The concept of group cohesion. Factors affecting group cohesion. Characteristics of a group with high cohesion. Influence of group cohesion level on its effectiveness. Permeability of group boundaries Factors affecting group cohesion

Cohesion (intragroup integration)- the unity of behavior of group members, based on common interests, values, norms of behavior. The unity of behavior means the coherence of the actions of the members of the group in achieving common goals. The condition under which unity characterizes precisely cohesion is that the members of the group have choices one behavior or another, freedom of choice actions. Factors affecting group cohesion are presented in Table. 2.4.

Factors affecting group cohesion

Table 2.4


	increasing group cohesion	reducing group cohesion
existence	Long period of collaboration	Short lifespan of the group
Difficulty joining a group		Ease of joining the group
Group size and the ability of group members to interact with each other	A small number of group members (five - seven people)	Large group size. Opportunities for each member of the group to interact with each other are reduced
Agreement regarding goals	Present	Is absent
The interconnectedness of the tasks facing the group	Present	Is absent
The complexity of the tasks facing the group
Group composition by age	Little difference in age	Big difference in age
Group composition by gender	Women's team	Male team
External threat
Competition	Intergroup	Intragroup
Group work experience	Positive	Negative

HR managers can have a major impact on building or breaking cohesion. German experts W. Siegert and L. Lang give the following recommendations for this.

To strengthen cohesion:

1) help the group experience shared success;
2) try to strengthen the trust of the group members in each other, and above all in the leader;
3) develop a sense of belonging to a group as a sense of a certain specialness, specialness, strengthen this feeling by holding joint group activities, demonstrating great potential, new opportunities in solving problems that open up in joint work;
4) make sure that belonging to the group brings joy, meets the motivation for belonging, respect, self-respect, prestige;
5) keep the group's faith in the reality of solving the tasks.

To break cohesion:

1) in a dramatic form, demonstrate to the group the futility of its activities;
2) show the group the impossibility of achieving its goals;
3) sow mistrust among people, and above all to the leader of the group;
4) form "schismatic" subgroups, encourage flight from the group, encourage defectors, and best of all, turn the leader of the group into a defector;
5) associate a sense of belonging to a group with a sense of inferiority, fatigue, dissatisfaction;
6) eliminate the leader by moving him to another place of work.

If the level of cohesion is high and the group accepts the goals of the organization and agrees with them, then the behavior of the group will be positive from the point of view of the organization (Table 2.5).

If the group has high cohesion and its goals do not coincide with the goals of the organization, then the behavior of the group will be negative from the point of view of the organization.

Table 2.5

Interdependence between group cohesion and alignment with organizational goals

It also follows from this table that if the group has a low level of cohesion and its members pursue goals that do not coincide with the goals of management, then the results will probably be negative from the point of view of the organization. The basis for the development of rules is to a greater extent the behavior of the individual, rather than the group, since the group has a low level of cohesion, however, the goals of the group may coincide with the goals of the organization. In this case, the results are likely to be positive, although more on an individual basis than on a group basis.

Table 2.6 shows the activities that affect group cohesion.

Activities that affect group cohesion

Table 2.6

Groups with a high level of cohesion represent a serious force in the organization. In other words, the organization should bring together people who have a certain similarity, set a common goal for them and reward them for the work done. At first glance, this might seem like a good idea. However, there is pattern thinking of a cohesive group, about which leaders should not forget.

Cohesive group pattern thinking occurs when cohesive groups' desire for agreement prevents the group from considering alternative solutions. This phenomenon has been analyzed by Irwin Janis, who, after studying the foreign policy decision-making of several presidential administrations, concluded that these groups had a high level of cohesion and had close ties. He defined template thinking as "a threat to the effectiveness of thinking, the study of reality and moral judgment" in the inter-

sah group solidarity. I. Janis gave a description of the following characteristics of template thinking.

The illusion of invulnerability. The members of the group believe they are invincible.

tendency to moralize. The group learns a general assessment of some phenomenon and perceives any other assessment as weakness, evil or ignorance.

Feeling of unanimity. The solidarity of a group on some issue may lead to the fact that individual members do not express their personal opinion, which is different from the opinion of the group, for fear of appearing “weak” or “soft”.

Influence on the decision approval process. Groups can seriously influence members to agree on a decision.

Rationalization- distraction from any possible negative consequences of the decisions made.

Negative attitude towards outsiders. The group shows a similar attitude towards anyone expressing, even if fair, critical remarks about the adopted group decision.

Self-censorship- the manifestation of justified doubts under the pretext of group loyalty.

direct pressure- sharp criticism by colleagues or leaders of proposals that contradict the group's attitudes.

Opinion filtering- ignoring uncomfortable facts or points of view that are not even brought up for discussion.

"Devil's Advocate"- a person who defends a clearly wrong cause.

The main manifestations and ways to prevent group unanimity are presented in Table. 2.7.

Table 2.7

group consensus

Symptoms

Warning methods

the decision being made. The desire of individual members of the group to be perceived as "team players". Accession of individual members of the group to the point of view of its most influential members, who enjoy authority, trust, stubbornly defending their position

Negative attitude towards outsiders. Self-censorship. direct pressure. Opinion filtering. Illusion of unanimity

Encouragement of group discussions, debates, conflicts in the decision-making process.

