INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP BEHAVIOUR IN AN
ORGANIZATION
Organizational behavior is the study of both group and individual performance and
action within an organizational
Importance of studying organizational behavior
It helps scans human behavior in working atmosphere
It helps determines the effect of behavior on:
Job structure
Performance
Communication
Motivation
Leadership
Decision making etc
The way an individual behaves and the behavior of a group have two perspective
Internal
External
INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR
This can be defined as a mix of response to external and internal stimuli
It is the way a person reacts in different situations and the someone expresses
different emotions like anger, happiness, love etc
B=F(PE) where
B is behavior
F is behavior function
E is environment around the person
The environment one is in and the situation/circumstances one may find himself in
determines the behavior of that person
Example
A well learned person who loses his job during the time of recession may behave
differently when unemployed
Causes of individual behavior
They are in two categories namely:
a) Inherited characteristics
these are the features one inherits from his parents which may include
religion
colour of a person eyes
height
b) Learned characteristics
these are those characteristics an individual acquire by:
observing
practicing
learning from others
It consists of the following features
a) Perception -results of different senses like feeling hearing etc
b) Values -this influences perception of a situation and decision
making process
c) Personality -patterns of thinking, feeling, understanding and behaving
d) Attitude -positive or negative view towards something
FACTORS INFLUENCING INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP BEHAVIOUR
This includes:
1. Abilities –these are the traits a person learns from the environment around
as well as a person is gifted from birth
They are classified as :
a) Intellectual abilities –these personifies a person’s intelligence, verbal and
analytical reasoning abilities memory as well as verbal comprehension
b) Physical abilities-these personifies a person’s physical strength, stamina,
body coordination as well as motor skill
c) Self awareness –this symbolises how a person feels about a task, while a
manager’s perception of his abilities decides the kind of work to be assigned to an
individual
The psychological(intellectual) physical and self assurance traits owned by a
person defines the behavior of a person in social and personal life
2. Gender –research has proved that men and women both stand equal chance
in terms of job performance and mental abilities.
However society still emphasizes differences between the two genders there are
areas where some genders are tolerated than others an example is absenteeism –
women are considered as care givers for children.However the manager’s
perception and personal values is one factor that might influence work allocation
and evaluation in an organization
An organization should encourage both genders to work efficiently towards
company’s goals and no special treatment is given or tolerated on the basis of
one’s gender
3. Race and culture
Race is a group of people sharing similar physical features
It is used to define types of persons according to perceived traits
e.g American, African, Asian
culture can be defined as traits, ideas, customs and traditions one follows either as
an individual or as a group
these two have always exerted an important influence both at work place as well
as in the society.
Stereotyping and attributing behavior according to individual race and culture
basically influences an individual’s behaviour
It is important in an organization for the management as well as staff to learn and
accept different cultures, values and common protocals to create more comfortable
corporate cultures
4. Perception
This is an intellectual process of transforming sensory stimuli into meaningfulness
information
It is the process of interpreting something that we see or hear in our mind and give
a verdict on a situation, person, group etc
Types of perception includes:
Of sound-the ability to receive sound by identifying vibrations
Of speech- the competence to interpret and understand sound s of language heard
Touch-identifying items through patterns of its surface by touching it
Taste-the ability to detect flavor of something by tasting it through sensory organs
known as taste buds
Other senses-this includes balance, acceleration, pain, time, sensation felt in throat
or lungs
Of the social world-this permits people to understand other individuals and groups
of their social world
5. Attribution
This is the course of observing behavior followed by determining its cause based
on individual’s personality or situation
Criteria for attribution framework
Consensus-the extent to which people in the same situation might react similary
Distinctiveness-the extent to which a person’s behavior can be associated to
situations or personality
Consistency- the frequency measurement of the observed behavior that is how
often does this behavior occur
6. Attitude
This is the abstract learnt reaction or say response of a person’s entire cognitive
process over a time span
This factors are responsible for the way people behave in an organization
They are responsible for the way they talk, walk, eat, socialize etc
An example
A person who has worked with different companies might develop an attitude of
indifference towards organizational citizenship
DYNAMICS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
A group can be defined as:
Any number of people who interact with one another, are psychologically aware
of one another and perceive themselves to be a group
Characteristics of a group
Members are motivated to join
Members perceive the group as a unified unit of interacting people
Members contribute in various amounts to the group processes
Members reach an agreement and have disagreements through various forms of
interaction
Group dynamics are the interactions and forces among group members in social
situations
Reasons why groups are formed
