1. Factors Affecting Group Development

2. Group Norms Acceptable standards of behaviour considered appropriate
Vary from group to group
Leader:
Strives to understand norms
Ensures that group exerts pressure on members to comply with norms
Deviation from norms
Leader interprets and makes recommendations for positive change
Other members punish or correct

3. Group Size Effect of size varies depending on the purpose and goals
Smaller groups make decisions quickly
Less discussion
Larger groups bring forth more opinions
Takes longer for decision making

4. Leadership Dimensions
Low Relationship/Low task
Low Relationship/High task
High Relationship/Low task
High Relationship/ High Task

5. High Relationship/Low Task
Works Best in forming stage when faced with strict deadline
Leader ensures that group is:
Working on the task and
Moving quickly through the forming, storming and norming stages
Relationships important to ensure cohesion and complete task on time

6. High Relationship/High Task
Almost through the storming stage
Leader is working with the group on the task as well as building relationships within the group

7. Low Relationship/High Task
Moving out of the storming stage
Leader works diligently on the task while the group works through the norming stage of development
The task has a timeline that must be met
Relationship at a point where members have established their roles and can focus on the tasks

8. Low Relationship/Low task
In the performing stage
Leader now offers advice when needed
Group essentially functions on its own
Group members work well together and understand the implications of the task deadline
May need leader to steo

9. Leader’s Behaviours Task Behaviours Relationship Behaviours
Not only exhibited by the leader, but by the group members if the leader relinquishes control

10. Task Behaviours
Help keep the group on track and moving towards completing the task at hand
Include the following:
Initiator- generates new ideas and suggests solutions
Elaborator-expands on existing ideas and may restate ideas
Summarizer-pulls ideas together and ensures consensus
Recorder- records details for current and future progress
Time keeper- makes sure the group observes the time limits and deadlines

11. Relationship behaviours
Keep individuals within the group feeling wanted and valuable
Following roles and behaviours:
Encourager-makes everyone feel important
Gate keeper- ensures everyone’s opportunity to contribute
Mediator – helps keep harmony by suggesting compromises
Custodian – checks to ensure that the group doesn’t violate values
Blocker – opposes others’ ideas and gets off topic
Joker – is centre of attention and makes fun of others’ ideas
Dominator – imposes his own ideas at the expense of others
Hidden agenda – fulfills her own personal gains
Dependent – depends on others for ideas and opinions

12. Group Cohesiveness
The degree to which individual members are attracted to a group and each other
Varies between groups
Linked to the group’s overall productivity
Recommendations for developing cohesiveness:
Smaller size
More time spent together
“Buying into” the group’s goals
Physical isolation
Highlight valued status
Reward the group members equally
Encourage competition with other work groups

13. Group composition Heterogeneous groups:
Composed of dissimilar individuals
Promotes group conflict
More likely to have diverse information and abilities
Improved decision making and task completion
For team building each personality colour should be represented
Depending on the reason for the group’s existence more or less members of a particular colour can be included

14. Preselected Groups
Groups existing prior to the appointment of the leader
Leader needs to make this work
Determine which group members possess which strengths and then promote these
Assign tasks to suit each person

15. Group Decision Making Process

16. Individual decision making
Advantages:
Fast
Clearer accountability
More consistent decision
When the decision is relatively unimportant and doesn’t require members’ input for success
When all the information required is available

17. Group decision making Almost always superior over individual decisions
Advantages:
More complete information knowledge
Higher quality decisions
Group consensus is the optimum
Less efficient because they use up more time and resources to come to an ultimate decision

18. Groupthink
Desire for consensus overrides the best possible viewpoint for solving problems
Symptoms include:
Rationalizing resistance
Pressuring of hesitant members
Those who question the group opinion remain silent
Silence is interpreted as “yes”
Leads to poor decision making

19. Brainstorming
Overcoming pressures to conformity and generating ideas or alternatives
Members “freewheel” as many suggestions and alternatives as possible
No criticism is allowed
Every alternative is recorded
Each individual in the group silently and independently ranks different ideas presented
The final group decision = solution with the highest aggregate rating