Group Dynamics

GROUP DYNAMICS INTRODUCTION ―Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.‖ Margaret Mead In today’s explosion of information technology, communication continues to be a complex process. Group dynamics can be very positive and helpful where team members support each other and do what is best. It can alternately become destructive if individuals are allowed to continue with more selfish behaviors such as never helping someone else, making their personal life and personal problems permeate their work, being negative about everything that happens or complaining all the time. The nurse manager has an important role in this situation, because it may be necessary to counsel individuals exhibiting negative behavior to achieve positive group dynamics. OBJECTIVES ♪ General objective: At the end of the seminar the student will be able to understand about the Group dynamics and Stress management and its detail. ♪ Specific objective: By the end of the seminar, the students will be able to: I) GROUP DYNAMICS ► Define the group and group dynamics ► List out the type of groups ► Mention the criteria for a group ► Enlist the objective of group dynamics ► Explain the principles of group dynamics ► Identify the elements of group dynamics ► Enumerate the stages of group dynamics ► Describe the dimensions of group process ► Explain about the group dynamics process 2) STRESS MANAGEMENT ► Define the stress and stressor ► Enlist the types of stress and stressors ► Identify the sources of stress ► Know the indicators of stress ► Explain the theories of stress ► Describe the models of stress

► Enumerate the techniques of stress management ► ABC of stress management TERMINOLOGIES ► Group - Is an association of two or more people in an interdependent relationship with shared purposes. ► Group dynamics –Work done by a group of people working together. ► Group maturity - The ability and willingness of group members to set goals and work toward their accomplishment. ► Relationships means how well people in the group work together ► Stress - a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense ► Stressors - Any agent that causes stress to an organism ► Task roles - which helps the group accomplish its task ► Relationship roles - which helps group members get along better. ► Forming - pretending to get on or get along with others ► Storming - letting down the politeness barrier and trying to get down to the issues even if tempers flare up. ► Performing - working in a group to a common goal on a highly efficient and cooperative basis. ► Norming - getting used to each other and developing trust and productivity. ► Meditation – It is a holistic discipline during which time the practitioner trains his or her mind in order to realize some benefit. ► Relaxation technique (also known as relaxation training) is any method, process, procedure, or activity that helps a person to relax.

► Fractional relaxation is a method of releasing muscular tension in one small part of the body at a time, such as relaxing one finger, then relaxing another, then adding another

DEFINITION GROUP:  A group may be defined as a number of individuals who join together to achieve a goal. People join groups to achieve goals that cannot be achieved by them alone. Johnson & Johnson (2006)  A collection of people who interact with one another, accept rights and obligations as members and who share a common identity.  A group is an association of two or more people in an interdependent relationship with shared purposes. GROUP DYNAMICS:  A branch of social psychology which studies problems involving the structure of a group.  The interactions that influence the attitudes and behavior of people when they are grouped with others through either choice or accidental circumstances.  A field of social psychology concerned with the nature of human groups, their development, and their interactions with individuals, other groups, and larger organizations. TYPE OF GROUPS Formal groups: refers to those which are established under the legal or formal authority with the view to achieve a particular end results. Eg: trade unions. Informal groups: refers to aggregate of personal contact and interaction and network of relationship among individual. Eg: friendship group. Primary groups: are characterized by small size, face to face interaction and intimacy among members of group. Eg: family, neighbourhood group. Secondary groups: characterized by large size, individual identification with the values and beliefs prevailing in them rather than cultural interaction. Eg: occupational association and ethnic group. Task groups: are composed of people who work together to perform a task but involve cross-command relationship. Eg: for finding out who was responsible for causing wrong medication order would require liaison between ward in charge, senior sister and head nurse.

Social groups: refers to integrated system of interrelated psychological group formed to accomplish defined objectives. Eg: political party with its many local political clubs. friendship group. Reference groups: one in which they would like to belong. Membership groups: those where the individual actually belongs. Command groups: formed by subordinates reporting directly to the particular manager are determined by formal organizational chart. Functional groups: the individuals work together daily on similar tasks. Problem solving groups: it focuses on specific issues in their areas of responsibility, develops potential solution and often empowered to take action.