1.geographic proximity-students sitting next to each other
2.shared activities, interactions and sentiments
3. the balance theory-this states that persons are attracted to one another on the
basis of similar attitudes toward commonly relevant objectives and goals
4. the exchange theory-this is based on rewards-cost outcomes of interactions
A minimum positive level of outcome must exist in order for attraction to take
place
FACTORS THAT DETERMINE GROUP BEHAVIOR
A. Group size
1. Larger groups require a higher degree of formation than smaller groups
2. They require clearer lines of communication
3. They may tend to pay less attention to individual needs
4. They may concentrate more on task accomplishment than on personal issues
B. Purpose of the group
Work groups are usually assigned a definite purpose within the organization
The purpose could either to achieve short term or long term goals
C. Nature of task
The purpose and the objectives of the group determine the nature of the tsk of the
group
D. Group leadership
The leader resolve most of the issues of the group
This is usually based on:
-composition of the group membership
-task requirements
-organizational climate
-attributes of the leader
F. Nature and motivation of group members
The composition of membership and the level of commitment to a group’s goal
determine the behavior of the group
The thought that the others are relying on a group membership and that team
performance is as crucial as individual performance act’s as a motivator
G. Group cohesiveness
A cohesive group has strong bonds that binds the members together in loyalty and
support for each other
A cohesive group develops clear standards of behavior which are accepted by
members
H. Group norms
Norms are standards adopted by a group
Most of norms are formal either written policies, operating procedures. Manuals,
safety notices etc
I. Roles of the group
These are particular parts played by individual members of the group
In any group an individual does not act out of his or her role in isolation but in the
context of the role set
J. External environment
The organization, personnel, role requirements etc form the environment of an
organization
The group life that springs from the internal environment influences and is
influenced by what goes on in the external environment
External environment includes customer, suppliers, stakeholders etc
FACTORS THAT LEAD TO GROUP FORMATION IN AN
ORGANIZATION
Companionship
Need for relationship with other people is one of the strongest and most constant
human drive
Relationship gives a person recognition and makes one’s work life pleasant and
comfortable
It brings about job satisfaction, high productivity, reduces absenteeism and labor
turnover
Identity
People try to understand themselves through the behavior of others towards them
Workers identify themselves with groups who admire them, praise them or make
them happy
Information
The informal group which one belongs to is a source of information
People in a group may use special code or language for speedy communication
Security
A person can reduce his insecurity by joining a group
Group makes one feel stronger, more resistant to threat and has less self doubts
Esteem
Members feel good about themselves by virtue of groups, power, prestige and
social standing.
Sense of belonging
Most people have a strong need of being with others who can understand, support
and help them when they are in need and render them moral and emotional support
in time of difficulty
Outlet for frustration
The social outlets provide a way to release pressure from many issues in life
Informal groups provide this outlet thus avoiding mental and physical breakdown
of the individual
An organization that does not encourage informal groups may end up spending
more on counselling services
Generation of ideas
Informal groups are a breeding ground for new ideas as they provide a supportive
environment which members can engage themselves in creative thinking
Self Evaluation
Groups help members in assessing themselves against others
This helps in having a realistic self assessment and encourages a person to
improve
Self evaluation brings about healthy competition
Job satisfaction
Group have a tendency of making dull and boring jobs become more interesting
Power
Workers enjoy much greater power collectively than they do as individuals
Leadership of a group enables a person to exercise power over a group even when
he does not enjoy formal position of authority in an organization
TYPES OF GROUPS
Can be categorized into two major groups:
Formal groups
These are units established by the management as part of an organization structure
The purpose of formal groups is to further the aims and objectives of an
organization as laid down in the mission statements, policy and procedures
Characteristics
1.They are defined in terms of their purpose and roles
2.they are official in the sense that they have appropriate authority
3.they are provided with financial and physical resources
4.they help in achieving goals without difficulty
5.they facilitate coordination of activities
6.they help in forming logical relationship among people and positions
Formal groups can be subdivided into command group and task group
a). Command group
this consists of subordinates who are directly responsible to the supervisor
b). Task group
this is formed to complete a project it is also known as task force
the job of the group is to complete the task within allocated time period
Informal groups
This is a group that is not determined or influenced by the organization
It is usually formed by the members themselves in response to their social needs
Characteristics of informal groups
1. They draw their rules of behavior from amongst themselves
2. First loyalty tends to be towards their fellow group members rather than to
the organization
3. Goals are decided more by what they feel is right for them rather than by
what is laid for them by the management
4. Their behavior is derived more from inter personal relationship than by any
role allocated by the management
5. Their behavior may or may not be in line with what the organization expects
