TAI SOLARIN UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
P.O.BOX 2118, IJAGUN, IJEBU-ODE, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA
DEPARTMENT: GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY
LEVEL: 400
COLLEGE: COAEVOT
COURSE CODE: GCP 421
COURSE TITLE: BEHAVIOURS IN ORGANIZATION
QUESTION:
GROUP DYNAMICS
GROUP 6
NAMES: MATRIC NO: COMB: 1. FIFONYINKEN SERAH ANU 20120104022 GCP/YOR 2. ABDULQADIR SHUKRAH ADEFOLAKE 20120104049 GCP/ISS 3. MEDAHUNSI ELIZABETH I. 20120104023 GCP/YOR 4. AJIBUWA ROSEMARY ADERONKE 20120104033 GCP/CRS

LECTURER-IN-CH ARGE
DR. ONABAMIRO A. A
WHAT IS A GROUP
A group is defined as two or more individuals who are connected to one another by social relationships.
Every organization is a group unto itself. A group refers to two or more people who share a common meaning and evaluation of themselves and come together to achieve common goals. In other words, a group is a collection of people who interact with one another; accept rights and obligations as members and who share a common identity.
MEANING OF GROUP DYNAMICS
The word dynamics means ‘force’. Group dynamics means the study of forces within a group. Since human beings have an innate desire for belonging to a group, group dynamism is bound to occur. In an organization or in a society, we can see groups, small or large, working for the well-being. The social process by which people interact with each other in small groups can be called group dynamism. A group has certain common objectives and goals and members are bound together with certain values and culture.
In organizational development, group dynamics refers to the understanding of behaviour of people in groups that are trying to solve a problem or making a decision. A good manager can act as a facilitator and assist the group in accompanying its objectives and arrive at correct decisions. Because people gather in groups for reasons other than task accomplishment, group process occurs in other types of groups such as personal growth groups (e.g., encounter groups, study groups, prayer groups). In such cases, an individual with expertise in group process can be helpful in the role of facilitator.
Group dynamics is a system of behaviours and psychological processes occurring within a social group (intragroup dynamics), or between social groups (intergroup dynamics). The study of group dynamics can be useful in understanding decision-making behavior, tracking the spread of diseases in society, creating effective therapy techniques, and following the emergence and popularity of new ideas and technologies. Group dynamics are at the core of understanding racism, sexism, and other forms of social prejudice and discrimination. These applications of the field are studied in psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, epidemiology, education, social work, business, and communication studies.
HISTORY
The history of group dynamics (or group processes) has a consistent, underlying premise: 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.' A social group is an entity, which has qualities that cannot be understood just by studying the individuals that make up the group. In 1924, Gestalt psychologist, Max Wertheimer identified this fact, stating ‘There are entities where the behavior of the whole cannot be derived from its individual elements nor from the way these elements fit together; rather the opposite is true: the properties of any of the parts are determined by the intrinsic structural laws of the whole’ (Wertheimer 1924, p. 7).
As a field of study, group dynamics has roots in both psychology and sociology. Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920), credited as the founder of experimental psychology, had a particular interest in the psychology of communities, which he believed possessed phenomena (human language, customs, and religion) that could not be described through a study of the individual. On the sociological side, Émile Durkheim (1858–1917), who was influenced by Wundt, also recognized collective phenomena, such as public knowledge. Other key theorists include Gustave Le Bon (1841–1931) who believed that crowds possessed a 'racial unconscious' with primitive, aggressive, and antisocial instincts, and William McDougall (psychologist), who believed in a 'group mind,' which had a distinct existence born from the interaction of individuals.
Ultimately, it was social psychologist Kurt Lewin (1890–1947) who coined the term group dynamics to describe the positive and negative forces within groups of people. In 1945, he established The Group Dynamics Research Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the first institute devoted explicitly to the study of group dynamics. Throughout his career, Lewin was focused on how the study of group dynamics could be applied to real-world, social issues.
