How does being part of a group change the way people behave and perform at work?
Explain how group processes such as cohesion, roles, groupthink and social loafing affect behaviour and performance in the workplace.
How group processes including cohesion, roles, norms, groupthink and social loafing shape behaviour, decision making and performance in the workplace.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to explain the main group processes that operate in workplaces and evaluate how they affect individual behaviour, decision making and overall performance.
How groups form and organise
A group is more than a collection of individuals: it develops shared norms (expected behaviours), roles (expected functions, such as leader or coordinator), and cohesion (the bonds that hold members together). Tuckman described group development as forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.
Cohesion is generally positive: cohesive teams communicate better and are more committed. However, very high cohesion can become a problem when it discourages disagreement.
Effects on individual performance
- Social facilitation. The presence of others improves performance on simple or well-learned tasks but can impair performance on difficult or new tasks.
- Social loafing. Individuals tend to exert less effort when their contribution is pooled and cannot be identified, because responsibility is diffused.
Group decision making and groupthink
Irving Janis described groupthink: when a cohesive group values agreement and harmony more than realistic appraisal, it can make poor decisions. Symptoms include an illusion of invulnerability, pressure on dissenters, and self-censorship. Groups can also show group polarisation, where discussion pushes the group towards a more extreme position than members held individually.
Groupthink is reduced by encouraging dissent, appointing a "devil's advocate", seeking outside opinions, and having leaders withhold their own view until others have spoken.
Building effective workplace teams
Effective teams combine enough cohesion to cooperate with enough psychological safety to challenge ideas. Clear individual accountability counters social loafing, diverse membership widens the range of ideas, and structured decision processes guard against groupthink and polarisation.