In organizational development(OD), group dynamics or group process‖ refers to the understanding of the behavior of people in groups, such as task groups, that are trying to solve a problem or make a decision.

2. What is a group?
• Two or more freely interacting people
(Interdependent -interact and influence each
other)
• Mutually may not be accountable for achieving
common goals
• Common Identity
• Collective Norms.
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

3. CONCEPT OF GROUP DYNAMICS
• GROUP = Collection Of Two Or More Persons
• DYNAMICS = Greek Meaning “Force”
“So group dynamics is a social process by which
people interact face to face in small groups”.
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

4. Group Dynamics
• Group dynamics is the study of groups, and also a
general term for group processes.
• Human beings exhibit some characteristic behaviour
patterns in groups.
• In organizational development(OD), group dynamics
or group process‖ refers to the understanding of the
behaviour of people in groups, such as task groups,
that are trying to solve a problem or make a decision.
• An individual with expertise in group process, such as a
trained facilitator , can assist a group in accomplishing
its objective by diagnosing how well the group is
functioning

5. Group Formation and Important
characteristics of Groups
Groups are formed because of various general
tendencies within us such as:
i. Exposure: we like people whom we have
been exposed to repeatedly.
ii. The similarity-attraction effect: we like
people who are similar to us in some way.
iii. Reciprocity: we like people who like us.
iv. Basking(revel) in reflected glory: we seek to
associate with successful, prestigious groups.

6. Some other reasons why people join groups?
1. Affiliation: Humans are by nature
gregarious(fond of a company). Groups provide a
natural way for people to gather in order to
satisfy their social needs.
2. Goal achievement
3. Power
4. Status
5. Self-esteem
6. Security

7. Important characteristics of groups
1. Social interaction: The members of a group affect each
other and there is a definite pattern of interaction among
them.
2. Stability: Groups also must possess a stable structure.
Although groups can change, which often they do, there
must be some stable relationship that keeps the group
members together and functioning as a unit.
3. Common interests or goals: Members of a group must
share some common interests or goals that bind the
group together.
4. Recognition as being a group: It is not just being together
would ensure the formation of a proper group. The
members of the group must also perceive themselves as a
group. They must recognize each other as a member of
their group and can distinguish them from non-members.

8. Groups versus Teams
• All teams are groups.
• Teams have task interdependence whereas
some groups do not (e.g., group of employees
enjoying lunch together).
• Teams have a positive synergy(2+2=5 EFFECT).
• Skills in teams are complementary.
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

9. Groups & Teams
Groups
Teams
Assemblage of people or People
working
objects
gathered together
together
Less Concrete Action
Concrete Action
Group members may Team is a group with
not be committed to a common goal(teams
common goal
are group)
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

10. GROUP TYPES
• One common way to classify group is by whether
they are formal or informal in nature.
• Formal work groups are established by an
organization to achieve organizational goals.
• Formal groups may take the form of command
groups, task groups, and functional groups. It is
determined by the organizational chart depicting
the approved formal connections between
individuals in an organization.

11. COMMAND GROUPS
• Command groups are specified by the
organizational chart and often consist of a
supervisor and the subordinates that report to
that supervisor.
• An example of a command group is an
academic department chairman and the
faculty members in that department.

12. TASK GROUPS
• Task groups consist of people who work together
to achieve a common task.
• Members are brought together to accomplish a
narrow range of goals within a specified time
period.
• Task groups are also commonly referred to as task
forces. The organization appoints members and
assigns the goals and tasks to be accomplished.
• Examples of assigned tasks are the development
of a new product, the improvement of a
production process, or the proposal of a
motivational contest.

13. FUNCTIONAL GROUPS
• A functional group is created by the
organization to accomplish specific goals
within an unspecified time frame.
• Functional groups remain in existence after
achievement of current goals and objectives.
• Examples of functional group would be a
marketing department, a customer service
department, or an accounting department.

14. INTEREST GROUPS
• Interest groups usually continue over time and may last
longer than general informal groups.
• Members of interest groups may not be part of the
same - organizational department but they are bound
together by some other common interest.
• The goals and objectives of group interests are specific
to each group and may not be related to organizational
goals and objectives.
• An example of an interest group would be students
who come together to form a study group for a
specific class.

15. FRIENDSHIP GROUPS
• Friendship groups are formed by members who enjoy
similar social activities, political beliefs, religious
values, or other common bonds. Members enjoy each
other's company and often meet after work to
participate in these activities.
• For Example a group of employees who form a
friendship group may have an exercise group, a
Volleyball team, or an outing lunch once a month.
• Friendship groups develop among the organizational
members when they share some common interest like
participating in some sports activities or staging the
office drama, etc.

16. REFERENCE GROUPS
• A reference group is a type of group that people use to evaluate
themselves. According to Cherrington, the main purposes of
reference groups are social validation and social comparison.
• Social validation allows individuals to justify their attitudes and
values while social comparison helps individuals evaluate their own
actions by comparing themselves to others.
• Reference groups have a strong influence on members' behavior. By
comparing themselves with other members, individuals are able to
assess whether their behavior is acceptable and whether their
attitudes and values are right or wrong.
• For example, the reference group for a new employee of an
organization may be a group of employees that work in a different
department or even a different organization. Family, friends, and
religious affiliations are strong reference groups for most
individuals.

17. Stages of Group Development
• According to the Five-Stage Model of group
development, groups go through five distinct
stages during the process of its development.
These are as follows:
1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning

19. 1. FORMING
• Forming is the initial stage of group
development when the group members first
come in contact with others and get
acquainted with each other.
• This stage is characterized predominantly by
a feeling of uncertainty among the group
members as they now try to establish ground
rules and pattern of relationship among
themselves.