An increasing amount of research has applied evolutionary psychology principles to group dynamics. Humans are argued to have evolved in an increasingly complicated social environment and to have many adaptations concerned with group dynamics. Examples include mechanisms for dealing with status, reciprocity, identifying cheaters, ostracism, altruism, group decision, leadership, and intergroup relations.
STAGES OF GROUP DYNAMICS
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
TYPES OF GROUP DYNAMICS
One way to classify the groups is by way of formality – formal and informal. While formal groups are established by an organization to achieve its goals, informal groups merge spontaneously.
Formal groups
Formal groups may take the form of command groups, task groups, and functional groups.
1. Command Groups:
Command groups are specified by the organizational chart and often consist of a supervisor and the subordinates that report to that supervisor. An example of a command group is a market research firm CEO and the research associates under him.
2. Task Groups:
Task groups consist of people who work together to achieve a common task. Members are brought together to accomplish a narrow range of goals within a specified time period. Task groups are also commonly referred to as task forces. The organization appoints members and assigns the goals and tasks to be accomplished. Examples of assigned tasks are the development of a new product, the improvement of a production process, or designing the syllabus under semester system.
Other common task groups are ad hoc committees, project groups, and standing committees. Ad hoc committees are temporary groups created to resolve a specific complaint or develop a process are normally disbanded after the group completes the assigned task.
3. Functional Groups:
A functional group is created by the organization to accomplish specific goals within an unspecified time frame. Functional groups remain in existence after achievement of current goals and objectives. Examples of functional groups would be a marketing department, a customer service department, or an accounting department.
In contrast to formal groups, informal groups are formed naturally and in response to the common interests and shared values of individuals. They are created for purposes other than the accomplishment of organizational goals and do not have a specified time frame. Informal groups are not appointed by the organization and members can invite others to join from time to time.
Informal groups
Informal groups can have a strong influence in organizations that can either be positive or negative. For example, employees who form an informal group can either discuss how to improve a production process or how to create shortcuts that jeopardize quality. Informal groups can take the form of interest groups, friendship groups, or reference groups.
Interest Group:
Interest groups usually continue over time and may last longer than general informal groups. Members of interest groups may not be part of the same organizational department but they are bound together by some other common interest.
The goals and objectives of group interests are specific to each group and may not be related to organizational goals and objectives. An example of an interest group would be students who come together to form a study group for a specific class.
Friendship Groups:
Friendship groups are formed by members who enjoy similar social activities, political beliefs, religious values, or other common bonds. Members enjoy each other’s company and often meet after work to participate in these activities. For example, a group of employees who form a friendship group may have a yoga group, a Rajasthani association in Delhi, or a kitty party lunch once a month.

Reference Groups:
A reference group is a type of group that people use to evaluate themselves. The main objectives of reference groups are to seek social validation and social comparison. Social validation allows individuals to justify their attitudes and values while social comparison helps individuals evaluate their own actions by comparing themselves to others. Reference groups have a strong influence on members’ behavior. Such groups are formed voluntarily. Family, friends, and religious affiliations are strong reference groups for most individuals.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GROUP:
Regardless of the size or the purpose, every group has similar characteristics:
(a) 2 or more persons (if it is one person, it is not a group)
(b) Formal social structure (the rules of the game are defined)
(c) Common fate (they will swim together)
(d) Common goals (the destiny is the same and emotionally connected)
(e) Face-to-face interaction (they will talk with each other)
(f) Interdependence (each one is complimentary to the other)
(g) Self-definition as group members (what one is who belongs to the group)
(h) Recognition by others (yes, you belong to the group).
GROUP DYNAMICS INFLUENCE ON INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR
Individual behavior is influenced by the presence of others. For example, studies have found that individuals work harder and faster when others are present, and that an individual’s performance is reduced when others in the situation create distraction or conflict. Groups Dynamic also influences individual’s decision-making processes. These include decisions related to in-group bias, persuasion, obedience, and groupthink. There are both positive and negative implications of group influence on individual behavior. This type of influence is often useful in the context of work settings, team sports, and political activism. However, the influence of groups on the individual can also generate extremely negative behaviors, evident in Nazi Germany, the My Lai Massacre, and in the Abu Ghraib prison.
