Introduction
While in a group, people often interact with others and acquire some behaviors from them. An individual usually faces influence from others in a group, which might compel them to change their behavior in a particular direction. A group influences an individual’s behavior through “social influence.” In some instances, social influence from a group can be powerful, forcing a person to do things they otherwise would not have done. In other instances, a person can defy the influence of others and even go ahead and influence them to adopt their viewpoint (Laursen & Veenstra, 2021).
This paper focuses on a group called Orange with five members: three males and two females. The members are all in their mid-twenties and studying in college. They formed an Orange group to help them complete school projects and study together. The purpose and objective of this paper are to offer a reflection on personal experiences in the Orange group and link them to theory and research. To do this, this paper will explore three subcategories related to group formation and structure: norm development, group development, and social support.
Norm Development
Studies indicate that Norm development is one of the most important aspects of group dynamics. It includes creating and adhering to the group’s standards and expectations (Gençer, 2019). When the Orange group was formed, people were confused about their different roles and responsibilities. Since it was apparent what the members wanted from the group and they really wanted it to work, they had to establish norms that would guide their interactions, responsibilities, and tasks.
Once the norms were formed, each member started understanding what was expected of them and how they should behave within the group. Norms helped everyone in the group act consistently with the group’s expectations and goals. Orange group created the norms during its first meeting, with each member discussing their expectations and clarifying their roles. For instance, they decided that each member should contribute equally to the group’s task and that everyone should try to communicate respectfully and constructively.
The group also added that everyone should be punctual for meetings and complete assignments on time. Studies indicate that norms play an essential role in a group as they guide its needs to stick to its goals and objectives (Gençer, 2019). These norms helped us maintain cohesion and cooperation within the group.
In a study by Huang and colleagues, researchers examined the effects of power and social norms on power decision-making. The article utilized a game experiment and recruited 124 university students. The research method studied decisions from the sense of power and social norms from the high level to the low level of power, followed by descriptive social norms (Huang et al., 2020).
When the individuals faced various forms of authority and had to make decisions, the researchers saw discrepancies between the subjects. The findings indicated that social norms and a sense of power level influence an individual’s decision-making behavior regarding power (Huang et al., 2020). These findings reflect the Orange group’s performance and each member’s decision-making behavior after establishing the norms. The norms compel group members to act right and always have the group’s interest in mind.
Social Support
Apart from norm development, social support is also essential to group formation and structure. Social support influences the functioning and performance of the group (Giao et al., 2020). Even though the individuals formed the Orange group to complete class projects, they started to realize how important social support enabled them to attain success. They all sat together and engaged in friendly conversations from the first meeting they held as a group. Each member got to talk to one another, and they shared most of their strengths and weaknesses.
The group members discussed why they needed the group and why everyone should strive to give it their best. They got to know each other well and created some form of relationship. These friendly conversations helped them develop some sense of inclusion, belonging, and identification in the group. Immediately, they started working together on their tasks, and each of them began to gain more knowledge, guidance, and diverse, exclusive problem-solving methods. This demonstrated that social support is essential in preventing group conflict, ensuring each member’s well-being, and influencing better performance.
In a study conducted by Ha Nam Khanh Giao and colleagues, the researchers investigated the impacts of social support on job-related behaviors, especially how it mediates and reduces job stress among employees. The researchers used self-report questionnaires to collect responses and test hypotheses from a sample of Vietnamese banking industry employees. The results from the study indicated that social support positively impacted job-related behaviors such as job satisfaction and performance (Giao et al., 2020).
Additionally, the results showed that employees with a higher internal locus of control record lower job stress levels. Generally, the results of this article indicate that both social support and locus of control (the degree to which one believes that one has control of one’s life’s outcome of events) play a critical part in overall employee effectiveness. Therefore, for business organizations or employee teams to set up a positive work atmosphere that supports their physical, mental, and social well-being, they have to focus on incorporating social support among all employees.
Jolly and colleagues explore the range of positive outcomes employees may experience when offered social support. The researchers of this article conducted a literature review on different databases to justify the hypothesis that social support leads to positive employee outcomes within an organization. The study’s findings indicated that the power of social support could lead to positive affective reactions, higher-quality relationships, and elevated individual performance. The findings also revealed that when social support is offered to employees, members who do not believe in attaining the set goals and objectives will change their minds as time passes (Jolly et al., 2021).
