Page 122 - DEDU503_EDUCATIONAL_MANAGEMENT_ENGLISH

Educational Management

Notes 9.9 Group Dynamics in Controlling and Staffing

Group dynamics refers to a system of behaviors and psychological processes occurring within a
social group (intragroup dynamics), or between social groups (intergroup dynamics). The study of
group dynamics can be useful in understanding decision-making behavior, tracking the spread of
diseases in society, creating effective therapy techniques, and following the emergence and popularity
of new ideas and technologies.Group dynamics are at the core of understanding racism, sexism,
and other forms of social prejudice and discrimination. These applications of the field are studied in
psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, epidemiology, education, social work,
business, and communication studies.
The social process by which people interact and behave in a group environment is called group
dynamics. Group dynamics involves the influence of personality, power, and behaviour on the group
process. Is the relationship between individuals conducive to achieving the groups goals? Is the
structure and size of the group an asset in pursuing both the task and maintenance functions of the
group? How is formal and informal power used to build consensus or reach decisions? Does the
combination of individuals produce the right culture? How these individuals, cultures, and internal
forces interact allows us to analyze and better understand group effectiveness. There are two types
of groups: 1) formal groups who are structured to pursue a specific task, and 2) informal groups
who emerge naturally in response to organizational or member interests.
These interests may include anything from a research group charged with the responsibility to
develop a new product to a group of workers who spontaneously come together to improve social
or member activities. While we can learn a lot from informal groups in terms of leadership and
motivation, we will concentrate mostly on formal groups, characterized by member appointment
and delegated authority and responsibility. Group Structure and Size Effective group performance
depends to a large extent, on the size and composition of the group. A group may consist of as few
as two people (giving credibility to the statement that “two heads are better than one”), or as many
as three or four hundred. In order to be effective, group size should be kept to a minimum without
jeopardizing workload and goal achievement. Larger groups increase the possibility of conflict due
to the variety of viewpoints, few opportunities for the development of social relationships, a decrease
in participation levels, and lack of opportunity for individual recognition. Individual skills and
performance must be a consideration in forming a group. How many people will be required to
ensure that all the skill sets necessary for the performance of the task are included? Will the task be
slowed by a poor performer as may happen with assembly line production? Does the group contain
the combination of leaders and followers that will lessen the potential for member rivalries and
conflicts? Diversification is a factor in both group development and skill requirement. A group of
predominately white males may develop more quickly than an ethnically and racially diverse group
of men and women. But while the former group may be better able to communicate, set standards
and grow as a cohesive unit, it may not be diverse enough to meet all the community or organizational
needs. A more diverse group may take longer to reach peak performance due to the number of
cultures, language differences, and interpretation of the task to be completed, but once they do
develop, diverse groups are equally productive and may even be more creative in problem-solving
because members have access to a broader base of ideas for solutions. Group Development The
appointment of individuals to a group based on their compatibility, diversity, or expertise does not
assure effectiveness in achieving group goals. A group is initially a collection of personalities with
different characteristics, needs, and influences. To be effective, these individuals must spend time
acclimatizing themselves to their environment, the task, and to each other. Organizational experts
and practitioners have observed that new groups go through a number of stages before they achieve
maximum performance. Each stage presents the members with different challenges that must be
overcome before they can move on to the next stage. These stages have been identified as forming,
storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

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