Joining Together: Group theory and Group skills- Johnson & Johnson - 11th edition - BulletPoints

Summary in BulletPoints of Joining Together: Group theory and Group skills by Johnson & Johnson - 11th edition

What is being studied within group dynamics? - BulletPoints 1

• Being part of a group is an important aspect of our lives. We are born in a group, the family, and without this group we couldn’t have survived. Our whole life we are members of groups that teach us how to behave and think about ourselves and the world. Being part of a group forms our identity. Group dynamics researches the character and function of groups. Studies focus on the development of a group, the behavior of group members, and the relations between groups and individuals. Through this knowledge, we can change our functioning within groups.

• Social scientists do not agree about the existence of groups. There are two opposite point of views scientists take in: the point of view of group orientation, and the point of view of individual orientation.

• The human race has been able to develop well through working together in an effective way. People in the early days had a bigger chance of surviving when they worked together in groups. Therefore, the quality of life is related to group effectivity.

• All groups have a goal, a certain communication pattern, rules and expectations that members should live up to, a division of tasks and a way to adapt to the environment. The most important aspects of the group structure are roles and norms. They structure the interactions between group members.

• Not all groups are effective. It depends on the structure of the group whether it is effective or not. There are four types of groups that are studied in this area: pseudo groups, traditional groups, effective groups and very successful groups. The goals and reasons of existence of the group can help to find the cause of effectivity or ineffectivity.

• There are two categories in which the theories about the development of groups can be placed: repeating-stagetheories and subsequent-stagetheories.

How can effective cooperation be accomplished? - BulletPoints 2

• A goal is something people want to work for. Groups exist to realize goals, which are called group goals. The goals of group members are connected through social interdependence. The future vision of the group goal makes sure that every group member is committed to realizing the group goals.

• According to Koffka and Lewin, interdependence formed by the communal goals is the chore of the group. If the situation changes for a certain group member, the situation will automatically change for the entire group. Therefore, the group has a dynamic structure.

• Positive interaction is when group members stimulate and facilitate each other’s attempts to realize group goals. Characteristics of positive interaction are for example that the group members experience trust and not much anxiety or stress within the group. Counteraction is when group members undermine or sabotage each other’s actions.

• Much research has been conducted to the results of social interdependence. In a meta-analysis, the outcomes of these studies are compared. The categories of the results of cooperation are goal oriented activities, positive relations between members, and the psychological adjustment of the group members.

• The most important building blocks of an effective cooperation are positive interdependence; unity within the group, individual responsibilities and group responsibilities; direct and positive contact; adequate use of social skills; and group reflection.

• In most situations, group members have cooperative, competitive and individual motives. This is not an issue, but to keep the group in existence cooperation should be dominating. Cooperation is most helpful for effectivity.

• A self-fulfilling prophecy means that a group member thinks that the group will be mean to him, and therefore he will act suspicious. In reaction to the suspicious behavior, the group members will pull back, and this will make it seem as if the group members were mean from the start. However, this behavior is only a reaction on the behavior of the group member.

What does psychology say about communication in groups? - BulletPoints 3

• In group communication, a group member sends a message to another group member to influence the behavior of the second member. When the receiver interprets the message in the way the sender has meant it, there is effective communication. Communication is a complex process, because people can send and receive information at the same time. Thereby, the involvement of more people can make communication more complex.

• In a problem solving group, some information is known by all the group members, some information is known by a few group members, and every group member has information that the rest doesn’t know. Integrating this information is an essential part of solving the problem.

• Communication networks show us who communicates with who, and if the communication is direct or indirect. Every communication network has its own effects on the atmosphere of the group and the effectivity of the problem solving. Group members with a central position within the system, have more information.

• A group with an authority hierarchy has a role division in which group members with a certain role make sure other group members stick to their roles. It is often the case that one or more group members have power of the others. To perform the tasks well, the group needs to set up a communication network. All members should obey the rules of this network.

What does psychology say about leadership within groups? - BulletPoints 4

• A leader is someone who can direct others to work more intensively on the group goals. This influencing process is called leadership.

