MBA : 2nd Semester

Organization Behaviour-ORG 501

Chapter-8 Foundation of Group Behaviour

Group Members:

Anil Tamang
Bhuwan Thapa Magar
Bibek Paneru
Bikash Rimal
 Definition of Group
 In organizational behavior, a group refers to a collection of two or more
individuals who come together to interact, collaborate, and achieve
common goals.

 These individuals share a sense of mutual interdependence and possess a

shared identity as members of the group.

 Groups can be formal or informal and can exist within various levels of an
organization, such as departments, teams, or project groups.
 Key Features
Interaction
Interdependence
Shared Goals
Shared Identity
Structure
Norms
Cohesion
 Classifications of Group
Formal Groups
• Command Groups
• Task Groups
• Committee Group
• Functional Group
Informal Group
• Interest Groups
• Friendship Groups
• Reference Group
• Membership Group
Stages of Group Development
 Stages of Group Development
 The stages of group development, as described by psychologist Bruce
Tuckman in 1965, are commonly known as "Tuckman's stages.
 These stages outline the typical progression of a group as it forms,
develops, and eventually achieves its goals. Tuckman's model consists of
following stages:
 Let's take a closer look at each stage:
 Stages of Group Development
Forming: In the forming stage, group members come together, and
there is a focus on initial introductions, getting to know one another, and
understanding the purpose and goals of the group.

Storming: In the storming stage, conflicts and power struggles within

the group often emerge. Members may have different ideas, opinions, and
perspectives, leading to disagreements and tensions.

Norming: As the group moves into the norming stage, conflicts begin
to be resolved, and a sense of cohesion and unity starts to develop.
Members establish shared values, norms, and expectations, leading to
clearer roles and responsibilities.
 Stages of Group Development
Performing: The performing stage is characterized by a high level of
productivity and effectiveness. The group has successfully resolved
conflicts, established norms, and built strong working relationships.
Members work collaboratively, contribute their skills and knowledge, and
focus on achieving the group's goals.

Adjourning (or Mourning): In the adjourning stage, also

referred to as mourning, the group disbands or transitions to a different
phase. This stage is not always included in every group development
model, as it specifically refers to the end of the group's journey.
Group Properties
Workgroups shape members’ behavior, and they also
help explain individual behavior as well as the
performance of the group itself. Some defining group
properties are roles, norms, status, size, cohesiveness,
and diversity.

Role:
The role is a set of expected behavior patterns
attributed to someone occupying a given position in a
social unit.
Role identity:
Attitudes and actual behaviors consistent with a role, and they create the role identity. People
have the ability to shift roles rapidly where they recognize that a situation and its demands
clearly require major changes. For instance, when reunion stewards were promoted to
supervisory positions it was found that their attitudes changed from reunion to management
within a few months of their promotion. When this promotion had to he rescind later because
of economic difficulties in the firm, it was found that the demoted supervisors had once again
adopted their pro-union attitude.
Roles perception:
Activities of managers and workers alike are guided by their role perceptions, that is, how they
are supposed to act in their own roles and how others should act in their roles.
Roles Expectation:
Roles expectations are defined as the way others believe you should act in a given situation. It
can be helpful to look at the topic of role expectations from the perspective of the psychological
contract-an unwritten agreement that exists between employees and their employer.
If management is derelict in keeping up its part of the bargain, we can expect negative
repercussions on employee performance and satisfaction.
Role conflict:

When others have different perception or expectations of a person’s role, that person tends to experience
role conflict. Such conflict makes it difficult to meet one set of expectations without rejecting another. A
company president faced role Conflict, for example, when she learned that both the controller and the
personnel director wanted her to allocate the new organizational planning function to their
departments.

Role ambiguity:

When the role is inadequately defined or is substantially unknown, role ambiguity exists, because
people are not sure how they should act in situations of this type. When role conflict and role ambiguity
exist, job satisfaction and organizational commitment will likely decline. On the other hand, employees
to be more satisfied With their jobs when their roles are clearly defined by job descriptions and
statements of performance expectations.
Norms:
Norms is an acceptable standard of behavior within a group that are shared by the group members. It tells the member
what they ought and ought not to do under certain circumstances. From individual subpoint, they tell what is expected
of you in the certain situation. When agreed to. and accepted by the group, norms act as a means of influencing the
behavior of group members with a minimum of external control .norms differ among groups .communities and
societies but they all have them.

