Three Foundational Issues of Group Dynamics

November 12, 2009

Abstract

Choosing a group process over an individual process in decision making requires weighing many variables which are not limited to the specific task or decision at hand. Beyond the task or decision, the personnel available to be placed into a decision making group must be examined. If the proper personnel fill the required positions within the group and the styles of leadership and followership are balanced success, for the team will be much easier.

Three Foundational Issues of Group Dynamics

Group dynamics is a very broad ranging topic. To grasp the key concepts one must step back and explore the most basic of ideas and theories involved. The most basic theory is why select a group process over an individual process in decision making. This is followed closely by the two most key members of any successful group; leaders and followers.

Individual versus Group Decision Making

An individual decision, as the name implies, involves only one person making the decision and shouldering the burden of making that decision. This decision making method may be the correct choice if speed in reaching a decision is vital or the issue at hand is very simple. As the old saying goes, “Too many cooks spoil the broth”.

On the other hand, group decision making involves more than one person sharing the responsibility and authority to handle reaching a decision. This decision making method may be the correct choice if the issue is complex, requires research or if quality is much more important than speed. To back this up, we offer another old saying, “Two heads are better than one”.

For the manager, choosing between an individual or group decision is not always clear cut. Sometimes decisions that appear to be simple at first glance turn out to be much more complex, and what appeared as complex reveals it’s self to be simple when examined.

When deciding if a project would be best handled by a group or an individual it is suggested to take into account the following factors:

The nature of the task,

The importance of general acceptance of, and commitment to, the solution,

The value placed on the quality of the decision,

The competence, investment, and role in implementation of each person involved, and

The effectiveness expected from the group, especially its leader. (Roseman, 1995, p. 2)

The use of a group to solve a problem or to find a new solution is an excellent way to compound the experiences and knowledge of a group of people into a workable plan of action. Groups do put to work the old saying “Two heads are better than one”. And when using groups to address issues, managers are not limited to just two heads, they can expand it to encompass the entire organization if so inclined.

Now that we have briefly looked at the benefits associated with group based decision making, let us look at two of the vital roles that must be present within any group, leaders and followers.

Leadership

The first position that should be filled within any group is the leader. Sometimes the leader is assigned by whoever created the group, or chosen by the group members. How ever the leader is chosen they are tasked with responsibilities and authorities granted by the creator of the group and its members and must function within these limits.

This author agrees with Barbara White (2005), President of Beyond Better Development, who states that there are seven personal qualities that must be present in a good leader. The personal qualities of a good leader sited are:

1. Has an exemplary character.

2. Is enthusiastic about their work or cause and also their role as a leader.

3. Confident.

4. Ability to function in an orderly and purposeful manner in situations of uncertainty.

5. Tolerant of ambiguity and remain calm, composed and steadfast to the main purpose.

6. Ability to keep the main goal in focus, and is able to think analytically.

7. Committed to excellence.

Now that we have identified which characteristics a good leader must possess, let us look at leadership styles.

In 1939 there was an article published by Kurt Lewin in the Journal of Social Psychology that has stood the test of time through to current day which outlines the four basic styles of leadership: Dictatorial, Autocratic, Participative and Laissez Faire. (Wikipedia, n.d.)

Dictatorial Leaders use fear and threats to control their groups. This style of leader makes all decision alone. The dictator may create a group to advise them, but the decision and controls remain strictly with the leader.

Autocratic Leaders are very similar to dictators except they do not use fear or threats to control the group; they allow the group to make no decisions but do depend on them to do the work. All power is centralized with the leader.

Participative Leaders are also referred to as Democratic Leaders. These leaders allow the group to act as consultants and researchers to find solutions which the leader then implements on their request.

Laissez Faire Leaders, if present in the group at all, do not lead at all. The group is self directing and is given complete freedom in deciding its own policies and methods.

It is up to the leader to choose the proper leadership style for the decision making process to succeed. Choosing the correct style of leadership is dependent on the members of the group that the leader is tasked to lead.

Followers

The members of a group, also known as followers, are just as important as the leader if not more so. The followers are where the real power of a group is centered. The followers do the work and research so that the leader can report the group progress and decision. The practice of being a follower is known as Followership.

Without quality followers the leader of any group will fail no matter how good they are alone because the group will fail to function. When a group fails to function properly it will not achieve its goals nor reach a decision.

Since most leaders are not allowed the luxury of picking and choosing the followers they want to lead, it is up to the leader to choose the right style of leadership to employ with the group and its members. To help in choosing the leadership style, first the followership style of the group must be identified. Followers can be classified into three groups: dependent, counterdependent and independent.

Dependent followers are characterized by their displaying of tendencies to wanting to be led, directed and guided. (Tubbs, 2009) These individuals do not like to step outside of their comfort zones and do not wish to be put into positions of authority. They prefer to have someone or something in place to direct them.