CRITERIA FOR A GROUP ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Formal social structure Face-to-face interaction 2 or more persons Common fate Common goals Interdependence Self-definition as group members Recognition by others

OBJECTIVES OF GROUP DYNAMICS  To identify and analyze the social processes that impact on group development and performance.  To acquire the skills necessary to intervene and improve individual and group performance in an organizational context.  To build more successful organizations by applying techniques that provide positive impact on goal achievement. PRINCIPLES OF GROUP DYNAMICS ♪ The members of the group must have a strong sense of belonging to the group. ♪ Changes in one part of the group may produce stress in other person, which can be reduced only by eliminating or allowing the change by bringing about readjustment in the related parts ♪ The group arises and functions owing to common motives. ♪ Groups survive by placing the members into functional hierarchy and facilitating the action towards the goals ♪ The intergroup relations, group organization and member participation is essential for effectiveness of a group.

♪ Information relating to needs for change, plans for change and consequences of changes must be shared by members of a group. ELEMENTS OF GROUP DYNAMICS COMMUNICATION One of the easiest aspects of group process to observe is the pattern of communication. The kinds of observations we make give us clues to other important things which may be going on in the group such as who leads whom or who influences whom. ♥ Who talks? For how long? How often? ♥ Who do people look at when they talk? ♥ Who talks after whom, or who interrupts whom? ♥ Style of communication used? ♥ How are silent people treated? Is silence due to disagreement, disinterest, fear, fatigue? CONTENT VS PROCESS When we observe what the group is talking about, we are focusing on the content. When we try to observe how the group is handling its communication, i.e., who talks how much or who talks to whom, we are talking about group process. In fact, the content of group discussion often tells us what process issue may be on people's minds. At a simpler level, looking at process really means to focus on what is going on in the group and trying to understand it in terms of other things that have gone on in the group. DECISION Many kinds of decisions are made in groups without considering the effects these decisions have on other members. Some try to impose their own decisions on the group, while others want all members to participate or share in the decisions that are made. Some decisions are made consciously after much debate and voting. Others are made silently when no one objects to suggestion. INFLUENCE Some people may speak very little, yet they may capture the attention of the whole group. Others may talk a lot—but other members may pay little attention to them TASK VS RELATIONSHIPS The group's task is the job to be done. People who are concerned with the task tend to: ♥ Make suggestions as to the best way to proceed or deal with a problem ♥ Attempt to summarize what has been covered or what has been going on in the group

♥ Give or ask for facts, ideas, opinions, feelings, feedback, or search for alternatives. Relationships means how well people in the group work together. People who are concerned with relationships tend to: ♥ Be more concerned with how people feel than how much they know ♥ Help others get into the discussion ♥ Encourage people with friendly remarks and gestures. ROLES Behavior in the group can be of 3 types: ♥ TASK ROLES (which helps the group accomplish its task)  Initiator: proposing tasks or goals; defining a group problem; suggesting ways to solve a problem.  Information/opinion seeker: requesting facts; asking for expressions of feeling; requesting a statement; seeking suggestions and ideas.  Information or opinion giver: offering facts; providing relevant information; stating an opinion; giving suggestions and ideas.  Clarifier and elaborator: interpreting ideas or suggestions; clearing up confusion; defining terms; indicating alternatives and issues before the group.  Summarizor: pulling together related ideas; restating suggestions after the group has discussed them; offering a decision or conclusion for the group to accept or reject.  Energizer; who stimulates and prods the group to act and raise the level of their actions.  Coordinator: who clarifies and coordinates ideas, suggestions and activities of the group members. ♥ RELATIONSHIP ROLES (which helps group members get along better)  Harmonizer: who mediates, harmonizes and resolve conflicts.  Gate keeper: helping to keep communication channels open; facilitating the participation of others; suggesting procedures that permit sharing remarks.  Encourager; being friendly, warm, and responsive to others; indicating by facial expression or remarks the acceptance of others' contributions.  Compromiser: when one's own idea or status is involved in a conflict, offering a compromise which yields status; admitting error.  Follower: who accepts the group’s ideas and listens to their discussion and decisions. ♥ SELF-ORIENTED ROLES (which contributes to neither group task nor group relationship)  Dominator: interrupts others; launches on long monologues; is over-positive; tries to lead group and assert authority; is generally autocratic.