Calmly listening to different points of view and criticism.

Giving everyone the opportunity to express their opinion. Separation in time of the processes of generating ideas and their evaluations.

Giving subordinates the opportunity to express their opinion first and only then hear the opinion of the formal leader.

The appointment of one of the members of the group to the role of "devil's advocate".

Participation in the work of a group of independently minded people who are not its formal members

The most important method for studying cohesion in a group is sociometry method, which allows you to determine the mutual positive and negative relations of group members and, on this basis, to obtain a quantitative assessment of interpersonal intra-group relations.

When conducting a sociometric survey, each member of the group fills out a sociometric card (sociomap) (Fig. 2.8). Analysis of the obtained results allows us to determine the following types of interpersonal relationships: predisposition (positive choice); deviation (negative choice).

Rice.

The questions included in the sociomap can be directed to the production area, for example:

Which member of the group do you consider the most qualified worker?

Which of your colleagues do you prefer (can) contact with a question in case of problems?

With which of your colleagues would you like to work in the same group?

Another part of the questions may relate only to the sphere of interpersonal relations, for example:

Which of your colleagues would you like to invite to visit?

The issue of a sociometric card, which is especially significant for this group, was called sociometric criteria.

Methods for processing sociometric information are as follows.

1. Graphical method - construction sociograms, those. graphic representation of interpersonal relationships in a team (Fig. 2.9). In the sociogram, each member of the group is represented by a symbol with a number corresponding to this worker.
2. The quantitative method involves the construction of sociometric matrices (sociomatrices) and the calculation of sociometric indices (Fig. 2.10).

Rice.

Rice. 2.10.

Based on the filling of sociomaps by all members of the group, for each criterion, a sociometric matrix is separately constructed, in which the data of sociomaps are summarized. The sociomatrix is a table, the rows of which indicate who chooses (/-member), and in the columns - who is chosen (/-member). The number of rows and columns in the sociomatrix is equal to the number of members of the study group. The names of the members of the group both horizontally and vertically coincide.

The processing of sociomatrix data involves counting the number of assessments received and made (choice) for each member of the group individually, as well as for the group as a whole.

On the basis of the sociomatrix, both personal and group sociometric indices.

Sociometric status index takes into account the attitude of the group to a certain member of it and characterizes the magnitude of the prestige of each employee in various situations of interaction.

It is calculated according to the formula

where C is the index of the sociometric status of the y-th member of the group;

R*- the number of received positive choices;

R7- number of received negative choices;

N- number of group members.

Expansive index characterizes the degree of sociability of the employee and reflects the attitude of each member to the group as a whole. It is calculated according to the formula

where E.- expansion index;

R!- the number of positive choices made; R:- the number of negative choices made; N- number of group members.

In addition to the named general personal sociometric indices, the position of each employee in the structure of interpersonal intra-collective relations can be characterized by measuring the indices of positive or negative status, positive or negative expansiveness. When calculating them, only positive or only negative choices are taken into account.

By the value of the index of personal sociometric status, one can judge the degree of authority, ranking place, popularity of each member of the group. This provides a basis for determining what socio-psychological position each worker occupies in the group. Sociometric research reveals the following socio-psychological positions of the group members: the leader-"star", preferred, isolated, rejected. The leader of the group, its most authoritative member, has the highest sociometric status index and ranks first on the authority scale.

Group sociometric indices characterize interpersonal relationships that have developed in the group in different activities. Among group sociometric indices, the most informative are the index of group sociometric status, the index of group expansiveness, the index of reciprocity, etc. Group sociometric indices can be used to compare the level of intra-collective cohesion of several groups.

1) evaluate the potential capabilities of people and distribute role positions among them in the group;
2) designate the place and importance of each member of the group in solving a common problem;
3) set a common goal for the group, not forgetting to convince everyone that the common goal is also his personal goal;
4) allocate duties, responsibilities, rights, power and funds by developing competent job descriptions and balancing resources;
5) discuss the first difficulties, focusing on identifying their causes;
6) invite the group to constantly qualify their activities;
7) stabilize, unite the group, create a favorable climate, and then simulate a crisis so that people learn to resolve contradictions and conflicts (a task that requires time, resources, confidence in the achievability of expected results and the participation of a small but qualified group of sociopsychologists);
8) develop collective decision making. Assign authorship to the group, but within the group give credit to each according to his contribution;
9) develop permanent performance evaluation criteria and follow them;
10) conduct a collective and public analysis of contradictions;
11) maintain the main values in the group: respect for everyone, assessment by contribution, focus on the positive in a person, openness, democracy, taking into account individual characteristics;
12) reveal the meaning and significance of the work, the place and value of each in the common cause;
13) decentralize power and give complete independence to all members of the group (but do not forget what was said in paragraph 4);
14) Encourage initiative, eliminate the practice of looking for the guilty. It is important to find the causes and ways to eliminate errors;
15) do not forget about constant professional development and a sense of perspective for everyone;
16) resolve all group problems jointly and publicly;
17) give constant information about the achievements of each;
18) give all members of the group the right to freely communicate any information, express any opinions or doubts about any issue under discussion;
19) appoint one member of the group to the role of a "devil's advocate" - a person who defends an obviously wrong cause or is engaged in "chicanery", looking for flaws, inaccuracies, dubious provisions, mistakes, criticizing the decisions made from various points of view. This helps to quickly make the right decision, acceptable to everyone and comprehensively justified;
20) listen to different points of view and criticism as calmly as what coincides with your point of view;
21) Separate the effort of generating ideas from their evaluation. First collect all the proposals, and then discuss the pros and cons of each of them;
22) first listen to the ideas of subordinates of lower ranks, then those of a higher rank, and only after that state your own.

