The study of a group’s attitudes and behavioral tendencies is known as group dynamics. Group dynamics is concerned with how groups are formed, their structure, and the methods that they use to function. it is concerned with the interactions and forces at work among groups.

A group is defined as two or more people who gather together to achieve common goals and share a common meaning and evaluation of themselves. In other terms, a group is a collection of people who interact with one another, share a shared identity, and accept rights and obligations as members.

Characteristics of a Group

Every group, regardless of size or purpose, contains the following characteristics:

• Two or more people (if it is one person, it is not a group)
• Social organization in its formal form (the rules of the game are defined)
• The same fate (they will swim together)
• Shared objectives (the destiny is the same and emotionally connected)
• Face-to-face communication (they will talk with each other)
• Interdependence (each one is complementary to the other)
• Group members’ self-definition (what one is who belongs to the group)
• Appreciation from others as belonging to the group.

Group Development/Evolution Process/Stages

The process of group development is fluid. How do groupings change throughout time? There are five stages in the process that groups go through. Forming, storming, forming, performing, and adjourning are the five stages of the process.

1. Forming: The formation of a group is the first stage in the life of a group. Members in this stage are looking for a job (in a formal group) or other benefits, such as status, affiliation, power, and so on (in an informal group). Members at this stage are either engaged in a busy activity or apathetic.
2. Storming: The creation of dyads and triads is the next stage in this group. Members seek people who are similar to them and begin to share more about themselves. Continued focus on the subgroup differentiates the group, and tensions between the dyads/triads may emerge. Pairing is a very regular occurrence. Controlling the group will be a source of contention.
3. Norming: In the third stage of group formation, there is a greater emphasis on task performance. The dyads/triads begin to form and seek out new group members. Attempts are made to develop diverse task performance criteria. While the authority person relaxes, members begin to take greater responsibility for their own group and connection. When this stage is completed, a clear picture of the leadership hierarchy will emerge. The norming stage is complete with the solidification of the group structure and a sense of group identity and camaraderie.
4. Performing: This is the stage in which a fully functional group sees itself as a unit and becomes interested in the work. Each participant contributes, and the authoritative figure is considered a member of the group as well. To ensure the group’s Process of Group effectiveness, group norms are followed and collective pressure is applied. The group’s objectives may be re-defined. Development in light of knowledge from the outside environment, as well as a self-motivated desire to achieve those objectives. The group’s long-term viability is developed and nurtured.
5. Adjourning: Temporary groupings, such as project teams, task forces, or any other group with a specific task to complete, have a fifth stage. Adjourning is the term for this. The band decides to break up. Some members may be pleased with the performance, while others may be dissatisfied with the cancellation of group meetings. Adjourning can also be referred to as grieving, as in lamenting the group’s disbandment.

The four stages of group formation indicated above for permanent groups are only suggestions to the readers. In reality, numerous stages may occur at the same time.

Types of Groups: 

Formality — formal and informal – is one approach to categorize the groups.

A. Formal Groups Formal groups are formed by an organization to achieve its objectives. Command groups, task groups, and functional groups are examples of formal groupings.

1. Command Groups: Command groups are defined by the organizational hierarchy and typically consist of a supervisor and his or her subordinates. A market research firm’s CEO and his research associates are an example of a command group.
2. Task Groups: Task groups are made up of people who collaborate to complete a common goal. Members are brought together to achieve a specific set of objectives in a set amount of time. Task forces and task groups are two terms that are commonly used interchangeably. Members are appointed by the organization, and goals and tasks are assigned. The development of a new product, the enhancement of a manufacturing process, or the design of a semester-based curriculum are examples of assigned tasks. Ad hoc committees, project groups, and standing committees are all common task groupings. Ad hoc committees are transitory groups formed to address a specific problem or design a method, and they are usually abolished once the mission is completed.
3. Functional Groups: An organization creates a functional group to achieve certain goals in an undefined time frame. After achieving existing aims and objectives, functional groups continue to exist. A marketing department, a customer service department, or an accounting department are examples of functional groups

Factors Influencing Group Behaviour

A group’s success or failure is determined by a variety of elements. Resources, structure (group size, roles, norms, and cohesiveness), group processes (communication, group decision-making processes, power dynamics, competing relationships, and so on), and group tasks (complexity and interdependence).

1. Group Member Resources: The resources that group members bring in are their knowledge, abilities, skills, and personality traits (sociability, self-reliance, and independence). The task’s success is contingent on these resources being beneficial.

2. Group Structure:

Group Size: The size of a group might range from two to hundreds of people. Small groups of two to ten people are regarded to be more productive since each member gets a chance to participate and actively participate in the group. Large groups can squander time debating on methods and trying to figure out who should be the next to participate. Evidence supports the idea that as the size of the group grows, so does contentment, up to a point. The number of people in a group grows larger than 10-12, and satisfaction drops.

