055 MG 42 -Organisational Behaviour

UNIT- II

Meaning of group and group dynamics - reasons for the formation of groups
- characteristics of groups - theories of group dynamics - types of groups in
organization - group cohesiveness - factors influencing group cohesiveness -
group decision making process - small group behaviour.

MEANING OF GROUP AND GROUP DYNAMICS

Organization is composed with various people with variety of knowledge, skills,

and experience. They carry different attitude and behavior as they can be from
different socio-economic background. Though people enter individually in an
organization as employee but they get enrolled in formal and informal groups.
Such groups affect on the overall performance of the organization directly or
indirectly. Thus, group perception, attitude and behavior are being more
important to understand.

Group is a collection of two or more people with shared common objectives.

Groups fulfill their objectives through meaningful interaction and
interdependence. Group members show stable behavior pattern as relationships
among the members. Such behavior of individual influence the group activities
and hence to the organizational performance. Group behavior is important to
understand the organizational behavior. "Group dynamics is concerned with the
interactions and forces among group members".

Moorhead Griffin - "Group is a two or more people who interact with one another
such that each person influence and is influenced by the other person."

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In conclusion, a group is characterized by collection of two or more people

connected with common interest and shared values and behavior expecting to
fulfill them with interaction and interdependence. Group activities influence the
group members and organizational activities at large extent. Organizational
policies and programs are largely affecting with group influence in today's
organizations. Groups can be formal and informal.

DEFINITION:

A Group is basically an assemblage of people. It can be understood as a collection

of individuals (two or more), who come together and interact with each other, so
as to achieve the objectives of the organization.

REASONS FOR GROUP FORMATION IN AN ORGANIZATION

Formal and informal groups form in organizations for different reasons. Formal
groups are sometimes called official or assigned groups and informal groups may
be called unofficial or emergent groups. Organizations routinely form groups. If
we assume management decisions are rational, groups must benefit organizations
in some way. Presumably, the use of groups can contribute to achieving and
maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Groups can do this if they
enable an organization to fully tap the abilities and energy of its human resources.
Furthermore, with regard to informal groups,

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Groups are formed by organization at different levels and from individual

employees at their will. In this way, groups can be formal and informal. Almost all
employees joining organization wish to join group whether it can be formal or
informal. An employee may be member of many groups within and outside the
organization. It is interesting to understand why people like to join the group.
Here are some reasons for joining group which are discussed from employee's
view points and organizational view pints as below:

A. Employee's view point

Employees want to join the group specially to satisfy individual needs. They wish
their job security, identify, power and goal achievement. Following reasons are
common to join group by employees:

1. Security
Individual wish to join employees union or other groups in order to insure their
job security. They think the collective voice gets strong bargaining capacity on
their interest. To pressurize the management for job security, financial security
and physical security, employee wish to join group.

2. Identification
Group provides collective identity. Collective identity and status increases the
level of satisfaction. To get benefits of status and identity, individual wish to join
group.

3. Power
By joining group, employee may get authority. Organization fixes responsibility-
authority relationship in formal groups. Authority is assigned to the member of
groups.
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4. Goal achievement
Individual believe that their goals can be achieved being member of group.
Normally, goal accomplishment becomes possible only with the joint effort. To
get joint effort i.e. synergy effect of effort, employees want to join group.

B. Organization's point of view

Organization for various purposes, form formal groups. Decision making,
planning, execution of plans, etc. become more effective with joint effort.
Following reasons are common to form groups in organization from organization's
point of view:

1. Communication
To communicate formal information, it is easier to with formal groups. As formal
groups have formal structure, flow of formal communication becomes easier with
formal chain of command which becomes impossible by individual
communication.

2. Plan execution
It becomes easier to execute the plans made by management to accomplish the
organizational goals. If formal and informal groups are convinced to the
organizational plans. they convince the members and even none-members of the
organization. It will be easier to execute plans with motivated employees.

3. Decision making
Effective decisions can be made with group of people. Identification of
alternatives, determination and analysis of premises, future estimation, etc. are

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required for effective decisions become effective with many heads. So, effective
decisions can be made with joint effort of group.

