CHAPTER 12: INFORMAL AND

FORMAL GROUPS

Group 3

Chapter Objectives

TO UNDERSTAND Group Dynamics The Nature and Effects of Informal

Groups Informal Leaders Differences Between Task and Social

Leadership Roles Brainstorming, Nominal, Delphi, and

Dialectic Techniques Weaknesses of Group Meetings

Group Dynamics

What is Group Dynamics?- The social process by which people

interact face-to-face in small groups is called group dynamics.

- The word “dynamics” comes from the Greek word “force” hence group dynamics refers to the study of forces operating within a group

Elton Mayo showed that workers tend to establish informal groups that affect job satisfaction and effectiveness.

Kurt Lewin showed that different kinds of leadership produced different responses in groups .

Types of Groups

Formal and Informal-A key difference exists between formal groups, which are established by organization and have a public identity and goal to achieve.- informal groups, which emerge on the basis of common interests, proximity, and friendships .

Another fundamental distinction is between two types of formal groups (TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT )- Some have a relatively temporary life; they are created to accomplish a short term task and them disband.- the event at which group members discuss ideas or solve problems is generally called a meeting.- the other type of formal group is a more natural enduring work group,- The type of group is formed a team .

Nature of Informal Organization

Informal Organization -The informal organization is the

interlocking social structure that governs how people work together in practice.

How Does the Informal Organization Emerge?

first, employees act different than required.

Second, employees often intract with different people, or with different frequencies, than their jobs require.

Third, workers may embrace a set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments different from those the organization expect of them.

Member status & informal leaders

Member status & informal leaders-The informal leader plays several useful roles for a work unit. Informal leaders may help socialize new members into the organization, and they may be called upon by the group to perform the more complex task.

•Multiple Informal Leaders-Informal groups overlap to the extent that one person may be a member of several different groups, which means that there is not just one leader but several of varying importance.

One Primary Leader-usually one primary leader has more influence than others.

Benefits of Informal Organizations:

Better Total System – most important is that they blend with formal systems to make an effective total system.

Lighter Workload for Management – when manager know that the informal organizations is working with them, they feel less compelled to check on the workers to be sure everything is working well.

Managers are encouraged to delegate and decentralize because they are confident that employees will be cooperative.

Work Group Satisfaction – it is the means by which workers feel a sense of belonging and security, so satisfaction is increased and turnover reduced.

A Safety valve for emotions – employees may relieve emotional pressures by discussing them with someone else in an open and friendly way. And one’s associates in the informal group

Cohesiveness – is indicated by how strongly the employees stick together, rely on each other and desire to remain members of the group.

Resistance to Change – the group tends to become overly protective of its way of life and to stand like a rock in the face of change.

Conformity – the informal side of organizations is so much a part of the everyday life of workers that they hardly realize it is there, so they usually are unaware of the powerful pressures it applies to persuade them to conform to its way of life.

Norms – these norms may be strong or weak (depending on the importance of the behavior to the group) and positive or negative (depending on their impact on the organization).

Treatment of Non-conformers – non-conformers may be pressured and harrassed until they capitulate or leave.

Role of Conflict – workers may want to meet the requirements of both their group and their employer, but frequently those requirements are somewhat in conflict.

Monitoring Informal Organizations

Bases for Networks – they usually focus on either interpersonal feelings expressed among individuals.

Influencing Informal Organizations- Management did not establish informal organization and it cannot abolish them

Guidelines for Action:

1. Accept and understand informal organizations

2. Identify various levels of attitudes and behaviors within them

3. Consider possible effect on informal systems when taking any kind of action

4. Integrate as for as possible the interests of informal groups with those of the formal organization

5. Keep formal activities from unnecessarily threatening informal organizations

Formal and Informal Organizations- appears to be a predominant formal system to maintain unity toward objectives along with a well-developed informal system to maintain group cohesiveness and teamwork

Formal Groups

- are established by organization and have a public identity and goal to achieve.

Committees – is a specific type of group meeting in which members in their group role have been delegated the authority to handle the problem at hand

Systems factors to consider

Size – the size of a group tends to affect the way it works.

Composition – leaders of committees, problem-solving groups and task forces often have the opportunity to select the members.

Leadership RolesTask Roles: Define a problem or goal of the group Request facts, ideas or opinions from

members Provide facts, ideas, or opinions Clarify a confused situation Summarize the discussion Determine whether agreement has been

reached Check for consensus Test for ethicality

Social Roles: Support the contributions of others Sense the mood of the group and help

members become aware of it Reduce the tension and reconcile

disagreements Modify your position, admit an error Facilitate participation of all members Evaluate the group’s effectiveness Deal with team stress

Structured Approaches- four important alternative structures are Brainstorming, Nominal Groups, Delphi decision making and Dialectic Inquiry.