20. 2. STORMING
• Storming is the next stage that is
characterized by a high degree of conflict
among the members.
• Members often show hostility towards each
other and resist the leader‘s control.
• If these conflicts are not adequately resolved,
the group may even be disbanded
• But, usually the group eventually comes in
terms with each other and accepts the
leadership role at the end of this stage.

21. 3. NORMING
• Norming is the third stage of the group
development process during which the group
members become closer to each other and
the group starts functioning as a cohesive
unit.
• The group members now identify themselves
with the group and share responsibility for
achieving the desired level of performance of
the group.
• Norming stage is complete when the group
members can set a common target and agree
on the way of achieving this.

22. 4. PERFORMING
• Performing is the fourth stage when the
group is finally ready to start working.
• As the group is now fully formed after
resolving their internal conflicts of
acceptance and sharing responsibility, they
can now devote energy to achieve its
objectives.

23. 5. ADJOURNING
• Adjourning is the final stage when the
group, after achieving the objectives for
which it was created, starts to gradually
dissolve itself.

25. Group Structure and its Important Aspects
• Group Structure refers to the pattern of
interrelationship that exists among the group
members, and makes the group functioning
orderly and predictable. Four important
aspects of group‘s structure are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Role
Norms
Status
Group Cohesiveness

26. 1. Role
• Role or the typical part played by an individual
group member in accordance with the expectations
of other members from him.
• Role expectations refer to the behaviours that are
expected from the person playing the role.
• The person holding the role is known as the role
incumbent.
• Role ambiguity takes place when the person holding
the role feels confused and does not know what is
being expected from him.

27. 2.Norms
• Norms are the rules and mutual expectations
that develop within the group.
• This refers to the generally agreed upon rules
that guide the group members behaviour.
• Norms have profound effect on members
behaviour as it ensures conformity among
them.

28. 3. Status
• Status or the relative prestige or social
position given to groups or individuals by
others.
• People often join the core group or a
renowned club because of the prestige
associated with these groups.

29. 4. Group Cohesiveness
• Group Cohesiveness referring to the strength
of group members desires to remain a part of
the group.
• This also refers to the degree of attraction of
the group members for each other and the
'we-feeling' among the members.
• The degree of cohesiveness has been found
to depend on external threats.

30. Group Decision Making
• Group decision making is a type of participatory
process in which multiple individuals acting
collectively, analyze problems or situations, consider
and evaluate alternative courses of action, and select
from among the alternatives a solution or solutions.
• The number of people involved in group decisionmaking varies greatly, but often ranges from two to
seven.
• The individuals in a group may be demographically
similar or quite diverse.
• Decision-making groups may be relatively informal in
nature, or formally designated and charged with a
specific goal. The process used to arrive at decisions
may be unstructured or structured.

31. Methods of Group Decision making
• Some of the more common group
decision-making methods are as follows:
• BRAINSTORMING
• DIALECTICAL INQUIRY
• NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE.
• DELPHI TECHNIQUE

32. Theories of Group Formation
•
•
•
•
Propinquity Theory
Homans Interaction Theory
Balance Theory
Exchange Theory
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

33. Propinquity Theory
• The term Propinquity means nearness.
• This theory states that an individual affiliate with
one another because of spatial or geographical
proximity.
• In organizational context ,individuals working
together tend to form a group with others more
easily as compared to with individuals working
relatively at a distance place.
• Here in this theory nearness is only a facilitating
factor for group formation and not the reason
for it.
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

34. Homans Interaction Theory
• This theory is based on the activities, interactions and
sentiments.
• All these elements are directly related to one another.
• Acc. To this theory “the more activities persons share,
the more numerous will be their interaction and the
stronger will be their shared activities and sentiments.
• This theory helps to understand the basic idea behind
the group formation.

35. BALANCE THEORY
• Provided by Newcomb, suggested similarity of
attitudes towards relevant objects and goals as the
basics for group formation.
• Persons are attracted to one another on the basic of
similar attitudes towards commonly relevant objects
and goals .
• Once a relationship is formed, it strives to maintain a
symmetrical balance between the attraction and
common attitudes.
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

36. BALANCE THEORY OF GROUP
FORMATION
SIMILAR ATTITUDES
(TOWARDS AUTHORITY,WORK,LIFE
STYLES,POLITICS,RELIGIONS ETC.)
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

37. EXCHANGE THEORY
• In this theory the people involve in social exchange
on the basis of perceived reward-cost relationship
in a particular relationship.
• This theory suggest that an individual will join(or will
not join) on the basis of the outcomes of reward and
cost.
• If the reward is equal to or more than cost, the
individual will join the group, in reverse case ,(s)he
will not join the group.
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

38. TEAM
• A team is small number of people with
complementary skills who are committed to a
common purpose
, performance goals, and
approach for which they hold themselves mutually
accountable.
--------------------- by Smith
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

39. Importance of Team
• Enhanced Performance (2+2=5 effect)
or synergy effect.
• Employee benefits
• Reduced costs
• Organizational Enhancements
Jayant Isaac,Asso.Profesor –Mkt.,Sys.,&
HRM

40. Self-Managed teams
• Self managed teams are closely associated
with the concept of employee empowerment
which entails the employee to have the
requisite authority and resources required by
him to carry out his responsibilities.
• A self managed team, differs from a normal
work team or group in one essential way that
the processes or the means to achieve the
team goal are designed and decided by the
team itself.

41. Various types of team
• Problem-Solving Teams
• Cross Functional teams: The goal was to
improve communication and tracking of work,
which would lead to increased productivity
and more satisfied clients.
• Self managed teams
• Project teams