4. Socialization
Groups are formed to socialize new employees. Groups help to socialize new
employees regarding organizational culture, working procedures, rules and
regulations. This helps to reduce the burden of managers.

PROCESS/STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT:

Group Development is a dynamic process. How do groups evolve? There is a
process of five stages through which groups pass through. The process includes
the five stages: forming, storming, forming, performing, and adjourning.

1. Forming:
The first stage in the life of a group is concerned with forming a group. This stage
is characterized by members seeking either a work assignment (in a formal group)
or other benefit, like status, affiliation, power, etc. (in an informal group).
Members at this stage either engage in busy type of activity or show apathy.

2. Storming:
The next stage in this group is marked by the formation of dyads and triads.
Members seek out familiar or similar individuals and begin a deeper sharing of
self. Continued attention to the subgroup creates a differentiation in the group
and tensions across the dyads / triads may appear. Pairing is a common
phenomenon. There will be conflict about controlling the group.

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3. Norming:
The third stage of group development is marked by a more serious concern about
task performance. The dyads/triads begin to open up and seek out other
members in the group. Efforts are made to establish various norms for task
performance.

Members begin to take greater responsibility for their own group and relationship
while the authority figure becomes relaxed. Once this stage is complete, a clear
picture will emerge about hierarchy of leadership. The norming stage is over with
the solidification of the group structure and a sense of group identity and
camaraderie.

4. Performing:
This is a stage of a fully functional group where members see themselves as a
group and get involved in the task. Each person makes a contribution and the
authority figure is also seen as a part of the group. Group norms are followed and
collective pressure is exerted to ensure the Process of Group effectiveness of the
group.

The group may redefine its goals Development in the light of information from
the outside environment and show an autonomous will to pursue those goals.
The long-term viability of the group is established and nurtured.
5. Adjourning:
In the case of temporary groups, like project team, task force, or any other such
group, which have a limited task at hand, also have a fifth stage, This is known as
adjourning.

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The group decides to disband. Some members may feel happy over the
performance, and some may be unhappy over the stoppage of meeting with
group members. Adjourning may also be referred to as mourning, i.e. mourning
the adjournment of the group.

The readers must note that the four stages of group development mentioned
above for permanent groups are merely suggestive. In reality, several stages may
go on simultaneously.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUP IN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR (OB)

1. Collection of two or more people

A group is formed with collection of two or more individual having common
objectives or goals. Groups come in existence with interaction and
interdependence. Groups exist till the motivation of group members being
member or till the fulfillment of group goals.

2. Shared interest
Individual having common interests and objectives join group. Shared interest
help to accept the group norms and values. For instances, employees with to join
employee union with common interest of security and prosperity.

3. Interaction and interdependence

To satisfy the shared objectives, group members interact to each other with
formal network of communication. They share ideas and experience for better
output. Each member becomes dependent to other members for activities and

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quality of result. In general, groups are formed with complementary skills i.e.
interdependent in skills.

4. Group identity
Each member in the group gets collective i.e. group identity. Members get distinct
identity as being member of group. Values and importance of members of group
and non-members are different. Society or management gives different
recognition to the group members.

5. Defined structure
In general, group has defined structure. Roles, responsibility and authority are
clearly defined. Groups set the clearly defined channel of communication.

6. Group values and norms

For effective functioning of group, each group establishes common values and
norms. Such values and norms are accepted by each member for fulfillment of
groups objectives.

TYPES OF GROUPS:
Groups can be classified in many different ways on various bases.

1. Formal Groups:
Formal groups are created as part of organisation structure to accomplish
organisational tasks. A work group in a plant is the example of formal group. They
are bound by hierarchical authority in the organisation. They have to follow rules,
regulation and policy of the organisation. These groups are required by the

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system. The organisation provides a system of rules and regulation for attaining
organisational objectives.

According to A.L. Stencombe, “a formal group is said to be any social arrangement

in which the activities of some persons are planned by others to achieve a
common purpose”.

Formal groups help in achieving goals without any difficulty. They facilitate
coordination of activities and help in forming logical relationship among people
and positions. They create group unity. Leonard R Sayles has subdivided formal
group into command group and task group.

