Keywords
informal subgroup
group size
individuals in informal subgroups
group composition
group functions
Abstract
Introduction. This paper presents the results of a study of the relationship of the size (the total number of group members and the number of informal subgroup members) and gender and age composition of work groups with the extent to which they implement functions in relation to group members. The functions include (1) creating possibilities for realization of individual goals and meeting individual needs; (2) protection from external social threats; (3) informing (providing information to) members; (4) educating members; (5) adaptation of (providing adaptive capacities to) members; and (6) providing control and regulation. Methods. The study was conducted in 49 departments of companies with 4 to 14 employees (n = 290; 75.35 % women and 24.65 % men aged 21–70 years). In the first stage of the study, the Group Profile computer program was used, which included a formalized algorithm for identifying informal subgroups in the group. In the second stage, a printed form of a questionnaire on group functions related to group members was used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Pearson Chi-square test, the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U-test, and the bias-corrected bootstrap. Results. The number of members included in informal subgroups (in relation to total group size) has a direct positive effect, while the total group size has an indirect negative effect (mediated by the number of group members in subgroups) on the functions that work groups carry out in relation to group members. None of the functions correlated with the gender-related heterogeneity of groups. However, the function of providing information to members negatively correlated with the age-related heterogeneity of groups. Discussion. This study presents the first step toward understanding the antecedents of the functions that work groups implement in relation to group members. The results obtained can be used by managers and psychologists to solve practical problems. Further studies will investigate group composition based on other properties and group socio-psychological characteristics as antecedents of the functions that work groups carry out in relation to group members.
References
Baron, R., Byrne, D., & Johnson, B. (2003). Exploring social psychology. Piter. (in Russ.).
Blau, P. M. (1977). Inequality and heterogeneity: A primitive theory of social structure. Free Press.
Chaudhary, M., Chopra, S., & Kaur, J. (2022). Cohesion as a cardinal antecedent in virtual team performance: A meta-analysis. Team Performance Management, 28(5/6), 398–414. https:/doi.org/10.1108/TPM-02-2022-0017
Choi, K., & Cho, B. (2010). Competing hypotheses analyses of the associations between group task conflict and group relationship conflict. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32, 1106–1126. https:/doi.org/10.1002/job.733
Cooper, D., & Thatcher, S. M. B. (2010). Identification in organizations: The role of self-concept orientations and identification motives. Academy of Management Review, 35(4), 516–538. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2010.53502693
De Dreu, C. K. W. (2007). Cooperative outcome interdependence, task reflexivity, and team effectiveness: A motivated information processing perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), 628–638. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.628
Fuel, P., Pardo-del-Val, M., & Revuelto-Taboada, L. (2022). Does the ideal entrepreneurial team exist? International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 18(2), 1–27.
Gebert, D., & von Rosenstiel, L. (2006). Organisationspsychologie. Person und organisation. Gumanitarnyi tsentr. (in Russ.).
Gooding, R. Z., & Wagner, J. A., III. (1985). A meta-analytic review of the relationship between size and performance: The productivity and efficiency of organizations and their subunits. Administrative Science Quarterly, 30, 462–481. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392692
Gorbatenko, A. S., & Gorbatenko, T. M. (1984). A procedure for determining the structure of a group by means of a formalized analysis of interpersonal choices, Voprosy Psychologii, 4, 112–118. (in Russ.).
Hackman, J. R. (1987). The design of work teams. In J. W. Lorsch (Ed.), Handbook of organizational behavior (pp. 315–342). Prentice Hall.
Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford press.
Hollinger, R. C., & Clark, J. P. (1982). Formal and informal social controls of employee deviance. The Sociological Quarterly, 23, 333–343. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1533-8525.1982.tb01016.x
Klein, C., Salas, E., Le, H., Burke, C. S., Lyons, R., & Goodwin, G. F. (2009). Does team building work? Small Group Research, 40, 181–222. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496408328821
Kristof-Brown, A., Barrick, M. R., & Stevens, C. K. (2005). When opposites attract: A multi-sample demonstration of complementary person-team fit on extraversion. Journal of Personality, 73(4), 935–958. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00334.x
Luan, M., Ren, H., & Hao, X. (2019). Perceived subgroups, TMS, and team performance: The moderating role of guanxi perception. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2655. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02655
Morrissette, A. M., & Kisamore, J. L. (2020). Trust and performance in business teams: A meta-analysis. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 26(5/6), 287–300. https://doi.org/10.1108/TPM-02-2020-0012
Mullen, B., Brown, R. J., & Smith, C. (1992). Ingroup bias as a function of salience, relevance, and status: An integration. European Journal of Social Psychology, 22(2), 103–122. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2420220202
Neubert, M. J. (1999). Too much of a good thing or the more the merrier? Exploring the dispersion and gender composition of informal leadership in manufacturing teams. Small group research, 30(5), 635–646. https://doi.org/10.1177/104649649903000507
Oyster, K. (2004). Groups: A user’s guide. Praim-EVROZNAK. (in Russ.).
