GROUP BEHAVIOUR

FACTORS AFFECTING GROUP BEHAVIOUR

The success or failure of a group depends upon so many factors. Group member resources, structure (group size, group roles, group norms, and group cohesiveness), group processes (the communication, group decision making processes, power dynamics, conflicting interactions, etc.) and group tasks (complexity and interdependence).

1. Group Member Resources:

The members’ knowledge, abilities, skills; and personality characteristics (sociability, self- reliance, and independence) are the resources the group members bring in with them. The success depends upon these resources as useful to the task.

2. Group Structure:

·         Group Size: Group size can vary from 2 people to a very large number of people. Small groups of two to ten are thought to be more effective because each member has ample opportunity to take part and engage actively in the group. Large groups may waste time by deciding on processes and trying to decide who should participate next. Evidence supports the notion that as the size of the group increases, satisfaction increases up to a certain point. Increasing the size of a group beyond 10-12 members’ results in decreased satisfaction. It is increasingly difficult for members of large groups to identify with one another and experience cohesion.

·   Group Roles: In formal groups, roles are always predetermined and assigned to members. Each role shall have specific responsibilities and duties. There are, however, emergent roles that develop naturally to meet the needs of the groups. These emergent roles will often substitute the assigned roles as individuals begin to express themselves and become more assertive. Group roles can then be classified into work roles, maintenance roles, and blocking roles.

ü  Work roles are task-oriented activities that involve accomplishing the group’s goals. They involve a variety of specific roles such as initiator, informer, clarifier, summarizer, and reality tester.

ü  Maintenance roles are social-emotional activities that help members maintain their involvement in the group and raise their personal commitment to the group. The maintenance roles are harmonizer, gatekeeper, consensus tester, encourager, and compromiser.

ü  Blocking roles are activities that disrupt the group. Blockers will stubbornly resist the group’s ideas, disagree with group members for personal reasons, and will have hidden agendas. They may take the form of dominating discussions, verbally attacking other group members, and distracting the group with trivial information or unnecessary humour. Often times the blocking behaviour may not be intended as negative. Sometimes a member may share a joke in order to break the tension, or may question a decision in order to force group members to rethink the issue. The blocking roles are aggressor, blocker, dominator, comedian, and avoidance behaviour.

·     Group Norms: Norms define the acceptable standard or boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, shared by group members. They are typically created in order to facilitate group survival, make behaviour more predictable, avoid embarrassing situations, and express the values of the group. Each group will create its own norms that might determine from the work performance to dress to making comments in a meeting. Groups exert pressure on members to force them to conform to the group’s standards and at times not to perform at higher levels. The norms often reflect the level of commitment, motivation, and performance of the group. The majority of the group must agree that the norms are appropriate in order for the behaviour to be accepted. There must also be a shared understanding that the group supports the norms. It should be noted, however, that members might violate group norms from time to time. If the majority of members do not adhere to the norms, then they will eventually change and will no longer serve as a standard for evaluating behaviour. Group members who do not conform to the norms will be punished by being excluded, ignored, or asked to leave the group.

·         Group Cohesiveness: Cohesiveness refers to the bonding of group members or unity, feelings of attraction for each other and desire to remain part of the group. Many factors influence the amount of group cohesiveness – agreement on group goals, frequency of interaction, personal attractiveness, inter-group competition, favourable evaluation, etc. The more difficult it is to obtain group membership the more cohesive the group will be. Groups also tend to become cohesive when they are in intense competition with other groups or face a serious external threat to survival. Smaller groups and those who spend considerable time together also tend to be more cohesive.

3. Group Processes:

Decision-making by a group is superior, because group generates more information and knowledge, generates diverse alternatives, increases acceptance of a solution, and increases legitimacy. Decisions take longer time, minority is dominated, pressure is applied to conform to group decisions, and none is responsible for the decisions. Group processes also include communication, conflict management, and leadership.

§  Communication: Communication in small groups is interpersonal communication within groups of between 3 and 20 individuals. Groups generally work in a context that is both relational and social. Quality communication such as helping behaviors and information-sharing causes groups to be superior to the average individual in terms of the quality of decisions and effectiveness of decisions made or actions taken. However, quality decision-making requires that members both identify with the group and have an attitude of commitment to participation in interaction.

§  Conflict management:  Conflict management is the process of limiting the negative aspects of conflict while increasing the positive aspects of conflict. The aim of conflict management is to enhance learning and group outcomes, including effectiveness or performance in organizational setting. Properly managed conflict can improve group outcomes.

