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Group Dynamics
UNIT – 4
K.BALAJI
TEACHING FELLOW
DME,CEG,AU-25
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Objective

u The students will be able to understand and apply the following

concepts:
u Group Behaviour
u Groups Contributing factors
u Group Norms
u Formal and informal characteristics
u Group Decision Making
u Leadership Role in Group Decision .
u Leadership styles
u Managerial Grid
u Group Conflicts
u Types & Causes
u Conflict Resolution .
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Objective [Contd.]

u Inter group relations and conflict

u Organization centralization and decentralization
u Formal and informal Organizational Structures
u Organizational Change and Development
u Change Process
u Resistance to Change
u Culture and Ethics.
u Communication
u Process
u Barriers to communication
u Effective communication.
u Organizational Culture & Ethics
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Group Behaviour
UNIT – 4.1
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Group Norms

u Group norms are the informal rules that groups

adopt to regulate members' behaviour. Norms are
characterized by their evaluative nature; that is,
they refer to what should be done.
u Norms represent value judgments about
appropriate behaviour in social situations.
u If each individual in a group decided how to
behave in each interaction, no one would be able
to predict the behaviour of any group member;
chaos would reign.
u Norms guide behaviour and reduce ambiguity in
groups.
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Why are Group Norms
Enforced ?

u The most important reason is to ensure group

survival.
u They are also enforced to simplify or make
predictable the expected behaviour of group
members.
u That is, they are enforced to help groups avoid
embarrassing interpersonal problems, to express the
central values of the group, and to clarify what is
distinctive about it.
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Group Behaviour

u Group behaviour in sociology refers to the situations

where people interact in large or small groups. The
field of group dynamics deals with small groups that
may reach consensus and act in a coordinated
way. Groups of a large number of people in a given
area may act simultaneously to achieve a goal that
differs from what individuals would do acting alone
(herd behaviour).
u A large group (a crowd or mob) is likely to show
examples of group behaviour when people
gathered in a given place and time act in a similar
way—for example, joining a protest or march,
participating in a fight or acting patriotically.
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Group Behaviour [contd.]

u Special forms of large group behaviour are:

u crowd "hysteria"
u spectators - when a group of people gathered
together on purpose to participate in an event
like theatre play, cinema movie, football match,
a concert, etc.
u public - exception to the rule that the group must
occupy the same physical place.
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Dimensions of Group Process

u Aspects of group process include:

u Patterns of communication and coordination
u Patterns of influence
u Roles / relationship
u Patterns of dominance (e.g. who leads, who defers)
u Balance of task focus vs social focus
u Level of group effectiveness
u How conflict is handled
u Emotional state of the group as a whole, what Wilfred
Bion called basic assumptions.
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Group Decision making

u Group decision making is a situation faced when people

are brought together to solve problems in the anticipation
that they are more effective than individuals under the
idea of synergy.
u There are several aspects of group cohesion which have a
negative effect on group decision making and hence on
group effectiveness Risky-shift phenomenon, group
polarisation, and group-think are negative aspects of
group decision making which have drawn attention.
u Group-think is one of the most dangerous traps in our
decision making. It's particularly because it taps into our
deep social identification mechanisms - everyone likes to
feel part of a group - and our avoidance of social
challenges .
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Formal Systems

u Consensus decision-making tries to avoid "winners" and

"losers". Consensus requires that a majority approve a
given course of action, but that the minority agree to
go along with the course of action. In other words, if
the minority opposes the course of action, consensus
requires that the course of action be modified to
remove objectionable features.
u Voting-based methods
u Range voting lets each member score one or more of the
available options. The option with the highest average is
chosen. This method has experimentally been shown to
produce the lowest Bayesian regret among common
voting methods, even when voters are strategic.
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Formal System [contd.]

