In a rapidly globalising world with the increasing importance of multiculturalism and diversity within organisations, there has been a rise to a controversial topic on the effects group cohesion has on overall employee effectiveness (Cox, 2002). Group cohesion is “a dynamic process that is reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objectives and/or for the satisfaction of member affective needs” (Carron & Brawley, 2000, p.94). Although there are arguments on the ways in which this concept can have negative outcomes, these are often strongly challenged by the view that it has greater beneficial effects. This essay will argue that group cohesiveness is an important factor …show more content…
The argument asserts that there is a decrease in overall cooperation within a team, as the members are able to rely on the others to complete the tasks given. However, a study by Karau and Hart (1998) found strong evidence in support of the theory that social loafing within a group can be lessened or completely eradicated by having group cohesiveness. The findings showed that social loafing occurred in low-cohesive groups and could be controlled by the level of cohesion. In contrast, highly cohesive groups worked cooperatively and collectively compared to groups of low cohesion who focused primarily on “individualistic concerns” (Karau & Hart, 1998, p.190). In the context of organisations, it is important to recognise the impact group cohesion can have on the overall effectiveness, through the improvements in cooperation and communication. There are multiple benefits to group cohesion and this may perhaps be one of the more significant factors. Another way in which group cohesion can have a positive impact on the effectiveness is through the improvements in emotional stability and commitment. In particular, teams of individuals whom experience positive emotions in their workplace, tend to have better group performances and effectiveness. These emotions relate to aspects such as empathy and compassion. A study by Brigham Young University showed that cohesion was a strong indicator of outcome and
Collective leadership is a recent concept of leadership where individuals are given authority in their own work areas of an organisation which empowers them. Collective leadership is opposite to the well-known system in which members of an organisation or society are ranked according to relative status or authority: As effective
Team cohesion is crucial in a group’s ability to perform and stay united. Dynamics of group are constantly changing
There are many factors altering group behavior and effectiveness, such as decision- making, cohesion and communication (Crocker, 2016). The later has also shown a positive relationship with group task cohesion (Smith et al., 2013), and methods of enhancing intrateam
Social Loafing – Effective teams make members individually and jointly accountable for the team’s purpose, goals, and approach, thereby removing any possibility of social loafing.
Gender discrimination can be directed towards someone women, men, homosexuals, or drag queens alike. In Susan Faludi’s “The Naked Citadel,” the men of the citadel are naughtily taught to discriminate against women and homosexuals. The men see women as unequal subjects and believe that they should never be granted the opportunity to attend The Citadel. Similarly, homosexuality is looked upon as being abnormal and wrong and anyone who is homosexual is not considered a “real man.” Likewise, in Beth Loffreda’s “Losing Matt Shepard,” the gay men and women are fiercely ostracized. Group mentality plays a huge role in the reason why different groups of people are discriminated against. Large groups have the ability
Reid Hastie, in his book “Wiser,” discusses many of the common points of how groups succeed and fail mainly due to group think. Throughout his years of research, he found a number of attributes that effective teams have in common. From his book, we have extracted ten important lessons that we believe are the most important for teams to learn and implement to be high performing. These findings also relate to the “5 Dysfunctions of a Team” that are outlined by Patrick Lencioni. Teachings taken from “Wiser” are symptoms, or indicators, of dysfunctions within a team, and many of his solutions help teams to overcome certain dysfunctions.
Cohesion is the property that molds the team together. Cohesion is the fabric of a team; it 's how well they mesh with. It 's snowing the purpose of being a whole. No longer being I, a team member has to get in the mindset of "we." The willingness and ability to communicate with each other and overcome personality differences in order to make their group successful will prove if the random group can transform into a team.
While A. Jimenez stated that the facility lacked scheduled exercises to foster team building, he still felt the members of the team have a strong sense of group cohesion because of how closely they communicate day-to-day. According to Birx, LaSala, and Wagstaff (2011), “Group cohesion is the outcome of team-building activities and is associated with positive feelings toward coworkers, which are an aspect of job satisfaction” (p.175). A. Jimenez
Group member cohesiveness was absent from the group meeting for several reasons, but the primary reasons were due to the fact that the group members did not have a common description of value or structure to the discussion. Each member viewed their own area of involvement within the organization as being more valuable than any other area, and it was this exclusion of other valuable traits that lead the group to begin to clash in such a
During both groups, cohesion was apparent in both the individual and co-led group; whereas, the facilitators shaped an atmosphere so that individuals could do expressive work at a group level. The fundamental features of cohesion stand as a supportive environment, connection, self-disclosure, and a sense of belonging in the group based on warmth and
Working in a group can be beneficial but it can also come with hardship that is if others lack the drive and ability to work together. Working in a group takes effort; it takes psychological support, and cooperation. The foundation of group behaviors is something that can come and go but it takes a lot of effort to keep it going after so long. Although these efforts may come and go it is important to consider what it takes to work within a group, successfully. The article I chose to report on deals with the consequences that can come from those who are working in-group settings. It is important to understand what it takes to be productive and this research does the best it can to tackle those issues. It gives us the information we need to succeed and avoid anything that would go against those successes. One of the biggest concerns within group settings is the
Diversity in culture and demographic characteristics can be a negative impact or be one of the team's greatest strengths, depending on how the team as a whole functions and applies these different “routes to success”. A group can become a high performing team by understanding how cultural and demographic differences influence group behavior. The groups must realize that they can benefit from their diversity to their advantage and into a high performance team.
Having tasks that are too difficult or are unfamiliar are likely to incite social loafing because they group member lacks the ability or courage to provide input. Robbins and Judge (2011) theorize that another cause of social loafing is an uneven equity. When two people are putting in different levels of input and receiving the same level of output the larger contributor will adjust their input to reduce cognitive dissonance. Another reason they believe is “dispersion of responsibility” group members cannot be held responsible because tasks and roles are not clearly assigned. (Robbins & Judge, 2011). In research by Worchel and others (1998) it was found that groups with friends or familiar members are far less likely to loaf when compared with groups made up of strangers (Worchel, Rothgerber, Day, Hart, & Butemeyer, 1998) Most people have been in a group made up of friends and colleges they are familiar with and seen that in these types of groups social loafing is drastically reduced.
While team dynamics and cohesion play a great role in the success of any team, we believe that external factors (situation, system) can profoundly affect behavior and performance. The importance of creating an environment that supports great people and encourages them to support one another so the whole is far greater than the sum of the parts is undermined by this statement. Even a great team can’t be guaranteed to fix a mediocre idea or come up with good ones every time. The system/environment have a big role in the success of a team.
A team is a group of people working together to achieve the same objectives. Katzenbach and Smith state in their report The Discipline of Teams (1993) that ‘the essence of a team is common commitment. Without it, groups perform as individuals; with it, they become a powerful unit of collective performance.’ Throughout this study, I will analyse the many different advantages and disadvantages of working in teams and its effects on team members and their performance and commitment within the team. I will consider many different aspects of team work and refer to certain established theories in