Group dynamics

• What is a group?


  A group is a collection of people who both share similar goals and interact with one another.
• Group dynamics often involve:

  • collective identity
  • common goal
  • shared purpose
  • group unity
  • structured patterns of communication
• Cohesion is the action of sticking together.
• Social loafing is when individuals in the group lose motivation and do not contribute fully to the group task.
• Team Cohesion

  concerns the motivation which attracts individuals to the group and the resistance of those members to the group breaking up.
• Cohesiveness is the total field of forces which act on members to remain in the group. (Festinger 1963)
• Carron (1980) stated that cohesion has two dimensions:

  1. Group Integration
  2. Individual attraction
• Group integration is how the individual members of the group feel about the group as a whole.
• Individual attraction is how attracted the individuals are to the group.
• Group integration and individual attraction could both impact on social or task motivation. (Widmeyer, 1985)
• Model of group development (Tuckman, 1965)

  1. forming
  2. storming
  3. norming
  4. performing
• Forming

  • High dependence on the leader for guidance and direction
  • Group members start to get to know eachother
  • little agreement on aims
  • Roles are unclear and leader must give strong direction
• 2. Storming

  • Group decisions are difficult
  • Members jostle for position and attempts to establish themselves against each other and may potentially challenge leaders.
  • Clearer focus and stronger sense of purpose
  • Cliques and power struggles may form
• 3. Norming

  • More agreement and consensus on opinion of the team
  • Roles and responsibilities are clearer and generally accepted
  • Decisions increasingly made through agreement.
  • Stronger sense of commitment , unity and group become more social.
  • General respect for the leader.
• 4. Performing

  • Clear strategies , visions and aims
  • No interference or direct participation from the leader
  • Focus on achieving goals and the team makes decisions.
  • Disagreements are resolved positively.