In a day to day setting the formation of groups is one of the most common practices in a social

setting. Man is termed as a social being thus continues interaction with others around him mostly

through the formation of groups. A group can be termed as consisting of two or more individuals

who influence one another through social interaction. In order to better understand what leads to

the formation of these groups, how these groups run and how the relationships are formed and

maintained within the group versus the effect they have on an individual, researchers choose to

study group dynamics so as to get more insight. The term group dynamics was coined to describe

the way groups and individuals act and react to changing circumstances. (Kurt Lewin).

Types of groups in organisation:

Formal Group:

A formal group is a group that is created in order to accomplish some level of productivity and is

headed by a leader. It is a designated work group defined by the organization’s structure, vision

and objectives. The aim of these groups are: to generate new ideas, to perform complex interrelated

tasks for the organization and come up with solutions for certain issues emanating in the work

environment. Some examples of formal groups that are established include:

Command group: this is a formal group which is determined by the

organizational structure it’s mainly formed by mangers and

their subordinates who meet often to try and determine how

to achieve the organizational goals.

Task group: this is a formal group created to achieve a specific task

Committees: handles problems outside of regular assignments and often

times is adjourned when the task is resolved.

Informal group:
An informal group is a group formed by people seeking friendship and it usually has no officially

appointed leader, although a leader may emerge from the membership it is neither formally

structured nor organizationally determined. It usually appears in response to the need for social

contact within the work place. Some examples of informal groups are:

Social groups: people who enjoy each other’s company (chat groups). These groups

are commonly seen during break periods and free time when certain individuals in the

work place come together to pass time and have fun.

Interest groups: groups that develop informally around a common interest (news

groups). In the work place you will often find individuals interested in sports will be

found hanging around each other discussing sports while those interested in money

markets will also be on their own. This is because the individuals in this groups are

brought together through the common interest that they have thus pulling them

together.

INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP BEHAVIOUR

Individual behaviour differs from the behaviour of the same person when participated in groups.

This is due to, the biological explanation behind why people behave differently when they are in

a group as opposed to being on our own is that the limbic system in the brain, which is involved

with emotional activity, dominates the person's actions and thinking, and therefore suppresses the

neo-cortex, or the logical thinking part of the brain when a person joins a crowd. Therefore, the

person acts irrationally because he or she is under "emotional pressure.

Individual traits that may influence organizational behaviour on either a small or large scale

include individual attitudes, values, personality, ethics, and cultural differences. Individuals with
higher status within the organization, even at the lowest levels may make a difference particularly

in the performance of individual teams within the organization. These individuals most times pull

the crowds and usually have a bigger say in terms of group running thus controlling the

productivity of other members of staff. One of the biggest determining factors of organizational

behaviour is values and ethics of the individuals involved in the organization. The values and ethics

of the individual are in many ways similar in regard to the effect they have on the organization.

Group behaviour emanates from the causes that contribute to the group’s effectiveness. The well-

structured, well defined role and status hierarchy, able leadership, well developed norms and

strong cohesiveness a group has, the greater is the groupthink thus ensuring complete synergy and

harmony within the group.

Group cohesion
.