IMPORTANCE OF GROUP DYNAMICS 1. The group can influence the thinking of its members. The members are always influenced by the interactions of other members in the group. 2. A group with a good leader performs better as compared to a group with weak leader. 3. The group can give the effect of synergy, that is, if the group consists of positive thinkers then its output is more than the double every time. 4. Group dynamism can give job satisfaction to the members. 5. The group can also bring team spirit among the members. 6. Even the attitude, perceptions, and ideas of members depend on group dynamism. For example, the negative thinkers can be converted to positive thinkers with the help of the facilitator. 7. If the group works as a cohesive group, the cooperation and convergence can result in maximization of productivity. 8. Lastly, group dynamism can reduce the labour unrest and labour turnover due to emotional attachment among the group members.
THEORIES OF GROUP DYNAMICS
Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy assumed that people are born with dual potential of both healthy and unhealthy thought processes. The healthy processes, rational thinking is viewed as effective and productive whereas unhealthy variety is irrational thinking which result in unhappiness and non-productivity. Rational thinking as would be expected means objectively seeing things as they really are. Rational thinking distorts reality by misinterpreting things that happen. Therefore if an individual has number of 55 irrational beliefs, he/she is likely to experience much emotional pain throughout life as various challenges are encountered. Contrarily, if one’s beliefs are rational, then he/she can handle the disappointing events of life with skills or confidence that is one’s feelings are primarily determined by his thought. Batte (1996) defined rational thoughts as true thoughts and irrational thoughts as the false thoughts a person may have about themselves, others and how things in general must function to suit their needs. She goes on to explain that all thoughts, be they rational or irrational are the center of self-talk (intrapersonal speech) though rational thoughts will foster positive self-talk, cognitions, emotions and behaviour whilst irrational thoughts breed negative intrapersonal speech which do not foster growth but rather have negative consequences on the person. This notion is also supported by Hassin, Uleman and Bargh (2005) who believed that irrational thoughts are subconscious, act as motivation barriers and also interrupt rational thought patterns. In their perspective, Ellis and Blau (1998) considered irrational thoughts as cognitions which contain words such as should and must. They believed that these types of self-talks are irrational because if they do not go according to the person’s plans and expectations; then negative consequences are inevitable as the likely end product.
Reality Therapy
Reality therapy was developed by William Glasser, a psychiatrist, who was trained in (but later rejected) the concepts of psychoanalysis and views of behavior developed by Sigmund Freud. Reality Therapy is a cognitive-behavioral approach to therapy, counselling and problem solving, which focuses on the here-and-now and how we can plan for a better future, instead of concentrating at length on the past. It emphasizes making decisions, and taking action and control of one's own life. In a caring, trusting environment clients discover what they really want and whether what they are currently doing (how they are choosing to behave) is actually bringing them nearer to, or further away from, that goal. Glasser holds the view that people who are behaving in inappropriate ways do not need help to find a defense for their behavior. Instead, they need help to acknowledge their behavior as being inappropriate and then to learn how to act in a more logical and productive manner. Reality therapy attempts to help people control the world around them more effectively so that they are better able to satisfy their needs.
Transactional Analysis
Transactional analysis (TA) was developed by Eric Berne (1910-1970). It is an interactional therapy grounded on the assumption that we make current decisions based on past premises: premises that were at one time appropriate to our survival needs but that may no longer be valid. Berne (1961, 1964) proposed that individuals have the innate ability to control their lives and destinies but that few have adequate self-awareness. Therefore TA is oriented toward increasing awareness with the goal of enabling people to make new decisions and thereby alter the course of their life. To achieve this goal, TA 64 group participants learn how to recognize the three ego states within each person: Parent, Adult and Child People. They also learn how their current behaviour is being affected by the rules and regulation they received and incorporated as children and how they can identify the “life script” that is determining their actions. The Goal of TA therapy is to help people to relate to others as adults. The theory analyzed different aspects of group members’ interactions. TA is swift-moving, action oriented approach. The salient feature at transactional analysis is that it basically views people as products of relationship and their behaviour as the functions of the past interactional fearing experience. It holds the view that people are responsible for what they do. If a man understands what is wrong with him and has enough motivation he can become a winner. It is usually practiced in groups.