Organizational behavior in tables and diagrams / under scientific. ed. G.R. Latfullina, O.N. Thunderous. pp. 133-135.
Siegert W., Lang P. Lead without conflict. M., 1990. S. 106-110.
Gibson D.L., Ivantsevich D., Donelly J.H. Jr. Organization: behavior, structure, processes. M., 2000. S. 215.
Dikareva A.A., Mirskaya M.I. Sociology of labor. M., 1989.
Vlasova N. "... And you will wake up as a boss": in 3 books. Book. 2. M., 1994.

The need for research into group dynamics was recognized in the 1930s in various spheres of life. This was due to the fact that the widespread practice of forming various groups in psychiatry, pedagogy, business, the state apparatus, etc. raised the question of how to manage them and how to respond to the processes taking place in groups.

In 1945, a center for the study of group dynamics was established at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the main tasks of which were not only to study the patterns of group dynamics and their theoretical generalization, but also to develop methods for changing the life of groups.

When describing and explaining the principles of group dynamics, K. Levin relied on the laws of Gestalt psychology.

If we consider the group as something whole, then some of the patterns of group dynamics discovered by K. Levin can indeed be explained by the action of two basic laws of Gestalt psychology.

1) The whole dominates its parts.

a group is not just a sum of individuals: it modifies the behavior of its members;
from the outside it is easier to influence the behavior of the whole group than the behavior of its individual member;
each member recognizes that it is dependent on all other members.

2) Separate elements are combined into a whole:

not the similarity, but the relationship of members is the basis for the formation of the group;
a person tends to become a member of the group with which he identifies himself, and not at all the one on which he is most dependent;
a person remains among those to whom he feels he belongs, even if their behavior seems unfair and the pressure is unfriendly.

In the modern sense, group dynamics is the development or movement of a group in time, due to the interaction and relationships of group members among themselves, as well as external influences on the group.

The study of social technologies of group dynamics is included in the training courses for managers*. In the context of the socio-psychological training of managers, the social technology of group dynamics is considered as a system that includes;

impact on informal groups in formal organizations;
impacts in formal organizations and informal groups;
psychologization of the leader's personal influence; dynamics of leadership relations in the group; conflict and stress management, etc.

The concept of group dynamics includes five basic elements and several additional ones. Main elements.

group goals,
group rules,
group structure and leadership problem,
group cohesion,
phases of group development. Additional elements.
the creation of a subgroup (as the development of the structure of the group);
the relationship of the individual with the group (also seen as the development of group structure).

Consider the basic elements of group dynamics.
1) OBJECTIVES OF THE GROUP are determined by the more general system of practical work with people the group is included in, and to a large extent by the personal qualities of its leader. The goals of the group may not coincide with the goals of individual members. This creates group dynamics, the results of which are not always predictable.

The goal of the group can be: convergence of personal goals, inductor of interaction.

2)GROUP RATES arise as a result of the pursuit of a common goal, the desire to maintain the stability of the group, common ideas that have developed in the group, imitation of other groups, fear of sanctions.

The norms developed by the group itself are defended by its members. The group exerts pressure on its members, forcing them to obey" these norms.

3) GROUP STRUCTURE AND LEADERSHIP PROBLEM.
A leader is such a member of a small group, writes N. S. Zherebova, who is nominated as a result of the interaction of its members or organizes a group around him in accordance with his norms and value orientations of the group and contributes to the organization and management of this group while achieving group goals. The leader leads the group, organizes, plans and manages the activities of the group, while showing a higher level of activity than all other members of the group.

Leader is the social role of a particular individual in a group. In 1957, R. Schindler singled out four most common group roles and one less common:

leader (who impresses the group, encourages it to act, forms a program of action);
expert (has special knowledge, abilities, skills that the group always needs or that the group simply respects);
passive and accommodating members (trying to maintain their anonymity);
the most "extreme" member of the group (who lags behind everyone because of his own mediocrity, difference from the rest, or fear);
adversary (oppositionist actively opposing the leader).

Many other roles can occur in groups, for example:

martyr (calling for help and at the same time refusing it);
the moralist (who is always right);
interceptor (capturing the initiative from the leader);
pet (awakening tender feelings and constantly in need of protection);
aggressor,
provocateur,
oppositionist,
defender,
whiner,
pedant,
rescuer,
victim, etc.

The group is always striving to expand the repertoire of roles. A. B. Dobrovich developed psychological techniques for expanding the repertoire of roles in the group. These techniques are widely used in group work.

The structure of the group can be revealed using sociometry. The obtained data are used to control the processes of group dynamics.