Group Roles: Roles are always specified and assigned to members of formal groups. Each role will have its own set of responsibilities and responsibilities. Emergent roles, on the other hand, evolve naturally to satisfy the demands of the groups. As people begin to express themselves and grow more assertive, these emergent roles will often take the place of assigned positions. Work roles, maintenance roles, and blocking roles are the three types of group roles.

Work roles are task-oriented activities aimed at achieving the group’s objectives. Initiator, informer, clarifier, summarizer, and reality tester are just a few of the responsibilities involved.

Maintenance roles are social-emotional tasks that assist individuals to stay involved in the group while also increasing their personal commitment. Harmonizer, gatekeeper, and co-maintainer are the maintenance responsibilities.

Activities that disrupt the group are known as blocking roles. Blockers will be obstinate in their opposition to the group’s views, disagree with group members for personal reasons, and have hidden agendas. They may dominate discussions, verbally attack other members of the group, or distract the group with irrelevant material or unneeded humor. It’s possible that the blocking behavior isn’t meant to be harmful. A member may crack a joke to break the ice, or he or she may dispute a choice to get the rest of the group to reconsider the situation. Aggressor, blocker, dominator, comedian, and avoidance behavior are the blocking roles.

When there is ambiguity (confusion about delegation and no specific job descriptions) between the sent and received roles, it leads to frustration and dissatisfaction, which leads to turnover; inconsistency between the perceived role and role behavior (conflict between work and family roles); and conflicting demands from different sources while performing.

Group Norms: Norms are shared by group members and determine the acceptable standard or boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behavior. They’re usually made to help the group survive, to make behavior more predictable, to avoid embarrassing situations, and to convey the organization’s ideals.

Each group will establish its own norms, which will govern everything from work performance to dressing and making comments in meetings. Members of groups are under pressure to comply to the group’s standards and, in some cases, not to perform at higher levels. The group’s commitment, motivation, and performance are typically reflected in the norms. A shared sense that the group supports the norms is also required. It should be recognized, however, that members may occasionally defy group rules. If the majority of members do not follow the norms, they will eventually change and cease to be used as a yardstick for judging behavior. Members who do not follow the rules will be excluded, ignored, or asked to quit the group.

The cohesion of the group: Cohesiveness refers to a group’s cohesiveness or oneness, as well as sentiments of attraction for one another and a desire to stay in the group. The quantity of group cohesiveness is influenced by a variety of elements, including the agreement on group goals, frequency of interaction, personal attractiveness, inter-group competitiveness, favorable evaluation, and so on. The more harder it is to join a group, the more cohesive it will become. When groups are in a fierce rivalry with other groups or face a major external threat to their survival, they tend to grow more cohesive.

Workplace cohesion has a number of advantages, including increased worker satisfaction, lower turnover and absenteeism, and improved productivity. Highly knit groups, on the other hand, can hurt an organization’s performance if their aims aren’t matched with the company’s.

When activities demand a diversity of abilities, experience, and decision-making, evidence suggests that groups outperform individuals. Groups are frequently more adaptable, with the ability to swiftly form, achieve goals, and disband or move on to another set of goals. Many organizations have discovered that groups may be quite motivating. Members of a group are more inclined to participate in decision-making and problem-solving activities, resulting in improved productivity and empowerment. The efficacy of an organization is limited by the effectiveness of its groups, which do the majority of the work.

3. Group Decision-Making: Group decision-making is superior because it generates more information and knowledge, different alternatives, promotes acceptance of a solution, and increases legitimacy. Decisions take longer, the minority is dominated, pressure is exerted to conform to collective decisions, and no one is held accountable for the outcomes. Communication, conflict resolution, and leadership are all aspects of group processes discussed in greater depth in the chapters.

Developing Effective Teams from Groups:

Not all groups are teams, but not all teams are groups. Teams are notoriously difficult to build because members must learn to work together over time. People talk about forming a team, working as a team, and my team in every workplace, but few understand how to create a teamwork experience or develop an effective team. In the broadest sense, belonging to a team is the outcome of feeling a part of something bigger than oneself. It has a lot to do with how well you understand your organization’s mission or goals.

In a team-oriented atmosphere, everyone contributes to the organization’s overall success. To achieve these outcomes, one collaborates with other members of the organization. Even if you have a certain job function and are a member of a specific department, you work together with other employees of the organization to achieve the overall goals. Your actions are guided by the broader picture, and your role exists to help the bigger picture.

It is well documented that teams outperform groups because they are more adaptable and sensitive to changing circumstances. A workgroup does not have the opportunity to participate in collaborative projects. It’s the group of people that “work passionately on a specific, common objective employing positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability and complementary abilities.”

