GROUP COHESSIVENESS

Introduction to Group Cohesiveness

Group

Two or more people who interact regularly to

accomplish a common purpose or goal.

Cohesiveness
The extent to which members are loyal and
committed to the group; the degree of mutual
attractiveness within the group.

What is group cohesiveness?

Group cohesiveness is the ability to think and act

'as one' if the group is physically together or not.

According

to

Stephen

Robbins,

Group

cohesiveness is the degree to which members are

attracted to each other and are motivated to stay
in the group.

Attributes of a Cohesive Group

The

members share the group goals and have

common interests.

The number of members is relatively small.

The members are in constant touch with each other

and have very effective interpersonal communication.

High group loyalty.
Members interact among themselves quite frequently.
Members keep themselves attached to the group as

they feel that their needs would satisfied by the

group.

Types of Cohesion

Task Cohesion the degree to which

members of a group work together to

achieve common goals

Social Cohesion reflects the degree to

which members of a team like each other

and enjoy each others company

Stages of
Group
Developme
nt

Dimensions of group cohesiveness

Group Unity

Attraction

Team work

Group unity
Many

theorists believe that group cohesion

results from a deep sense of we-ness or

belonging to a group as a whole.
By becoming enthusiastically involved in the

efforts of their group and by recognizing the

similarities that exist among group members,
individuals tend to develop a close connection
with their group and its members.

Attraction
According

to

Hogg

(1992),

group

cohesiveness typically develops from a

depersonalized

attraction

to

group

members based on their status as group

members,

rather

than

personal

attraction based on specific relationships.

Team work

Some theorists stress that cohesion comes

from group members commitment to work
together to complete their shared tasks and
accomplish their collective goals.

Members of task-oriented groups typically

exhibit

great

interdependence

and

often

possess feelings of responsibility for the groups

outcomes.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO GROUP COHESIVENESS

Threat &
Competition

TimeTogether

Previous
Successes

Difficulty in
Entry

COHESION

Group Size

Similarities of
attitudes and
values

1. Threat & Competition

Whenever

the

common

group

goal

is

threatened,

cohesiveness increases.
Also, such cohesiveness increases the importance of the

goals.
When we fight for a goal, the goal gets the highest

priority.
Thus the threatening party will have less chance of

success when faced with a unified force.

2. Difficulty in Entry
Some groups are not easy to join. The members are

very carefully selected and the selected members

feels a sense of pride and accomplishment.

The more difficult it is to get into a group, the more

cohesive that group becomes.

The reason being that in exclusive and elite groups

the members are selected on the basis of certain

characteristics

and

these

characteristics

being

common to all add to the degree of liking and

attraction towards each other.

3. Time Together
It is quite natural that the more time people

spend together, the more they will get to

know each other and more tendency there
will be to get closer to each other, thus
strengthening the degree of cohesiveness.
In an organizational setting, people who

work near each other are more likely to

spend more time together.

4. Group Size
Since continuous and close interaction

among

members

is

fundamental

necessity for cohesiveness, it would be

natural to assume that large groups
restrict the extent of communication and
interaction with each other, thus resulting
in reduction of degree of cohesiveness.

5. Previous Success
When a group achieves a meaningful goal, the

cohesiveness of the group increases because

the success is shared by all the members and
each one feels responsible for the achievement.

For example, when a sports team wins an

important

game,

every

one

in

the

team

congratulates every other member of the team

for this success.

6. Similarity of Attitudes &

Values
One of the strongest source of group

cohesiveness is the similarity in values,

morals, beliefs and code of conduct.
We enjoy the company of others who

hold similar opinions and characteristics

as ourselves.

The Interaction Between Cohesiveness and

Performance Norms

HOW TO INCREASE COHESSION?

Induce agreement on group goals.

Increase membership homogeneity.
Increase interactions among members.
Decrease group size.

Contd

Introduce competition with other groups.

Allocate rewards to the group rather

than individuals.
Provide physical isolation from other

groups

HOW TO DECREASE COHESSION?

Induce disagreement in group goals.

Increase membership heterogeneity.
Restrict interaction among members.
Increase group size.

Contd

Allocate reward to individuals rather

than to a group as a whole.

Remove physical isolation.
Introduce a dominating member

BENEFITS
Increased morale
Increased productivity
Improved communication
Conformity and influences

Importance of Group Cohesiveness

It has been found by studies that the

output of a cohesive group tends to be

more uniform than that of the members
of
the less cohesive group. More
cohesive a group is more would be the
productivity.

Conclusion
Group cohesion has been linked to a

range of positive and negative

consequences.
People in cohesive groups are confronted

with powerful pressures to conform to the

groups goals, norms, and decisions.

THANK YOU