4) GROUP CONSISTENCY- this is the mutual attraction of the members of the fupgga. Cohesiveness factors include:

the attractiveness of group members (i.e., the degree of sympathy felt for them by others);
similarity of views of group members (most often values and attitudes);
similarity of attitude towards group goals (their correspondence to the needs of group members, etc.);
the nature of the relationship of group members (most often on the basis of their adoption of a common - cooperative and competitive - strategy of behavior);
satisfaction with group activities (as part of overall job satisfaction);
the nature of leadership and decision-making (leadership style and participation of group members in the development of group decisions);
structural properties of the group (mainly models of communication networks and status-role aspects of the structure);
group atmosphere (its analogue, as a rule, are the features of interpersonal relations that develop between members of the group);
group size.

S. Kratochvil highlights the following cohesion factors:

meeting the personal needs of individuals in a group or with the help of a group;
group goals that are in line with individual needs; mutual dependence when working on specific tasks
benefits arising from membership in the group, and the expectation of undoubted benefits from it;
various kinds of sympathy between members of the group, their mutual attraction;
each member's motivation for his membership in the group, including the effort he made to get into it;
friendly, relaxed atmosphere;
prestige of the group, and hence membership in it;
the influence of group activity: a) the attractiveness of common actions (interesting, fun, exciting activities that cause a general experience of positive emotions); b) group techniques to enhance group cohesion;
rivalry with another group or groups;
hostile, hostile attitude of society towards the group.

As a result of uniting in a group of people who differ in positions, views, behavior patterns, plans and needs, there is tension in relationships.

It is clear that a dynamic balance must be struck between cohesion and tension (cohesive people feel supported by each other, and tension in relationships breeds dissatisfaction with oneself and other members of the group).

5) GROUP DEVELOPMENT PHASES. Usually there are several phases. So, according to the strategic concept of A.V. Petrovsky, the phases of the development of land mines are determined by the following criteria:

firstly, the degree of mediation of interpersonal relations in the group by the content of joint activities;
secondly, the social significance of the latter.

Based on these criteria A. V. Petrovsky highlights the following small group development phases:

diffuse group (community, interpersonal relations in which are not mediated by the content of joint activities, its goals, significance and values);
association group (belonging to a community begins to be recognized as a condition for the effectiveness of further actions);
group-cooperation (interpersonal relations are mediated by the content of joint activity that is significant for each);
group-collective (interpersonal relations are mediated by personally significant and socially valuable content of group activity);
corporation (a group in which interpersonal relations are mediated by the content of group activity that is personally significant for its members, but also social, and sometimes antisocial in its settings).

It is not possible to agree with all the characteristics and definitions, but we reproduce the fact of their presence in the dynamic series of group development as described by A. V. Petrovsky and V. V. Shpalinsky in the textbook "Social Psychology of the Collective" (M. 1978).

The following factors contribute to the increase in group cohesion:

agreement on goals;

interaction frequency;

personal attraction;

intergroup competition;

favorable ratings.

Factors that reduce cohesion in a group include:

lack of agreement on goals; anonymous casino is a Litecoin and Bitcoin casino and is dedicated to provide

large group size;

unpleasant communication experience;

intragroup competition;

dominance of one or more members.

It follows from the above that in order to encourage cohesion it is necessary:

reduce the composition of the group (5 - 7 people);

encourage group members to agree with its goals;

stimulate competition with other groups;

reward all group members;

Isolate the group by giving it shared territory and time to socialize.

If the goal of the leader is to weaken the cohesion of the group, aimed at achieving narrow group, selfish interests that impede the effectiveness of the organization, then the leader must take the opposite measures:

increase the composition of the group;

encourage disagreement of group members with its goals;

exclude competition with other groups;

reward each employee individually;

divide the group geographically, reduce the time for communication.

The social structure of the labor collective is a set of relatively stable links between the elements of the social system, reflecting its essential characteristics. Social structure - the internal structure of a society or social group; an ordered set of interconnected and interacting social groups, social institutions and relations between them. The social structure of the labor collective is a characteristic of the labor collective by sex, age, professions, nationalities and other social indicators. The labor collective as a social organism has a certain social structure as a set of principles of mutual arrangement, interconnections and relationships of the constituent elements that make up an integral system. There are production-functional, target, vocational, socio-demographic, socio-organizational, socio-psychological and national social structures. The production-functional includes production units that produce products, sell them, manage, plan, stimulate, etc. In this social structure, there are three levels of teams: the highest (main), middle (secondary) and lower (primary). The highest (main) is the production team, which is an independent socio-economic unit with established norms of industrial and social life, labor traditions and rules and consisting of secondary teams: workshops, sections, services - which in their structure have many primary teams: brigades , shifts, groups, etc. The entire workforce of organizations, depending on the functions performed, is divided into two groups: industrial and production personnel (PPP) and non-industrial personnel (NP). The composition of the PPP includes all employees of the main activity: managers, specialists, technical performers, main and auxiliary workers, students, employees of the paramilitary and guard guards, fire protection, employees of research and design and technological divisions. The composition of the NP includes employees of housing and communal services, cultural and community and medical services, auxiliary agricultural enterprises, sports facilities, teaching and service personnel of preschool institutions, etc. The target social structure is considered as a combination of all levels of the social structure (higher, middle, lower), interconnected by a common goal and tasks of both an industrial and socio-psychological nature, expressing the same interests, common value orientations. The professional qualification social structure is a social form of the professional division of labor. It involves the division of groups according to the level of education, professions, and within professions - according to qualifications, total work experience, work experience in a given profession, in a given organization. The socio-demographic social structure characterizes the labor collective, dividing it into groups by sex, age, marital status, income level, etc. In each group, it is important to study the specific needs, interests of its members, the nature of reproduction, development prospects and other characteristics. The socio-organizational social structure expresses the system of relations in the labor collective, in which formal and informal associations are always formed. The discrepancy between the interests of formal and informal groups often leads to conflict situations.