Team-building brings members together, allows them to express their perceptions of each other, and allows them to comprehend each other’s points of view, which helps to boost intra-group and inter-group effectiveness. As a result, work together to solve challenges in a cooperative and collaborative manner. Problem-solving teams (just making suggestions), self-managed teams (work without a manager), cross-functional teams (a group of specialists from several specialties), and virtual teams are the four types of teams (members collaborate online).

Teams can be institutional (with hundreds of members) or operational (with a few dozen members) (a small, cooperative group, in regular contact and contributes responsibly to achieve the task at hand).

Eight Cs for Team Building:

1. Clear Expectations: Managers must clearly communicate the expected performance to team members, and team members must understand why it was created. For this, the organization must provide the team with human, time, and financial resources.
2. Commitment: Team members must be willing to participate in the team, believe the team’s objective is vital, and demonstrate a commitment to achieving the team’s mission and expected results. Team members will be more committed if they see their work as beneficial to the organization and their own careers.
3. Competence: Team members must possess the necessary knowledge, skill, and capabilities, as well as the resources, tactics, and support, complete the team’s purpose and handle the issues for which it was founded.
4. Control: The team must have enough freedom and empowerment and enough accountability to feel the ownership required to complete its mission. A defined review process is required.
5. Collaboration: The team should be aware of group processes and be able to operate effectively and cooperatively with one another.They must comprehend the roles and responsibilities of team members, team leaders, and team recorders in order to do so.
6. Communication: Team members must communicate effectively and honestly with one another in order to make apparent the priority of their responsibilities and get regular feedback. Diverse viewpoints should be welcomed, and confrontations should be addressed positively.
7. Creativity: Members who take modest risks to develop the team should be rewarded for their creative thinking, innovative solutions, and fresh ideas. It should, if necessary, give training, education, access to books and videos, as well as field trips to inspire fresh ideas. Because teams may have a variety of talents required for successful innovation, new goods, new technology, new services, or new organizational structures can be developed creatively. Members of a team can expose each other’s flaws and help each other balance their strengths and weaknesses.
8. Coordination: Teams must grasp the concept of an internal client to whom they deliver a product or service. A central leadership team must coordinate team efforts and aid groups in obtaining what they require for success. The cross-functional and multi-departmental teams must effectively collaborate. Moving away from typical departmental thinking, the business should adopt a customer-focused and process-focused attitude.

B) Informal Group

Informal groups, in a contrast to formal groups, emerge organically and in response to members’ shared interests and ideals. They aren’t formed for the purpose of achieving corporate goals, and they don’t have a set deadline. The organization does not appoint informal groupings, and members can invite others to join at any moment.

Informal groups can have a significant impact on organizations, which can be beneficial or detrimental. Employees who organize an informal group, for example, can talk about how to optimize a production process or how to cut corners that risk quality. Interest groups, friendship groups, and reference groups are examples of informal groupings.

1. Interest Group: Interest groups are more likely to last over time than broad informal groupings. Members of interest groups may or may not be affiliated with the same organizational department, but they have a shared interest. Group interests have their own aims and objectives, which may or may not be tied to corporate goals and objectives. Students who gather together to form a study group for a single class are an example of an interest group.
2. Friendship Groups: Friendship groups are made up of people who have common interests, political ideas, religious values, or other affiliations. Members love each other’s company and frequently get together after work to engage in these activities.
3. Reference Groups: A reference group is a type of group that people use to assess their own performance. The major goals of reference groups are to obtain social affirmation and to compare themselves to others. Individuals can justify their beliefs and ideals through social validation, but individuals can evaluate their own activities by comparing themselves to others through social comparison. Members’ behavior is heavily influenced by reference groups. For most people, family, friends, and religious affiliations are powerful reference groups.

In addition to formal groups, informal groups exist in every organization. Informal groups grow spontaneously as a result of the reaction and similar interests of members who can easily connect with the informal groups’ aims or independent activities. Sometimes the activities are motivated by a common purpose that complements or contradicts the official group’s goals.

An informal group is one that forms spontaneously, without reference to the organization’s structure, with the goal of meeting the members’ personal and social needs. A voluntary group of people casually acquainted with each other for their own personal fulfillment because they have some common and shared backgrounds, characteristics, and concerns (values/interests/hobbies/friendship), an informal group is a voluntary group of people casually acquainted with each other for their own personal fulfillment.

While distinguishing between a formal group and a formal organization is simple, distinguishing between an informal group and an informal organization is more complex. The distinction between an informal organization and an informal group is that an informal organization encompasses all informal groups inside a company. When an unstructured group adopts a clearly defined structure and group processes, it ceases to be unstructured.