 Negativist: rejects ideas suggested by others; takes a negative attitude on issues; argues frequently and unnecessarily; is pessimistic, refuses to cooperate; pouts.  Aggressor: tries to achieve importance in group; boasts; criticizes or blames others; tries to get attention; shows anger or irritation against group or individuals; deflates importance or position of others in group.  Playboy: is not interested in the group except as it can help him or her to have a good time.  Storyteller: likes to tell long "fishing stories" which are not relevant to the group; gets off on long tangents.  Interrupter: talks over others; engages in side conversations; whispers to neighbour. MEMBERSHIP One major concern for group members is the degree of acceptance or inclusion they feel in the group. ♥ Are there any sub-groupings? Sometimes two or three members may consistently agree and support each other or consistently disagree and oppose one another. ♥ Do some people seem to be outside the group? Do some members seem to be "in"? How those ―outside‖ are treated? ♥ Do some members move in and out of the group? Under what conditions do they move in and out? FEELINGS During any group discussion, feelings are frequently generated by the interactions between members. These feelings, however, are seldom talked about. Observers may have to make guesses based on tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and many other forms of nonverbal cues. NORMS Standard or group rules always develop in a group in order to control the behavior of members. Norms usually express the beliefs or desires of the majority of the group members as to what behaviors should or should not take place in the group. These norms may be clear to all members (explicit), known or sensed by only a few (implicit), or operating completely below the level of awareness of any group members. Some norms help group progress and some hinder it. GROUP ATMOSPHERE Something about the way a group works creates an atmosphere which in turn is revealed in a general impression. Insight can be gained into the atmosphere characteristic of a group by finding words which describe the general impression held by group members. GROUP MATURITY

Group maturity is defined as the ability and willingness of group members to set goals and work toward their accomplishment. Characteristic of mature group: ♥ An increasing ability to be self-directed (not dependent on the leader). ♥ An increased tolerance in accepting that progress takes time. ♥ An increasing sensitivity to their own feelings and those of others. ♥ Improvement in the ability to withstand tension, frustration and disagreement. ♥ An increased ability to change plans and methods as new situations develop. Assessing group maturity is especially important for a group leader. An immature group needs direction. Directive leadership is usually best. If a group is very mature, nondirective leadership is usually best. In between the extremes of very mature and very immature, democratic leadership will be the best bet depending on the situation. STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT I.BRUCE W TUCKMAN is a respected educational psychologist who first described the four stages of group development in 1965. The four-stage model is called as Tuckman's Stages for a group. Tuckman's model states that the ideal group decision-making process should occur in four stages:

Stage 1: Forming (pretending to get on or get along with others) Individual behaviour is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or conflict. Serious issues and feelings are avoided, and people focus on being busy with routines, such as team organization, who does what, when to meet, etc. But individuals are also gathering information and impressions - about each other, and about the scope of the task and how to approach it. This is a comfortable stage to be in, but the avoidance of conflict and threat means that not much actually gets done.

Stage 2: Storming (letting down the politeness barrier and trying to get down to the issues even if tempers flare up)

Individuals in the group can only remain nice to each other for so long, as important issues start to be addressed. Some people's patience will break early, and minor confrontations will arise that are quickly dealt with or glossed over. These may relate to the work of the group itself, or to roles and responsibilities within the group. Some will observe that it's good to be getting into the real issues, whilst others will wish to remain in the comfort and security of stage 1. Depending on the culture of the organization and individuals, the conflict will be more or less suppressed, but it'll be there, under the surface. To deal with the conflict, individuals may feel they are winning or losing battles, and will look for structural clarity and rules to prevent the conflict persisting.