Gestalt Groups
Gestalt therapy is a phenomenological-existential therapy founded by Frederick (Fritz) and Laura Perls in the 1940s. It focuses on the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, and the environmental and social contexts in which these things take place, and the self-regulating adjustments people make as a result of the overall situation. It emphasizes personal responsibility. Explanations and interpretations are considered less reliable than what is directly perceived and felt. Patients and therapists in Gestalt therapy dialogue, that is, communicate their phenomenological perspectives. Differences in perspectives become the focus of experimentation and continued dialogue. The goal is for clients to become aware of what they are doing, how they are doing it, and how they can change themselves, and at the same time, to learn to accept and value them. Gestalt therapy focuses more on process (what is happening) than content (what is being discussed). The emphasis is on what is being done, thought and felt at the moment rather than on what was, might be, could be, or should be. Gestalt therapy has developed into a form of therapy that emphasizes medium to large groups, although many Gestalt techniques can be used in one-on-one therapy. Gestalt therapy probably has a greater range of formats than any other therapy technique. It is practiced in individual, couples, and family therapies, as well as in therapy with children.
The Psychoanalytic Approach to Group Counselling
Wolf (1963, 1975) developed group applications of basic psychoanalytic techniques. In this theory members of group often free associate to each other without therapist, report dreams analyze resistance and transference of feelings towards therapist and other group members. Gives improved levels of self-expression and to the development of heightened social skills. Focus is still on free association, transference of resistance and working through. The experience gives deeper analytic experience as individual learns anxiety tolerance in group. Wolf’s groups consist of eight (8) to ten (10) (equal males and females) met for ninety minutes thrice a week. The counsellor tells the clients that it’s a problem of self-understanding, learning what unconscious motives excite us to behave.

ADVANTAGES OF GROUP DYNAMICS
1. More productive: It is been found that one of the main benefits of working in a group is that it helps to raise the complete output. If working in a group, everyone works together making use of the best of their skills to make sure of quality output. It will also guarantee that there has not been any compromise on the quality of the production, whilst working as a team.
2. More resources: One thing to realize is that more the number of people that joins the group, the resources also increase alongside it. For example, as more people are added, the total ability of the person also increases. Other than the skills, the experience of each new person is as well added to the group. If the person is working individually, he will not have the support from the other people in the group.
3. More reliable: One good thing about working in groups is that if in case someone is not keeping well or if they miss the work for some reason, the job can still be done properly and efficiently by the rest of the people in the team. Since, working in a group there are people who are aware of whats happening at work. This is not possible if a person is working alone or individually. If one works in a group, they can also ensure that the ideas or suggestions, which are not at par, are rejected at the very beginning.
4. Learn things: It is seen that more often that, people in a group can go on to learn new things from the others. They get the option to learn from each other. All people while working in groups have their own ideas, from which another person can learn so many things. On the other hand, when one is working individually, they have to do things on their own. You do not have the time to learn anything from anyone else.
5. New Method: When working in a group, each one gets the opportunity to come out with their own ideas and suggestions, thus paving way for new methods on how to complete the job, properly. Each one can work towards the success of the work. Since, it is a large group, there could be quite a few of the suggestions or ideas by some of the people that are innovative and novel, which could help the job to complete successfully.
6. Information Exchange: While working in a group, everyone gets the opportunity to communicate to others well within the group. Each idea or suggestions, whoever it is by is considered and thoroughly discussed before the group arrives at a conclusion. Hence, we can find that the flow of conversation or communication is smooth and effortless within the people of the group. There is as well a correct exchange of information happening. This contributes a lot to the success of the job, given.
