Groups, Group Dynamics,

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Chapter 5

• Groups, Group Dynamics,
• Organizations

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What do we mean by a group?

• In everyday life, we often expand the meaning of
  the term group to include any set of people,
  yet here we distinguish between group,
  aggregate, and also category....

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Groups Basic Concepts

•   (social) group two or more people who
  interact and identify with each other.
• Examples??
• differs from....
• (social) aggregate A collection of people who
  happen to be at the same place at the same time
  (but share little else in common). A.K.A.
  crowd.
• Examples??

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Crisis Group Formation

• A CRISIS can transform an aggregate into a group
  in minutes.
• Examples??

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Categories

• social category People who share some trait
  (characteristic).
•  
• Examples??

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Social Solidarity (a revisit to Durkheim.)

• social solidarity (or social cohesion) a
  groups ability to maintain itself in the face of
  obstacles.
• If we distinguish between different kinds or
  types of groups, they typically differ in regard
  to the degree of social solidarity.

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Two Kinds of Social GroupsCharles Horton Cooley

• Primary
• Small
• Less specialized
• More multidimensional
• Longer duration
• An end in themselves

• Secondary
• Large
• More specialized
• More unidimensional
• Limited duration
• A means to an end

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Another Kind of Group?

• Often, when we are drawing conclusions or making
  evaluations of ourselves, (e.g., ideas, goals,
  and other decisions), we often -- automatically
  or consciously -- REFER TO the standards of SOME
  GROUP or CATEGORY. When we are by ourselves we
  are still socially influenced.
•  

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Reference Group

• Reference group or category A group OR
  category that strongly influences an
  individuals behavior and social attitudes,
  regardless of whether that individual is an
  actual member.
• Examples?

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Social Networks

• A network is a web of social relationships that
  links one person directly to other people and,
  through them, to even more people.
• Mark Granovetter (1975) wrote The Strength of
  Weak Ties. How might it benefit a person to have
  several weak ties as opposed to a few strong
  ties??

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Group Size

• Georg Simmel (early 1900s) theorized that the
  size of groups affects the quality of interaction
  in them.
• Dyad
• Triad
• When do coalitions become possible?? What
  happens as groups become larger?

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Sociological Perspectives of Groups

• According to 4 theoretical frameworks, groups are
  characterized in definite ways.
• I. _____________ _ perspectives Assert that
  people form groups to meet instrumental and
  expressive needs.
•  Expressive emotional. Groups offer us support
  and a chance to express ourselves
• Examples?? 

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Functionalist Perspectives of Groups

• According to Cooley, which kind of group
  typically meets our expressive needs??
•  

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Functionalist Perspectives of Groups

• Instrumental task-oriented (goal-oriented).
• Examples??
•  
• According to Cooley, which kind of group
  typically meets our instrumental needs??

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Sociological Perspectives of Groups

• II. Perspectives
  Agree with functionalists that groups provide
  functions. YET, assert that groups ALSO involve
  power relationships whereby the needs of
  individual members may NOT be equally served.
• Whose needs are served, according to CONFLICT
  perspectives?

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Sociological Perspectives of Groups

• III.
  Assert that group members work
  together to socially construct reality (via
  symbols) which affect interpersonal behavior and
  attitudes within groups (Mead). Also, assert
  that group size affects group dynamics (Simmel).
•  

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Sociological Perspectives of Groups

• 
  Assert that groups and organizations in
  postmodern life are characterized by
  superficiality and meaninglessness in their
  social relations.
• Why are people joining groups online??

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Postmodernist Perspectives

•  
• Note A key DIFFERENCE between Postmodernism
  and Conflict views is that postmodernists do NOT
  set apart SOCIAL CLASS as an influence on
  peoples experience in social life....

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Research on Group Dynamics

• Review Group Conformity research
• Solomon Aschs CONFORMITY research Findings??
  (What conformed?)
• Stanley Milgrams OBEDIENCE research
  Findings?? (What went all the way to fatal
  shock levels?)

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Research on Group Dynamics

• Groupthink (Irving Janis) the process by which
  members of a cohesive group arrive at a decision
  that many individual members privately believe is
  unwise.
• SEE Figure 5.4 on p. 156
• Examples??

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Bureaucracies

• WHO predicted the prevalence of bureaucracies in
  MODERN life??
• Bureaucracy An organizational model
  characterized by a hierarchy of authority, a
  clear division of labor, explicit rules
  procedures, and impersonality in personnel
  matters.
• SEE FIGURE 5.5 on page 163 know this figure!

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Bureaucracies

• Review Ideal Characteristics of Bureaucracy (5)
  from text (pp. 159-160).
• Review 3 Shortcomings of Bureaucracies from
  text (pp. 162-166).