Group Dynamics and Team Effectiveness

Formation and Development of Groups

by:

Charles Lamson

A group is a collection of two or more persons who interact with one another in such a way that each person influences and is influenced by the others. The members of a group draw important psychogical distinctions between themselves and people who are not group members. Generally, they

• Define themselves as members
• Are designated by others as members
• Identify with one another
• Engage in frequent interaction
• Participate in a system of interlocking roles
• Share common norms
• Pursue shared and interdependent goals
• Feel that their membership in the group is rewarding
• Have a collective perception of unity
• Stick together in any confrontation with other groups or individuals

These distinctions provide the group with boundaries and a sense of permanence. They lend the group a distinct identity and seperate it from other people and other groups. They also contrib8iute to group effectiveness, the ultimate aim of group activities. A group is effective when it satisfies three important criteria:

1. Production output.The product of the group's work must meet or exceed standards of quantity and quality defined by the organization. Group productivity is a measure of  this product.
2. Member satisfaction. Membership in the group must provide people with short-term satisfaction and facilitate their long-term growth and development. If it does not, members will leave and the group will cease to exist.
3. Capacty for continued operation. The interpersonal processes the group uses to complete a task should maintain or enhance members' capacity to work together. Groups that do not cooperate cannot remain viable.

An effective group is thus able to satisfy immediate demands for performance and member satisfaction while making provisions for long-term survival.

Whether a group is able to achieve these often conflicting goals depends on the closely related processes of group formation and group development.

The End