PACESETTER TOASTMASTERS CLUB

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Sophia Morgan Department of Sociology Psycholo
gy and Social Work
PS38B Applied Group Dynamics
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WHY STUDY GROUP DYNAMICS?
Since individuals will interact in groups in
personal, social and work settings, exposure to
the principles which clarify the impact of the
individual on the group and the impact of the
group on the individual will enhance the ability
of students to understand and handle group
situations
A man does not wonder about what he sees
frequently, even though he be ignorant of the
cause Cicero
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Why Study Group Dynamics?

• Group dynamics is a central feature of human
  evolution (Fiskes evolutionary social
  psychology)
• Groups significantly impact the quality of
  individuals lives (family, health, education
  personal development)
• Studying group dynamics help us to grasp the
  complexities of the world we live in

All for one and one for all Alexander Dumas
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ACTIVITY

• WHO AM I?
• Write down 5 answers to this question

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Defining Groups
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Definitions

• A GROUP MAY BE DEFINED AS
• a number of individuals who join together to
  achieve a goal
• (Deutsch, 1949 Mills, 1967 Freeman, 1936)
• A collection of individuals who are
  interdependent in some way
• (Cartwright Zander 1968 Fielder, 1967 Lewin,
  1951)

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Definitions

• a number of individuals who are interacting
  with one another
• (Hare, 1976 Bonner, 1959 Stogdill, 1959
  Homans,1950)
• A social unit consisting of two or more persons
  who perceive themselves as belonging to a group
• (Bales, 1959 Smith, 1945)

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Definitions

• A collection of individuals whose interactions
  are structured by a set of roles and norms
  (McDavid Harari, 1968 Sherif Sherif, 1956)
• A collection of individuals who influence each
  other (Shaw, 1976)

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Definitions

• a collection of individuals who are trying to
  satisfy some personal need through their joint
  association
• (Bass, 1960 Cattell, 1951)

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DEFINITIONS

• Two or more persons who interact with each other,
  share common goals and are somehow interdependent
  and recognize that they belong to a group. (Baron
  and Bryne 1997
• Two or more individuals in a face to face
  interaction, each aware of the positive
  interdependence as they strive to achieve mutual
  goals, each aware of his or her membership in the
  group and each aware of the others who belong to
  the group. (Johnson and Johnson 1997)

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DEFINTIONS CONTD
A living system, self-regulating through shared
perception and interaction, sensing and feedback,
and through interchange with the environment.
(Luft 1984) A collection of individuals whose
existence as a collection is rewarding to the
individuals (Bass, 1960)
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DEFINTIONS CONTD

• Typically, an author selects certain relations
  or other properties that are of special interest
  to him (or her) and then sets these up as
  criteria for the existence of a group. As a
  result, there are many apparently conflicting
  definitions. From our point of view, these
  various definitions simply identify different
  kinds of group and there is little to be gained
  from arguments over which is the true one. It
  is instructive nevertheless to examine some of
  these definitions for they reveal several
  attributes of groups that investigators have felt
  to be of a particular importance. Cartwright and
  Zander (1953) Group Dynamics, Research and
  Theory

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SOME BASIC ELEMENTS OF GROUPS

• Common goal(s)
• Interdependence
• Interpersonal interaction
• Awareness/perception of membership
• Structured relationships
• Mutual influence
• Motivation

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BASIC ELEMENTS OF GROUPS

• Task/activities - what ever furthers or is
  concerned with furthering the propose or goal of
  the group
• Process/Relational activities - whatever changes
  or is concerned with changing the private
  structure of the group
• Culture (Social Technical Individual)

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Are groups real?
Groups are entities different from
Individuals Durkheim
Groups mind or collective Consciousness can
dominate Individual will Le Bon
YES
A group mind exists separate from the minds
of Individuals Cartwright Zander
Groups can be Emotionally healthy or
pathological Cattell
Groups cannot be understood by considering Only
the qualities or Characteristics of each member
Gestalt psychology
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Are groups real?
Output of all in nothing more than the sum of
individual action
Groups do not think, feel or act, (only people
do) therefore, groups are not real
groups have no nervous systems, only
individuals have nervous systems
NO Allport
Groups are no more than a shared set of values,
ideas, thoughts and habits that exist
simultaneously in the minds of several persons
Groups simply provide a basis for individuals
activities, they are not meaningful by themselves
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WHAT IS GROUP DYNAMICS?
The study of complex interactions which occur in
groups and which account for the phenomenon in
which a group seems to take on characteristics of
its own which are quite different from the
individuals who make it up.
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Observations Implications

• Groups are complex because each member comes to
  the experience with all the perceptions, needs,
  values, beliefs, attitudes, experiences and
  traits which make up a unique personality
• Group membership has the potential to change the
  individual
• Individuals are torn between the desire for
  membership and affiliation vs. the desire to
  maintain their individuality

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Observations Implications

• Groups need to foster individuality while
  avoiding individualistic behaviour in order to
  promote collaboration

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ACTIVITYIs it a Group?

