Group process (psychology)

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A group process is a chain of successive steps related to teams . That is why we speak of the team process. As types of group processes, a distinction must be made between social and economic group processes, which represent an object of investigation in organizational psychology .

The demarcation of a social group process from the group dynamic is not very easy. The word “process” describes a succession of states that are dependent on the given conditions and the influencing factors. The term dynamics, on the other hand, describes a force that acts and brings about a change or at least a redesign of the initial state. Accordingly, the word group process describes the development of a group, depending on the general conditions and other circumstances.

The economic group process is distinct from the area process (e.g. process in a department) and from the overall process that affects an entire company.

Conditions and influences of social group processes

The biggest factor affecting e.g. B. acts on a learning group is the leadership of the group. This is responsible, for example, for the organization of the work equipment. The spectrum ranges from functioning pens and paper for each group member to the beamer and the technology in general. Another important task of the group leader is the perception of the individual participants. So the rather quiet representatives are to be encouraged and the forewords to be slowed down a little (see team management ). In general, all group members should have an equal chance of contributing, which is to be steered and controlled by the management.

The facilitation of cooperation and exchange between the individual participants, who can consequently grow together to form a group, must also be promoted by the leadership. For example, serve games to know the fast contact at the beginning of a seminar and help to overcome barriers and inhibitions. Different methods enable meaningful and varied work in the group.

It is up to the group leader to use the right method at the right moment and thus to control the process accordingly. Well-founded knowledge and a broad repertoire of working methods are fundamental and essential for this. It is also important to set fixed framework conditions in which the group can move. This includes appointments such as start, break and end times as well as a fixed location and other organizational conditions.

With regard to the topic to be treated, for example in a seminar , responsibility again lies with the management. On the one hand, they should each have basic knowledge and, on the other hand, they should possibly invite specialists if their own skills are not sufficient to deal with the chosen topic. Nevertheless, the content to be treated must be fully accepted and supported by the management, as a defensive attitude of the group leader would be transferred to the participants and thus prevent good and meaningful work.

Results on social group processes

Social group processes can be divided into short-term and long-term processes. In practice they appear as processes of group development.

Such processes are related to group work: A positive outcome of a seminar-related group work or a learning-related group process can be seen, for example, in the comprehensive engagement and discussion of a topic. The absorption of knowledge can and should mostly also result from group work. Basically, however, it should be noted that the individual members only learn when they feel comfortable in the group. If a threat or an attack can be felt on one's own person, there will be no acceptance of knowledge or general integration into the group.

Results on economic group processes

In economic group processes, factual and rational facts are in the foreground, e.g. B. with semi-autonomous production groups, production islands, sales groups in companies. The focus here is on the economic relationship to the group processes and less on learning in groups.

Process example: Sales discussions are held in a sales group, interests are aroused in the customer, requests are triggered and sales are concluded that increase a company's sales.

If services of company groups are planned, implemented and controlled in a target-oriented manner by a group leader, one can speak of fact-oriented team management . Process-oriented group management means deriving the group goals from the divisional goals, planning the ways to achieve them, realizing, monitoring and managing what has been planned.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Lv Rosenstiel: Fundamentals of Organizational Psychology, 6th edition, Stuttgart 2007, p. 290
  2. M. Sader: Psychology of the group, 8th edition, Weinheim / Munich 2002, p. 133 ff.
  3. K. Henning, S. Marks: Communication and Organizational Development, 2nd edition, Aachen 1992, p. 76 f.
  4. ^ HJ Rahn: Design of personnel management processes, Frankfurt / Main 2005, p, 27

swell

  • Working group Dr. Lungershausen: ABC of course and seminar design. Haan-Gruiten 2000. Europe no. 77762
  • Günter Gugel: Methods Manual I: “New Learning”. A thousand practical suggestions for schools and teacher training. Weinheim and Basel 1997
  • Hans Jung: Human Resources. 7th edition, Munich / Vienna 2006. ISBN 3-486-58048-5
  • Jörg Knoll: Course and seminar methods. A training book for the design of courses and seminars, working and discussion groups. 10th edition, Weinheim, Basel, Berlin 2003. ISBN 3-407-36401-6
  • Horst-Joachim Rahn: Design of HR processes. Frankfurt / Main 2005. ISBN 3-8005-7323-7
  • Skill team of authors: make seminars lively. Teaching and learning creatively, revised edition, Offenbach 2001. ISBN 3-89749-196-6

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