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What is a group?
§ Ơa small collection of people who
interact with each other, usually face to
face, over time in order to reach goals.ơ
!n order to be considered a
group, members must:
§!


§ 
 
 
members rely on
one another
§ !nteract for a length of

§ îe a particular u (at the very least
three members)
§ aave hopes of achieving one or more
M  u
Yypes of Goals
§!     u  the motives of
each individual group member

§  
M  u x the ultimate outcome
the group hopes to accomplish
 Yypes of Groups
§ Learning groups
§ Growth groups
§ Problem
Problemsolving groups
§ Social groups
¦  MM 
u
§ wherethe purpose is to increase the
knowledge and skill of each member


M 
u
§ focus
on teaching members more about
themselves
  u  MM 
u
½  
§ when members form in order to solve a
problem that affects all of them
Ô   
u
§ Groups that meet for the sole purpose
of satisfying the social needs of their
members
O

O!Ô!OÔ
½Ô
§ ll groups have certain characteristics in
common.
ƥ Rules and norms
ƥ Member have individual Roles
ƥ Patterns of interaction
ƥ Decisionmaking methods
Decision
 u  u
§  u
 u clearly defined guidelines
governing the ways in which members
are expected to behave
u are rules that are not stated or
§  u
discussed, but members know they are
supposed to be followed
è types of norms
§Ô ux effect the relationships
  ux
that occur between members
§ ½    u x outline the ways
in which the group is to operate
§ u u
uxx how the job at hand
will be carried out
 u
§ Yhebehavior that is expected from
each group member
Yypes of roles
   u x assigned by an
organization
or group often to establish order
!    u x roles that work to
satisfy a particular function



u    
u::
 u
ƥ Yask roles x help the group accomplish
its goals
ƥ Maintenance roles
roles help the
relationships among members run
smoothly.
ºu 
   u
§ behaviorsthat prevent the group from
working effectively
½

 u 


§ !nteractions that take place within a
group tend to follow a particular
pattern.

u 


 u 

 :
llchannel network
ƥ ll
ƥ Chain network
ƥ Wheel network
ll channel network
ll
§ Yakes place if group members stay
together and shared every piece of
information with one another.
§ Group members must be face
faceto
toface
 chain network
§ When interaction and communication
moves sequentially from one member
to another
§ Good for simple messages
§ Yend to break down with more complex
messages
Wheel network

§ llcommunication within the group

goes through one person who is at the
center of the groups operation.
ºu  M
 u
§ - ways in which groups make
decisions:
1. Consensus
2. Majority control
è. Expert opinion
. Minority rule
-. uthority rule
CONSENSUS
§ Yakesplace when every member of the
group supports the decision
M OR!Y
CONYROL
§ Decisionsare based on what the
majority of members desire
EXPERY OP!N!ON
§ When decisions are left to one member
who is believed to be an expert on the
decision to be made
§ Works if the person is truly an expert
M!NOR!Y
CONYROL
§ Yakesplace when a few members of a
group decide on a matter
UYaOR!Y
RULE
§ When the leader or the person with the
most power makes the decisions for the
group
YaE !NFLUENCE OF CULYURE
ON GROUPS
O
    u 
M 
  

· Groups are effected greatly by culture
· Culture provides the rules and norms
that determine how members will
interact with one another
· Culture also determines how members
will achieve the goals of the group

 u
 u
  u


u




 u 
 u M 
u    u

§ !ndividualism vs. Collectivism

§ Power distance
§ Uncertainty avoidance
§ Yask versus social orientation
(1) !ndividualism vs.
collectivism
§ Describes the way that some cultures
place value on the individual, while
cultures place value on the group
!ndividualism
§ !ndividualistic values stress the
importance of pursuing personal goals
and independence
§ !ndividualistic cultures are focused on
individual goals
§ Yhose with individualistic orientation are
concerned with standing out in the
crowd
Collectivism
§ Collectivistic values focus on the
importance of group harmony, fitting in,
and relational dependence
§ Collectivistic cultures are focused on the
goals in the group
§ Yhose with collectivistic orientation are
concerned with fitting in with the rest of
the group
!ndividualistic vs. Collectivistic
countries
§ Yhe United States, Canada, ustralia,
and îritain.
§ Latin merican and sian societies tend
to be more collectivistic
Cultural influence on view of
conflict
§!   u
 cultures view conflict
as a positive, and tend confront it head
on
use more direct language (low
(lowcontext)
§ O 
u
 cultures tend to view
conflict negatively, and avoid it
use less direct language (high
(highcontext)
() Power distance
§ Yhe accepted distance of power
between to people of status and power
within a culture
Low Power Distance

§ !fpeople are relatively equal there will

be low power distance
§ Cultures low in power distance tend to
push toward equality among members
aigh Power Distance
· !f people differ greatly in level of
power there will be a high power
distance

· Cultures high in power distance accept

differences in power and status as a
way of life
Countries with Low Power
Distance

!srael
New Zealand
Germany
U.S.
Countries with aigh Power
Distance
§ Philippines
§ Mexico
§ !ndia
§ France
(è) Uncertainty voidance
§ Yakes place when people try to avoid
that which is uncertain
§ Different cultures react differently to
uncertainty:
some cultures avoid uncertainty as
much as possible
other cultures welcome uncertainty
Countries with low uncertainty
avoidance
§ Singapore
§ !ndia
§ Philippines
§ U.S.
Countries with high
uncertainty avoidance
§ Greece
§ apan
§ Peru
§ Mexico
()Yask vs. Social Orientation
§ Some cultures are focused more on
getting the job done, while other
cultures are focused more on the social
orientation of the group
Yask Oriented Societies
§ Focus is on getting the job done
§ Focus on making the team more
competent
§ aighly concerned with individual
success
Socially Oriented Societies
§ Focus more on collective concerns of
the group
§ Cooperative problem solving
§  friendly environment
§ Good working conditions
Countries aigh in Yask
Orientation:
§ apan
§ ustria
§ !taly
§ Mexico
Counties aigh in Social
Orientation
§ Sweden
§ Norway
§ Chile
§ Portugal
!n conclusionƦ
§ n awareness of the ways in which
different cultures deal with conflict and
problem solving helps to eliminate
miscommunication and misconceptions
that may take place within groups.