Group processes: characteristics, psychology and social characteristics

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Have you noticed how a newcomer joins the new team? His behavior is cautious, statements are accurate, he prefers to coordinate his actions with management, and contacts with new colleagues are most often limited to one of the environment. Usually, a new employee intuitively chooses a colleague who is distinguished by goodwill, patience and willingness to help and suggest the right course of action in the course of adaptation, which is necessary in the process of group interaction. Life in a team is subject to certain laws, to which this material is dedicated.

Group: leadership role

Let's start with the terminology and define the concept of group processes. These are the changing signs of a group as a process related to social relations, namely: dominance (leadership), stages of group formation and growth, group pressure syndrome, etc.p.

In the course of its development, the collective consistently passes through a complex of processes that affect each individual in the context of his role in the community.

Of the totality of group processes, the significance of the group leader is the highest. In the sphere of his attention are the questions of the direction of the movement of the collective, the defining system of values, the main measures of collective influence taken in the community. All these points relate to the topic of leadership, which initially represents the dominance-submission polarity in any association of subjects. However, in a broad context, this concept also includes psychological approaches to the formation and management of a group.

Collective fluidity

It is necessary to distinguish between the types of group processes in groups, newly formed and long-running. In the second case, there is a constant movement due to changes in the staffing table: dismissals and admissions to the organization change its composition both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Leaving the team, the employee most often completely "nullifies" his ties with colleagues, leaving a kind of vacuum in his place. A new person, coming to an already established group in place of the departed, is faced with a number of issues, the solution of which can go in two ways.

1. Accepting existing rules, living up to the expectations of the environment, matching the style of interaction with colleagues and methods of work with the manner of the previous employee.
2. The denial of established patterns of relationships asvertically and horizontally, introducing your own approach to work and contacts.

In the end, it all comes down to a dilemma: a conflict (hidden or explicit) or a syndrome of group pressure on the subject and, in the future, his subordination to the group.

System stability

The standard behavior of a new member of the collective is based on the desire to be accepted by the group. And therefore, the subject gradually studies the norms and their maximum permissible violations that have been established in the community. Having become acquainted with the orders, a person tries to act in accordance with them. Most often this happens if the newcomer values his status and place in the team in which he has long wanted to work. Then the individual makes every effort to become "part of the ship, part of the crew" as soon as possible and, when making a decision, takes into account the opinion of other members of the group. This type of behavior is called conformal and is based on the subordination of the individual to group pressure, which is an important part of group processes.

Dissonance Method

The polar way of behavior is independent, in which a person is guided by his own opinion and is resistant to the factor of group pressure.

And in the event that the subject's attitudes somehow conflict with the surrounding reality, then the scenario for him is to change the surrounding reality in some part of it, which is connected with the conflict. And its development can already go according to different scenarios, in which the leadership style in this team plays an important role.

As for conformity, its level can bedetermine in a situation of open conflict. If the subject chooses the position "like everyone else", even if the group's opinion is clearly wrong, then this indicates either the absence of a "core personality", or the presence of hidden motivation with far-reaching plans.

On unity and disunity

Let's say that several new employees join the existing team at once. This is tantamount to creating a new group. In this case, the question arises of the consent of the new arrivals with the attitudes, norms and guidelines that were formed earlier during the formation of the community. Only in the case of uniting individuals on the basis of common goals and objectives, as well as the principles of their implementation, one can speak of group cohesion. An important factor here is a stable emotional interaction.

There is some difference between closely related concepts: group cohesion and group compatibility. In the context of group processes, the expression "group cohesion" means that this association of individuals strives for common goals, which are based on a value system shared by all members of the community.

As for group compatibility, it implies close interaction between team members based on personal and business qualities. It's easier to say that this is a good solution to the personnel issue.

It should be noted that these two concepts can complement each other and sometimes it is impossible to clearly distinguish between them.

About the three phases of group development

The topic of group cohesion closelyconnected with the process of group activity. The formation of unity begins with the creation of emotional ties between individuals in the collective; the beginning of the second stage can be considered a combination of goals and methods for achieving them on the basis of a unifying type of activity.

Emotional coincidence fades into the background at this point in the journey; a sign of entering the third stage will be the unification of individuals on the basis of a common value system, the level of which is determined by such concepts as: attitude towards the world, living beings, spiritual development, personal mission and vocation.