Group cohesion is a process that accompanies a group at all stages of its development. It consists in the formation of a unique type of connections in the group, which make it possible to turn the formal structure, given from the outside, into a psychological community. Cohesion manifests itself in different ways. This can be emotional attraction, and the mutual attachment of group members, and their desire to maintain their group membership, and the unity of values and goals of group members. It should be noted that cohesion is an important characteristic of the state of a group, since a cohesive group not only represents a more efficient single organism, but also has greater attractiveness for each of its members. A close-knit group is characterized by an increase in mutually satisfying communication between participants, closeness of opinions and value orientations, which allows a person to feel comfortable. In a group with a high level of cohesion, a person's self-esteem grows, his level of anxiety decreases, and in addition, the effectiveness of any form of activity of such a group increases.

In itself, cohesion acts for the members of any group as an attractive goal and value, as a group state to which one must strive. Teenage groups striving to achieve a high level of intra-group solidarity and cohesion can serve as an example of this. However, this is not always possible, since the formation of relationships built on cohesion in a group depends on many psychological factors.

Emotional attraction of group members- an important factor in human relationships, which largely determines the nature of communication and the success of joint activities. So, the higher the mutual attractiveness of partners, the more they are satisfied with intra-group interpersonal relationships. However, it would be wrong to think that without mutual attraction neither normal communication nor successful activity of people is possible. This is due to the fact that satisfaction with intra-group relationships can be high even with successful joint activities, even if close emotional relationships are not formed. However, we note that it is difficult to create a cohesive group without taking into account the factor under consideration.

Similarities between group members also plays an important role. These can be various aspects of similarity: age, social, ethnic, etc. But the most important thing is the value similarity, the closeness of the views and social orientations of the members of the group, since in this case the psychological mechanism comes into force, which is that the closer someone else's opinion to his own, the more sympathetic is the person who expresses this point of view. And vice versa: people tend to ignore disagreements and contradictions with the position of an attractive person. The same phenomenon also works in a group: a person gravitates more towards a group whose views and values he shares and in which his own views find support.

More attractive to people and more likely to become a cohesive group whose activities are based not on competition, but on group cooperation, in which the motive of cooperation prevails.

Studies have shown that satisfaction with interpersonal relationships of group members can be regulated compatibility partners that evokes interpersonal attraction, and workability, which gives rise to satisfaction with the results of joint activities.

interpersonal compatibility is a complex psychological effect of combination, interaction of communicating people. There are structural and functional-role compatibility.

Structural compatibility is the compatibility of temperament, character and other personal qualities of partners. Moreover, if in relation to the first two, the hypothesis of complementarity, complementarity of the qualities of partners is confirmed, then in relation to personal properties, the opposite idea has been experimentally confirmed - similarity and proximity (compatibility of partners is high when they possess complementary properties of temperament and character (sanguine - melancholic, choleric - phlegmatic) and similar personal orientations and characteristics (sociability, anxiety, daydreaming, etc.)).

Functional role-playing compatibility is the correspondence of partners' ideas about those interpersonal roles that they will implement themselves and expect from the other in the process of communication and interaction. If the role representations and expectations of the participants coincide, they have a good chance of achieving harmonious relationships built on interpersonal attractiveness.

Workability - another effect of the combination and interaction of people, which allows you to achieve high success in teamwork and satisfaction with your work and with each other. Workability, as a rule, does not lead to the emergence of such phenomena of interpersonal communication as emotional closeness, identification, orientation towards intimate-personal communication of partners. Rather, it is the result of the group's successful implementation of its instrumental functions, which makes it possible to achieve high productivity of activity, high satisfaction of group members with their work and group membership, and also generates a good level of mutual understanding, an adequate reflection by the participants of communication of everything that happens in the group.

In conditions when the members of the group could not achieve a good level of workability or turned out to be incompatible in their characterological, personal properties or role representations, various interpersonal intragroup conflicts develop.

The reason for the cohesion of the group is cooperation, which contributes to the emergence in the group of a number of important and attractive phenomena for members of the group:

with cooperation and the motive of cooperation, the number of intra-group conflicts decreases, and there are all conditions for the successful resolution of emerging objective contradictions;
cooperation promotes free and open communication of people, stimulates convergence of opinions, expands the exchange of information between partners;
cooperation provides mutual support for action, since only joint efforts can lead each member of the group to personal success;
cooperation between members of the group contributes to the cohesion of the entire group.

At the same time, competition between groups in certain activities contributes to the internal cohesion of the participating groups. However, it is important to remember one danger: intergroup competition can lead to intergroup aggression and rejection by group members of each other, which should never be allowed.