• According to the influencing theory, there are no leaders without followers. Leaders and followers influence each other, because they want something from each other. A leader can provide structure and resources for the followers. The followers will respect and inforce the leader for that. Therefore, there is a mutual role relation between leaders and followers.

• According to the situational leadership theory, someone can become a leader when he takes actions that are in need of the group at a certain moment. Every situation therefore needs a different kind of leader. Sometimes, there are leaders who can adapt to different situations.

• The theory of communal leadership shows that certain actions should be taken to make the group function effectively. Two kinds of leadership are necessary to make sure that the group achieves her goals.

What does psychology say about power in groups? - BulletPoints 5

• In effective groups, power is often divided between more than one group member. Power can be seen as a characteristic of an individual, a position, a place, a situation or a relationship. In this book, power is defined as the ability to influence the results for yourself, for others and for the environment. This can be direct, through interaction; or indirect, through norms and values.

• The dynamic-interdependence theory assumes that the influence within groups is continually changing. Power is a characteristic of a relationship. The power of an individual group member and the way this power is expressed, are influenced by the type and rate of interdependence.

• The trait theory assumes that our natural traits can explain why we are who we are. There are two approaches within this theory about power, namely one that focusses on power and persuasive ability, and the social dominance theory.

• The social-exchange theory assumes that one can gain power through controlling the existing resources. Someone has power if they are in control over a resource that someone else aims to have. The power sources are reward, punishment, legitimacy, reference, expertise, and information.

• Decisions in a group are often taken on the basis of the opinion of the majority of the group. Group norms are often a replacing means for direct forms of power. Group norms are the rules which determine the actions of the group members.

• Collective behavior are spontaneous, atypical actions like riots, panic and mass hysteria. There are four theories about the development of these forms of group behavior.

How does decision making work in groups? - BulletPoints 6

• Many decisions about customs and laws are not taken by individuals, but by groups. The idea behind group decision making is that the decision is very well considered. For effective group decisions, the possibilities should be fully used, the time should be used well, the group members should be committed, the decisions should be of high quality, and the ability to solve problems should be bigger.

• After a group discussion, groups can take in more extreme point of views than before the discussion. This is called group polarization. If groups were already careful before the discussion, they will be even more careful after the discussion. Group polarization doesn’t mean that the decisions will be riskier.

• To select a decision method, we should be aware of a few things. We need to know how much time and resource we have, we need to know the way the group works, we need to now the content of the choice, and we need to know the history and the climate of the group. These aspects in combination with the character of the task, makes it possible to select a decision method.

• Cognitive dissonance occurs when we have to cognitions that don’t go together. In this case, we have to eliminate one of the two alternatives. This is called dissonance reduction. When we review the decision process and start over, we won’t be able to remember the positive aspects of the eliminated alternative.

• Sometimes a group makes a decision without overlooking the consequences of the decision. In this case, they can organize an extra meeting. This gives group members time to overthink the consequences of the decision and look back to the decision during the meeting.

What does psychology say about controversy and creativity in groups? - BulletPoints 7

• Through conflicts, controversy and differences in opinion, creative decisions can arise in a group. Therefore, it is important for a group that there is a certain rate of creativity. To achieve this, the way in which controversy is handled is important.

• To create effective decision making in situations with controversy or conflict, good ways of decision making are systematic dialogue, debate, aim for unity and individual decision making.

• Conflicts in organizations bring along a lot of costs. Hard costs are costs that are connected to the conflict situation, soft or hidden costs are about the consequences of the conflict, like making a wrong decision. Conflicts are also positive, and there has to be an optimal amount of conflict. In this way, the atmosphere in an organization remains energetic and challenging.

• Judgements of group members are often influenced by the attitude and beliefs of the majority of the group. The minority can only have influence if they can persuade the majority to take over the point of view of the minority. This is often hard, because the majority has automatically more credibility.

• Creativity is the process in which something new is created. This is hard to define, but It is clear that creativity is important in groups because through creativity, good solutions can come up. The creative process consists of a few overlapping stages.

