Group Dynamics

Question 1

What is a group

Answer 1

A collection of people who want the same thing and could benefit from working together

Question 2

Free-Rider problem

Answer 2

From Olson, when outcomes must be shared, all the value derived is shared with everyone; each individual person does not have the incentive to contribute, hoping others will, and they can reap the reward with no work

Question 3

Collectively Bad Outcome

Answer 3

The pursuit of individual self-interest leads to an outcome where the group as a whole is worse off than if they had cooperated

Question 4

Group Failure

Answer 4

The group may either fail to form initially or, if formed, fail to achieve its collective goals due to a lack of sufficient resources or mobilization

Question 5

Small Privileged Group

Answer 5

• High per capita benefits
• Easily monitored
• Social pressure is effective,
• An individual may provide because the outcome offsets the costs

= Group Succeeds and low chance of free riding

Question 6

Large/Latent Groups

Answer 6

• Low per-capita benefit
  -hard to monitor free riders
• no individual’s contribution matters much.
• Anonymity enables shirking

= Group failure and high chance of free riding

Question 7

Overcoming the Free-Rider Problem

Answer 7

Selective Incentives: incentives operate selectively toward individuals who contribute, ensuring that those who do not contribute are treated differently from those who do

Question 8

Material Incentives

Answer 8

A type of selective incentive; Private goods tied to membership (e.g., insurance, discounts, job protection). Accuracy-motivated

Question 9

Solidary Incentives

Answer 9

A type of selective incentive; Social benefits derived from participation (e.g., status, friendship, networking, or social pressure/recognition/sanctions) directional reasoning

Question 10

Purposive Incentives

Answer 10

A type of selective incentive; Ideological or psychological satisfaction (e.g., the “warm glow” from feeling good about participating or “doing the right thing”), directional reasoning

Question 11

Olson’s Prediction

Answer 11

Without selective incentives, large groups will systematically under-provide collective
goods relative to smaller, more concentrated groups.

Question 12

Benefits to Groups

Answer 12

– Collective memory - more information available
– Error correction - members catch each other’s mistakes
– Novel solutions - interaction generates new ideas
– Distributed expertise - different members bring different knowledge

Question 13

When Groups make things worse

Answer 13

-Social Loafing
-Coordination Problems
-Poor information sharing

Question 14

Social Loafing

Answer 14

the phenomenon where individuals exert less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone. This happens because people may feel less accountable or believe others will pick up the slack, leading to reduced individual contribution

Question 15

Coordination Problems

Answer 15

occur when group members have difficulty organizing their actions effectively. This can be due to communication barriers, differing priorities, or challenges in aligning efforts, which can reduce the group’s overall performance

Question 16

Poor Information Sharing

Answer 16

describes situations where group members fail to exchange relevant or unique information. Often, groups tend to discuss information everyone already knows, leading to shared information bias and echo chambers, which can impair decision-making quality.

Question 17

Groupthink (Janis)

Answer 17

a mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a
decision-making group overrides realistic evaluation of alternatives

Question 18

When does Group think happen?

Answer 18

High Group Cohesiveness
Insulation from Outside
Directive Leadership
Lack of Procedures
High Stress

Question 19

High Group Cohesiveness

Answer 19

Members really like each other and want to stay in the group

Question 20

Insulation from Outside

Answer 20

Group doesn’t seek or receive external opinions

Question 21

Directive Leadership

Answer 21

Leader has strong preferences and dominates discussion

Question 22

Lack of Procedures

Answer 22

No systematic way to evaluate alternatives

Question 23

High Stress

Answer 23

Crisis situation with time pressure and high stakes. Increases conformity pressures and reduces independent evaluation of alternatives.

Question 24

Preventing Groupthink

Answer 24

Janis recommends:

1. Assign Devil’s Advocate whose job is to challenge
2. Encourage Dissent, leaders should invite criticism
3. Seek outside options by bringing in external experts with different views
4. Use subgroups to allow teams to work independently and then compare
5. Second-chance meeting; revisit decisions after initial agreement

Question 25

Instrumental Motivation

Answer 25

People are instrumentally motivated when they weigh the costs and benefits of their actions and choose behaviors that maximize their personal gain or minimize their losses. (Olson)