u Majority requires support from more than 50% of the

members of the group. Thus, the bar for action is lower
than with unanimity and a group of “losers” is implicit to this
rule.
u Plurality, where the largest block in a group decides, even
if it falls short of a majority.
u Delphi method is structured communication technique
for groups, originally developed for collaborative
forecasting but has also been used for policy making
u Dotmocracy is a facilitation method that relies on the
use of special forms called Dotmocracy Sheets to allow
large groups to collectively brainstorm and recognize
agreement on an unlimited number of ideas they have
authored.
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Dotmocracy
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Leadership Role in Group
Decision Making

u We associate leadership in business and politics with

making good decisions. When someone is
appointed or elected to a senior position, we
effectively authorize them to make decisions for us
and, naturally, we expect them to make wise ones.
We want them to make choices that serve our
interests and those of our organization, state or
country.
u This focus on decision making, however, yields a
very narrow concept of leadership, one that results
from our emphasis on being at the head of a group.
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Leadership Styles
UNIT – 4.2
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Formal & Informal
Characteristics

u Leadership
u It is interpersonal influence exercised in order to guide
people toward goal achievement.
u Traits
u Self confident; well integrated, & emotionally stable
u Responsible & competent in handling new situation
u Identify goals & values of group they lead
u Warm, sensitive, & sympathetic toward people, & give
practical suggestions
u Intelligent in relation to other group members.
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Leadership Styles

u Leadership Styles
u Autocratic
u Participative
u Free-reign leader
u Morale
u Self-confidence
u Improving Morale
u Delegating power
u Group decision
u Job rotation & relieving monotony.
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3-D Managerial Grid by Redding

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3-D Managerial Grid by Redding

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3-D Managerial Grid by Redding

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Group Conflict
UNIT – 4.3
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Grievance

u Definition – any genuine / ingenuine feeling -

discontent / dissatisfaction – expressed /
unexpressed – arising out of anything connected
with organization that an employee think / believes/
feels – unfair / unjust / inequitable.
u Grievances handling procedure
u Simple – easy to understand / operate.
u Best settled at lower level
u Referred to proper channel
u Permit appeal against lower level decision
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Organizational Conflicts

u Antecedent conditions of conflict full behavior, such

as scarcity of resources / policy differences.
u Affective stages of individuals involved, such as
stress tension, hostility, anxiety, etc.
u Cognitive states of individuals i.e., their perception /
awareness of conflictual situation.
u Conflictual behavior ranging from passive resistance
to over aggression.
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Positive Aspect of Conflict

u It provide opportunities to individuals / groups to

think & take a more creative view of situation.
u Leads to innovation
u Brings cohesiveness in groups.
u Provide challenging work environment.
u Conflicts – shortcomings in organization – brings
attention to management.
u Conflict – relieves frustration / tension.
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Individual Level Conflict

u Approach – Approach Conflict

u Individual – decision – more than one – mutually exclusive
goals – attractive qualities.
u Least impact on organizational behavior.
u Approach – Avoidance Conflict
u Positive & Negative feeling – a goal – attractive &
repulsive qualities.
u Quiet relevant for organizational behavior.
u Avoidance – Avoidance Conflict
u Individual – decision – more than one – mutually exclusive
goals – repulsive quality.
u Tendency to stay unresolved.
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Role Conflict

u Factors in Role Conflict:

u Role ambiguity
u Organizational position
u Personal characteristics
u Variables affecting Role Conflict:
u Awareness of role conflict
u Acceptance of conflicting job pressures
u Ability to tolerate stress
u General personality make-up
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Interpersonal Conflict

u Vertical conflict
u Supervisor – subordinate
u Horizontal conflict
u Same hierarchical
u Factors affecting interpersonal conflict
u Ego states
u Value systems
u Situational variable
u Interest conflict
u Role ambiguity
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Group Conflict

u Intra Group Conflict

u When groups face a novel problem/task.
u Where new values are imported from social environment
u Where a person’s extra-group role comes into conflict with
intra-group role.
u Inter Group Conflict
u Goal incompatibility
u Resource sharing
u Task relationship
u Absorption of uncertainty
u Attitudinal sets.
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Conflict Management

u Changing Structural Arrangement

u Reduction in interdependence
u Reduction in shared resources
u Exchange of personnel
u Creation of special integrators
u Reference to superior’s authority
u Taking Conflict Resolution Actions
u Problem solving
u Avoidance
u Smoothing
u Compromise
u Confrontation
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Organizational Change
& Development