Unifying idea

The processes of group dynamics are best traced in the course of studying the association of individuals from the very beginning to the realization of the goal or idea that caused the formation of this collective. In the course of moving towards the end point, the community undergoes transformations that objectively reflect the stage of its development: birth, activity, growth, decline or stagnation, rollback, decline or disintegration. All these processes are actively influenced by the leadership style and the personality of the leader.

Nothing comes from nothing, including the union of people. This requires at least the first word, as in the Bible. And it is said, as a rule, by the one who has formulated an idea that needs to be put into practice. This is how the transition of unrelated individuals into the community occurs.

Small group development

Group processes in a small group (no more than 7 people)develop when certain conditions are reached.

• Having an accessible space where stakeholders can gather and have a preliminary discussion of the project.
• Creating an emotional atmosphere conducive to communication and discussion of issues that will allow people to reveal their personal qualities in an informal setting.
• The time limits within which contacts are formed should be sufficient for the stable development of the group.
• Determining the number of project participants.
• Define the goals and objectives of the created group, taking into account the fact that they should become priorities for each participant. For organization formation, spontaneity is not common: such associations arise with predetermined goals.

• Collective interaction, which is the basis for achieving goals, requires the implementation of established rules, organization and interchangeability. This is achieved with certain qualifications.
• An important component of the process of group development is the formation of attitudes and norms that operate within the boundaries of this association. The implementation of the rules implies a framework that determines the behavior of group members when interacting with each other and in the performance of their functional duties. From that moment on, the group becomes one.
• Formation of the organizational structure of the team. It is based on the concept of the status of each member of the group, correlated with the rest of the subjects of the association. Status intersects with the category of role, within which the individual interacts with the environment in the system of an organized group.

Target parameters

If a group is created to achieve a specific goal, then the goal must meet certain criteria.

• The first condition is the observance of time limits, which means a thoroughly written result, which has a clear due date. This gives the process certainty and completeness, and therefore the stability of the implementation.
• The target parameters must be clearly defined and not ambiguous. And they are communicated to every interested participant.
• To achieve the set goal, the necessary and sufficient condition will be the provided means of achievement, i.e. tools of labor.

Assuming Responsibility

Each subject of collective activity is responsible for its results. The effectiveness of work depends on how its goals and objectives correspond to the internal attitudes of the individual involved in their implementation. And this depends on how much each member of the team participates in the process of making a group decision.

• In the course of achieving the goal, everyone involved in its implementation should have some moral or material bonus that makes the project attractive for him. It is necessary to interest people.
• In the process of activity, the performer is required to demonstrate the qualities necessary to achieve the result, as well as demonstrate the skills and qualifications available in his arsenal. In case theyabsence or insufficiency, it is assumed that there is a readiness to develop these skills or a decision to acquire the necessary knowledge.

Formal and informal leadership

Moral satisfaction has not been canceled, but it is significantly underestimated by business leaders. However, studies have shown that it is this factor that affects the cohesion of the group, and in a directly proportional relationship. It remains to understand exactly how to achieve this element of work activity.

• The leader is not only the one who gives out instructions and demands their implementation. This is a person whose character determines the degree of emotional comfort in the group, as well as its cohesion.
• An effective leadership style is collegial, when the group decision-making process is informal. In this case, each participant in the discussion is ready to take responsibility for its implementation and is personally interested in the best performance of the task.
• The result of such a managerial approach is an atmosphere of psychological comfort, increased self-esteem, the interest of group members in achieving results, lack of uncertainty and independent decision making. Such a team is very effective.

Rivalry or collaboration

If a group has developed a collaborative style of interaction, then this significantly increases the level of cohesion for many reasons.

1. Benevolent attitude towards each other contributesmutual assistance and extinguishing conflict situations before they escalate.
2. People openly share information, communicate freely and naturally. In the competitive struggle, such manifestations are not welcome due to fears about the loss of profit from the "surrendered" information.
3. Cohesion based on the above factors can play a positive role when competing with other communities.

Thus, collaboration is a powerful factor in moving a group to success, where the achievement of one equals the success of the entire group.

Formation of "feelings of comradeship"

It's no secret that the focus of the educational process on identifying individual abilities deprives young people of the opportunity to think in collective terms.

Group learning process, which has been gaining popularity in educational institutions in recent years, allows boys and girls, leaving the walls of a school or university, to perfectly realize themselves in a group format. The principles of this style of learning are based on the same factors as teamwork. The emphasis in this method is not only on the development of intelligence, but also on the ability to resist group pressure, provide support, share knowledge and skills.

And in this format, the process of making a group decision becomes an act of creativity and cooperation.