GROUP DYNAMICS
● DEFINITION OF GROUP
↪ A group is a collection of two or more individuals. A group is an aggregation of people. They interact with each other. They are aware of one another. They have a common objective. They perceive in themselves to be a group.
● MEANING OF GROUP
↪ The word dynamics is a Greece word meaning ‘force’. Hence group dynamics means the study of forces operating within a group for the social interaction. In this connection two studies of Elton Mayo and his associates and of Lewin are important.
● IMPORTANCE OF GROUP DYNAMICS
↪There are certain preconceptions, representing realities, unrealities, qualities and evils of group but these preconceptions are integral parts of an individual personal philosophy. Such preconceptions may be positive or negative. Negative view represents that: (i) Groups do not exist and (ii) Groups are not good. Positive view is also profess the two things about groups : (i) Groups exist and (ii) Groups are good. These two characteristics of positive view may be called the characteristics of group dynamics.
● FIVE PROPOSITIONS ABOUT GROUPS
There are five propositions about individuals, groups and group dynamics :
1. Group do exist.
2. Groups are inevitable and ubiquitous.
3. Groups mobilize powerful forces.
4. Groups may produce good and bad consequences.
5. Groups dynamics permits desirable consequences.
● CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUP
1. Two or More Persons : A single individual can not form a group. For group formation, at least two persons are must. There is no specific limit on the maximum number of persons to form a group.
2. Collective Identity : Each group member knows one another. Each member of the group perceives that he/she is a part of group.
3. Interaction : There is an interaction among the members of the group. Each member shares his ideas with others through different communication methods such as face-to-face, in writing, over the telephone and across a computer network.
4. Common Purpose : The members of the group work to achieve some common objective or purpose. In fact, it is the common purpose that binds the group members together.The various types of groups can be illustrated with the help of the following figure
● TYPES OF GROUP
↪ There are mainly two ways of classifying groups: formal and informal groups. Different kinds of formal and informal groups are listed in the following table. A brief description of each of them follows
1. Formal Group
Groups established by the organization to achieve organizational goals are called formal groups. In formal groups, the behaviours that a member should exhibit are stipulated by organization and directed towards organizational goals. It is possible to sub-classify formal groups into the following ones:
Command Group : A command group is composed of a supervisor (manager) and the subordinates who report directly to that supervisor. A command group is determined by the organizational chart. In the Department of Business Administration of a University, for example, the Head of the Department and the other faculty members in the department would comprise a command group.
● Task Group : A task group comprises of persons working together to complete a common task. However, a task group can cross command relationships. In a University, for instance, if a student is accused of a campus crime, it may involve interaction among the Head of the Department, Vice Chancellor of the University and the Registrar of the University. Here, it should be noted that all command groups are task groups, but groups can cut across the organizational boundary, the reverse need not be true.
● Project Group : Likewise, project groups are formed to complete a specific project. The life of the project group normally coincides with the length of the project. Assigning a research project to a University Professor by the University Grants Commission is an example of project group.
● Committees : Committees are usually created outside the usual command group structure to solve recurring problems. The life of a committe may be relatively long or short. An example of committees is a University’s Examination Discipline Committee created to solve discipline problems relating to examination.
Formal groups are deliberately structured to subserve organization interest. They serve as means to formal ends. Groups are empowered with the authority from the organization and delegated to the position and not to the person. The status of group is determined by its position on the organization chart. All communications to the group are sent through formal chain of command. They are controlled by the management.
2. Informal Groups
Groups which are not formal are informal. In other words, these are groups that are neither formally created nor controlled by the organization. These groups are natural formations in the work environment that appear in response to the need for social contact. Four employees belonging to four different departments taking their lunch together represent an example of an informal group. Informal groups arise spontaneously and voluntarily to satisfy the various social needs, not likely to be fulfilled by the formal organization. The members of such groups are called informal groups. The leader of the informal group is selected among the members of the group. Authority in such groups is given to the person and to the position. Communication in informal groups is through informal channels. The various kinds of formal groups are
1. Friendship Groups : Friendship groups are associations of people who like each other and who like to be together. Such groups are formed because members have one or more common characteristics, such as age or ethnic heritage, political beliefs, religious values and other bonds of attraction.
2. Interest Groups : Interest groups are composed of individuals who may not be members of the same organization (command or task groups), but they are united by their interest in a common issue. Example of interest groups may include a group of University Professors. They organize a seminar on Law and Order Problems in the State of Tamil Nadu.
3. Reference Group : A reference group is a special type of informal group that people use to evaluate themselves. A reference group may not be an actual one that meets together, it can be an imaginary group. The reference group for a new university Lecturer, for example, may be other scholars in the same discipline at other universities.
- Distinction (DIFFERENCE) Between Formal and Informal Groups
1. Origin : A formal group is deliberately structured and planned to subserve organizational interest. The manager decides about the activities of each individual and his interaction with others. They come together because of the interdependence of their operations or their mutual dependence on their common boss. An informal group, on the other hand, emerges voluntarily and spontaneously. In fact, the formal organization itself contains the seeds for the emergence of informal groups. It allocates people in different departments, work- locations and time-schedules and while performing their tasks, the members develop their activities, interactions and sentiments towards each other which are not cared for by the formal organization.
2. Purpose of the Group Formation : The main purpose of formal groups is to serve the organization as means to formal ends, while the informal groups provide social satisfaction and stability to work groups.
3. Authority : The authority to a formal group is given by the institution according to the position on the organization chart. It is given to the position and not to the man concerned. Whosoever be in that position, will enjoy the authority. Authority in such groups is acquired through delegation from the above to the downward. Contrarily, the authority in an informal group is earned or given permissively by the members of the group. It is given to a person considering his age, seniority, competence, etc. and not to the position and so it flows horizontally or at times, even upward.
4. Communication : All messages-upward or downward-pass through the chain of command strictly as given on the organization chart. In an informal group, all messages are passed through informal channel because there is no such chain of command. People remain in mutual contact with each other, they learn about every person of group what is going on in the organization.
5. Control on Behaviour : Behaviour of the people of the formal group is regulated by the rules and regulations framed with an intention to attain rotationally and efficiency. Violation of any rule attracts penalty and punishment. In an informal group, on the other hand, behaviour of the members is controlled through norms, values and beliefs of the group. The members of the informal group may compel any member of the group to disassociate himself from the group, if he is continuously violating the norms of the group after giving him proper warning.
6. Size : Formal groups are quite large because personal relations have no concern there, while the informal groups tend to remain smaller so as to keep it within limits of personal relations.
7. Nature of Group : Formal groups are stable in character and continues for a longer period. Informal groups are quite unstable because they are subject to sentiments and feelings of the group members. A particular informal group ceases to exist as soon as its purpose is solved.
8. Sanctions to Members : Members are suitably rewarded or punished for their work done in a formal group according to the formal rules and regulations of the group. Rewards or punishments may be financial or non-financial. But in an informal group, the efforts of the person are recognised mainly through non- financial rewards or punishments generally in terms of feelings, status and prestige.
9. Abolition of the Group : As formal groups are subject to management control, they can be abolished at the discretion of the proper authority while a particular informal group cannot be destroyed because any attempt to destroy it may lead to formation of several other groups because there is no management control over it. Management cannot destroy it because it has not formed that.
10. Number of Groups : The whole organization (formal group) is divided into several units and sub-units working for the common cause but a large number of informal groups are found in an institution and some ever outside the institution. An individual may be the member of a number of informal groups for different purposes. So there is overlapping membership and multiple groups.