Features of group goals. The goals that are set by the group or before the group by its leader help the team to unite if they meet the needs of the members of the group, can be accepted by them as their personal goals (each participant sees personal meaning in what the whole group does), and also if the group can count on success in achieving the goal.

An important characteristic of a group goal should be the clarity and unambiguity of its statement. Abstract global goals that are not concretized into particular tasks (to become harmoniously developed people, friendly, united, etc.), substituting a goal for a means (achieving a specific evaluative result) do not bring the desired effect.

The goal of an activity, in the case when it can really serve as a source of activity for an individual and a factor in cohesiveness of a group, must meet the following requirements:

be final (have a clear result, the achievement of which is not very delayed in time from the moment the goal was adopted);
be clear, specific and understandable to each member of the group. Be sure to check whether all members of the group have the same understanding of the meaning and purpose of what is happening;
be technological (contain the means of achieving it available to members of the group);
be personally attractive to each member of the group (to contain any private goals and means that are interesting or accessible to him). The activity organized in the process of activity should require from each of those skills that he has especially developed or that he would like to develop in himself.

The higher the satisfaction of the participants with the activities of the group and with themselves, the more the group will unite. In turn, satisfaction arises when a number of conditions are met.

It is known that a collegial, cooperative leadership style and the opportunity for each member of the group to take part in the development of a common decision contribute to group cohesion.

Small group communication is a way of activity that facilitates the mutual adaptation of people's behavior. Consequently, the essence of communicative activity is to establish such cooperation, when the behavior of everyone changes and to a certain extent is regulated by the fact of cooperation with other individuals. Small group communication is an exchange that provides cooperative mutual assistance. "An integral characteristic of the system of intragroup relations is the degree of cohesion, the index of which can be the frequency or degree of coincidence of opinions, assessments, attitudes and positions of group members in relation to objects that are most significant for the group as a whole" .

Cohesion is a key concept developed by Kurt Lewin's theory of group dynamics. Cohesion is defined by him as a "total field of forces" that forces the members of the group to remain in it. The group is the more cohesive, the more it meets the needs of people in emotionally rich interpersonal relationships. In close-knit groups, an atmosphere of attentive attitude and mutual support is created, and a sense of group identity is formed among its members. Cohesion also generates emotional attachment, acceptance of common tasks, provides the group with stability even in the most difficult circumstances, contributes to the development of common standards that make the group stable, despite the divergent individual aspirations.

Of particular importance in the mechanism of formation of group cohesion belongs to group pressure. As a result of its action, the individual is subordinated to the group in a situation where there is a conflict between the opinion of the individual and the opinion of the group. This degree of subordination of the individual to group pressure is called conformism, or conformal behavior. For the first time, the model of conformal behavior was studied in experiments by Solomon Asch in 1951.

A specific case of conformism, a kind of conformity "inside out", is negativism - the behavior of an individual who opposes the opinion of the group even when pressure is exerted on him. However, in this case, dependence on the group continues to persist and manifests itself in the form of active production of anti-group behavior, an anti-group position. In other words, the individual continues to retain a link to the group opinion, albeit with a minus sign.

Conformity studies by Morton Deutsch and Harold Gerard identified two types of group influence:

normative, when pressure is exerted by the majority and his opinion is perceived by a member of the group as the norm;
information, when pressure can be exerted by a minority and members of the group consider this opinion as information on the basis of which they themselves must make a choice.

Normative conformism implies the need to submit to the group in order not to be rejected, to maintain good relations with members of the group or to earn their approval.

Information influence occurs when the situation is ambiguous and the opinion of others can be a valuable source of information. It is interesting to note that, after a person agrees with a particular group, he has a rather strong need to justify the chosen decision.

As we can see, conformity manifests itself not only in situations of strong group influence, but also when a person feels incompetent; when the task that he needs to solve seems too difficult for him and he tries to avoid possible mistakes.

Group cohesion in terms of communication processes in a small group was also studied by Leon Festinger. Cohesion was analyzed by him on the basis of data on the frequency and strength of communication links disclosed in the group. The central concept with which the analysis was carried out was the concept of cognitive dissonance, i.e. awareness by an individual of the opposite of his beliefs to the opinion of another person or group.

According to Festinger, the processes of social communication and social influence are closely related to the processes of emergence and elimination of cognitive dissonance. For an individual, a social group is both the main source of cognitive dissonance and the main means of reducing or even completely eliminating it. Thus, the information received in the process of communication may contain elements that are dissonant with the individual's view of any problem or situation. The most effective way to eliminate the dissonance between the opinions of the individual and the group is to adopt a set of cognitive elements that correspond to the group's point of view. Moreover, the dissonance caused by the clash of opinions depends on the following factors.

1. The number of cognitive elements of an individual's opinion that coincide with the opposite opinion. The more consonant relations (coinciding cognitive elements of two expressed opinions), the less the dissonance caused by the disagreement. Thus, in the end, the quantitative characteristic determines degree of disagreement.
2. The importance of cognitive elements included in dissonance. The more important an element is, the greater the dissonance will be. Thus, the more significant the problem is for an individual or an entire group, the more important will be the cognitive elements that indicate the existence of other views on this problem, and the greater the dissonance caused by the expression of disagreement.
3. The authority of a person or group expressing an opposing point of view. The dissonance becomes greater if the opposite opinion is expressed by a person or group recognized as authoritative.

