Readings

Read the following chapters in:
Group Behavior in Organizations:
Chapter 5: Attraction to Groups
Chapter 6: Group Cohesiveness 
  Recommended Websites

Mind Tools
. (http://www.mindtools.com/).

This site has articles and assessments for analyzing groups and helpful hints for group leaders on managing and improving group effectiveness. It supports the “Group Cohesion and Productivity” discussion for this week.
 
 

Discussions
To participate in the following discussions, go to this week's
Discussion
link in the left navigation.
Group Cohesion and Productivity
 
Describe your most positive experience in working on a group project in which the group’s cohesiveness led to greater work productivity. Have you experienced a situation that was just the opposite – a situation in which group cohesiveness negatively impacted the productivity of the project? Provide examples to support your descriptions.
 
Norms and Conformity 
 
Norms influence behavior conformity among group members. What factors will influence group members to conform to a group’s norms, and when will members remain independent? Do individuals who do not conform to the group’s norms ever succeed in influencing the rest of the group? Provide examples to support your analysis. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.