Common Classes of norms: There are some common classes of norms that appear in the
most workgroup. Such as:
 Performance norms: Here workgroups typically provide their members with explicit
cues on how hard they should work. how to get the job done.
 Appearance norms: A second category encompasses appearance norms. This includes
things like appropriate dress. loyalty to the workgroup or organization, when to look
busy, and when it is acceptable
 Arrangement norms: These norms come from informal work groups and primarily
regulate social interactions within the group.
 Resources norms: A final category relates to allocation of resources norms. These
norms can originate in the group or in the organizational and cover things like pay’.
assignment of difficult jobs, and allocation of new tools and equipment.
Status:
The status that is, a socially defined position or rank is
given to group or group’s member by others. Even the
smallest group will develop roles, rights, and rituals to
differentiate its members. Status is an important
factor in understanding human behavior because it is
a significant motivator and has major behavioral
consequences when individuals perceive the disparity
between what they believe their status to be what
others perceive it to be.
Size:
The size of a group affects the group’s overall behavior. The impact of size on a group’s performance
depends on the type of task in which the group is engaged. In an organization, the group can be
formed either large or smaller.

Smaller group:
In smaller groups- those are faster at completing tasks than the large ones and that individuals
perform better in smaller groups than in large ones. Those are better at doing something
productive with that input.

Large group:
Large groups- those with a dozen or more members- are good for gaining diverse input. So if the
goal of the group is fact-finding, large groups should be more effective. However, for groups
engaged in problem-solving, large groups consistently get better marks than their smaller
counterparts.
One of the most important findings related to the size of a group has been labeled social loafing.
Social loafing is the tendency for ‘individuals to expend less effort when working collectively when
working individually.
Cohesiveness:
Group differs in their cohesiveness- that is, the degree to which members are attracted
to each other and are motivated to stay in the groups. For instances, some work
groups are cohesive because the members have spent a great deal of time together, or
the group’s small size facilities high interaction, or the group has experienced external
threats that have brought members closer together. Cohesiveness is important
because it has been found to be related to group productivity.
Studies consistently show that the relationship between cohesiveness and
productivity depends on the performance-related norms established by the group. If
performance related norms are high (for example, high output, quality work,
cooperation with individuals outside the group), a cohesiveness group will be more
productive than will a less cohesive group. But if cohesiveness is high and
performance norms are low, productivity will be low. If cohesiveness is low and
performance norms are high, productivity will increase but it increases less than in
the high cohesiveness. When cohesiveness and performance related norms are both
low, productivity tends to fall into the low-to-moderate range.
To encourage cohesiveness suggestions are given below:
 Make the group smaller.
 Encourage agreement with group goals.
 Increase the time members spend together.
 Increase the status of the group and the perceived difficulty
of attaining membership in the group.
 Stimulate competition with other groups.
 Give a reward to the group rather than to individual member.
 Physically isolate the group.
Diversity:
Diversity appears to increase group conflict, especially in the early stages of a
group’s tenure,which often lowers group morale and raises dropout
rates.Surface-level diversity—in observablecharacteristics such as national
origin, race, and gender—alerts people to possible deep-level diversity—in
underlying attitudes, values, and opinions.
The impact of diversity on groups is mixed. It is difficult to be in a diverse
group in the shortterm. However, if members can weather their differences,
over time diversity may help them be moreopen-minded and creative and to
do better. But even positive effects are unlikely to be especially strong.
Decision Making Process
Decision making is the process of making choices by
identifying a decision, gathering information, and
assessing alternative resolutions. Using a step-by-step
decision-making process can help you make more
deliberate, thoughtful decisions by organizing relevant
information and defining alternatives.
Steps for decision making process
1. Identify the problems
2. Gather information
3. Identify alternatives
4. Weigh the evidence
5. Choose among alternatives
6. Take action
7. Evaluate the decision
Decision Making Techniques
Brainstorming
The Delphi Method
Weighted Scoring
Nominal Group Technique
Possibility Ranking
Pros and Cons list
 Decision-trees