Nature and Formation of Groups

What Makes a Collection a Group?

Not every gathering of people is a group. A crowd watching a cricket match or an audience at a school function are collections of individuals who happen to be in the same place at the same time. They are not interdependent, they have no defined roles, no status differences, and no expectations from one another. In contrast, your family, your class, and your playgroup are genuine groups. In these, members are mutually interdependent, each person has a role, there are status differentials, and members hold expectations of each other.

A group is formally defined as an organised system of two or more individuals who are interacting and interdependent, who share common motives, have a set of role relationships among members, and possess norms that regulate behaviour.

Salient Characteristics of Groups

Groups have several distinguishing features:

• Social unit with self-perception: A group consists of two or more individuals who perceive themselves as belonging to it. This gives the group its unique identity and helps distinguish one group from another.
• Common motives and goals: Groups function either working towards a shared goal or away from certain threats facing the group.
• Interdependence: What one member does has consequences for others. For example, if a fielder in a cricket team drops an important catch, it affects the entire team.
• Mutual influence: Members trying to satisfy a need through their joint association also influence each other.
• Interaction: Members interact with one another, either directly or indirectly.
• Structured by roles and norms: Interactions are structured by a set of roles and norms. Members perform the same functions every time the group meets, and they adhere to group norms — the expected standards of behaviour that tell us how we ought to behave.

Groups vs. Other Collections

Crowds are collections of people who may be present at a place by chance. For instance, people gathering at the site of an accident form a crowd. There is no structure, no feeling of belongingness, behaviour is often irrational, and there is no interdependence among members.

Audiences are collections assembled for a special purpose, such as watching a cricket match or a movie. Audiences are generally passive, but they can sometimes turn into mobs. Mobs have a definite sense of purpose, polarised attention, and actions in a common direction. Mob behaviour is characterised by homogeneity of thought and behaviour, as well as impulsivity.

Teams are special kinds of groups. Members of teams often have complementary skills and are committed to a common goal or purpose. Members are mutually accountable for their activities, and there is positive synergy attained through coordinated efforts.

Why Do People Join Groups?

People are simultaneously members of several groups because different groups satisfy different needs. This sometimes creates competing demands and expectations, but most people manage these pressures. The main reasons for joining groups are:

• Security: Being alone creates insecurity. Groups reduce this insecurity, giving a sense of comfort and protection. People feel stronger and less vulnerable to threats.
• Status: Membership in a group perceived as important by others gives recognition and a sense of power. For example, if your school wins an inter-institutional debate competition, you feel proud and think you are better than others.
• Self-esteem: Groups provide feelings of self-worth and establish a positive social identity. Being part of prestigious groups enhances one's self-concept.
• Satisfaction of psychological and social needs: Groups fulfil needs such as belongingness, giving and receiving attention, love, and power.
• Goal achievement: Groups help achieve goals that cannot be attained individually. There is power in the majority.
• Knowledge and information: Group membership provides knowledge and information, broadening our view. Groups supplement the information that individuals may lack.

How Groups Are Formed

Basic to group formation is some contact and interaction between people. This interaction is facilitated by three conditions:

Proximity: Repeated interactions with the same set of individuals give us a chance to know them, their interests, and their attitudes. Think about your group of friends — would you have been friends if you were not living in the same colony, going to the same school, or playing in the same playground? Common interests, attitudes, and background are important determinants of liking.

Similarity: Being exposed to someone over time makes us assess our similarities and paves the way for group formation. Why do we like similar people? One explanation is that people prefer consistency and like relationships that are consistent. When two people are similar, there is consistency and they start liking each other. Another explanation is that similar people reinforce and validate our opinions and values — we feel we are right and thus start liking them.

Common motives and goals: When people have common motives or goals, they get together and form a group that facilitates goal attainment. For example, if you want to teach children in a slum area but cannot do it alone because of your own studies, you form a group of like-minded friends and achieve what you could not have done alone.

Stages of Group Formation

Groups develop over time. Tuckman suggested five developmental sequences:

1. Forming: When members first meet, there is great uncertainty about the group, the goal, and how to achieve it. People try to know each other and assess whether they will fit in. There is excitement as well as apprehension.

2. Storming: This is a stage of intragroup conflict. Members disagree about how to achieve the target, who should control the group and its resources, and who should perform what task. When this stage is complete, some hierarchy of leadership develops and a clear vision emerges.

3. Norming: Group members develop norms related to group behaviour. This leads to the development of a positive group identity.

4. Performing: The group structure has evolved and is accepted by members. The group moves towards achieving its goal. For some groups, this may be the last stage.

5. Adjourning: For some groups, such as an organising committee for a school function, once the function is over, the group may be disbanded.

Group Structure

As groups form, they develop a structure. Over time, interaction shows regularities in the distribution of tasks, responsibilities assigned to members, and the prestige or relative status of members. Four important elements of group structure are:

Roles: These are socially defined expectations that individuals in a given situation are expected to fulfil. Roles refer to the typical behaviour that depicts a person in a given social context. For example, as a son or daughter, you are expected to respect elders, listen to them, and be responsible towards your studies.

Norms: These are expected standards of behaviour and beliefs established, agreed upon, and enforced by group members. They may be considered a group's 'unspoken rules'. In your family, norms guide the behaviour of family members and represent shared ways of viewing the world.

Status: This refers to the relative social position given to group members by others. Status may be ascribed (given because of seniority) or achieved (earned through expertise or hard work). By being members of a group, we enjoy the status associated with that group. Even within a group, different members have different prestige and status. For example, the captain of a cricket team has higher status than other members, although all are equally important for the team's success. …