7. Team commitment: When one is committed to work in a team, the person can go on to encourage and support the performance as a group. A person, totally dedicated to the job at hand and to the team, will also make sure to be present to do the job. This is known as total team commitment.

DISADVANTAGES OF GROUP DYNAMICS
1. Unequal Participation: It is quite possible that while in a group some of the customers may not do that much work, while others may work hard. This inequality in the work done, could cause trouble between the people in the group. This would also cause bitterness amongst the members of the group, because some may be getting acknowledged for a work that they have not even done, at all,while others may have strived hard to get that honour. Jealousy, in such a scenario, is without a doubt inevitable.
2. Intrinsic Conflict: When a wide variety of people start to work in a group, disagreement is sure to arise between all the people in the group. Each person may have their own ideas which could conflict with what the other person has to suggest. Some people in a group might also find it difficult to accept suggestions or ideas from another person, as they would rather everyone else accept their ideas or suggestions. This conflict could as well put a stop to the flow of work, until the issue is resolved.
3. No Individual thinking: While working in a group, there is no place for individual thinking. It is by no means a one man show. It is more of an group effort to complete a job properly. Each ideas and suggestions put forward by all the members of the group have to be taken into account for successful completion of the work.
4. Decision making takes time: In view of the fact that it is a group effort, suggestions and ideas from all of the people in a group have to be taken into account. Prior to making any decision, all aspects are to be thoroughly discussed and considered , which consequently takes up a lot of time and energy.
5. Easy to avoid work: When in a group especially a large one, it is very easy for the person to avoid work and leave it to others to complete. It may take some time, before someone actually pays attention to this fact. One can work, in whatever way possible and can also get acknowledgement for work done by someone else, as it is team work and the person is part of the team.
6. Loss of creativity: Whenever working in a group, the group thinking becomes more relevant. Becauase of this reason, the creativity has been stumped. One can never make a good decision, because each and every person of the group will have a say in it.
7. Time consuming: The whole process could be time consuming, while working in a group. It takes a lot of time, since there is need for agreement and co-ordination from all members of the team.
8. Inequality in getting work: If the person opts to work in a group, when the work is being distributed chance is not every one gets equal amount of work. Some one might end up with more work, while other might get only little to do. This discrepancy in getting the work, can also lead to conflict.
9. People might loaf around: One other issue while working in a group, is that some of the people may just hang around, gossiping or loafing around without doing the job. This could result in lesser productivity from their end.

FACTORS AFFECTING GROUP BEHAVIOUR:
The success or failure of a group depends upon so many factors. Group member resources, structure (group size, group roles, group norms, and group cohesiveness), group processes (the communication, group decision making processes, power dynamics, conflicting interactions, etc.) and group tasks (complexity and interdependence).
1. Group Member Resources:
The members’ knowledge, abilities, skills; and personality characteristics (sociability, self- reliance, and independence) are the resources the group members bring in with them. The success depends upon these resources as useful to the task.
2. Group Structure:
Group Size:
Group size can vary from 2 people to a very large number of people. Small groups of two to ten are thought to be more effective because each member has ample opportunity to take part and engage actively in the group. Large groups may waste time by deciding on processes and trying to decide who should participate next.
Evidence supports the notion that as the size of the group increases, satisfaction increases up to a certain point. Increasing the size of a group beyond 10-12 members’ results in decreased satisfaction. It is increasingly difficult for members of large groups to identify with one another and experience cohesion.
Group Roles:
In formal groups, roles are always predetermined and assigned to members. Each role shall have specific responsibilities and duties. There are, however, emergent roles that develop naturally to meet the needs of the groups. These emergent roles will often substitute the assigned roles as individuals begin to express themselves and become more assertive. Group roles can then be classified into work roles, maintenance roles, and blocking roles.
Work roles are task-oriented activities that involve accomplishing the group’s goals. They involve a variety of specific roles such as initiator, informer, clarifier, summarizer, and reality tester. Maintenance roles are social-emotional activities that help members maintain their involvement in the group and raise their personal commitment to the group. The maintenance roles are harmonizer, gatekeeper, consensus tester, encourager, and compromiser.
