Group Structure (Psychology of Small Groups)

A powerpoint presentation on the structure of groups, either informal or formal groups.

1. How are groups structured? Group Structure

2. Group structure The underlying pattern of roles, norms, and networks of relations among members that define and organize the group An integrated organizational pattern that reflects the totality of the separate parts that inhere in each individual group member

3. Nature of Group structure

4. Nature of Group structure

5. Norms Are rules of conduct that each group establishes They are emergent, consensual standards that regulates the group members’ behaviors Emergent They develop gradually during the course of interaction among members—in some cases through deliberation and choice but often only gradually as members’ actions align. Consensual Norms are shared rules of action Norms are social standards that are accepted by a substantial portion of the group

6. Types of Norms

7. Characteristics and Varieties of Norms Common Features Description Descriptive Describes how most members act, feel, and think Consensual Shared among members, rather than personal, individual-level beliefs Injunctive Define which behaviors are considered “bad” or wrong and which are “good” or acceptable Prescriptive Set the standards for expected behavior, what should be done Proscriptive Identify behaviors that should not be performed Informal Describe the unwritten rules of conduct in the group Implicit Often so taken for granted that members follow them automatically Self-gathering Emerge as members reach a consensus through reciprocal members Stable Once they develop, resistant to change and passed from current members to new members

8. Roles Coherent sets of behaviors expected of people in specific positioned within a group or social setting Roles in a group are similar in some respects to roles in a play. A play’s role describe the characters that the actors portray before the audience To become Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , for example, an actor must perform certain actions and recite her dialogue accordingly. Similarly, roles in group structure behavior by dictating the part that members take as they interact

9. Role Differentiation An increase in the number of roles in a group, accompanied by the gradual decrease in the scope of these roles as each one becomes more narrowly defined and specialized

10. Types of Roles

11. Group Socialization Theory(Richard Moreland and John Levine (1982)

12. Role Stress

13. Role Ambiguity

14. Role Conflict

15. Role and Well-being Role fit The degree of congruence between the demands of a specific role and the attitudes, values, skills, and other characteristics of the individual who occupies the role

16. Status Differentiation The gradual rise of some group members to positions of greater authority, accompanied by decreases in the authority exercised by other members. It is rare that all members in a group enjoy equal amounts of authority. Certain individuals acquire authority by laying claim to a position of greater status and by having their claim accepted by the other members of the group.

17. Status Networks

18. Expectation-States Theory (Joseph Berger and others)

19. Attraction Networks Patterns of liking/disliking, acceptance/rejection, and inclusion/exclusion among members of a group Also known as sociometric structure Develops through a sociometric differentiation process that orders group members from least liked to most liked. Attraction relations tend to be reciprocal and transitive, and clusters or coalitions often exist within the group that are higher in homophily than the group as a whole.

20. Attraction Networks As Heider’s balance theory suggests, sociometric structures also tend to reach a state of equilibrium in which likes and dislikes are balanced within the group. Sociometric differentiation generally favors individuals who possess socially attractive qualities, such as cooperativeness of physical appeal But social standing also depends on the degree to which the individual’s attributes match the qualities valued by the group (person-group fit)

21. Communication Networks Patterns of informal transmission and exchange that describe who communicates most frequently and to what extent with whom

22. Communication Networks

23. Communication Networks A group’s communication network may parallel formally established paths, but most groups also have an informal network that defines who speaks to whom most frequently. Centralized networks are more efficient if tasks are too complex and require high levels of information exchange A group’s network influences a variety of group and individual outcomes, including performance, effectiveness, and levels of satisfaction. Individuals who occupy more central positions in communication networks are more ifluencial

24. THE END. Prepared by: Jeel Christine C. de Egurrola