Group cohesion is the process of group dynamics, which is designed to characterize how each member of the group is committed to this group. Evaluation and definition of group cohesion, as a rule, are considered not one-sided, but multifaceted: both in terms of sympathy in interpersonal relations, and in terms of the utility and attractiveness of the group itself for its participants. At present, a lot of research has been done on this topic, and group cohesion in psychology is defined as the result of the forces that keep people in the group.
The problem of group cohesion
Many well-known American psychologists, among whom such as D. Cartwright, K. Levin, A. Sander, L. Festinger, group dynamics and group cohesion are considered unified. The group is always developing - it changes attitudes, status and many other factors, and all of them affect how cohesive are its participants.
It is believed that the group in which a person is composed is satisfied with the activities of this group, that is, costs are much less tangible than benefits. Otherwise, a person simply will not have the motivation to remain a member of the group. At the same time, the benefits should be so great as to exclude the transfer of a person to another, even more profitable group.
Hence it becomes clear that the group's cohesion is a very complicated balance, in which not only the benefits of membership are involved, but also the potential benefits of joining other groups are weighed.
Factors of group cohesion
Needless to say, there are a lot of factors that influence group cohesion? If we consider only the main ones, we can consider the following points:
- the interdependence of the group members, which necessarily manifests itself in the course of their common activities,
- democratic style of leadership, that is, lack of rigid management,
- common values, interests and priorities of group members,
- the accuracy of the group goal, its clarity and certainty,
- a relatively small number of members in the group,
- image, prestige of the group.
As a rule, in order to talk about a cohesive group, one or two of these factors are not enough: the more they are implemented by a particular group, the better the result.
Group cohesion in the organization
If we consider the phenomenon of group cohesion by a concrete example - the staff of the office, then it will reflect the indicator of stability and coherence, which is based on interpersonal relations, satisfaction of members of the team. As a rule, cohesion also affects the effectiveness of the group. The higher the group cohesion, the more interesting it is for people to solve common problems. However, in some cases this rule works somewhat differently - for example, if the standards of conduct are not aimed at increasing the effectiveness, then this will be a problem.
The study of group cohesion and leadership showed that for the work collective, as a rule, it is important to have not only democratic views and an atmosphere of benevolence, but also the real authority of the leader of the group, which, although acting gently but very respectfully.
In many cases, group cohesion exercises may be required, which are primarily aimed at developing the personal sympathy of the team members. Typically, in order to identify the need for such work, it is worthwhile to conduct a written test-survey, which will help to determine whether this problem really exists. In these issues, an experienced psychologist will help you.