1. © POSbase 2005 Group A group consists of two or more interdependent persons who influence each other through interaction. Interdependent means that they depend on each other in some way. Some communication – verbal or nonverbal – is necessary in order to be a group. Three students sitting in the same room, each reading on his own, is not a group. Contributor

2. © POSbase 2005 Group This is a simple and useful definition, but it is not complete; groups often possess additional features: Interaction: People regularly exchange information; Relationship among people; for example, an several spectators looking at a street musician is not a group; Psychological meaning, or importance, for group members; Shared identity (e.g., FC Liverpool fan); Structure: Fixed roles, values, and norms.

3. © POSbase 2005 Group Is a group a unit of analysis? A group develops roles and norms and is therefore more than the sum of its individual parts. Moreover, groups use resources and energy from their environment, and they begin, have conflicts, grow, are at their height of performance, and decline, as can be seen on the next slide:

4. © POSbase 2005 Group Cohesion Time (conflict) forming storming norming performing adjourning However: Conflict often positive rather than negative!

5. © POSbase 2005 Group The following factors contribute to the fact that a group is seen as a unit: Common fate: The degree to which people of a group experience common outcomes. Similarity: The degree to which people show the same beavior or to which they resemble each other. Distance: The closer the distance among people, the more the group is seen as a unit.

6. © POSbase 2005 Group Groups influence individuals in multiple ways: Indivduals converge towards the mainstream opinions within the group; Groups remove the feeling of individual uniqueness; Groups can solve simple tasks better than individuals; Self-image gets a collective component; Individuals within groups react more competitive towards other groups than single individuals towards individuals.