Interpersonal and Group Behavior 4

Concept of Groups

When two or more people gather together, they form a group. They converse. They are reliant on one another. Their interests are comparable. They accomplish shared goals. It's crucial to comprehend group dynamics if you want to comprehend organizational behavior. The interactions and forces that occur among group members in a social setting are the subject of group dynamics.

Definition

According to Stephen P. Robbins, "A group is defined as two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives."

According to Arnold and Feldman, "A work group is a collection of two or more people who interact with each other, share similar interests, and come together to accomplish some work activity."

Official Group, The structure of the organization determines it. It was created with official sanction. It is depending on position. It has duties to be completed through work assignments. It is comparatively long-lasting. Members adhere to established policies and practices. Unofficial Group (Clique), It is a group that is neither formally organized nor predetermined in terms of organization. It develops organically within the workplace without management's approval. Members share interests and require social interaction. Membership is optional. A single person may belong to many unofficial groups. Persons are its main priority.

Contingency variables affecting Group Behaviour

Situational variables are contingency factors. Their impact on group dynamics varies. They are collective actions that result in synergy. The key random variables influencing group behavior are

• Communication
• Leadership
• Power and authority
• Conflicts
• Group decision making

Communication

Information transmission and meaning comprehension are two aspects of communication. It is the foundation of group dynamics. It regulates group member behavior, offers data for making decisions, allows for the free expression of emotions, and promotes motivation. It has a favorable impact on team performance. Information transfer from one person to another is referred to as communication. It also involves comprehending meaning. The received message's meaning should reflect the intended meaning as closely as feasible. A dynamic interpersonal process, communication is.

According to Moorhead and Griffin, "Communication is the process in which two or more parties exchange information and share meaning."

According to Stephen p. Robbins, "Communication is the transference and understanding if meaning."

Messaging is an aspect of the communication process between two parties. Understanding of meaning is the result. The key to managing, inspiring, organizing, and making decisions in group behavior is communication. People are connected through communication. For OB, it is essential. In organizations, it is a constant process. Transmitting information and meaning from one person to another is the process of communication. It requires communication and comprehension between the sender and the recipient. The act of communicating information in a way that the recipient can understand its meaning is known as effective communication. The message conveyed should have a meaning that is as close as feasible to what was intended.

Barriers to Group communication:

• Information transfer from one person to another is referred to as communication. It also involves comprehending meaning. The received message's meaning should reflect the intended meaning as closely as feasible. A dynamic interpersonal process, communication is.
• Transmitting information and meaning from one person to another is the process of communication. It involves the exchange of knowledge and comprehension between the sender and the recipient.
• Effective communication is the process of communicating information in a way that the recipient can understand the message's meaning. The message conveyed should have a meaning that is as close as feasible to what was intended.
• The caliber of the message received is a key indicator of effective communication. Communication is interfaced with by barriers. They contribute to the explanation of why the decoded message differs from the encoded message. They restrict how people communicate. As a result, communication barriers and breakdowns. They ought to understand how to control the flow of information and reduce any potential issues. In this section, we'll give a brief overview of the main issue preventing smooth communication within a business.

Group performance is negatively impacted by obstacles to good group communication. They include:

• Filtering: The sender modifies the information so that the recipient will view it favorably.
• Selective perception: As the recipient decodes the message, he selectively sees and hears what he wants to see and hear.
• Information overload: A person cannot process the amount of information coming in.
• Language: Various persons may interpret the same words in different ways. Specialized language or jargon obstructs communication.
• Noise: It obstructs communication and lessens its efficiency.

Leadership

Management is centered on leadership. Basically, it meant starting an activity. Employees must be given instructions by someone within the company. The employee must perform their duties to the best of their abilities, and someone must ensure this. Additionally, someone needs to motivate, guide, and oversee the employee. As a result, leadership entails setting the course, giving orders, and supervising others. The greater the contribution of subordinates to the objectives of the business, the more effective the leadership process.

The constantly evolving social, economic, political, and technological environments call for leadership that is innovative, creative, and visionary. Leadership in an organization must take on the duty of achieving the organization's goal while also creating an environment that supports superior performance. Therefore, every firm requires capable and successful leaders at all levels, including strong supervisors, middle managers, and general managers. An essential component of effective management is leadership.

Leadership is the capacity to actively persuade people to pursue their objectives in a specific situation. In a given setting, it is directing and influencing followers' behavior toward goal achievement. Leadership is essential to comprehending and forecasting group behavior. The group's leader is the one who forges relationships of trust with the members and gives them guidance toward reaching their objectives.

According to Hersey and Blanchard, "Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of an individual or a group in efforts towards goal attainment in a given situation."

According to Stephen R. Robbins, "Leadership is the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of goals."

In groups, leadership establishes a mission and goals. The task and performance standards are established. It emphasizes followers' needs and expectations. influences objective achievement above all. It serves as the initiator of reality.

According to Stoner, Freeman, and Gilbert (1992), "Leadership is the process of directing and influencing the task-related activities of a group member."

Each leader's and organization's leadership philosophies are very different. The ideology, opinions, personality, and experience of each leader vary greatly. Much also depends on the culture and characteristics of the organization; certain organizations are more conducive to the growth of powerful leadership philosophies than others. There are four primary leadership philosophies:

• Authoritarian
• Paternalistic
• Democratic,
• Laissez-faire.

The continuum of these leadership philosophies runs from one extreme to the other.

Autocratic leadership style:

• People follow autocratic leaders because they can be trusted. They direct with little to no chance of having an impact on the choice. They might make use of the power, status, and fear that come with being part of their group.
• Position or the ability of the person to accomplish goals. They complete tasks in their own manner without worrying for the opinions or views of others. They frequently claimed credit for success while blaming their subordinates for failure.
• Because autocratic leaders have unrestricted power, they have a natural tendency to retain a disproportionate amount of influence and power over decisions. The input from the subordinates is scant, if any. As a result, miscommunications can frequently happen, which can lead to expensive errors and wasteful practices, humiliating subordinates. This leadership style essentially kills initiatives and subordinates.
• A team member would typically passively resist this technique, necessitating constant leadership push and direction to move things along. In general, the strategy is a bad way to get a team to perform at its best. However, this approach could be suitable when immediate action is required or when subordinates truly favor this approach.

Democratic style:

• Leaders who employ this method conduct themselves very differently. If you're lucky, your manager will tell you and your team, "These are the results we have to attain; this is the task to be done." Together, let's decide the best course of action. Let's decide what we're going to do, then. Such a leader runs their affairs democratically or collaboratively.
• Leaders encourage open communication and conversation. They rely more on rewards than on penalties. Trust in the connection grows, promoting two-way communication. At all levels of management, there is a high degree of trust between subordinates and the leader, giving employees a great deal of power over their work. Overall, democratic leadership encourages personal development, encourages taking initiative, and fosters responsibility.
• By getting the greatest knowledge, suggestions, and experiences from their staff, these leaders have an advantage. As a result, their staff tends to have better attitudes or produce more effectively. The subordinates feel personally successful and accomplished. This technique runs the danger of being time-consuming at times. A complicated breakdown of management control may be the outcome of excessive debate and lack of agreement.
• Leadership is the capacity to persuade people to work toward common objectives. It involves directing and shaping group members' actions so they can passionately and willingly accomplish goals in a particular circumstance. It is crucial to comprehending how groups behave. The group leader needs to build relationships of trust with the members of the group.
• Leadership style refers to the manner in which leaders shape group dynamics. With circumstances, it alters.