Brainstorming-is a popular method of encouraging creative in groups of about eight people. It is built around four basic guidelines for participants.

1. Generate as many ideas as possible.2. Be creative, freewheeling and

imaginative.3. Build upon (piggyback), extend, or

combine earlier ideas.4. Withhold criticism of others’ ideas.

2 Principles Underlie Brainstorming Deferred Judgement- by which all

ideas- even are unusual and impractical ones - are encouraged without criticism or evaluation.

Quantity Breeds Quality – as more ideas come forth, eventually higher-quality ones will be developed.

Electronic Brainstorming – The marriage of computer technology and groupware programs has allowed the development of a modified version of the method.

 Nominal Group Technique – A nominal group

exists in name only, with members having minimal interaction prior to producing a decision. Here are the steps that nominal groups often follow:

1. Individuals are brought together and presented with a problem.

2. They develop solutions independently, often writing them on cards.

3. Their ideas are shared with others in a structured format (e.g. a roundrobin process that ensures all members get the opportunity to present their ideas).

4. Brief time is allotted so that questions can be asked- but only for clarification

5. Group members individually designate their preferences for the best alternatives by secret ballot

6. The group decision is announced.

Delphi Decision groups – a panel of relevant people is chosen to address an issue.

The Major merits of the process include:1. Elimination of interpersonal problems

among panellists2. Efficient use of experts’ time3. Adequate time for reflection and analysis

by respondents4. Diversity and quantity of ideas generated5. Accuracy of predictions and forecasts

made

Dialectic Decision methods – Some face-to-face decision-making groups converge too quickly on one alternative while overlooking others.

Group Decision Support System – These support systems use computers, decision models, and technological advances to remove communication barriers, structure the decision process, and generally direct the group’s discussion.

Potential Outcomes of Formal Group processes

Support for Decisions Probably the most important by product

of face to face group meetings is that people who participate in making a decision feel more strongly motivated to accept it and carry out.

Meetings> Undoubtedly are one of the best means

available of committing people to carry out a course of action

Group decisions also carry more weight for those who are not group members.

Quality of Decisions> Groups are often effective problem

solving tools. In comparison with individuals, groups typically have greater information available to them.

Individual Development Some individuals are naturally more

passive than others and may withhold their ideas.

Social Facilitation> Group members often try harder to

contribute on a task just because other people are around.

CONSENSUS: A Key Issue in Decision-Making Groups

CONSENSUS, a necessary prerequisite for effective group decisions?

> Without total agreement, group members may be expected to carry out decisions they did not support. Divided votes also may set up disagreements that carry beyond the meeting.

Is CONSENSUS Necessary? Organizations must get on with their work

rather than stop to engage in endless debates in an effort to reach total agreement.

Weaknesses of Committees> Meeting are an essential and productive

part of work organizations.

Slowness and Expensiveness Meetings of all types are sometimes a

slow and costly way to get things done.

Group think> One of the most convincing criticisms of

meetings is that they often lead to conformity and compromise.

Symptoms of group think

Group think can be detected by watching for some of its classic symptoms, which include:

Self-censorship of critical thoughts Rationalization that what they are doing

is acceptable to others Illusion of invulnerability Reliance of unanimity within the group

without testing for it Stereotyping others outside the group

Illusion of morality Pressure on dissidents to give in and

conform to the group

Group think is probably present when a group acts as though it is above the law and could not err and when it assumes it has total support for its actions

Consequences of group think include a deterioration in a group’s judgment, failure to engage in reality testing, and lowered quality of its decision making.

One effective method of reducing or preventing group think is to designate a devil’s advocate.

Devil’s advocates are guardians of dear and moral thinking and can help the group immeasurably by providing it with a stream of constructive criticism.

Polarization, in contrast to group think, an alternative behavior that sometimes appears is group polarization.

Groups may take more risks:> Although group members’ attitudes can

become polarized in either direction (risky or conservative), research suggests that some groups tend to make a risky shift in their thinking

This tendency means that they are more willing to take chances if they were acting individually.

Escalating Commitment – problem of group think is the idea that group members may preserve is advocating a course of action despite rational evidence that it will result in failure.

Divided Responsibility – management literature has always recognized that divided responsibility is a problem whenever group decisions are made

- Actions that are several bodies responsibility are nobody’s responsibility

- Overcoming the Weaknesses – the proper group structures must be selected, that group size is an important factor and that various leadership roles must be played.