Social psychologyLesson 1 of 1 in the course Group and Intergroup Relations

Work Groups: Membership, Group Types, and Development

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Groups influence how people behave at work: coworkers can shape effort, choices, and even whether someone stays in a job. This lesson introduces what makes a collection of people a group and distinguishes the major types found in organizations.

Researchers have described groups in several complementary ways. A perceptual view focuses on whether people see themselves as a group. A structural view emphasizes relationships, roles, and shared rules. A motivational view treats a group as a collection whose membership rewards its members. An interactional view focuses on how much and how regularly members communicate.

All flashcards

What is a work group?
A collection of individuals who share norms, generally have differentiated roles, and interact in pursuit of common goals.
How do command groups and task groups differ?
Both are formal groups. A command group is relatively permanent, such as a department, while a task group is generally temporary and organized around a particular assignment.
What is an informal friendship group?
A naturally formed group of people who enjoy one another’s company; these groups often persist over time.
What are six common reasons people join groups?
Security, social needs, self-esteem, economic self-interest, mutual interest, and physical proximity.
What is the general pattern in Tuckman’s four-stage model?
Groups may develop through forming, storming, norming, and performing, but the model does not guarantee a fixed sequence.

Quiz questions

  1. Which description best fits the integrated definition of a work group?Answer: Members share norms, generally have differentiated roles, and interact toward common goals.
  2. A company appoints employees to a temporary team to redesign its customer-support process. What type of group is this?Answer: A formal task group
  3. During which stage of Tuckman’s model may members disagree while seeking influence and clarifying roles and goals?Answer: Storming
  4. How can physical proximity influence group formation at work?Answer: It can increase opportunities for interaction and relationship-building.
  5. What does Tuckman’s model imply about the order in which all groups develop?Answer: The stages describe common patterns, not a sequence every group must follow.

Based on Organizational Behavior by J. Stewart Black, David S. Bright, Donald G. Gardner, Eva Hartmann, Jason Lambert, Laura M. Leduc, Joy Leopold, James S. O’Rourke, Jon L. Pierce, Richard M. Steers, Siri Terjesen, Joseph Weiss (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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