UNIT – 4.4
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Organizational Change

u Change is the single most important factor in business

today:
u every business is an ongoing source of change.
u every professional discipline is a process of change.
u every fundamental business principle directs us to change.
u Every market force (customers, competitors,
technology, regulations, distribution channels, suppliers,
etc.) creates change that forces our change in
response.
u Globalization of markets demands globalization of
businesses.
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Organizational Change

u Change with times, or get left behind.

u You will be hired to bring about change; not to just
maintain the status quo.
u You will need to become a change agent.
u People who drive change are change agents.
u We are all agents of change:
u Change-agent skills are as important to our success as
our professional discipline skills.
u The purpose of our jobs is to change what is possible, as
companies and as individuals, by adding value every
day.
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Organizational Change

u Driving forces of change are:

u Technology
u Nature of the workforce
u International effects
u Mergers – competition
u Economic shocks
u Social trends
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Organizational Change

u Change is everywhere – it’s constant.

u Everyone is affected by change.
u The pace of change is accelerating.
u If the above is true, why do people and organizations resist
change?
u We, as leaders, have a responsibility to bring about
planned change.
u “If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong.”
- Charles Kettering.
u Managing today would be more accurately described
as long periods of ongoing change, interrupted
occasionally by short periods of stability.
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Why People Resist Change

u Habits – We are creatures of habit.

u Fear of the unknown.
u Security – The higher the need for security, the
stronger the resistance.
u Economic factors.
u Selective information processing – We all have our
own ideas of what is right.
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Why Do Organizations Resist
Change?

u Group inertia – Peer pressure, group norms.

u Security.
u Threat to established power relationships.
u Threat to established resource allocations.
u Limited focus of change – Change affects others in
the organization.
u Poor communication.
u Threat to expertise.
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Unfreezing
Lewin’s Three-Step Change Model

Movement or
Refreezing Transition
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Restraining
Desired Forces
Organizational Change
State

Status
Quo

Driving
Forces
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Organizational Change

u Three options to bring about change:

u increase the driving forces.
u decrease the restraining forces.
u do a combination of the two approaches.
u Getting People and Organizations to Change (Driving Forces):
u Education and training
u Participation and cooperation
u Support
u Economic incentives
u Increased communication
u Negotiation
u Coercion – Forcing
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What Can Change Agents
Change?

u Structure – Change agents can alter one or more of

the key elements in an organization’s design.
u Technology – Competitive factors or innovations
within an organization often require change agents
to introduce new equipment, tools, or methods.
u People – Change agents help individuals and
groups within the organization work more effectively
together.
u Physical Settings – Change agents can affect their
environment.
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Organizational Change

u Resistance is not all bad.

u Resistance:
u forces management to check and recheck the proposals.
u helps identify specific problem areas where change is likely
to cause difficulty.
u gives management information about the intensity of
employee emotions on the issues.
u provides a means of release of emotions. This causes
employees to think and talk more about the changes.
u “The trouble with the future is that it usually arrives
before we’re ready for it.” - Arnold H. Glasow.
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Communication
UNIT – 4.5
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Communication

u Types of Communication
u Formal & Informal
u Vertical & horizontal
u Oral / written / gestures
u Efficient & Effective Communication
u Minimizing time & cost – information exchange.
u Purpose of Communication
u Increase acceptance of organizational rules
u Gain greater commitment to organizational goal
u Provide necessary data for decision making
u Clarify task responsibility
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Communication Process

u Who?
u Source / originator of information
u What?
u Verbal / Non verbal symbols of the information
u In which channel?
u Oral / written / gesture
u To whom?
u Intentional / un-intentional receiver of message
u With what effect?
u Message interpreted accurately & responded to
appropriately
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General Model of
Communication

u Step – 1: Sender – Planner

u Step – 2: Encoding
u Step – 3: Message & Medium
u Step – 4: Receiving
u Step – 5: Decoding
u Step – 6: Response
u Step – 7: feedback.
 Lack of openness
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u
u Filtering
u Degree of motivation
u Either or thinking
u Assumptions
u Sharp reactions
Snap reactions
Barriers to u