(a) Command Group:

Command group consists of subordinates who are directly responsible to a
supervisor. Command groups are structured by the organisation. The
subordinates working in enforcement department of a town planning authority
are reporting to and directly responsible to the enforcement officer. This group is
responsible for removal of encroachment on public land. There is a specific
department established for the purpose and is busy throughout with its activities.

(b) Task Group:

Task group is formed to complete a project. This type of group is also known as
task force. The job of the group is to complete the task within allotted time
period. If one task is completed they are allotted new task to work with. Project
teams, quality circles, audit teams are the examples of task group.

2. Informal Groups:

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Informal groups exist within the formal organisations and arise because of
individuals’ social needs and desire to develop and maintain relations with
people. Working at a plant or office leads to formation of informal groups. They
work together and this leads to their interaction. Through interaction groups are
formed. These groups are spontaneous and emotional. Keith Davis has defined
informal group as, “the network of persons and social relations which is not
established or required for formal organisation.”

These are the groups formed by the employees themselves at the workplace
while working together. The organisation has not taken any active interest in their
formation. According to M. Dalton, “informal groups are cliques.” Cliques are a
group of people of different organisation levels coming together with a common
interest. Cliques are horizontal, vertical, and random. Horizontal Cliques comprise
people from the same rank and work area. Vertical Cliques consist of people of
different organisation levels. Random Cliques are made up of employees from
both horizontal and vertical lines coming together with a common interest.

Informal groups are very effective and powerful. Some managers view them
harmful and disruptive to the interest of the organisation. They suspect their
integrity and consider as a virtual threat. Some managers seek their help in
getting the task completed quickly. They do not consider them as threat. The
strength of these informal groups can be utilized for accomplishment of
organisational objectives.

Informal groups are of following types:

(a) Interest Group:

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A group of employees coming together for attaining a common purpose.

Employees coming together for payment of bonus increase in salary, medical
benefits and other facilities are the examples of interest group. The people with
common interest come together.

(b) Membership Group:

A group of persons belonging to the same profession knowing each other e.g.
teachers of the same faculty in the university.

(c) Friendship Group:

A group outside the plant or office, having similar views, tastes, opinions,
belonging to same age group. They form clubs and associations based on the
friendship.

(d) Reference Group:

It is a primary group where people shape their ideas, beliefs, values etc. They
want support from the group. Family is an important reference group. A team of
players playing a game is a reference group.

Roles within the Group:

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Informal Group vs. Formal Group:

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GROUP DYNAMICS:

Group dynamics deals with the attitudes and behavioral patterns of a group.
Group dynamics concern how groups are formed, what is their structure and
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which processes are followed in their functioning. Thus, it is concerned with the
interactions and forces operating between groups.

There is no organization where there are no groups. The groups affect the
behaviour of other groups as well as that of other individuals. Ultimately the
whole organization is able to feel the impact of the group. Dynamic means things
are always on the move. The same is applicable to organizations in the sense that
there are various forces in the organization keeping it in motion day to day.
Literally it means the forces acting between groups, groups and individuals, group
and individual etc. The forces are thus the leadership, the participation of
members, cooperation of members, debate within the groups ,brain storming,
training and development, group therapy, formation of groups into formal and
informal, the rules and regulations for both the groups ,the very structure of the
organization and the processes going on in the organization.

Group dynamics is defined as “the social process by which people interact

face to face in small groups is called group dynamics”. Thus the interaction going
on inside the group ,the pressure exerted on an individual by the group, the way
decisions are made by the group, the way the work is extracted out, the way in
which the needs of members are satisfied etc all will form part of group dynamics.
It is the quality and nature of group dynamics that will reflect the organizational
effectiveness ultimately. Another definition says that group dynamics is the
interaction of forces among members in a social situation. It also means the set of
techniques employed so as to bring behaviour to the members and group to work
cohesively, to make the leader and members effective. Thus the technique wants
the members to play their role in management situations of group discussions,

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team building, finding solutions to problems, while transacting and interacting

with others.