Counterdependent followers are characterized as rebellious and antiauthority. (Tubbs, 2009) These individuals prefer to do what they want, when they want, how they want and where they want. These people create problems in the work place.

Independent followers are characterized by the ability to lead when needed or follow if asked. (Tubbs, 2009) These individuals are very self aware and strive to be a part of the process they are involved in.

Every group is composed of a mix of the three followership styles and it is the job of the group leader to exercise the proper type of leadership upon those group members to achieve the goals of the group. Not every member of the group will require the same type of leadership style; this must be taken into consideration by the leader. Some members may require a strict authoritarian style while others may require very little structure at all.

Colonel Phillip S. Meilinger of the United States Air Force offers the following ten rules of good Followership.

1. Don’t blame your boss for an unpopular decision or policy; your job is to support, not undermine.

2. Fight with your boss if necessary; but do it in private, avoid embarrassing situations, and never reveal to others what was discussed.

3. Make the decision, then run it past the boss; use your initiative.

4. Accept responsibility whenever it is offered.

5. Tell the truth and don’t quibble; your boss will be giving advice up the chain of command based on what you said.

6. Do your homework; give your boss all the information needed to make a decision; anticipate possible questions.

7. When making a recommendation, remember who will probably have to implement it. This means you must know your own limitations and weaknesses as well as your strengths.

8. Keep your boss informed of what’s going on in the unit; people will be reluctant to tell him or her their problems and successes. You should do it for them, and assume someone else will tell the boss about yours.

9. If you see a problem, fix it. Don’t worry about who would have gotten the blame or who now gets the praise.

10. Put in more than an honest days work, but don’t ever forget the needs of your family. If they are unhappy, you will be too, and your job performance will suffer accordingly. (Meilinger, n.d.)

By putting Colonel Meilinger’s rules into practice everyone can achieve being a good follower which will make every leader a good leader and as such make every group a good group.

Tying it all together in the real world

To provide an example of the ideas expressed in this paper, the author wishes to highlight an incident experienced inside the classroom during this course.

During this event the cohort was divided into four groups by the instructor to discuss the SDI project. We were tasked with charting our results and discussing these results within our group. Then we were to each share two positive characteristics we had noticed in our fellow group members over the period we had known each other. These items were to be presented to the cohort in a concise format by the individual members of the group after an agreed to amount of time was allowed.

Three of the groups had clear leaders and followers who worked together towards the goals set out by the instructor. These three groups completed the assignments within the established guidelines and time allotment. The reports by these group members added much to the classroom discussion.

One group did not have a clear leader and did not complete the assignment within the established guidelines nor within the allotted time. After the class period this author asked a member of this group (personal communication, November 5, 2009) what went wrong within their group to keep them from completing the project. The classmate stated that there was one member of the group who seemed to work against the group and repeatedly took the group conversation off in directions not even associated with the class work. It was noted that the lack of a clear leader to keep the group on task led to the group splintering and failing to work with each other. The reports to the cohort by this group contained nervous comedy and glimpses of the conflict within the group other than what was assigned to be reported.

It is the feeling of this author that had a clear leader been present in this group that it too would have remained on task and completed the assignment along with the rest of the cohort. Also, it is felt that a leader would have been capable of controlling the discussions of the group and would have not let the non-productive member drive the rest of the group apart.

Conclusion

The decision to use a group based decision process involves many variables which the manager must weigh. This decision must be completed before any groups can be formed.

Once established the group leader can examine the issues and circumstances at hand and chose the correct style of leadership for the members of their group. To assist in identifying the right leadership style, the leader must identify the types of followers in their group and employ the right style of leadership to influence the group members. By using the strengths of the group members to further the cause, a solution cam be found and employed.

References

(Meilinger P S Ten Rules of Good Followership)Meilinger, P. S. (n.d.). The Ten Rules of Good Followership. AU-24, Concepts for Air Force Leadership. Retrieved November 8, 2009, from http://findarticles.com

(Roseman E individual versus group approach to decision making)Roseman, E. (1995). The individual versus group approach to decision making. Retrieved November 8, 2009, from http://findarticles.com

(Tubbs S L 2009 Leadership and Social Influence Processes)Tubbs, S. L. (2009). Leadership and Social Influence Processes. In A Systems Approach to Small Group Interaction (10th ed., p. 240). New York: McGraw Hill.

(White B 12 Seven Personal Characteristics of a Good Leader)White, B. (12). Seven Personal Characteristics of a Good Leader. Retrieved November 3, 2009, from http://ezinearticles.com

(Wikipedia Leadership)Wikipedia. (n.d.). Leadership. Retrieved November 10, 2009, from http://wikipedia.org