Blocking roles are activities that disrupt the group. Blockers will stubbornly resist the group’s ideas, disagree with group members for personal reasons, and will have hidden agendas. They may take the form of dominating discussions, verbally attacking other group members, and distracting the group with trivial information or unnecessary humor. Often times the blocking behaviour may not be intended as negative. Sometimes a member may share a joke in order to break the tension, or may question a decision in order to force group members to rethink the issue. The blocking roles are aggressor, blocker, dominator, comedian, and avoidance behaviour.
Role conflicts arise when there is ambiguity (confusion about delegation and no specific job descriptions) between the sent role and the received role which leads to frustration and dissatisfaction, ultimately leading to turnover; inconsistency between the perceived role and role behaviour (conflict between work roles and family roles); and conflicting demands from different sources while performing the task.
Group Norms:
Norms define the acceptable standard or boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, shared by group members. They are typically created in order to facilitate group survival, make behaviour more predictable, avoid embarrassing situations, and express the values of the group. Each group will create its own norms that might determine from the work performance to dress to making comments in a meeting. Groups exert pressure on members to force them to conform to the group’s standards and at times not to perform at higher levels. The norms often reflect the level of commitment, motivation, and performance of the group.
The majority of the group must agree that the norms are appropriate in order for the behaviour to be accepted. There must also be a shared understanding that the group supports the norms. It should be noted, however, that members might violate group norms from time to time. If the majority of members do not adhere to the norms, then they will eventually change and will no longer serve as a standard for evaluating behaviour. Group members who do not conform to the norms will be punished by being excluded, ignored, or asked to leave the group.
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. 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.
3. Group Processes:
Decision-making by a group is superior, because group generates more information and knowledge, generates diverse alternatives, increases acceptance of a solution, and increases legitimacy. But it is also true, that decision making is like ‘munde munde matirbhinna’.
Decisions take longer time, minority is dominated, pressure is applied to conform to group decisions, and none is responsible for the decisions. Group processes also include communication, conflict management, and leadership that we shall discuss in details in the chapters to follow hereafter.
Turning Groups into Effective Teams:
All teams are groups but not all groups are teams. Teams often are difficult to form because it takes time for members to learn how to work together. People in every workplace talk about building the team, working as a team, and my team, but few understand how to create the experience of team work or how to develop an effective team. Belonging to a team, in the broadest sense, is a result of feeling part of something larger than oneself. It has a lot to do with your understanding of the mission or objectives of your organization.
In a team-oriented environment, one contributes to the overall success of the organization. One works with fellow members of the organization to produce these results. Even though you have a specific job function and you belong to a specific department, you are unified with other organization members to accomplish the overall objectives. The bigger picture drives your actions; your function exists to serve the bigger picture.
It is on record that teams are better than groups, because they are more flexible and responsive to dynamic environment. A work group has no opportunity to involve in collective works.
It is the work team whose members ‘work intensely on a specific, common goal using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and complementary skills’.
Team-building helps to increase intra-group and inter-group effectiveness to bring members together, make them share their perception of each other and understand each other’s point of view.
Thus, resolve problems and work together in a cooperative and collaborative mode. Teams can be of four types – problem-solving teams (only making suggestion), self-managed, teams (operate without a manager), cross-functional teams (a group of experts from different specialities), and virtual team (members collaborate online). In terms of size, teams may be institutional (comprising of hundreds of members) and operational (a small, cooperative group, in regular contact and contributes responsibly to achieve task at hand).
EIGHT C’S FOR TEAM BUILDING:
To show business results and profitability, ways are explored by the executives to improve their productivity.
Successful team building, that creates effective, focused work teams, requires attention to each of the following:
1. Clear Expectations:
The managers must clearly tell the team members of the expected performance and the team members must understand the reason for its creation. For it the organization must support the team with resources of people, time and money.