Importance of Group Dynamism

1. Firstly, a group can influence the way the members think. The members are
always influenced by the interactions of other members in the group. A group
with a good leader performs better as compared to a group with a weak
leader.

2. The group can give the effect of synergy, that is, if the group consists of
positive thinkers then its output is more than double every time.

3. Group dynamism can furthermore give job satisfaction to the members.

4. The group can also infuse the team spirit among the members.

5. Even the attitude, insights & ideas of members depend on group

dynamism. For example, negative thinkers convert to positive thinkers with
the help of the facilitator.

6. Also, if the group works as a cohesive group, the cooperation and

convergence can result in maximization of productivity

7. Furthermore, group dynamism can reduce labor unrest. Lastly, it reduces

labor turnover due to emotional attachment among the group members.

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GROUP COHESIVENESS:
Cohesiveness refers to the bonding of group members or unity, feelings of
attraction for each other and desire to remain part of the group. Many factors
influence the amount of group cohesiveness – agreement on group goals,
frequency of interaction, personal attractiveness, inter-group competition,
favourable evaluation, etc.

The more difficult it is to obtain group membership the more cohesive the group
will be. Groups also tend to become cohesive when they are in intense
competition with other groups or face a serious external threat to survival.
Smaller groups and those who spend considerable time together also tend to be
more cohesive.

Cohesiveness in work groups has many positive effects, including worker

satisfaction, low turnover and absenteeism, and higher productivity. However,
highly cohesive groups may be detrimental to organizational performance if their
goals are misaligned with organizational goals.

Highly cohesive groups may also be more vulnerable to groupthink. Groupthink

occurs when members of a group exert pressure on each other to come to a
consensus in decision making. Groupthink results in careless judgments,
unrealistic appraisals of alternative courses of action, and a lack of reality testing.

Evidence suggests that groups typically outperform individuals when the tasks
involved require a variety of skills, experience, and decision making. Groups are
often more flexible and can quickly assemble, achieve goals, and disband or move
on to another set of objectives.

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Many organizations have found that groups have many motivational aspects as
well. Group members are more likely to participate in decision-making and
problem-solving activities leading to empowerment and increased productivity.
Groups complete most of the work in an organization; thus, the effectiveness of
the organization is limited by the effectiveness of its groups.

According to K. Aswathappa, “cohesiveness is understood as the extent of liking

each member has towards others and how far everyone wants to remain as a
member of the group.”

Advantages of Group Cohesiveness:

1. The members of cohesive groups have high morale.

2. They don’t have conflicting views; hence decrease in conflicts among the group
members at the workplace or elsewhere.

3. People of cohesive groups have no anxiety at the workplace.

4. Members of cohesive groups are free from botheration, hence they are very
regular at their work. This reduces absenteeism and high employee turnover.

5. Cohesiveness increases productivity.

6. Organisations gain from the members of cohesive group because they

communicate better; they share ideologies and respect opinions of fellow
employees. This all create an environment of cooperation resulting into benefits
to the organisations in the form of increased productivity, low employee turnover
etc.

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FACTORS INFLUENCING GROUP COHESIVENESS

1. Similarities of Attitudes and Values:

One of the strongest sources of group cohesiveness is the similarity in attitudes
and values among group members. We enjoy the company of people who hold
similar opinions, morals, beliefs and code of conduct, because the person who
shares the same opinions as we do provide us with a kind of social validation for
our beliefs. He provides us with a feeling that we are right. If someone disagrees
with us, this might make us scared that we are wrong.

Similarity of interest is very important when the group’s primary goal is that of
creating a friendly interpersonal climate. This factor may not be so important
when the goal is task oriented. For example, if the army has to win a strategic
battle, then the task accomplishment becomes the cohesive factor rather than
the similarity of attitudes and values because the unit may consist of soldiers from
different parts of the country who may not have much in common.

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2. Size of the Group:

Small groups are effective. The larger the size of the group, the less cohesive the
group is.

The main reasons for this are as explained below:

(i) When the group is small, its members have constant face to face contacts.
Thus, there will be high degree of interaction and communication with each
other. In large groups, the possibility of interaction among members is less.