Riddle, B. L., Anderson, C. M., & Martin, M. M. (2000). Small group socialization scale: Development and validity. Small Group Research, 31(5), 554–572.
Roberts, L. M. (2005). Changing faces: Professional image construction in diverse organizational settings. Academy of Management Review, 30(4), 685–711. https://doi.org/10.5465/АМR.2005.18378873
Robbins, S. P. (2006). Fundamentals of organizational behavior. Vil'yams. (in Russ.).
Roodt, H., Krug, H., & Otto, K. (2021). Subgroup formation in diverse virtual teams: The moderating role of identity leadership. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 722650.
Rusalinova, A. A., Govorova, A. A., & Ilyina, N. A. (1983). Socio-psychological aspects of moral education of employees in work teams. E. V. Shorokhova (ed.). Socio-psychological problems of work teams. Nauka. (in Russ.).
Schutz, W. C. (1958). FIRO-B a three-dimensional theory of interpersonal behavior. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Sidorenkov, A. V. (2010). Small group and informal subgroups: Microgroup theory. SFU. (in Russ.).
Sidorenkov, A. V., & Borokhovski, E. F. (2024). Comparative analysis of the functions work groups and informal subgroups carry out in relation to their members: The essence, conditions of implementation, effects, and dysfunctions. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-024-09834-y
Sidorenkov, A. V., & Pavlenko, R. V. (2015). GROUP PROFILE computer technique: A tool for complex study of small groups. SAGE Open, 5(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440155694187774
Sidorenkov, A. V., Borokhovski, E. F., & Kovalenko, V. A. (2018). Group size and composition of work groups as precursors of intragroup conflicts. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 11, 511–523. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S178761
Sidorenkov, A. V., Sidorenkova, I. I., & Ulyanova, N. Yu. (2014). Socio-psychological characteristics and the efficiency of small groups in organizations. Mini Taip. (in Russ.).
Sidorenkov, A. V., & Shtroo, V. A. (2023). Efficiency of production groups and the number of informal subgroups in them. Organizational Psychology, 13(1), 35–58. URL: http://orgpsyjournal.hse.ru (in Russ.)
Spell, C. S., Bezrukova, K., Haar, J., & Spell, C. (2011). Faultlines, fairness, and fighting: A justice perspective on conflict in diverse groups. Small Group Research, 42(3), 309–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496411402359
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In S. Worchel, W. G. Austin (Eds.). Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Nelson-Hall.
Thatcher, S. M. B., & Patel, P. C. (2011). Demographic faultlines: A meta-analysis of the literature. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1119–1139. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024167
Thoms, P., Pinto, J. K., Parente, D. H., & Druskat, V. U. (2002). Adaptation to self-managing work teams. Small Group Research, 33(1), 3–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/104649640203300101
Vodosek, M. (2007). Intragroup conflict as a mediator between cultural diversity and work group outcomes. International Journal of Conflict Management, 18, 345–376. https://doi.org/10.1108/10444060710833469
Wittenbaum, G. M., Hollingshead, A. B., & Botero, I. C. (2004). From cooperative to motivated information sharing in groups: Moving beyond the hidden profile paradigm. Communication Monographs, 71, 286–310. https://doi.org/10.1080/0363452042000299894
Woehr, D. J., Arciniega, L. M., & Poling, T. (2013). Exploring the effects of value diversity on team effectiveness. Journal of Business and Psychology, 28, 107–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-012-9267-4
Zheng, Q., & Wang, L. (2021). Teammate conscientiousness diversity depletes team cohesion: The mediating effect of intra-team trust and the moderating effect of team coaching. Current Psychology, 42, 6866–6876. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01946-7
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2024 Andrey V. Sidorenkov, Yuliya V. Obukhova*, Anastasiya A. Eribekyan, Daniil S. Ignatov