2. Commitment:
Team members must participate in the team, feel that the team mission is important, and show commitment to accomplishing the team mission and expected outcomes. Commitment will come if team members perceive their service as valuable to the organization and to their own careers.
3. Competence:
Team members must have the knowledge, skill and capabilities, the resources, strategies and support needed to accomplish its mission to address the issues for which the team was formed.
4. Control:
The team must have not only enough freedom and empowerment to feel the ownership necessary to accomplish its charter, but also the accountability. There has to be a defined review process.
5. Collaboration:
The team should understand group processes and work effectively and cooperatively with other members of the team. For it they have to understand the roles and responsibilities of team members, team leaders, and team recorders.
6. Communication:
To make team members clear about the priority of their tasks, and receive regular feedback, team members must clearly and honestly with each other. Diverse opinions be welcome and conflicts be taken up positively.
7. Creativity:
The team should value creative thinking, unique solutions, and new ideas; and reward members who take reasonable risks to make improvements. If necessary, it should provide the training, education, access to books and films, and field trips to stimulate new thinking.
The creative development of new products, new technologies, new services, or new organizational structures is possible because teams may have variety of skills needed for successful innovation.
Team members can uncover each other’s flaws and balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Managers should empower the team and make it accountable for the innovation process.
8. Coordination:
Teams should understand the concept of internal customer to whom they provide a product or a service. Team efforts need to be coordinated by a central leadership team that assists the groups to obtain what they need for success.
The cross- functional and multi-department teams must work together effectively. The organization should develop a customer-focused and process-focused orientation and move away from traditional departmental thinking.
Spend time and attention on each of these eight tips to ensure your work teams contribute most effectively to your business success. Your team members would love you, your business will see new heights, and empowered people will “own” and be responsible to their work processes
INFORMAL GROUP:
In every organisation along with formal groups there exists informal groups which emerge naturally due to the response and common interests of the members who can easily identify with the goals or independent activities of the informal groups.
Sometimes the efforts may be driven by a common goal that may compliment or work against the goals of the formal group. An informal group can be defined as a group that evolves spontaneously, not shown in the organization’s structure, with the objective of fulfilling personal and social need of its members.
INFORMAL GROUP VS INFORMAL ORGANISATION:
An informal group is a voluntary group of people casually acquainted with each other for their own personal fulfillment because they have some common and shared backgrounds, characteristics and concerns (values / interests / hobbies / friendship).
Whilst it is easy to differentiate between a formal group and a formal organisation, the differences between informal group and informal organisation tend to be difficult. The difference between informal organization and informal group is that informal organisation is a larger entity consisting of all informal groups in an organization.
Informal Organisation= Sigma Informal Groups:
An informal group is the nucleus of informal organization. When an informal group adopts a formally defined structure and group processes, it no longer remains an informal group.
CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMAL GROUPS

1. Creation:
It is not created by the organisation but springs up spontaneously.
2. Satisfaction of Needs:
The needs which cannot be satisfied within the framework of formal organisation, like social and psychological needs of people, such people create informal groups.
3. Voluntary Membership:
Nobody is compelled to join an informal organization.
4. Multi-Group Membership:
A member of an informal group can be a member of more than one informal group to pursue different interests.
5. Systems and Processes:
Members of such groups follow their own norms, leadership, communication, etc. to remain cohesive. The communication channels are referred to as ‘Grapevine’. Grapevine i.e., informal channel runs very fast to spread the information across the organization.
6. Leadership:
Every informal group has a leader, selected by the group, and who is capable of helping to realize their goals. The moment it is realized that the leader is incapable, (s) he is replaced with a new leader.
Reasons for the Emergence of Informal Groups:
1. People working together may come together.
2. People with similar values, beliefs, attitudes, and interests often feel attraction to come together.
3. Need satisfaction – to belong, to associate, etc.
4. Removal of monotony of routine tasks – to get rid of monotony and psychological fatigue, job-related boredom and frustration provides an opportunity to behave in a natural and relaxed manner.
