SmWall groups quiz #4

What are norms?

"a fundamental element of social structure; a group's rules of order"

What is the dynamic role?

(Freud) suggested that our actions when in a group are based on our rational plans, motives, and goals, but also on unconscious interpersonal and psychological processes that are unrecognizable

What are the negative consequences of "cheer" as an emotional norm?

-Forced cheer can have negative health effects -Smiling is a default...it is just expected at this point -Customers are aware that smiling is a requirement for workers so they can act however they want and the employee will just have to deal with it -Workers eventually feel an imbalance between what they're showing on the outside and how they feel on the inside which can take a toll on them

How are performance and satisfaction associated with different communication networks?

-Groups with centralized networks outperform groups with decentralized networks Ex: group with wheel structure took less time to solve problems, sent fewer messages, and improved more with practice -When the task is simple, centralized networks are more efficient BUT when the task is complex, decentralized networks are superior -The overall satisfaction in a centralized group is lower than in decentralized groups because centralized networks have less centralized positions than decentralized positions

What are the positive consequences of "cheer" as an emotional norm?

-In Russia where everything was dark and gloomy (soviet union) when the first McDs opened, McDs served as a happy place and people were excited just to hang out there -They could count on the smiles and lightheartedness at McDs

What is role differentiation?

-In time, members will perform specific types of actions and interact with other group members in a particular way -The number of roles in the group increases over time and roles themselves become gradually more defined and specialized

What is SYMLOG?

-Provides an example of a comprehensive explanation for the types of roles commonly observed in groups -based on 3 dimensions: 1) Dominance or submissiveness: Is a member outgoing, active, talkative? (dominance UP, submissive DOWN) 2) Friendliness or unfriendliness: Is this member warm, open, and positive or negative and irritable? (friendliness is positive, unfriendliness is negative) 3) Acceptance or nonacceptance of task-oriented authority: Is this member analytic and task-oriented or emotional, nontraditional, and resentful? (acceptance of task-orientation of authority is forward, nonacceptance is backward)

How do norms develop?

-Some are deliberately put in place when a group is established -But in groups that do not have explicit dos and don'ts, norms will develop as members gradually align their behaviors with commonly accepted behavioral practices in the group

Why are norms important?

-They provide direction and motivation, organize social interactions, and make other people's responses predictable and meaningful. -Each member is restrained by norms, but each member also benefits from the order that norms provide

What are the types, shapes & features of different communication networks?

-Three Person Networks: wheel, comcon, pinwheel -Four-person networks: wheel, kite, circle, comcon -Five-Person Networks: wheel, Y, circle, comcon

Explain the Sherif's Study and conclusions:

-When individuals judged the dot's movement repeatedly, they usually established their own idiosyncratic average estimates -But, when people made their judgments in groups, their personal estimates merged with those of other group members -Individuals private, pregroup judgements differed markedly, but when they joined their judgments converged. -Confirmed : norms emerge gradually as members' behaviors, judgments and beliefs align over time

What is role conflict?

-a state of tension, distress, or uncertainty caused by inconsistent or discordant expectations associated with one's role in the group

Why do roles matter?

-define responsibilities and expectations and facilitate coordination by specifying who can be counted on to do what within the group -Individuals establish an exchange relationship with their fellow members, building the interdependence that is essential for the coordination of behavior, group cohesion, and productivity

What are prescriptive norms?

-describe the socially appropriate way to respond in a situation Ex: Food should be shared equally

What are the three role theories?

-functional -interactionist -dynamic

What is Moreland & Levin's Model?

-identifies 5 types of roles, 5 stages and processes of socialization, and 4 transitional points. The curved line represents the gradual increase and eventual decrease of a hypothetical member's commitment to the group. -Commitment increases as the member moves from prospective member to new member to full member, -But then declines as the member moves to the role of marginal member and eventually ex-member

What is the functional role theory?

-most groups exist for some purpose so they must develop methods that facilitate goal attainment. -Roles exist in groups to fulfill these personal and interpersonal needs 2 Demands must be met for a group to survive: 1) the group must accomplish its tasks 2) relationships among members must be maintained

What are the types of norms?

-prescriptive -proscriptive -descriptive -injunctive

What are proscriptive norms?

-prohibitions; they define all types of actions that should be avoided if at all possible Ex: "Do not urinate inside the airplane"

What are the types of role stress?

-role ambiguity -role conflict -interrole conflict -intrarole conflict

What are the types of roles?

-task roles -relationship roles

What is role ambiguity?

-unclear expectations about the behaviors to be performed by an individual occupying a particular position within the group caused by a lack of clarity in the role itself, a lack of consensus within the group regarding the behaviors associated wit the role -Can occur even when a role has a long history in the group, the responsibilities of the role may be ill-defined

Why do communication networks matter?

Centrality is an important feature of comm. Networks-- one of the positions in a group has a very high degree of centrality relative to other positions in the group

What are communication networks?

Communication networks: patterns of information transmission and exchange that describe who communicates most frequently and to what extent with whom

Give a brief synopsis of the Invisibilia Podcast?

McDonalds started in Moscow. Big M of McDonalds-- bring the M to Russia was the opposite to inevitable Bringing the M to Russia was "impossible" Rudeness was a norm in Russia -- the customers served the waiters, the waiters did not serve the customers 1. Bureaucracy in Soviet Russia was so insane that getting anything (ex: yeast) took so much time/paperwork 2. Basic infrastructure in the Soviet Union was so complex that even calling someone to make a shipment took so much effort 3. To create a viable McDs in Russia, McDs had to change the souls of Russians because it had to convince its employees to be cheerful! In Russia, smiling was seen as very private and personal But, everyone in America smiled Rudeness was a norm in Russia -- the customers served the waiters, the waiters did not serve the customers It was normal for you to walk into a completely empty restaurant and for a waiter to look at your clothing and decide whether or not they had space for you Can you teach "cheerful"? Can you take an emotional norm and transform it?

What is group socialization?

a pattern of change in the relationship between an individual and a group that begins when an individual first considers joining the group and ends when he/she leaves it

What is a task role?

any position in a group occupied by a member who performs behaviors that center on tasks and activities such as initiation structure, providing task-related feedback, and setting goals

What is a relationship role?

any position in a group occupied by a member who performs behaviors that improve the nature and quality of interpersonal relations among members, such as showing concern for the feelings of others, reducing conflict, and enhancing feelings of satisfaction and trust in the group

What are roles?

coherent sets of behaviors expected of people in specific positions (or statuses) within a group or social setting

What are descriptive norms?

describe what most people usually do, feel, or think in a particular situation

What is the interactionist role theory?

more emphasis on the generative process of role-related actions, recognize that group roles are analogous to theatrical roles, roles are negotiated by all group members through a reciprocal process

What are injunctive norms?

more evaluative-- describe the sorts of behaviors that people ought to perform

What is interrole conflict?

occurs when individuals occuly multiple roles within a group and the expectations and behaviors associated with a role are not consistent with the expectations and behaviors associated with another of their roles

What is intrarole conflict?

occurs when the behaviors that make up a single role are incongruous, often resulting from inconsistent expectations on the part of the person who occupies the role and other members of the group

What is the social turning process?

the tendency of individual's actions and evaluations to become more similar to the actions and assumed evaluations of those around them