Informal Group Characteristics:

1. It is not formed by the organization, but rather emerges organically.
2. Requirements Satisfaction: When people’s needs, such as social and psychological needs, cannot be met within the framework of official organizations, they form informal groupings.
3. Membership is voluntary: No one is forced to join an informal group.
4. Membership in Multiple Informal Groups: A member of an informal group might be a member of multiple informal groups to pursue different interests.
5. Systems and Processes: In order to stay cohesive, members of such groups adhere to their own set of rules, leadership, communication, and so on. The routes of communication are known as the ‘Grapevine.’ The grapevine, or informal conduit, spreads information quickly throughout the organization.
6. Leadership: Every informal group has a leader who is chosen by the group and capable of assisting them in achieving their objectives. When it is discovered that the leader is incompetent, he is removed by a new leader.

Reasons for Informal Groups

1. Collaborative efforts may bring people together.
2. People who have similar values, views, attitudes, or interests are generally drawn together.
3. Desire for fulfillment – to belong, associate, etc.
4. Elimination of monotony in everyday duties – to eliminate monotony and psychological exhaustion, job-related boredom and irritation allow employees to act naturally and relaxedly.
5. Promotion of other interests and aims – People join Rotary or Lions Club to broaden their network of contacts, which may help them achieve their personal objectives.

Advantages of Informal Groups 

1. Working for a formal organization is made possible by blending with a formal group.
2. The informal workgroup reduces the formal manager’s burden.
3. Provides overall pleasure and stability to the organization.
4. Provides a good communication channel.
5. Encourages managers to think ahead and act with greater caution.

Informal Groups’ Limitations:

1. They are resistant to change because they do not want to depart from established conventions and master new skills.
2. Because of malice, a lack of adequate communication methods and processes, and uncertain conditions, the informal group provides the most fertile ground for rumor-mongering.
3. Because a member of an informal group is also a member of a formal group, role conflict can arise.
4. Because of the organization’s tremendous push for conformity, group members’ creativity is limited.

Causes of Poor Group Dynamics

Negative group dynamics can be exacerbated by group leaders and team members.

• In the absence of a strong leader, a more dominating member of the group might sometimes take command. This might result in a lack of direction, internal conflict, or a concentration on the incorrect goals.
• Excessive reverence to authority: this occurs when people wish to appear as if they agree with a leader and hence refrain from expressing their own views.
• Blocking: When team members act in a way that inhibits the flow of information inside the group, this is known as blocking. People can take up blocking responsibilities like:

• The aggressor is someone who frequently disputes with others or is excessively opinionated.
• The negator is a member of the group who is frequently critical of others’ ideas.
• The withdrawer is someone who does not participate in the conversation.
• The seeker of attention: this group member is boastful or dominates the discussion
• The joker is someone who uses comedy at inopportune times.

• Groupthink: this occurs when people prioritize reaching a consensus over making the best option possible. People are unable to properly explore alternate alternatives as a result of this.
• Free riding: certain members of the group relax and let their colleagues do all the work. Free riders may work hard on their own but contribute little in groups; this is referred to as “social loafing.”
• Fear of evaluation: team members’ perceptions can sometimes contribute to a bad group dynamic. People have evaluation fear when they believe they are being judged unfairly by other members of their group, and as a result, they keep back their ideas.

Strategies for Improving Team Dynamics

1. Get to Know Your Team: As a leader, you must direct the growth of your team. As a result, begin by learning about the stages that a group goes through as it grows. When you understand these, you’ll be able to anticipate potential problems, such as bad group dynamics.
2. Address Issues Fast: If you see that one of your team members has adopted a habit that is negatively affecting the rest of the group, act quickly to correct it.
3. Provide feedback that demonstrates the impact of your team member’s actions and encourages her to consider how she might improve her behavior.
4. Define Roles and Responsibilities: Teams that lack focus or direction can quickly generate negative dynamics as members try to understand their place in the group.
5. As soon as you form the team, write a team charter outlining the group’s mission and objectives, as well as everyone’s responsibilities. Ensure that everyone has a copy of the document and are reminded of it frequently.
6. Use team-building exercises to assist everyone gets to know one another, especially when there are new members. These exercises help people open up by gently integrating new colleagues into the group. They also assist to fight the “black sheep effect,” which occurs when group members turn against persons they perceive to be different.
7. Set an example: share your goals for the group, as well as “safe” personal information about yourself, such as important lessons you’ve learned.
8. Focus on Communication: Good team dynamics require open communication, so make sure everyone is talking clearly. To minimize misunderstanding, include all types of communication that your group employs, such as emails, meetings, and shared documents.
9. Pay Attention: Be on the lookout for symptoms of bad group dynamics. Keep an eye out for many consensus judgments, which could indicate groupthink, bullying, or free riding. If your group makes a lot of unanimous decisions, think about innovative ways to get people to talk about their ideas or share them anonymously.