(ii) As group size increases, it becomes more difficult to get the group to agree on
common goals and activities and expression of disagreement and dissatisfaction
increases.

(iii) Another problem with large size groups is that there is a likelihood of forming
small groups within the large groups. This would result in the dilution of the
common group goal thus increasing the extent of power politics play. This tends
to decrease the overall cohesiveness.

(iv) Studies have shown that if all the members of the group are of the same sex,
then small groups have better cohesion than large ones. But when the groups
were made up of both males and females, the large groups have better cohesion.

3. Time:
It is quite natural that the more time people spend with one another, the more
they will get to know each other and more tendency there will be to get closer to
each other, thus, strengthening the degree of cohesiveness. In a workplace,
people who work near each other are more likely to spend more time together. In

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routine life, you will spend more time with only those whom you like personally
and want to continue interacting with them.

4. Location:
Location of the group plays an important role in determining the cohesiveness.
Where members of a group are located close together separated from other
groups, they will develop greater cohesiveness because of constant face to face
interaction. Where there is no dividing line between one group and another,
cohesion is more difficult to achieve because a chain of interactions develops.

5. Status:
Status of a group determines the degree of group cohesiveness to a great extent.
A high status group receives greater loyalty from its members which in turn
makes the group more strong. That is why people are generally more loyal to high
status groups.

6. Difficulty in Entry:
The more difficult it is to get in a group, the more cohesive that group becomes.
The reasons is that in exclusive and elite groups the members are selected on the
basis of certain characteristics and these characteristics being common to all add
to the degree of liking and attraction towards each other. The more exclusive the
group the more is the closeness among members. As the groups are not easy to
join, the selected members feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.

7. Inter Dependency:
When each member of a group has independent activities, the cohesiveness
among the members of such group will be less as compared to the group whose

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members are doing the operations which are dependent upon each other, thus,
mutual dependency leads to greater cohesiveness.

8. Management Behaviour:
The behaviour of management has a direct influence on the degree of
cohesiveness that exists within a group. The manager can make close relations
difficult by creating unhealthy competition among employees. On the other hand,
he can build solidarity by rewarding cooperative behaviour. The cohesive group
can help attain the group goals more effectively, if the group members are
properly inspired by the manager.

9. Member Turnover:
To make a group more cohesive, there is need for some degree of stable
relationships among members. The higher the degree of member turnover, the
less cohesive a group becomes, because the more frequently members leave a
particular group the more time a new member takes to get attached to the group
and the more time the old member takes to get attached to the new group.

10. Threat:
Threat is a very powerful force which unifies the group, particularly when it
come from:
(i) Outside the group

(ii) Cooperation can help over-some the threat and

(iii) There is little or no chance for escape.

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For example, the management threats frequently bring together an otherwise

disarrayed union. Thus, the threatening party will have a less chance of success
when faced with a unified force.

11. Previous Successes and Shared Goals:

When a group achieves a meaningful goal, the cohesiveness of the group
increases because the success is shared by all the members and each one feels
responsible for the achievement. , If the group agrees on the purpose and
direction of its activities, this serves to bind the group together. For this reason,
successful companies find it easy to hire new talented employees.

12. Cooperation:
Sometimes the general atmosphere of group enhances cohesiveness. The overall
atmosphere depends among other things on leadership.

RESULT/OUTCOMES OF COHESIVENESS:

More Participation in Group Activities: Because cohesive groups are attractive to

their members, they should be especially motivated to participate in group
activities.

More Conformity: Because they are so attractive and coordinated, cohesive

groups are well equipped to supply information, rewards, and punishment to
individuals. Thus, highly cohesive groups are in a superb position to induce
conformity to group norms.

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More Success: Cohesiveness contributes to group success. In general, cohesive

groups are good at achieving their goals. That is, cohesive groups tend to be
successful in accomplishing what they wish to accomplish. In a good labour
relations climate, group cohesiveness should foster high productivity. In a climate
marked by tension and disagreement, cohesive groups might pursue goals that
result in low productivity.

Thus, cohesive groups tend to produce more or less than non-cohesive groups. In
addition, there is less variability in the productivity of members of cohesive
groups.

