The size of a group has a direct influence on its function and productivity. The size of a team affects how the members interrelate and work together (Boehm et al., 2014). When the size of a group increases, it becomes more intricate to coordinate the input of all the members effectively, and this might decrease people’s inspiration to contribute to the collective undertakings (Boehm et al., 2014). In this aspect, small groups tend completing tasks faster and being more productive when compared to large ones. On the other hand, a large team has the benefit of establishing more facts, gathering varied and open views, overcoming obstacles easily, and generating more resolutions to the arising problems.
When cohesion in a group decreases, the members have a high probability of centering on interrelations with the individuals who have more things in common with them. This promotes the creation of coalitions and divisions within the team. Such alliances form their cohesion and shared identity, which decreases individual team member’s dedication to the group en bloc (Li, Early, Mahrer, Klaristenfeld, & Gold, 2014).
Size, cohesion, and diversity are crucial to the success of any group. Having diverse members in a group considerably enhances its ability to overcome challenges (Guillaume, Dawson, Otaye‐Ebede, Woods, & West, 2017). On this note, if a group is comprised of very similar members, they may arrive at just one or two ways of tackling a problem or might tend to agree with one another devoid of adequate criticism. Promoting diversity in a group has the advantage of ensuring more successful resolutions and arriving at the most favorable decisions.
References
Boehm, S. A., Dwertmann, D. J., Kunze, F., Michaelis, B., Parks, K. M., & McDonald, D. P. (2014). Expanding insights on the diversity climate–performance link: The role of workgroup discrimination and group size. Human Resource Management, 53(3), 379-402.
Guillaume, Y. R., Dawson, J. F., Otaye‐Ebede, L., Woods, S. A., & West, M. A. (2017). Harnessing demographic differences in organizations: What moderates the effects of workplace diversity? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), 276-303.
Li, A., Early, S. F., Mahrer, N. E., Klaristenfeld, J. L., & Gold, J. I. (2014). Group cohesion and organizational commitment: Protective factors for nurse residents’ job satisfaction, compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout. Journal of Professional Nursing, 30(1), 89-99.