Having members who believe in something other than the set team goals often drags the performance of other team members, hindering them from attaining success. In the Orange group, the members offered each other various types of social support, which resulted in higher effort, improved performance, and member satisfaction.
Group Development
While the group members interacted and completed many class projects, one noticed that the Orange group went through many development stages. According to Jones (2019), Tuckman’s model explains five stages of group development: storming, forming, performing, norming, and adjourning. The Orange group started with a forming stage where all five of us got to know each other and then determined the group’s purpose and goals.
During this initial stage, the members shared their backgrounds, interests, and experiences and started creating bonds and a sense of trust. As the group moved to the storming stage, Orange encountered many obstacles, especially in how each member approached their assigned tasks. A challenge also arose from how they communicated with each other.
Some group members tended to be more vocal and dominant, while others were more passive. These communication and cooperation challenges caused more tensions in the group and sometimes triggered conflict. However, their facilitator came through, helped us through the challenges, and established more norms.
Each member developed a sense of shared goals and cohesiveness as the Orange group progressed into the norming stage. The group members agreed to create a more in-depth understanding of each member’s weaknesses and strengths. With everyone’s potential in mind, they assign tasks based on everyone’s skills and preferences. They developed guidelines and norms for effective communication, like respectful disagreement, active listening, and constructive feedback (Jones, 2019).
Finally, when the group reached the performing stage, the members worked together more effectively to achieve their goals and produce high-quality work. They focused more on our goals and could easily work through our shortcomings.
In a study by Funmilayo Oyefusi, the researcher looked at the group and team dynamics in organizations and their impacts on productivity and performance. The study focused on employees’ behaviors within ActionAid Nigeria, the organization’s values, and their effects on employees’ behavior (Oyefusi, 2022). The study also focused on the role of leaders in shaping the behavior of an organization and how it can affect the performance and productivity of employees.
The study’s findings indicated that employees’ well-being could impact productivity and performance if the organization’s values are more adequately communicated. However, this study demonstrated that even though these team and group dynamics can hinder overall development, leadership behavior and personality can help address them. Therefore, although Orange Group encountered many challenges during its development, working amongst themselves and consulting others helped attain success.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the personal experience in the Orange group can enable one to observe and analyze many vital aspects of group dynamics. When viewing the experiences from group development, norm development, and social support lenses, it was evident that Orange group effectively established and maintained a successful group functioning. However, there are some instances in which the Orange group could consider improving.
First, when it comes to norm development, the Orange group established clear expectations of all members’ behaviors and communication before the group commences its activities. These clear expectations helped the group avoid conflicts and focus on its goal. Nevertheless, there were some instances when communication broke down among the group members due to their differing assumptions. This indicated that the team needed to continue clarifying and reinforcing the team’s goals and norms.
Second, even though the Orange group’s development experienced some challenges during the storming phase, together, the team members worked through the conflicts and achieved better cohesion and cooperation levels in the performing stage. Even so, the Orange group could benefit from more intentional efforts to foster positive bonds and establish trust among all members moving forward.
Finally, the Orange group had strong social support, as members exchanged emotional and informational support. The support helped group members to enhance their overall performance and satisfaction. On top of that, they could have benefited in some instances from more practical support, such as help with some tasks. Generally, the experiences of Orange group members highlight the benefits of effective group dynamics in attaining success.
References
Gençer, H. (2019). Group dynamics and behaviour. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7(1), 223–229. Web.
Giao, H. N., Vuong, B. N., & Tushar, a. H. (2020). The impact of social support on job-related behaviors through the mediating role of job stress and the moderating role of locus of control: Empirical evidence from the Vietnamese banking industry. Cogent Business & Management, 7(1), 1841359. Web.
Huang, X., Meng, P., & Chen, A. C. (2020). The effects of power and social norms on power decision making. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 8(4), 124-142. Web.
Jolly, P. M., Kong, D. T., & Kim, a. K. (2021). Social support at work: An integrative review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 42(2), 229–251. Web.
Jones, D. (2019). The Tuckman’s model implementation, effect, and analysis & the new development of the Jones LSI model on a small group. Journal of Management, 6(4), 23–28. Web.
Laursen, B., & Veenstra, a. R. (2021). Toward understanding the functions of peer influence: A summary and synthesis of recent empirical research. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 31(4), 889-907. Web.
Oyefusi, F. (2022). Team and group dynamics in organizations: Effect on productivity and performance. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies, 10(1), 111–122. Web.