• There are different ways to stimulate creativity. It is important to emphasize the communal goal of the group, and give room for all differences in ideas and opinions. Group members should get the chance to think properly, and also time to form a final judgement.

How are conflicts of interest resolved? - BulletPoints 8

• A conflict-negative group denies differences and handles conflicts in a destructive way. A conflict-positive group handles conflicts in a productive way. Therefore, in these groups there is more quality decision making.

• Interests are the possible advantages we can get out of achieving a certain goal. There is a conflict of interests when the goal oriented activities of an individual interfere with the goal oriented activities of another individual.

• People use different strategies to handle conflicts of interest. In a conflict you have to take into account that you want to achieve a deal that is right for everyone involved. Next to that, you also want to maintain the relationship with the other party. There are five basic strategies for coping with conflicts of interest.

• Negotiating is a process in which people with shared and opposite interests try to make a deal in which they settle what they will give each other and what they will receive from each other.

• Integrative negotiating is when the goal of the negotiation is to get an end result that is as favorable as possible for all the parties. Also, maintaining the good relationship between all people involved, is equally important.

• The integrative negotiating procedure consists of six steps: description of interests; description of feelings; exchange of reasons for points of view; change of perspective, finding three possible solutions; and picking the final solution.

• Conflicts in groups can be resolved by creating overarching goals. A remark at this study of Sherif is that the overarching goals were created by a powerful third party. These goals were more important than the conflict of interest.

• The contact theory says that positive relations between groups can be created by contact between members of the different groups. This can also decrease stereotypes and prejudice.

What does psychology say about diversity in groups? - BulletPoints 9

• Diversity is all the aspects in which people differ from each other, like appearance. If you can handle diversity well, you can logically handle a lot of different kinds of people. Diversity can have positive as well as negative consequences.

• There are three important sources of diversity, namely: demographical characteristics, personality characteristics, and capacities and skills.

• It is not easy to use diversity as a means to improve productivity within a group. There are a number of difficulties in this process: stereotypes, prejudice, blaming the victim, and conflicts between cultures.

• A stereotype is a way of thinking in which a group of people with different characteristics is seen as one. They are used by everyone. To form a stereotype, the groups need to be categorized first, before they can be differed from each other.

• Culturalization means that the cultural background of an individual is used to explain all his thoughts and actions. Because of this process, individuals see mostly differences between themselves and others.

What does psychology say about teams and their development? - BulletPoints 10

• Teams are small groups in which the members make effort for something bigger than themselves. Teams mostly function in the context of an organization. They continually look for ways to improve results, for example by composing the teams carefully and structure and train the team members.

• The structure of every organization consists of six elements: ideology, strategic top, line management, operational core, technical staff, and service staff.

• Belbin developed team roles. Every role has weak and strong aspects. A team role tells us how to behave in a certain role, and what our relationship to others is. Everyone can have more team roles. Within the team roles of Belbin, there are different kind of smaller roles.

• Our core qualities are our strong aspects. When they take on extreme measures, they can become pitfalls. When we are irritated by the pitfall of other people, we have so-called allergies. A learning point for our pitfalls is called a challenge. These four aspects together form a core quadrant.

• The mission of a team should be formulated together. In this way, every member is part of the growth of the team. The mission is first of all a task or assignment that has a goal to send something or someone in a certain direction. A mission statement makes sure that the mission gives direction, and that it is convincing and inspiring to the team members.

• Tuckman developed a theoretical model in which the developmental stages of a team can be categorized. The four stages are: forming, storming, norming and performing.

How are therapeutic groups guided? - BulletPoints 11

• Therapeutic groups are groups that are used to help individuals with improving their personal development or initiating constructive changes. These groups have certain characteristics that are helpful for achieving these goals.

• Solving a problem in a group instead of by yourself, can have many advantages. This is because the group situation is often heterogeneous and complex. There are more social relationships in the group.

• It is very important to express positive and negative emotions in a group. This is helpful for the process of change the group members are going through.

• Skillful group guiders have some complex skills like knowledge about group dynamics, being a role model in social skills, organizational skills and creating a nice environment.