Stage 3: Norming (getting used to each other and developing trust and productivity) As Stage 2 evolves, the "rules of engagement" for the group become established, and the scopes of the group’s tasks or responsibilities are clear and agreed. Having had their arguments, they now understand each other better, and can appreciate each other's skills and experience. Individuals listen to each other, appreciate and support each other, and are prepared to change pre-conceived views: they feel they're part of a cohesive, effective group. However, individuals have had to work hard to attain this stage, and may resist any pressure to change especially from the outside - for fear that the group will break up, or revert to a storm.

Stage 4: Performing (working in a group to a common goal on a highly efficient and cooperative basis) Not all groups reach this stage, characterised by a state of interdependence and flexibility. Everyone knows each other well enough to be able to work together, and trusts each other enough to allow independent activity. Roles and responsibilities change according to need in an almost seamless way. Group identity, loyalty and morale are all high, and everyone is equally task-orientated and people-orientated. This high degree of comfort means that all the energy of the group can be directed towards the task(s) in hand. Ten years after first describing the four stages, Bruce Tuckman revisited his original work and described another, final, stage in 1977:

Stage 5: Adjourning (mourning the adjournment of the group) This is about completion and disengagement, both from the tasks and the group members. Individuals will be proud of having achieved much and glad to have been part of such an enjoyable group. They need to recognize what they've done, and consciously move on. Some authors describe stage 5 as "Deforming and Mourning", recognizing the sense of loss felt by group members. In the real world, groups are often forming and changing, and each time that happens, they can move to a different Tuckman Stage. A group might be happily Norming or Performing, but a new member might force them back into Storming. Seasoned leaders will be ready for this, and will help the group get back to Performing as quickly as possible. Many work groups live in the comfort of Norming, and are fearful of moving back into Storming, or forward into Performing. This will govern their behaviour towards each other, and especially their reaction to change. II. M. SCOTT PECK developed stages for larger-scale groups (i.e., communities) which are similar to Tuckman's stages of group development. Peck describes the stages of a community as: ► Pseudo-community ► Chaos ► Emptiness ► True Community DIMENSIONS OF GROUP PROCESS Some of the aspects of group process that a process consultant would look at include: ♠ Patterns of communication and coordination ♠ Patterns of influence ♠ Roles / relationship ♠ Patterns of dominance (e.g. who leads, who defers) ♠ Balance of task focus Vs social focus ♠ Level of group effectiveness GROUP DYNAMICS PROCESS A. GROUP FORMATION A group is able to share experiences, to provide feedback, to pool ideas, to generate insights, and provide an arena for analysis of experiences. The group provides a measure of support and reassurance. Moreover, as a group, learners may also plan collectively for change action. Group discussion is a very effective learning method. ► Participation Participation is a fundamental process within a group, because many of the other processes depend upon participation of the various members. Levels and degrees