• YES NO
• ---- ----
• ---- ----
• ---- ----
• ---- ----
• ---- ----
• ---- ----

• Five people waiting at the for a bus at a bus
  stop
• The people at a rock concert watching a given
  performer
• The people in a church on Sunday listening to the
  ministers sermon
• Students in the PS38B
• Eminem Fan Club
• People working at Scotia Bank

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HOW SHOULD WE STUDY GROUP DYNAMICS?
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Theory
Groups Group Dynamics
Research
Practice
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Theory

• A theory is a mental model or map that helps us
  to perceive reality (Friesen 1985 in Napier
  Gershenfeld)
• A theory consists a set of assumptions, basic
  concepts, and hypotheses that are expressed
  logically and consistently in relation to the
  phenomenon it addresses

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THEORETICAL ORIENTATIONS IN THE STUDY OF GROUP
DYNAMICS

• Systems Theory groups are systems of
  interacting individuals, combined to form an
  integrated complex whole
• Field Theory (Lewin) A field of interdependent
  forces produces group behaviour. Lewin held that
  group was a function of inter-related factors of
  the individual and the group.
• Sociometric Orientation (Moreno, Jennings)
  Highlights interpersonal relationships and
  choices among group members. Interpersonal
  relations determine the moral and performance of
  the group

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THEORETICAL ORIENTATIONS IN THE STUDY OF GROUP
DYNAMICS

• Interaction Theory (Bales) Groups are viewed as
  a system comprising three basic elements
  activity, interaction and sentiment. Studying
  the relations among these elements will highlight
  all aspects of group behaviour
• Bales developed the Interaction Process Analysis
  (IPA) System, a structured observational method
  for measuring/assessing group behaviour

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Research

• Observation Methods measurement methods that
  involve watching and recording individual and
  group action
• Self Reports Methods Assessment devices such as
  questionnaires, tests, or interviews that ask
  group members to describe their feelings,
  attitudes and beliefs
• Quasi-experimental methods group research takes
  place in natural or field settings and utilises
  some components of experimental methods

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Practice
Practice SOME FEATURES OF THE ELEMENT OF PRACTICE
Action theories
Simulation Exercises
Experiential learning
Role Playing
Process observation
Change and growth take place when a person has
risked himself and dares to become involved with
experimenting with his own life Herbert Otto
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Experiential Learning

• The generation of an action theory from your
  own experiences and then continually modifying it
  to improve your effectiveness
• Here we want to modify
• Cognition
• Attitude
• Behaviours

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EXPRIENTIAL LEARNING
The Kolbs Learning Cycle
Concrete Experience
One learns by doing things for though you
think You know it, you have no certainty until
you try. Sophocles
Observation Reflection
Testing New Learning
Formulation of Concepts and Generalisations
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Experiential Learning

• Learning group skills (Johnson Johnson)
• Understand why the skill is important to you and
  how it will be of value to you
• Understand what the skill is, what are the
  component behaviours you have to engage in to
  perform the skills, and when it should be used.
• Find situations in which you can practice the
  skill, over and over again, while someone watches
  and tell you how well you are performing

For the things we have to learn before we can do
them, we learn by doing them Aristotle
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Experiential Learning

• Learning group skills contd (Johnson Johnson)
• 4. Assess how well the skills are being
  implemented (you have to sweat in practice before
  you can perform in concert)
• 5. Keep practicing until the skill feels real and
  it becomes an automatic habit pattern
• 6. Get friends to encourage you to use your
  skills
• 7. Help others to learn group skills

The hand is the cutting edge of the mind Jacob
Bronowski
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Learning Contract

• I understand that I will be taking an
  experiential approach to learning about group
  dynamics and developing the skills needed to
  function effectively in groups. I will commit
  myself to the statements hereunder

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Learning Contract

• I will use the structured experiences in my
  tutorials to learn from. This means that I am
  willing to engage in specified behaviours, seek
  out feedback about the impact of my behaviour on
  others, and analyse my personal interactions with
  other class members to make the most of my
  learning
• I will make the most of my learning by (a)
  engaging in specified behaviours and in being
  open about my feelings and reactions to what is
  taking place in order that others may have
  information to react to in giving me feedback and
  in building conclusions about the area of study,
  (b) selecting personal learning goals that I will
  work actively to accomplish which means that I
  will take responsibility for my own learning and
  not wait around for someone else to make me grow,
  (c) being willing to experiment with new
  behaviour and practice new skills, (d) seeking
  out and being receptive to feedback, and (e)
  building conclusions about the experiences
  highlighted in the exercises.
• I will help others make the most of their
  learning by (a) providing feedback in
  constructive ways, (b) helping to build the
  conditions, (c ) contributing to the formulation
  of conclusions about experiences highlighted in
  the exercises
• I will use professional judgement in keeping what
  happens among group members in the exercises
  appropriately confidential.
• Signed _____________________________________

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Ongoing Assignment Observing Groups
To understand the dynamics of groups, the learner
must go beyond the safety and structure of the
written word, and become an expert observer of
the process itself

• Instruction
• Identify a group and observe the interaction
  among its members over a reasonable period of
  time. (The observation time period is dependent
  on the type of group being observed). Record
  your observation. (The following questions may
  serve as a guide for your observation process)
• Where did you locate the group and what is the
  setting observed?
• Explain why you identify the collection of
  individuals as a group?
• Is there an observable system of norms and
  standards in the group?

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Ongoing Assignment Observing Groups

• How would you describe the pattern of
  communication that exists?
• Can you identify the leader/leaders (formal
  and/or informal) of the group?
• How does leadership in the group influence the
  participation pattern?
• How would you describe the level of cohesion
  exhibited by the group?