

Diversity the degree to which members


of the group are similar to, or different
from, one another.
Increases group conflict especially in the
short term.
Culturally and demographically diverse
groups may perform better over time.
Over time, diversity may help them be
more open-minded and creative.
Faultlines
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Contrast
the
Strengths
and
LO 8
Weaknesses of Group Decision
Making
Strengths of group decision making:
More complete information and
knowledge
Increased diversity of views
Increased acceptance of solutions
Weaknesses of group decision making:
Time consuming
Conformity pressures
Dominance of a few members
Ambiguous responsibility
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Contrast
the
Strengths
and
LO 8
Weaknesses of Group Decision
Making
Effectiveness and efficiency of group
decisions:
Accuracy
Speed
Creativity
Acceptance

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Contrast
the
Strengths
and
LO 8
Weaknesses of Group Decision
Making
Groupthink situations in which group pressures
for conformity deter the group from critically
appraising unusual, minority, or unpopular views.
Related to norms
Groupshift a change between a groups
decision and an individual decision that a member
within the group would make.
The shift can be toward either conservatism or
greater risk, but is generally toward a more
extreme version of the groups original position.
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Compare
the Effectiveness of Interacting,
LO 9
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group
Technique
Most group decision making takes place in
interacting groups.
Members meet face-to-face and rely on
both verbal and nonverbal interaction to
communicate with each other.
Interacting groups often censor
themselves and pressure individual
members toward conformity of opinion.
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Compare
the Effectiveness of Interacting,
LO 9
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group
Technique
Brainstorming can overcome pressures
for conformity.
In a brainstorming session:
The group leader states the problem
clearly.
Members then free-wheel as many
alternatives as they can.
No criticism is allowed.
One idea stimulates others, and group
members are encouraged to think the
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Compare
the Effectiveness of Interacting,
LO 9
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group
Technique
The nominal group technique - restricts
discussion or interpersonal communication
during the decision making process.
Group members are all physically
present, but members operate
independently.
The main advantage is that it permits
the group to meet formally but does not
restrict independent thinking, as does
the interacting group.
Research shows
that
nominal
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2015 Pearson
Education Ltd. groups

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Compare
the Effectiveness of Interacting,
LO 9
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group
Technique
In a nominal group, a problem is presented,
then
Each member independently writes down
his/her ideas on the problem.
After this silent period, each member
presents one idea to the group.
The ideas are discussed for clarity.
Each group member rank-orders the
ideas.
The idea with the highest aggregate
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ranking determines
the final decision.

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Compare
the Effectiveness of Interacting,
LO 9
Brainstorming, and the Nominal Group
Technique

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Implications for Managers


Consider that the degree of congruence
between the employees and the
managers perception of the employees
job influences the degree to which the
manager will judge that employee
effective.
Be certain your employees fully
understand their roles so you can
accurately assess their performance.
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Implications for Managers


In group situations where the norms
support high output, you can expect
markedly higher individual performance
than when the norms restrict output.
Group norms that support antisocial
behavior increase the likelihood that
individuals will engage in deviant
workplace activities.
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Implications for Managers


Pay attention to the organizational status
levels of the employee groups you create.
Because lower-status people tend to
participate less in group discussions,
groups with high status differences are
likely to inhibit input from lower-status
members and reduce their potential.

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Implications for Managers


When forming employee groups, use larger
groups for fact-finding activities and
smaller groups for action-taking tasks.
When creating larger groups, you should
also provide measures of individual
performance.
To increase employee satisfaction, work on
making certain your employees perceive
their job roles the same way you perceive
their roles.
Copyright 2015 Pearson Education Ltd.

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