GROUP DECISION MAKING

Definition: The Group Decision Making is the collective activity wherein several
persons interact simultaneously to find out the solution to a given statement of a
problem. In other words, group decision making is a participatory process
wherein multiple individuals work together to analyze the problem and find out
the optimum solution out of the available set of alternatives.

In group decision-making, the number of participants often ranges from two to

seven. It is not necessary that all the group members agree with each other and
hence most of the times, the decision is taken on the basis of a majority if no
other mode of a majority is prescribed. The majority means the number of votes
in favor or against the proposed alternative.

There are several techniques that can be used to increase the efficiency of group
decision making. These are as follows:
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1. Nominal group Technique

2. Delphi Technique

3. Brainstorming

4. Dialectic Decisions Method

The concept of group decision making is based on the proverb that two heads are
better than one. This means when the decisions are taken jointly, the expertise or
experience of each member could be capitalized to reach to an optimum solution.
Thus, the synergy gets created when the decisions are made in a group as more
ideas and opinions pop up during the discussion session.

But however, the group decision making can be time-consuming and often leads
to the conflict between the group members. Also, no single member is held
accountable in case of a failure of such decision, since it is the whole group that
agrees with that decision.

1. Nominal Group Technique

The Nominal Group Technique is a form of brainstorming, wherein a structured

meeting is held among the group members where they are required to find
solutions to the problem identified for the discussion.

In other words, a systematic and an organized group meeting held among the
members to facilitate decision making by properly identifying the problems and
generating the solutions thereof. The nominal group technique helps in

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preventing the discussion being dominated by a single person and hence, allow
the silent members, who are quite shy, to speak out their ideas in the group.

The objective of nominal group technique is to resolve the opinion conflicts

among the group members by enabling each individual to pen down his/her
thoughts about the problem and later discuss it with the entire group to reach the
consensus solution. Generally, the nominal group training is comprised of the
following steps:

1. First of all, the facilitator welcomes all the participants and then briefs
about the problem requiring decision.
2. The participants are given time to pen down their ideas that come to their
minds in reference to the problem being discussed. During this period, each
member writes his/her ideas silently without discussing anything with each other.

3. Once all the members have written, their ideas are required to share them
in front of all the group members. At this stage, the facilitator chalks down the
ideas of each group member on the flip chart, thereby giving all the members
equal opportunity to share what they feel.

4. Once the key points are written on the chart, the members are asked to
discuss the points which they feel requires an explanation. Each member explains
his/her mind to the other members and in the meanwhile, the facilitator tries to
maintain the discussion as neutral as possible, thereby avoiding the criticism and
judgement.

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5. Once all points are explained, the members are asked to give vote or rank
various ideas by prioritizing these in relation to the basic problem, for which the
meeting is held.

If the group does not reach a consensus decision, then again the ranks are
assigned to the recorded ideas and this process continues till the final decision is
arrived.

One of the main advantages of nominal group technique is that it gives all the
group members an equal opportunity to speak out their minds. Also, some group
members are quite and shy, this method helps them to write down their ideas
and discuss with the group members. The major disadvantage is that this
technique consumes a lot of time to arrive to a final conclusion and also only one
problem can be addressed at a time.

2. Delphi Technique

Definition: The Delphi Technique refers to the systematic forecasting method

used to gather opinions of the panel of experts on the problem being
encountered, through the questionnaires, often sent through mail. In other
words, a set of opinions pertaining to a specific problem, obtained in writing
usually through questionnaires from several experts in the specific field is called
as a Delphi technique.

In a Delphi technique, the group facilitator or the change agent aggregates all the
anonymous opinions received through the questionnaires, sent two or three

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times to the same set of experts. The experts are required to give justification for
the answers given in the first questionnaire and on the basis of it, the revised
questionnaire is prepared and is again sent to the same group of experts.

The experts can modify their answers in accordance with the replies given by
other panel members. The objective of a Delphi technique is to reach to the most
accurate answer by decreasing the number of solutions each time the
questionnaire is sent to the group of experts. The experts are required to give
their opinion every time the questionnaire is received, and this process continues
until the issues are narrowed, responses are focused, and the consensus is
reached.