6. They are less permanent than formal groups
7. They generally meet social and security needs before other needs
Informal groups can be subdivided into:
a). interest group
comprised of people who come together to attain specific objective e.g workers
join together to demand for better working conditions
b). friendship group
comprises of people who come together because they share common ideals,
interests or other similarities
Reasons why informal groups are formed
Companionship and friendship: enables an individual to express his feelings get
advice and eliminate the monotony of work
Security and protection: this is usually against the management especially when
a member of the group has committed mistakes
Interest: provides an opportunity for the members to ventilate their areas of
interest
Assistance on the job: need for assistance or advice on the job may force some
individuals to become members of some group
Communication: a group serves as an effective means of communication
Information through informal group is more quick and rapid when compared to the
formal official channel of communication
Differences between formal and informal groups
Formal groups are deliberately formed whereas informal groups are spontaneously
formed
Formal groups have definite and specifically designed structure whereas informal
groups are structureless
Formal groups are created to achieve goals defined by management whereas the
basic aim of informal groups is to satisfy the individual goals of members
Formal groups have control points established to constrain behavior whereas
Informal groups control is governed by the group norms
Advantages of informal group
1. Provides some protection to its members against harsh and arbitrary
treatment by the management
2. It supports the formal structure in various way
3. It compensates for managerial limitations by workers educating each other
how to perform various tasks
4. It provides the management with a useful alternative channel of
communication
Disadvantages of informal groups
1. It works counter to the organizational objectives and may force members to
restrict their output or exhibit disinterest in policies and practices
2. It exerts strong pressures for conformity which can make group members
reluctant to act independently, be creative for fear of losing membership
3. It can be used to send destructive, distorted, inaccurate and incomplete
information cutting across the organization very fast
4. It may result in high operating costs because it may encourage gossiping or
idle talk that satisfy some members social needs
5. It may result in resistance to change because members consider certain
cultural values which they may feel desirable to be maintained
Stages of group development
1. Forming
This is marked by uncertainity and confusion. The members are not sure about the
purpose, the structure and leadership
2. Storming
This is characterized by conflict and confrontation mostly about roles and duties
3. Norming
Members begin to settle in cooperation and collaboration.
4.Performing
The group is fully functioning and devoted to effectively accomplishing
the tasks agreed on in the norming stage
5.Adjourning
This marks the end of the group which in ongoing, permanent groups will never be
reached
Project teams or task force once the task is completed the group is disbanded
Factors affecting group performance
1. Composition of the group
This refers to how members of the group are similar in one way or the other or
different
The composition can either be homogenous or hetregenous
Homogenous is when members have similar qualities e.g age, sex, experience etc
Hetregenous is when members posses different qualities
2. Size of the group
This refers to the number of members in the group
The size of the group influences the group’s performance
There is no specified group size for effective performance
The size is determined by the situation
3. Norms
This refers to the standards against which the appropriateness of the behavior is
judged
Norms determine the expected behavior in a particular circumstances
A group determines its norms during the second stage of group formation
Functions of norms includes:
Enables members to avoid embarrassing situations
Helps in group survival by rejecting deviant behavior
Norms satisfy the values that are important to the institution and provide the
group with the unique identity
Helps group members in expecting other people behavior
4. Cohesiveness
This refers to a group commitment towards staying together resulting from the
forces operating on members to do so
This forces include:
Attraction t the group
Motivation to stay in the group
Resistance to leave the group
High levels of cohesiveness lead to:
Goal accomplishment
Job satisfaction
Improved interactions
Benefits of group behavior in an organization
Organization gain from members of cohesive group because they communicate
better, share ideologies and respect opinions of fellow employees
This creates an environment of cooperation
Some of the benefits includes:
Develops teamwork and cooperation
Increased productivity
Improved job satisfaction
Reduced absenteeism and labor turnover
Better and improved attitude of workers towards work
Improved employee well being both mental and psychological
Facilitates learning especially when employees learn from one another in
informal groups
Managing informal groups
1. Managers should understand and learnt to accept the existence of informal
groups
2. Managers should deal with them and integrate them with formal groups
3. They should recognize the particular needs of the work group, respect and
operate accordingly
4. They should analyze small groups to establish the patterns of interactions
among members
How to use groups to enhance satisfaction and performance
1. Organize work around intact groups
2. Have groups charged with selection, training and rewarding of members
3. Use groups to enforce strong norms for behavior with group involvement in
off-the-job as well as on-the-job behavior
4. Distribute resources on the group rather than on the individual basis
5. Allow and promote intergroup competition so as to build group solidarity
