SOCIAL
INFLUENCE &
GROUP BEHAVIOR
M A’ A M L A I B A R A Z A
The Nature of Groups
There exists no generally accepted definition of groups. The
definition of a group can be viewed from four different approaches
as below:
1. Perception approach: people who see themselves as part of
group constitute a group. Teams are mature groups with a degree of
member interdependence and motivation to achieve common goals.
Teams start out as groups, but not all groups become teams.
2. Organization approach: emphasizes group characteristics to
define a group; an organized system of individual who are
connected with one another.
3. Motivation approach: a group is a collection of individuals
whose collective existence satisfies needs.
4. Interaction approach: Two or more individuals interacting with
each other in order to accomplish a common goal. This definition
specifies three minimum requirements for a group to exist:
I. Size:must be two or more individuals.
II. Interaction:must be some form of exchange or communication.
III. Purpose: must be trying to accomplish a goal.
Group polarization
• It is defined as a phenomenon when “members of a deliberating group move
toward a more extreme point in whatever direction is indicted by the members’ pre-
deliberation tendency.”
• Group polarization leads to changing attitudes among individuals within the
group. In addition, group polarization can lead to groupthink, which is when bad
decisions are made by a group because some of its members don’t want to express
opinions or suggest new ideas that some in the group may disagree with.
Deindividuation
It is phenomenon in which people engage in seemingly impulsive, deviant, and
sometimes violent acts in situations in which they believe they cannot be personally
identified (e.g., in groups and crowds and on the Internet).
The term deindividuation was coined by the American social psychologist Leon
Festinger in the 1950s to describe situations in which people cannot be individuated
or isolated from others.
Group Cohesiveness
The forces acting upon members to remain in the group that are greater than those
pulling members away from the group. The greater the group cohesiveness, the greater
the member conformity to group norms. Sources of attraction in group cohesiveness are;
a. Goals are clear and compatible
b. Charismatic leader.
c. Group reputation as successful.
d. Group is small enough to interact effectively.
e. Mutual support by members.
Cohesiveness and performance
Degree of cohesiveness can have positive or negative effects. The relationship
between cohesiveness and group performance depends on whether the group goals
support (are congruent with) organizational goals:
I. High cohesiveness and congruent group goals results in effective performance.
ii. High cohesiveness and incongruent group goals result in negative group
performance.
iii. Low cohesiveness and incongruent group goals probably result in negative group
performance.
iv. Low cohesiveness and congruent group goals probably results in positive
(individually based) group performance.
Productivity and Decision Making
Productivity is a matter of habit. It is about internalizing a set of behaviors and
responses that have proven effective to manage every aspect of life. In the end, the
principles that help us to eliminate distractions and stay more focused on what
really matters are the same for both personal and professional life.
Making good decisions is another key factor to be productive. Making
decisions requires having a list of all the choices, weigh the possible outcomes and,
above all, trust your intuition. Every decision involves risks. You will never have
complete information to know if you are doing the best you can do at any given
time.
Decision Making Process
Step 1: Identify Your Goal. One of the most effective decision-making strategies is to
keep an eye on your goal
Step 2: Gather Information for Weighing Your Options
Step 3: Consider the Consequences
Step 4: Make Your Decision
Step 5: Evaluate Your Decision
Conformity
It involves changing your behaviors in order to "fit in" or "go along" with the
people around you. In some cases, this social influence might involve agreeing with
or acting like the majority of people in a specific group, or it might involve
behaving in a particular way in order to be perceived as "normal" by the group .
• Normative conformity; involves changing one's behavior in order to fit in with
the group.
• Informational conformity; happens when a person lacks the knowledge and
looks to the group for information and direction.
• Identification; occurs when people conform to what is expected of them based
on their social roles.
Obedience
• It is a particular form of conformity: it manifests itself when the “majority”
is not a quantitative dimension but qualitative.
• At the bottom of this there is a difference of status: the one who exercises a
power superior to others operates a direct explicit pressure on them, who adapt
to his will.
Deviance
It is a broad term meant to signify behavior that violates social norms. The
origins and functions of deviant behavior have long been of interest in the social
sciences, with early sociological theories influencing the psychology theories
that followed.
Cultural and Social Norms
Social Norms are unwritten rules about how to behave. They provide us with
an expected idea of how to behave in a particular social group or culture. For
example we expect students to arrive to lesson on time and complete their work.
The idea of norms provides a key to understanding social influence in general
and conformity in particular. Social norms are the accepted standards of behavior
of social groups.
Leadership
It is a process whereby an individual, or clique, is able to influence others to
internalize a collective vision and mobilize them toward attaining that vision.
Effective leadership transforms people’s goals and ambitions, even their
identities, and replaces self-oriented behavior with group-oriented behavior. The
exercise of power over people to force them, through rewards and punishments,
to comply with commands and bend to one’s will is not leadership.
One reliable distinction that has emerged is between a leadership style that
pays more attention to the group task and getting things done (task-oriented
leadership) and one that pays attention to relationships among group members
(socioemotional leadership). Most groups require both types of leadership and
people who are capable of being both task-focused and socio-emotionally focused
tend to be the most effective.