§  Leadership: A good leader has a clear picture of future results and aligns organizational strategy with this vision. A leader must be intimately familiar with the end destination. Therefore, leadership also influence the formation of group behaviours.

4. Group Tasks:

·         Complexity:  A factor involved in a complicated process or situation in the group task. Group behavior is too formed based on the situation and complexity of task.

·         Interdependence:  Interdependence is the mutual dependence between two or more groups. In relationships, interdependence is the degree to which members of the group are mutually dependent on the others. This concept differs from a dependent relationship, where some members are dependent and some are not. Sometimes group behavior is formed based on the interdependence of group members.

CAUSES OF POOR GROUP DYNAMICS

Group leaders and team members can contribute to a negative group dynamic. Let's look at some of the most common problems that can occur:

§  Weak leadership: when a team lacks a strong leader, a more dominant member of the group can often take charge. This can lead to a lack of direction, infighting, or a focus on the wrong priorities.

§  Excessive deference to authority: This can happen when people want to be seen to agree with a leader, and therefore hold back from expressing their own opinions.

§  Blocking: this happens when team members behave in a way that disrupts the flow of information in the group. People can adopt blocking roles such as:

§  The aggressor: this person often disagrees with others, or is inappropriately outspoken.

ü   The negator: this group member is often critical of others' ideas.

ü   The withdrawer: this person doesn't participate in the discussion.

ü   The recognition seeker: this group member is boastful, or dominates the session.

ü   The joker: this person introduces humor at inappropriate times.

§  Group think: this happens when people place a desire for consensus above their desire to reach the right decision. This prevents people from fully exploring alternative solutions.

§  Free riding: here, some group members take it easy, and leave their colleagues to do all the work. Free riders may work hard on their own, but limit their contributions in group situations; this is known as "social loafing."

§  Evaluation apprehension: team members' perceptions can also create a negative group dynamic. Evaluation apprehension happens when people feel that they are being judged excessively harshly by other group members, and they hold back their opinions as a result.

EDUCATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF GROUP DYNAMICS /

IMPORTANCE OF GROUP DYNAMICS IN EDUCATION

According to A.I. Gates, Group Dynamics offers the best means available for the development of social skills essential of democratic living, better social understanding and preparing the individual members of the group for democratic citizenship.

§  The aim of using Group Dynamic in schools as an educational methods is neither to produce leaders not to find ways in which a person can get work done by a group. Its purpose is to promote, democratic activities.

§  In schools we find qualitative as well as quantitative individual differences in the abilities of persons present in a class. If every member takes active part in the activities of the group, the total work done by a group is more than the sum of the work done by them individually.  (For this reason only, John Deway advocated the  ‘Project method’ of teaching in schools).

§  Apart from intelligence and metal health of children prevalence of satisfying social climate in the classroom contributes to effective learning and maximum attainment. By making the students to function in small groups, sympathy for others and sense of ‘we-feeling’ will get increased among pupils, which ultimately lead to conducive social climate in the classroom.

§  At the beginning the school appears to be a gathering of a crowd. Each student is unfamiliar to every other student. Also there may not be much interaction between the pupils and teachers. Headmaster, teachers and parents should ensure mutual cooperation among themselves to promote the cooperative spirit among the pupils, leading to the emergence of school as a democratic community.

§  Inter-school competitions in sports and games, academics and co-curricular fields promote the feeling of solidarity among the pupils of respective schools participating in such competitions.

§  Tone and tradition of the school helps to establish effective community life in the school.

§  To give training for effective leadership to pupils and to develop democratic climate in the classrooms, provision should be made available to impart citizenship training and self-governance through various planned programmes.

§  Students and teachers should have clear cut ideas about the objectives and goals of the school so as to change the school into an ideal community. Beginning the school work every day with morning assembly, participation by all in different school functions and celebrations, common school uniform, school prayer etc. provide opportunities to develop the feeling of solidarity in the school.

§  Order and discipline are essential for effective functioning of any school. Though individualized instruction techniques could be employed for cognitive development of children, group dynamics should be profitably used to develop social skills and social maturity in children.

§  In forming teams for discharging responsibilities like keeping the campus clean, brining out school magazine, participating in inter-school competitions etc. abilities and interests of individual students should be kept in mind. Then only all in the group will realize their respective roles and act collectively as a group with high morale and cohesion.