Group Cohesiveness

Curt Matthews
MGMT 301/301W
Prof. William S. Gardner

Group:
a collection of people who must
interact with one another; be
socially attracted to one
another; share goals or
objectives; and have shared
identity which distinguishes
them from other groups
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Cohesiveness:
the extent to which members
are loyal and committed to the
group.

Two types of Cohesion:

Task Cohesion the degree to

which members of a group work
together to achieve common
goals

Social Cohesion reflects the

degree to which members of a
team like each other and enjoy
each others company
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Four Stages of Group Development

Forming

Storming

Norming

Conforming (Performing)
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Forming Group members are uncertain of the groups

structure and its goals or a strategy for achieving them;
they will as a result be quite dependent on the leader

Storming Conflict and disagreements between the group

members and the leader will arise, as well as between
various sub-groups; there will be a tendency to rebel
against the rules which have been established

Norming The group becomes more mature and cohesive;

group norms develop beyond any formally established
rules

Conforming (Performing) Conflicts between individuals

are resolved; the group works constructively on problemsolving and energy is directed towards the task
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Factors which affect

Cohesiveness
Increase

Decrease

Intergroup competition

Large group size

Personal attraction

Disagreement on goals

Favorable evaluation

Intragroup competition

Agreement on Goals

Domination

Interaction

Unpleasant experiences

Behavioral Norms

Norms standards of behavior that a

group accepts and expects of its
members.

The more cohesive a group is, the

greater an influence it will have
on individual members to conform
to the groups norms, thus
lessening the possibility of having
loafers. Loafing is the tendency
for individuals to lessen their
effort when they are part of a
group also known as the
Ringelmann effect.
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The Team-Building Strategy

Team Structure
Leadership
Conformity to Standards
Team Environment
Team Processes

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Team Structure involves role clarity and acceptance,

such as when group members clearly understand their
roles in the group

Leadership should coincide with type of individuals

or vise versa

Conformity of Standards is when conformity to group

social and task norms contribute to enhanced
cohesion

Team Environment consists of togetherness, when

group members area repetitively put in close physical
proximity, feeling of cohesion increases.

Team Processes group goals are more strongly

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associated with team success than with individual
goals, cooperative behavior is superior to

Effective Contributors to a
Group:

Get to know members of the group

Help group members whenever
possible
Give group members positive
reinforcement
Are responsible
Communicate honestly and openly
with the coach or leader
Resolve conflicts immediately
Give 100% effort at all times
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Ricky Griffin, author of the text,

Fundamentals of Management,
states that in a highly cohesive
team, members work well
together, support and trust one
another, and are generally
effective at achieving their
chosen goal.
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Closing Statement
Teamwork is something that one
hears about more and more today
in the business world, in sports, in
school and essentially in our daily
lives. For teamwork to be
effective, however, the group,
whether it consists of two or ten,
must be able to possess a type of
cohesiveness.
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