Ch 13

• Importance of groups in our life:

  • Groups are the basic components of society
  • We become part of a group from the moment we are born into this world, starting with our family
  • Being a group member helps fulfill essential needs and survive in the social world
  • Groups transmit culture and teach thoughts and behaviors
  • Groups help fulfill social and emotional needs such as recognition, affiliation, security, prestige, identity, belongingness, and status
  • Groups allow us to meet task-related needs like goal achievement
• Characteristics of a group:

  • Members define themselves as group members and have a strong 'we feeling'
  • Group members engage in frequent interaction and affect each other's behavior
  • Group members share common norms, interests, and values
  • Members are aware of rules and regulations to maintain order and discipline
  • Groups can vary in size, from small to large
• Group dynamics:

  • Behavior of one member influences others in the group
  • Group dynamics is affected by individual personality, social situation, and cultural traditions
  • Cohesiveness: shared perspective binding group members, especially during external threats
  • Conformity: getting affected by others' behaviors and changing our beliefs
  • Conformity can be compliance or acceptance
• Difference between "us" and "them":

  • Humans tend to form groups based on common identity
  • We have a more positive attitude towards our in-group compared to out-groups
  • Social categorization leads to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination
  • Categorization helps in dealing with people efficiently
• Group's effect on performance:

  • Social facilitation: arousal in a group leading to better performance
  • Social loafing: tendency to exert less effort in a group towards a common goal
  • Group size: larger groups lead to decreased self-awareness and potential for mob atrocities
  • Group polarization: tendency for group decisions to become more extreme and risky
  • Groupthink: group-induced distortions that hinder objective consideration of alternatives
• Factors that influence group work:

  • Presence of a directive leader who signals their favored decision
  • Group think phenomenon due to illusion of invulnerability, unquestioned belief in group's morality, rationalization, and conformity pressure
• Harmful effect of group polarization:

  • Group polarization leads to extreme decisions and actions due to the reinforcement of initial attitudes within a group
• Formal groups:

  • Established for specific purposes to meet clearly defined goals
  • Examples include student project groups, committees, boards, or commissions
• Informal groups:

  • Form naturally out of interactions among individuals over time
  • May emerge from formal groups with members sharing similar ideas, values, beliefs, and social needs
• Group development stages:

  • Forming stage: group defines behavior, finalizes goals
  • Storming stage: members express feelings, conflicts arise
  • Initial integration stage: members develop closeness, rules are finalized
  • Performing stage: group functions effectively, pursues goals
• Qualities of a leader:

  • Awareness of followers' abilities
  • Good communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal
  • Acceptance of personal responsibilities and setting examples
  • Ability to understand situations, good planner, visionary, and trustworthy
• Theories of leadership:

  • Trait Approach: focuses on personal characteristics for effective leadership
  • Behavioral Approach: task-centered and employee-centered behaviors
  • Situational Approach: leadership style depends on the situation
  • Path-Goal Approach: leader behavior influences followers' expectations
  • Charismatic Leadership: focuses on interpersonal transactions, transforms followers through appealing to their selves