Introduction to Group DynamicsChapter 1

Overview

What is a group? What are some common characteristics of

groups? What assumptions guide researchers in

their studies of groups and the processes within groups?

What fields and what topics are included in the scientific study of group dynamics?

Watching a Toronto Maple Leafs game at the ACC?

Individuals taking the subway?

3 children playing in a sandbox?

The American Idols?

An executive board?

Individuals on a flight from Toronto to Montreal?

Do You Consider These To be a Group?

• Definition: Two or more individuals who are

connected to one another by social relationships.

Size: dyads and triads to large collectives (this class, mobs, audiences)

Connected: members are linked, networked

Social, interpersonal connection: not categorical

What is a Group?

Perceiving groups: people intuitively draw distinctions between intimate groups, task-focused groups, loose associations, and more general social categories.

Billions of groups in the world, but they can be classified into basic categories, or clusters

How are groups classified?

Types of Groups

Types of Groups

Cooley (1909) drew a distinction between primary and secondary groups

Types of groups: Primary Secondary Planned (concocted and founded) Emergent (circumstantial and self-organizing)

Congregations, work groups, unions, professional associations

Larger, less intimate, more goal-focused groups typical of more complex societies

Secondary groups

Families, close friends, tight-knit peer groups, gangs, elite military squads

Small, long-term groups characterized by face-to-face interaction & high levels of cohesiveness, solidarity, & member identification

Primary groups

ExamplesCharacteristicsType of Group

(Cooley, 1909)

Types of Groups (cont’d)

Arrow and her colleagues (2000) offer a more fine-grained analysis planned vs. emergent

Concocted Founded Circumstantial Self-Organizing

Types of Groups (cont’d)

Study groups, friendship cliques in a workplace, regular patrons at a bar

Emerge when interacting individuals gradually align their activities in a cooperative system of interdependence.

Self-organizing

Waiting lines (queues), crowds, mobs, audiences,

bystanders

Emergent, unplanned groups arising when external, situational forces set the stage for people to join together, often only temporarily, in a unified group

Circumstantial

Groups that form spontaneously as individuals find themselves repeatedly interacting with the same subset of individuals over time and settings

Emergent groups

Study groups, small businesses, clubs, associations

Planned by one or more individuals who remain within the group

Founded

Production lines, military units, task forces, crews, professional sports teams

Planned by individuals or authorities outside the group.

Concocted

Deliberately formed by the members themselves or by an external authority, usually for some specific purpose or purposes

Planned groups

ExamplesCharacteristicsType of Group

Women, Asian Americans, physicians, U.S. citizens,

New Yorkers

Aggregations of individuals similar to one another in terms of gender, ethnicity, religion, or nationality.

Social categories

Crowds, audiences, clusters of bystanders

Aggregations of individuals that form spontaneously, last for brief periods, and have very permeable boundaries

Weak associations

Teams, neighborhood associations

Work groups in employment settings and goal-focused groups in a variety of non-employment situations

Task groups

Families, romantic couples, close friends, street gangs

Small groups of moderate duration & permeability characterized by large levels of interaction amongst members, who value membership in the group

Intimacy groups

ExamplesCharacteristicsType of Group

Interaction: task and relationship Interdependence: sequential,

reciprocal, mutual Structure: roles, norms, relations Goals: generating, choosing,

negotiating, executing

What are some common characteristics of groups?

Groups are systems that create, organize, and sustain interaction among members

Task Interaction – actions performed by individuals pertaining to group’s tasks and goals

Relationship Interaction – actions performed by the group relating to emotional and interpersonal bonds

Characteristics of Groups - Interaction

Experiences are determined by other members of the group and vice versa

Sequential – influence of one member to the next.

Reciprocal – two or more members may influence each other

Multilevel – the outcome of larger groups are influenced by the activities of smaller groups

Characteristics of Groups - Interdependence

Interdependence Diagram

Groups’ structure are often organized in predictable patterns

Roles – set of behaviours expected of people who occupy certain positions

Norms – a consensual standard that describes what behaviours should and should not be performed in a given context

Characteristics of Groups - Structure

Characteristics of Groups - Goals

Groups often strive towards some common outcome

McGrath’s Circumplex Model of Group Tasks Generating Choosing Negotiation Executing

Group Cohesion: the strength of the bonds linking individuals to the group

Attraction to specific group members and efforts to achieve goals

Entitativity is perceived groupness rather than an aggregation of independent, unrelated individuals

Cohesiveness

Campbell’s Theory of Entitativity (1958)

Common Fate – do individuals experience the same outcomes?

Similarity – do individual perform similar behaviours or resemble one another

Proximity – how close together are the individuals in the group

Cohesiveness

… the "field of inquiry dedicated to advancing knowledge about the nature of groups"

(Cartwright & Zander, 1968)

Group Dynamics

What Assumptions Can Be Made?

Group dynamics describes both: Interpersonal processes in groups The scientific study of groups and group processes (Kurt Lewin)

Level of Analysis Individual level: focus on the individual (psychological) Group level: focus on the group and social context (sociological) Multilevel: adopts multiple perspectives on groups

Groups are influential

Groups shape society

Assumptions (cont’d)

The paradigm: Assumptions and Orientations Groups are real Group processes are real

Groupmind – hypothetical mental force linking group members together

Sherif's (1936) study of norm formation

Groups are influential Groups shape society

Person A

Person B

Person C

Convergence

Alone GroupSession 1

GroupSession 3

GroupSession 2

Average distance

estimates

Groups are more than the sum of their parts Lewin's (1951) field theory: behavior

is a function of the person and the environment

B = f(P, E).

Assumptions (cont’d)

Groups are living systems: Tuckman's (1965) theory of group development forming storming norming performing adjourning

Group Development

Forming

Storming

Norming

Adjourning

Task

Performing

What Fields Study Group Dynamics?

Interdisciplinary: psychology sociology political science anthropology business

Team performance; effects of victory and failure; cohesion and performance

Sports & Recreation

Self & society; influence of norms on behavior; devianceSociologyTeam approaches to treatment; counseling; groups & adjustmentSocial Work

Personality and group behavior; problem solving; perceptions of other people; motivation; conflict

Psychology

Leadership; intergroup and international relations; political influence; power

Political Science

Classroom groups; team teaching; class composition and educational outcomes

EducationOrganization of law enforcement; gangs; jury deliberationsCriminal Justice

Information transmission in groups; discussion; decision making; problems in communication; networks

Communication

Therapeutic change through groups; sensitivity training; training groups; self-help groups; group psychotherapy

Clinical/Counseling Psychology

Work motivation; productivity; team building; goal settingBusiness / Industry

Groups in cross-cultural contexts; societal change; social and collective identities

Anthropology

TopicsDiscipline

Action research: integrates basic and applied research.

Topics: group formation, cohesion, structure, influence, performance, conflict, etc.

Fields and Topics (cont’d)