5. Promotion of other interests and pursuit of goals – People join Rotary or Lions Club to expand their contacts which may help them to satisfy their personal goals.
Benefits of Informal Groups:
The benefits of an informal group are as follows:
1. Blending with formal group allows people to work for the formal organisation.
2. Informal work group lightens the workload for the formal manager.
3. Brings satisfaction and stability to the organisation as a whole.
4. Provides a useful channel of communication.
5. Encourages managers to plan and act more carefully.
Limitations of Informal Groups:
The limitations are as follows:
1. Resistance to Change because they do not want to deviate from existing norms and learn new ways.
2. Informal group provides most fertile ground for Rumour Mongering because of maliciousness, lack of proper communication systems and processes and ambiguous circumstances.
3. Since a member of an informal group is also a member of a formal group, at times it creates role conflict.
4. Creativity of group member (s) is restricted because of strong pressure for conformity applied by the group.

REFERENCES:
Corey, G. (2009) Transactional Analysis For Web Tutor for Theory and Practice of Counselling and Psychotherapy Eighth Edition.
Corey, M. S. and Corey, G. (1987). Groups: Process and Practice. 3rd Edition California: Books/Cole Publishing Company
Ellis, A & Dryden, W. (1997). The Practice of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. New York: Springer Publishing Company, Inc.
Ellis, A. (1993). Reflections on rational-emotive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 199-201.
Gestalt Therapy retrieved 18 August, 2014 from http://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/gestalt therapy.html
Glasser, W. (1998). Choice theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. New York: HarperCollins.
Glasser, W. (2001). Counseling with choice theory: The new reality therapy. Retrieved 14 August, 2014 from www.wglasser.com/thenew.htm
Guidance and Counselling (2011). Retrieved August 12, 2014 from http://teachereducationguidanceandcounsellin.blogspot.com/
Oladele J. O. (1987). A functional Approach: Focus on the 6-3-3=4 Educational System JohnsLad Publishers Ltd., Lagos.
The Human Side of Enterprise, by Douglas MacGregor The Wisdom of Teams, by Kaztenbach and Smith
Backstrom, L.; Huttenlocher, D.; Kleinberg, J.; Lan, X. (2006). "Group formation in large social networks". Proceedings of the 12th ACM SIGKDD international conference on Knowledge discovery and data mining-KDD '06. P44
Hogg, M. A.; Williams, K. D. (2000). "From I to we: Social identity and the collective self". Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice 4: 81.
Westheimer, G. (1999). "Gestalt theory reconfigured: Max Wertheimer's anticipation of recent developments in visual neuroscience". Perception 28 (1): 5–15.
Dion, K. L. (2000). "Group cohesion: From "field of forces" to multidimensional construct". Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice 4: 7–2.
Gupta, Niranjan (2013). "The Research Center for tcce pindra garhwa". Sociometry 8 (2): 126–136.
Van Vugt, M.; Schaller, M. (2008). "Evolutionary approaches to group dynamics: An introduction". Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice 12: 1.
Hammer, Espen Adorno and the political, pp.58-9
Schutz, W. (1958). FIRO: A Three-Dimensional Theory of Interpersonal Behavior. New York, NY: Rinehart.
Schutz, W. (1966). The Interpersonal Underworld. (Updated version based on 1958 work). Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior Books.
Page 194 to 196, Irvin D. Yalom, The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, third edition, Basic Books (1985), hardback.
Peck, M. S. (1987) The Different Drum: Community-Making and Peace.p. 95-103.
J. Richard Hackman (2002). Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances. Harvard Business Press.
Wageman, R. (1995). "Interdependence and Group Effectiveness". Administrative Science Quarterly 40 (1): 145–180.
Cohen, D.; Nisbett, R. E.; Bowdle, B. F.; Schwarz, N. (1996). "Insult, aggression, and the southern culture of honor: An "experimental ethnography."". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 70 (5): 945–959.
Organization, and patterns of violence". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 75 (2): 408–419.