According to Festinger, if there is dissonance, there is also a desire to reduce it. Moreover, the greater the dissonance, the stronger the desire to eliminate it.

Ways to develop a consensus in groups:

independent change in the subject's opinion to a more widespread one (it is the prevalence of an opinion that is a prerequisite for reducing dissonance);
changing the mind of the subject through influence;
affirmation of the superiority of one's own opinion.

At the same time, Festinger draws attention to the possibility for the individual to use the processes of social influence and communication to reduce dissonance. The person will make an effort to get the approval of the group members. He will try to find those who hold a similar point of view, or to influence the opinions of others. Moreover, attempts to influence will be directed mainly to those members of the group who show the greatest degree of disagreement, since the sharper the disagreement, the stronger the dissonance in the mind of the individual.

The development of intragroup interaction, in particular its communicative side, is also influenced by the spatial arrangement of group members. According to the experimental data of Robert Sommer, there is a relationship between the spatial arrangement of people in a certain room and their interaction and attraction.

Proximity location of people in space affects the strengthening of communication, the growth of attraction and friendships. As a rule, people are not placed in a space in a random order. In most situations, one can note the attraction of people to those who cause sympathy, and the desire to distance themselves from those who do not cause the need to communicate. However, this does not happen in groups with a strong decision-maker who tightly controls communication flows.

The choice by members of the group of a particular location in the group space shows a certain relationship of spatial position with the status of the owner. In particular, a position at the intersection of intra-group communications gives its owner the opportunity to control group processes and, consequently, improve his status, become a leader.

In any small group there is also a prevailing "emotional atmosphere" on which the well-being of group members and their actions often depend. Accordingly, actions consistent with the dominant mood are greatly facilitated. Quite often, a group that has developed and exists autonomously negatively perceives the addition of new people to it, evaluating this as an intrusion into the communication network that has formed in the group.

Thus, environmental factors turn out to be an important element of analysis, since it is impossible to give an adequate interpretation of communicative processes in a group without taking into account the specific conditions for their occurrence. For example, it was experimentally revealed: sitting at a table of a square or rectangular shape, group members more often exchanged information with partners opposite them than neighbors. Based on these data, an important practical conclusion was made about the advisability of placing the participants in a group discussion at a small round table in order to ensure uniform communication.

Fundamentals of communication theory. S. 414.
Levine K. Field theory in the social sciences. SPb., 2000.
Myers D. Social Psychology. SPb., 1996. S. 298.
Festinger L. Theory of cognitive dissonance. SPb., 1999. S. 223–271.
Dubovskaya E. M., Krichevsky R. L. Social psychology of a small group. M., 2001. S. 165-166.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

State educational institution

higher professional education

"Siberian State Industrial University"

Institute of Economics and Management

Regional Educational Consulting and Methodological Center for Career Guidance and Promotion of Employment of Graduates "Career"

ESSAY

Group structure. Group Cohesion Factors

Completed:

Art. group ED - 06

U.S. Loginova

Checked:

Senior Lecturer

M.V. Zaitseva

______ ______ ___________

(credited) (date) (signature)

Novokuznetsk

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………...3

1 The concept and stages of group formation………………………………………………….4

2 The structure of the group and the conditions affecting the effectiveness of the group………..7

3 Factors of group cohesion…………………………………………………………..12

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….18

List of sources used…………………………………………………...19

Introduction

Relevance. A group is a real-life formation in which people are brought together, united by one common feature, a type of joint activity, or placed in some identical conditions, circumstances, in a certain way they are aware of their belonging to this formation. Group cohesion is of particular importance. It is one of the main characteristics of the group.

Team cohesion is defined as the similarity of participants' ideas about expectations and norms, about requirements and moral duty. It should be noted that the higher the unity of opinions of the members of the team on certain issues, on which the manifestation of excess activity depends in practice, the more activity should be expected from the members of this team.

It is necessary that everyone in the group learn to understand and evaluate the situation not only from their own position, but also from the position of colleagues. In a close-knit team, each of its members has to put public goals, and not personal ones, in the foreground.

The purpose of the abstract: to consider the structure of the group and determine the factors that affect its cohesion.

Tasks:

to study the concept of a group and the stages of its formation;

consider what determines the effectiveness of the functioning of groups;

to analyze on what factors the strength of group cohesion depends.

1 The concept and stages of group formation

A group is an alliance of two or more people who come together to achieve specific goals. Groups can be formal or informal. Formal groups are those that are provided in the structure of the organization to perform specific tasks. Among formal groups, one can single out groups that function on a relatively permanent basis, for example, a manager and those who are directly subordinate to him, and temporary groups formed for the duration of certain tasks. An example of a temporary group is a group of students united to work together during the preparation of a collective report and its presentation.

Informal groups are created to meet the social needs and communication of people, for example, a group of employees who graduated from the same educational institution, a group of colleagues who have united for a joint vacation, for participation in sports competitions, etc. Such groups should not be underestimated, since they have a significant impact on the behavior of people in the organization and the effectiveness of its work, sometimes no less important than the groups formally provided for in the organizational structure.

