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Module II -- Group Functions

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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Factor affecting the Group Functions

Internal team factors to consider-

Norms

In daily life, each individual develops a unique and personal way of judging situations and people. A person's judgment may be shaped by participation in group life and the internalization of rules that exist in the group.

The influence that a group may have on a member's perceptions or representations of reality is not, from the outset, good or bad. It is, however, important to understand that becoming a member of a group and adopting its rules and practices changes an individual's view of the world in different ways. A group's ability to assert its influence over a member may, however, vary depending on the individual and group in question.

Roles and Norms

Every member in a group or team plays a role. These roles are defined by the quantity and quality of communication that participants engage in with the other members. It is not unusual for some clear roles to develop for each participant within the first few minutes of group or team interaction.

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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�Internal factors….contd…�

Roles and Norms

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• To help the group reach its objectives. As members share the same code of conduct the group's norms dictate the responsibilities and obligations of each member. This combination of choices, decisions and behaviours generally fosters a harmonious functioning among group members;
• · To foster relationships among members and internal group cohesion. Norms indicate what attitude members should adopt in various circumstances. They may, for instance, help members settle a conflict by providing them with possible resolutions to problems or misunderstandings. As a result, misunderstandings can be avoided and harmonious relationships among members preserved.
• · To help members gain a better understanding of their experience. By suggesting or prescribing acceptable and unacceptable attitudes or behaviours as well as the roles and functions of each group member, norms enable members to better understand the behaviours of their co-members. Norms also allow members to identify those who do not respect the rules enforced in the group. 

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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Internal factors…

Size A group can have as few as two member or as many members as can interact and influence one another. Group size can have an important effect on performance .A group with many members has more resources available and may be able to complete a large number of relatively independent tasks.

Cohesiveness Group cohesiveness results from “all forces acting on the members to remain in the group. The forces that create cohesiveness are attraction to the group, non-resistance to leaving the grouping the motivation to remain a member of the group. Group cohesive is related to many aspects of group dynamics maturity, homogeneity (uniformity) and size.

Status is a socially defined position or rank given to groups or group by others.It would not be extravagant to rephrase the preceding quotation to read,”In the status hierarchy of life, nothing doesn’t matter.”We live in a class-structured society.

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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External factors to consider-

Authority Structures

Organizations have authority structures that define who reports to whom, who makes decisions, and what decisions individuals or groups are empowered to make .This structure typically determines where a given work group is placed in the organizations hierarchy, the formal leader of the group, and formal relationships between groups. So, while a work group might be led by someone who emerges informally from within the group, the formally designated leader—appointed by management —has authority that others in the group

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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External factors to consider-

Organization Policies

Organizations create rules, procedures, policies, and other forms of regulations to standardize employee behavior. If McDonald has standard operating procedures for taking orders, cooking burgers, and filling soda containers, then the discretion of work group members to set independent standards of behaviors is severely limited. The more formal regulations that the organization imposes on all its employees, the more the behavior of the work group members will be consistent and predictable.

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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External factors to consider-

Organizational Resources

Some organizations are large, profitable, with an abundance of resources .When organizations have limited resources, so do their work groups. What a group actually accomplishes is, to a large degree, determined by what it is capable of accomplishing .The presence or absence of resources such as money, time raw material, equipment— which are allocated to the group by the organization—have a large bearing on the behavior.

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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Group Cohesiveness

• A closeness or commonness of attitude, behavior, and performance
• Acts on the members to remain in a group
• Is greater than the forces pulling members away �from the group
• As the cohesiveness of a work group increases, conformity to group norms also increases
• These norms may not be consistent with those of the organization

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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Group Cohesiveness

• Sources of group attraction
• Goals of the group and members are compatible
• A charismatic leader
• A good reputation for accomplishing tasks
• The group is small enough to permit members�of have their opinions heard
• Members support and help one another

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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To Increase Group Cohesion

Reach joint agreement on group goals

Make the group more homogeneous

Increase interaction among group members

Make the group smaller

Physically or socially isolate the group

Allocate rewards to the group, not individuals

Give the group and members more responsibility

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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Inter-group Conflict

Conflict between different groups in the organization are know as intergroup conflicts.A conflict between production team and marketing team is an example of inter-group conflict.Such conflicts arise when –

1. Joint Decision making
2. Differences in Goals
3. Difference in Perceptions
4. Task Ambiguity
5. Difference in work Orientation
6. Organizational Reward System

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Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

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