In a Delphi technique, the identity of the group members is not revealed, and
they are not even required to gather for a physical meeting. Each member is free
to give his opinion with respect to the problem, thereby avoiding the influential
effect that a powerful or authoritative member can have on the other group
members.

This technique is quite advantageous as diverse opinions can be gathered from

the large pool of experts who might be geographically separated. Also, the quality
of decision gets improved as the expertise of each group member is capitalized to
reach to a final solution.

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3. Brainstorming

The Brainstorming is a technique to stimulate creative ideas and solutions

through a group discussion. Simply, a process wherein a group attempts to find a
solution for the specific problem by aggregating all the spontaneous opinions or
suggestions given by each group member individually is called as brainstorming.

In a brainstorming session, a group of 10-15 persons is constituted who are

directly or closely related to the problem of discussion irrespective of their fields
of disciplines. During this session, the group members are just required to share
their ideas or speak out the mind in front of other members and need not worry
about how realistic or feasible the solution is.

Generally, the brainstorming is carried on in the following ways:

1. First of all, the group leader/facilitator outlines the problem requiring a

decision. The problem is clearly stated such that the members can easily
understand it and focus their direct attention on it.
2. Once the problem is defined, the participants are asked to share their
opinions through which the problem can be tackled. Here the aim is to get as
many ideas as possible; its feasibility is checked later.

3. The participants are required to give away their ideas freely without
considering any financial, legal or organizational limitations.

4. The evaluation of ideas is done in the later stage. Therefore, any criticism,
judgement, or comment is strictly prohibited during the brainstorming session,
and the participants are told not to indulge in these.

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Once the brainstorming session is over, all the recorded ideas are analyzed,
discussed and criticized during the evaluation session, during which the actual
feasibility of an idea is checked.

4. Dialectic Decisions Method

The Dialectic Decisions Method is a technique used to overcome the problem in

the group-decision making, wherein the group members quickly agree to one
alternative proposal and might overlook more promising solutions than the
chosen one. Thus, it ensures a full consideration of alternatives.

The reason behind such a quick converge on a single alternative may be, the
participant’s unwillingness to meet and get indulged into the tough discussions.
Thus, in order to overcome such problem, the dialectic decisions method came
into existence.

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 055 MG 42 -Organisational Behaviour

The dialectic decisions method comprises of following steps:

1. First of all, a clear statement of a problem is stated.

2. Then, all the possible alternative proposals are generated.

3. Once the set of alternatives is listed, the group members identify all the
implicit and explicit assumptions central to the proposals.

4. Then each alternative is broken into subgroups to study all the pros and
cons of the proposals in the light of a problem.

5. Once these steps are completed individually, the group members meet and
decide on a proposal to be chosen on the basis of its ultimate results (pros and
cons).

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Thus, through a dialectic decisions method, every group member participates

equally in finding out the most promising alternative proposal in the context of a
given problem.

SMALL GROUP:
Small groups are quite significant. They consist of small number of people ranging
from four, five to forty, fifty or so and small indeed. Work force, task force,
committees, teams, project team are the examples of small group. Under these
groups if a group consists of large number then interaction between them is a bit
difficult task.

The group of ten or less than ten is more effective as they can interact quite
effectively. In a large group people avoid discussion. Moreover, there should be
odd number of members like five, seven, nine, eleven etc. to avoid deadlock and
not coming to agreement with a majority. Odd numbers of members are always
preferred.

The size of group has certain effects. The large group reduces interaction among
its members. Members don’t find time to talk to each other. Smaller groups bring
about greater cohesion. In larger groups people find less time to interact and
hence less cohesion. In small groups members feel free and exercise more
freedom to interact. They are very formal. This does hardly happen with the
members of larger group.

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Characteristics of Small Group Behaviour:

1. An association of a limited number of persons willing to have frequent face

to face interaction over a fixed span of time.

2. Members having like-minded approach and intentions, preferably positive

ones towards each other.

3. Group members being mutually aware of their membership of the group

and thus having regard for the accepted moves and norms.

4. Free flow of communication without interruption and also recognizing

group sanctity.

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