Communication
u Fear
u Language
u Time constraints
u Perceptions
u Stereotyping
u Halo effect
u Projection
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Means to Effective
Communication

u Improving Perception u Using Human Relation Tools

u Recognize – receiver as active. u Plan, Plan
u Develop – close relationship u Create positive climate
u Create – favorable climate u Use grapevine
u Beware of uniqueness of u Empathize
individuals
u Use pictures
u Recognizing the essentiality of u Be open to feedback
communication in
management u Keep it short, stupid (KISS)
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Organizational Culture
UNIT – 4.6
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Definition of Organisational
Culture

u “The accepted way of thinking, feeling, and acting

in an organization”
u “Shared beliefs about what is important and how
things are done”
u “An interdependent set of values and ways of
behaving that are common in an organization”
u “Social forces through which people learn norms
and values. They are rewarded when they accept
them and ostracized when they do not.”
u “What goes on around here”
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Function of Culture

u What does it do to benefit the organization?

u Establishes Organizational Identity
u Fosters Commitment
u Promotes Stability
u Allows sense making
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Developing Culture

u How do you develop culture?

u You can get a competitive advantage by
developing a strong culture.
u History – how it’s been in the past influences the future.
u Observation – people observe and consequently
behave in a manner similar to current members’
behaviors and practices. Use modeling and
communication to foster the environment you want to
create.
u Membership – Staffing.
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Developing Culture (Contd.)

u Interaction – socialization techniques and allowances

regarding decision making can lead to a culture which
enhances satisfaction consequently improving
productivity
u Stories and rites – Hazing, mild ‘ragging’, initiation etc.
along with slogans, symbols, ceremonies.
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Levels of Culture

u Behavior – Observable, visible things done by

people as well as tangible artifacts.
u Values and Beliefs – Provide the operating principle
for guiding behavior. The mission statement is a
slogan that conveys values and beliefs.
u Assumptions – Understanding based on perception
of, “That’s just the way it’s done around here!”
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Values in Organizational
Culture

u There are 2 kinds of values

u Terminal value – a desired goal the organization seeks
to achieve e.g. excellence, profitability, quality,
morality, innovation
u Instrumental values – a desired mode of behavior the
organization wants members to observe to achieve
terminal values e.g. respecting authority and tradition
(military), being conservative and cautious (I-Banks),
being honest, taking risks etc.
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Strong vs Weak Cultures

u Strong cultures have:

u Cohesive sets of values and norms that binds members
together
u Employees who share assumptions, know values and
beliefs, and behave as expected.
u Weak cultures have:
u Little guidance about how employees should behave
u Rigid organizational structures that may substitute for a
lack of implicit values and norms.
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Measuring Culture

u Employees could help develop it.

u Is it static or dynamic?
u Is there one best culture?
u How to measure it?
u Kilmann-Saxton Culture Gap Survey
u Gaining Control of the Corporate Culture (Ralph H.
Kilmann)
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Organisational Ethics

u “Standards of right and wrong that influence

behavior”
u The golden rule – Act in a way you would expect others
to act toward you.
u The utilitarian principle – Act in a way that results in the
greatest good for the greatest number of people.
u The professional ethic – Take actions that would be
viewed as proper by a disinterested panel of
professional peers.
u The TV test – Managers should always ask, “Would I feel
comfortable explaining to a national TV audience why
I took this action?”
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Organisational Ethics

u The legal test – Is the proposed action or decision

legal? Established laws are generally considered
minimum standards for ethics.
u The four- way test – Managers can feel confident that a
decision is ethical if they can answer “yes” to the
following questions:
u Is the decision truthful?
u Is it fair to all concerned?
u Will it build goodwill and friendship?
u Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
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Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR)

u What’s social responsibility?

u Go beyond the law to act responsibly for social
concerns
u What’s the difference between social obligations vs.
social responsiveness?
u Obligation is what you have to do.
u Responsiveness is guided by social norms that can
provide managers with a meaningful guide for decision
making. Its ‘how’ to do.
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Becoming Socially Responsible

u Understand ethics and its implications for what it is,

and not take it at face value.
u Use a code of ethics in the organization. What
should be in it?
u Document of primary values and ethical rules the
organization expects managers and employees to
follow.
u In isolation, they do little, but if management considers
them important, ethics can be well imbibed.
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References

u Herald Koontz and Heinz Weihrich, ‘Essentials of

Management’, McGraw Hill Publishing Company,
Singapore International Edition, 1980.
u M. Govindarajan and S. Natarajan, Principles of
Management, Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., New
Delhi, 2007.