What is a Group?

Types of Groups in the Workplace

As a skilled business communicator, learning more about groups, group dynamics, management, and leadership will serve you well. Mergers, forced sales, downsizing, and entering new markets require individuals within a business or organization to become part of new groups. Groups may be defined by function. From a developmental viewpoint, they can also be determined by relationships within the group. Groups can be discussed in terms of their relationship to the individual and the degree to which they meet interpersonal needs. Some groups may be assembled at work to solve problems, and once the challenge has been resolved, they may dissolve into previous or yet-to-be-determined groups. These temporary problem-solving groups are called functional groups and may be familiar to you. In an academic or professional context, being a discipline member means adhering to a similar framework for viewing the world. Disciplines involve a standard set of theories that explain the world, terms to describe those theories, and an applied purpose related to increasing knowledge. In business, you may have colleagues who are marketing experts and members of the marketing department who perceive their tasks differently from a member of the sales staff or someone in accounting. You may work in the mailroom, and the mailroom staff form a distinct group that is interconnected with the larger organization.

Relationships are part of any group and can be described in terms of status, power, control, role, function, or viewpoint. They are formed through communication interaction across time and often share a common history, values, and beliefs about the world around us. You meet many basic human needs through conversations and a shared sense that you and your coworkers belong together, such as feeling included, affection, and a sense of control (Schutz, 1966). In a work context, “affection” may sound odd, but we all experience affection at work in the form of friendly comments like “Good morning,” “Have a nice weekend,” and “Good job!” Our professional lives also fulfill more than just our fundamental needs (i.e., air, food, water, and safety). While your workgroup may share common goals, such as delivering mail promptly to the corresponding departments and individuals, your daily interactions may extend beyond this functional perspective.

Primary and Secondary Groups

There are two fundamental types of groups: primary and secondary. The hierarchy denotes the degree to which the group(s) meet your interpersonal needs. Primary groups meet most, if not all, of one’s needs. Groups that meet some, but not all, needs are called secondary groups. Secondary groups often include work groups, where the goal is to complete a task or solve a problem. Secondary groups may meet your need for professional acceptance and celebrate your success, but they may not meet your need for understanding and sharing on a personal level. In terms of problem-solving, workgroups can accomplish more than individuals can. People, each with specialized skills, talents, experience, or education, come together in new combinations, face new challenges, find new perspectives, and create unique approaches that they would not have formulated alone.

If Two’s Company and Three’s a Crowd, What Is a Group?

This old cliché refers to the human tendency to form pairs. Pairing is the most basic form of relationship formation; it applies to childhood best friends, college roommates, romantic couples, business partners, and many other dyads (two-person relationships). A group, by definition, includes at least three people. We can categorize groups based on their size and complexity. The larger the group grows, the more likely it is to subdivide. Analysis of these smaller, or micro, groups is increasingly a point of study as the internet allows individuals to connect with like-minded people or those who share similar habits to share virtually anything across time and distance. A micro group is a small, independent group with a link, affiliation, or association with a larger group. The likelihood of possible interactions increases with each additional group member (Harris & Sherblom, 1999; McLean, 2003). Small groups typically contain between three and eight people. One person may involve intrapersonal communication, while two may constitute interpersonal communication, and both may be present within a group communication context.

Group norms are customs, standards, and behavioral expectations that emerge as a group forms. If you post an update daily on your Facebook page and your friends stop by to post on your wall and comment, not posting for a week will violate a group norm. They will wonder if you are sick or in the hospital, where you have no access to a computer to keep them updated. If, however, you only post once a week, the group will naturally come to expect your customary post. Norms involve self- and group-imposed expectations that often arise as groups form and develop. If there are more than eight members, it becomes a challenge to have equal participation, where everyone can speak, listen, and respond. Some will dominate, others will recede, and smaller groups will form. Finding a natural balance within a group can also be a challenge. Small groups need to have enough members to generate a rich and stimulating exchange of ideas, information, and interaction, but not so many people that what each brings cannot be shared (Galanes, Adams, & Brilhart, 2000).