The most common reasons that make people join groups are the following needs:

in achieving goals;

strengthening power;

security;

self-respect;

obtaining a certain status.

By uniting in groups, people feel stronger and more confident in the face of difficulties and obstacles. In addition, belonging to a certain group, such as a professional association, may provide a member with a prestigious position in society, c. group, among friends and relatives. At the same time, the need for self-esteem will also be satisfied. Organizing in groups can also increase the power of its members: what is sometimes difficult to achieve alone, together, it turns out to be much easier to achieve. That is why people unite in unions, coalitions in order to strengthen their power to achieve their goals. Usually, uniting in groups, people satisfy not one, but several urgent needs at once. For example, by uniting in trade unions, workers can simultaneously satisfy their needs for the protection of rights and social guarantees, strengthening their power to achieve specific goals, such as improving working conditions at the enterprise, as well as the need for self-esteem, etc. communication.

Each group is formed and developed in its own way. At the same time, some general patterns can be identified in the development of various groups.

Any group in its development goes through the following stages, which form a 5-stage model of group development: the initial stage of formation; intragroup conflict; ensuring cohesion of group members; the stage of highest efficiency and productivity; final stage (for temporary groups). The initial stage of formation. This stage, as a rule, is characterized by uncertainty about the structure of the group, its goals. It is often not clear who is the leader of this group and what type of behavior is most acceptable in it. This stage ends when the members of the group begin to clearly understand that they are part of this group.

Intragroup conflict. The second stage of group development is usually characterized by the development of intra-group conflict. There is a struggle for leadership and distribution of roles between group members. After this stage is completed, it becomes clear who is the leader in this group (if it is a formal group, then we are talking about an informal leader).

Ensuring group cohesion. At this stage, relations between group members become closer and more cohesive. At the same time, there is clarity about the informal norms of behavior and the distribution of roles in this group.

The stage of highest efficiency and productivity. At this stage, the group is fully functional. The energy of its members is no longer directed to the distribution of roles and the struggle for power, but directly to ensuring effective work and achieving high results.

Final stage. For temporary groups, for example, groups created for the duration of the implementation of specific tasks, the completion of these tasks becomes the final stage of their existence. The closer to the completion of the project or the closer the completion of the task assigned to the group, the more its members begin to think about the fact that this group will soon cease to exist, as well as about new prospects for their work in another team. The productivity of the group during this period may noticeably decrease.

Of course, the considered stages of group development give only a simplified idea of the rather complex processes that take place in real life. In fact, it is difficult enough to separate one stage of group development from another; sometimes several stages pass simultaneously. A transition from a higher stage to a lower one is possible (for example, a conflict over leadership and distribution of roles in a group may arise at any stage of its development, including the final one).

Specialists who analyzed the stages of the functioning of groups revealed another interesting pattern in the development of temporary groups. It was found that the productivity of the group's work fluctuates in different periods, increasing significantly in the second half of the period of its activity. The first phase of the group's activity in solving a problem is characterized by relative inertia. Significant changes occur only at the end of this phase, after about half of the time allotted for solving this problem expires. During this period, it often becomes clear that the time allotted for solving the task facing the group is limited, and in order to successfully reach the finish line, it is necessary to concentrate efforts and speed up work. In the second phase, the performance of the group usually increases, which ultimately allows them to successfully achieve the intended goal. The practice of working on various projects and group reports in many cases is a convincing confirmation of this.

2 Group structure and conditions affecting group performance

The group structure is understood as the following components:

formal leadership;

formal leadership. Almost every group has its formal leader. Typical formal leaders of the group: the head of the division, the project manager, the chairman of the committee, the president of the association. The importance of the leader for the success of the group is extremely high. Leaders largely determine the moral climate, relationships in the team and, ultimately, the effectiveness of its work. What should a leader give preference to: authoritarian or democratic forms of work? When should you delegate authority, and when should you refrain from doing so? Are leaders born or made?

Roles. Each member of the group is usually assigned certain roles, i.e. behaviors expected from members of groups in accordance with the place in the group that they occupy. There is no problem if everyone always plays only one role. In reality, everything is much more complicated. Each of us has to play not one, but several roles. For example, an HR manager can simultaneously be the chairman of the labor dispute resolution commission, a member of the commission for the release of labor from the enterprise, and vice president of the Association of Human Resources Specialists. In addition, he can perform a number of other social roles: husband, father, son, brother, as well as the chairman of a garden partnership or the captain of a football team. In some cases, these roles may be incompatible and contradict each other. Where the employee's behavior comes into conflict with what others expect of him, a role conflict arises. A typical example is a working woman who is struggling to combine the successful performance of her role in production with the stereotypes that exist in society and the family regarding her role as a wife and mother.

Norms. In order to work successfully, all groups develop certain norms of behavior, i.e. accepted patterns of behavior within the group, which must be followed by all its members. Norms can be formalized in certain documents: standards, regulations and procedures. However, most of the norms that govern groups are informal. However, they can have the most significant impact on the relationship in the team and the effectiveness of its work. Conventionally, three sets of norms can be distinguished.

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