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Cohesion and Development
Chapter 5
Group Cohesion
The concept of cohesion has been an important factor in the study of group behavior and its significance is often a source of motivation for group leaders.
Cliches such as "Together We Stand, Divided We Fall", "There is No I in Team", or "Players Play, Teams Win" are often used to show individuals the importance of team cohesion.
Definitions of Group Cohesion
Carron, Brawley, and Widmeyer (1998) defined cohesion as “a dynamic process that is reflected in the tendency of a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objectives and/or for the satisfaction of member needs”
Mudrack (1989) stated that cohesion "seems intuitively easy to understand and describe …this ease of description has failed to translate into an ease of definition"
What is Group Cohesion?
Group cohesion has been conceptualized in many ways Cohesion = Attraction: Festinger and his
colleagues considered cohesion to be a form of attraction
Members of cohesive groups tend to like their fellow members
Hogg: social attraction (depersonalized liking for others in our group) vs. personal attraction (liking for specific individuals)
Cohesion = Attraction, Liking
Attractionbetweenmembers
Attractionto the
group-as-a-whole
Attraction Cohesion
Cohesion
Carron’s general conceptual model of cohesion offered four general antecedents of cohesion
1. Environmental
2. Personal
3. Leadership
4. Team Factors
Cohesion = Unity
Cohesive groups stick together as members “cohere” to one another &the group
The group is unified; solidarity is high in the group.
Members report feeling a sense of belonging to the group
Cohesion = Unity
Group Unity
Belonging (part of the group)
Unity Cohesion
Cohesion = Teamwork
The combined activities of two of more individuals who coordinate their efforts to achieve goals
Collective efficacy: a high level of confidence about success at the tasks the group accepts
Esprit de corps: feeling of unity commitment, confidence, and enthusiasm for the group shared by most of all of the members
Cohesion
Group morale, esprit de corps
Teamwork
Collective EfficacyTask
Moti-vation
Cohesion = Teamwork
Does Cohesion Develop Over Time?
Cohesion develops over time in a relatively predictable pattern
Tuckman's five-stage model of group development
Orientation (forming) stage Conflict (storming) stage Structure development (norming) stage Work (performing) stage Dissolution (adjourning) stage (planned and
unplanned)
Forming
Storming
Norming
Adjourning
Task
Performing
Does Cohesion Develop Over Time?
Types of group development models Successive-stage theories: Tuckman Cyclical models: Bales's equilibrium
model Punctuated equilibrium models: periods
of accelerated change
Forming
First moments of a newly formed group’s life
Often marked by tension, guarded interchanges, and low levels of interaction
People monitor their behaviour and are tentative when expression opinions
Storming
Tension increases in the storming phase – over goals, procedures, authority etc.
Conflict often causes fight or flight responses
Conflict is a required element for creating team cohesion
Norming
Group becomes more unified and organized
Mutual trust and support increases Rules, roles, and goals are established Communication increases
Performing
Productivity is usually not instantaneous, thus productivity must wait until the group matures
Many groups get sidetracked by the storming or norming phases
More mature groups spend less time socializing, less time in conflict and need less guidance than less mature teams
Adjourning
Either planned or spontaneous Can be stressful for team members If dissolution is unplanned, the final
group sessions may be filled with animosity and apathy
What are the Consequences of Cohesion?
Cohesion tends to lead to: Increased member satisfaction Decreased employee turnover and stress
Cohesive groups can intensify emotional and social processes. Such groups can: Be more emotionally demanding (e.g, the old
sergeant syndrome) Exert more conformity pressure on members Suffer from groupthink Respond with more hostility
Positive & Negative Consequences (cont’d)
The cohesion-performance relationship is bi-directional:
success increases a group’s cohesion and cohesive
groups tend to outperform less cohesive groups.
o The cohesion-performance relationship is strongest when members are committed to the group's tasks.
Cohesion
Attraction
Unity(Group Pride)
Task Focus (teamwork)
Performance
.51
.25
.23
.18
.03
Norms are also criticallyimportant
Cohesion Performance Relationship
o The cohesion-performance relationship is weakest if group norms do not encourage high productivity
Groups with norms that stress productivity
Groups with norms that stress low productivity
P r
o d
u c
t i v
i t y
Does Cohesion Develop Over Time?
Types of group development models Successive-stage theories: Tuckman Cyclical models: Bales's equilibrium
model Punctuated equilibrium models: periods
of accelerated change
Should Organizations Rely on Teams to Enhance Productivity?
What is a team?
A specialized, relatively organized, task focused group
Features (same as any group): Interaction Interdependence Structure Goals Cohesion
Types of teams…..
Type & Subtypes Function Examples
Management
Executive Plan, direct Board of directors, city council
Command Integrate, coordinate Control tower, combat center
Project
Negotiation Deal, persuade Labor-management, international treaty
Commission Choose, investigate Search committee, jury
Design Create, develop Research and development team, marketing group
Advisory Diagnose, suggest Quality circle, steering committee
Service Provide, repair Fast food, auto service team
Production Build, assemble Home construction, automotive assembly
Action
Medical Treat, heal Surgery, ER
Response Protect, rescue Fire station, paramedics
Military Neutralize, protect Infantry squad, tank crew
Transportation Convey, haul Airline cockpit, train crew
Sports Compete, win Baseball, soccer
Should Organizations Rely on Teams to Enhance Productivity?
Setting and clarifying goals and roles Designing teams: size, communication features,
authority, organization, duration, composition Practicing (training): orienting, distributing
resources, pacing, coordinating responses, and motivating members
Process consultation Building cohesion by increasing communal
perspective, efficacy Team approaches are reliably associated with
increases in effectiveness and satisfaction.
Goal SettingGoal Setting
In order for any athlete to achieve their true potential they must set themselves targets
These targets are called “goals” Setting goals can help an athlete achieve:
90% of studies show an increase in performance when effective goals are set
SMARTER GOALS…SMARTER GOALS…
S – specific to the event or the skill M – measurable targets to aid comparison A – attainable R – realistic, challenging but possible T – timed E – exciting to ensure interest in the target R - recorded “ink it, don’t just think it”
Hazing
Hazing – new member is subjected to mental or physical discomfort, harassment, embarrassment, ridicule, or humiliation.
can increase members’ commitment to the group Festinger, Schachter’s and Back’s classic study
of the “Seekers” suggested initiations create dissonance
Aronson and Mill’s study of severe initiations Alternative interpretations and the dangers of
hazing