of participation vary. Some members are active participants while others are more withdrawn and passive. In essence, participation means involvement, concern for the task, and direct or indirect contribution to the group goal. If members do not participate, the group ceases to exist. Factors which affect member’s participation are; ◘ The content or task of the group- is it of interest, importance and relevance? ◘ The physical atmosphere - is it comfortable physically, socially and psychologically? ◘ The psychological atmosphere - is it accepting, non-threatening? ◘ Member’s personal preoccupations - are there any distracting thoughts in their mind? ◘ The level of interaction and discussions - is adequate information provided for everyone to understand? - is it at a level everyone understands? ◘ Familiarity - between group members- do members know each other from before? ► Communication Communication within a group deals with the spoken and the unspoken, the verbal and the non-verbal, the explicit and the implied messages that are conveyed and exchanged relating to information and ideas, and feelings. Two-way communication implies a situation where not only the two parties talk to each other, but that they are listening to each other as well. It helps in clarification of doubts, confusions and misconceptions, both parties understanding each other, receiving and giving of feedback. Helpful hints for effective communication ◘ Have a circular seating arrangement so that everyone can see and interact with everyone else ◘ If there are two facilitators, they should sit apart so that communication flow is not in one direction ◘ Respect individuals- let everyone call everyone else by name respectfully ◘ Encourage and support the quiet members to voice their opinions ◘ Try and persuade the people who speak too much to give others a chance ◘ Ensure that only one person speaks at a time or no one else will be heard ◘ Discourage sub groups from indulging in side talk ► Problem solving Most groups find themselves unable to solve problems because they address the problem at a superficial level. After that they find themselves blocked because they cannot figure out why the problem occurred and how they can tackle it. An effective problem solving procedure would be to: ◘ Clearly define the problem: Is it what appears on the surface or are there deep hidden aspects? ◘ Try to thoroughly explore and understand the causes behind the problem ◘ Collect additional information, from elsewhere if necessary, and analyze it to understand the problem further

◘ The group should suspend criticism and judgment for a while and try to combine each other's ideas or add on improvements. The objectives should be to generate as many ideas and suggestions as possible. This is called "brainstorming" in a group, when individuals try lateral thinking. ► Leadership Leadership involves focusing the efforts of the people towards a common goal and to enable them to work together as one. In general we designate one individual as a leader. This individual may be chosen from within or appointed from outside. Thus, one member may provide leadership with respect to achieving the goal while a different individual may be providing leadership in maintaining the group as a group. These roles can switch and change. B. DEVELOPMENT OF GROUPS The developmental process of small groups can be viewed in several ways. Firstly, it is useful to know the persons who compose a particular small group. ◘ People bring their past experiences ◘ People come with their personalities (their perceptions, attitudes and values) ◘ People also come with a particular set of expectations. The priorities and expectations of persons comprising a group can influence the manner in which the group develops over a period of time Stages Viewing the group as a whole we observe definite patterns of behavior occurring within a group. These can be grouped into stages. ► FIRST STAGE The initial stage in the life of a group is concerned with forming a group. This stage is characterized by members seeking safety and protection, tentativeness of response, seeking superficial contact with others, demonstrating dependency on existing authority figures. Members at this stage either engage in busy type of activity or show apathy. ► SECOND STAGE The second stage in this group is marked by the formation of dyads and triads. Members seek out familiar or similar individuals and begin a deeper sharing of self. Continued attention to the subgroup creates a differentiation in the group and tensions across the dyads /triads may appear. Pairing is a common phenomenon. ► THIRD STAGE The third developmental stage is marked by a more serious concern about task performance. The dyads/triads begin to open up and seek out other members in the group. Efforts are made to establish various norms for task performance. Members begin to take greater responsibility for their own group and relationship while the authority figure becomes relaxed. ► FOURTH STAGE

This is a stage of a fully functional group where members see themselves as a group and get involved in the task. Each person makes a contribution and the authority figure is also seen as a part of the group. Group norms are followed and collective pressure is exerted to ensure the effectiveness of the group. The group redefines its goals in the light of information from the outside environment and shows an autonomous will to pursue those goals. The long-term viability of the group is established and nurtured. C. FACILITATING A GROUP A group cannot automatically function effectively, it needs to be facilitated. Facilitation can be described as a conscious process of assisting a group to successfully achieve its task while functioning as a group. Facilitation can be performed by members themselves, or with the help of an outsider. To facilitate effectively the facilitator needs to: ◘ Understand what is happening within the group ◘ Be aware of his/her own personality and ◘ Know how to facilitate CONCLUSION: Group dynamics refers to the understanding of the behavior of people in groups, such as task groups, that are trying to solve a problem or make a decision. Group norms are followed and collective pressure is exerted to ensure the effectiveness of the group. The group provides a measure of support and reassurance. Moreover, as a group, learners may also plan collectively for change action.