Organizational Development; Interventions and group cohesion

The influence of Personality in group cohesion (Organizational Development, Interventions)

By, John Errigo, M.S.

The personality of each group member is an imperative and volatile dynamic when a group materializes. The personality of each group member adds a different dynamic to the group and this combinational context creates a group personality. “Groups also differ in aesthetic sensitivity, in cooperative behaviors, and in the amount and quality of spontaneous interaction. In other words, each group appears to have a unique collective personality (Suchor, 1977).”

This attribute is an important analysis since during a group intervention within organizational development, a dynamic is created by the group. The success of an intervention can primarily be gauged by the various affable and or surly personality attributes that set the stage of group cohesion.

The different group personalities can in essence bind or break group cohesion. There are certain personality types which will mesh and certain personality types which will be in conflict. It is the cognitive behavior of a person which affects their personality and the nascent social dimension.

It is the beginning relationship between the participants of a newly formed group which also makes or breaks a group dynamic. “The relationship between group members and the work they are to perform, the work they have to do and how they are go about doing it, refer to the social dimension as the relationship of group members with one another, how they feel toward one another and about their membership in the group (Priola, Smith, & Armstrong, 2004).”

The social dynamic of a bourgeoning group is primarily affected by each of the group member’s personalities. The social dimensions are affected by the different personalities within the group.

There are cognitive differences within a group. These differences are also important since it affects the overall personality of an individual. “Tuckman studied groups composed of either abstract or concrete individuals. Abstract individuals were defined as individuals who perceived a more multifaceted world and who thought in terms of alternative interpretations.

The hypothesis that the abstract individuals would adopt a group structure that was more flexible, adopt a more integrated strategy in dealing with the task, and display greater environmental sensitivity was confirmed (Suchor, 1977).” It is apparent cognitive abilities affect the personalities of a group and these abstract individuals affect the group positively. “Our findings indicate the cognitive style is a complex variable with multiple dimensions (Sadler-Smith & Hodgkinson, 2003).” Each individual person displays a distinct cognitive style.

“A number of significant relationships have emerged in studies which have explored the Cognitive Style Index (CSI) in relation to cross-national differences, entrepreneurial behavior, gender differences and differences on the basis of job level, the impact of cognitive style on leader member relations and its degree of correlation with a variety of personality scales (Sadler-Smith & Hodgkinson, 2003).” Cognitive style has an effect on the group process. “Cognitive styles refer to individual differences in how people perceive, think, solve problems, learn, and relate to others and they are concerned with the form rather than the content of activity (Priola, Smith, & Armstrong, 2004).” Cognitively the way an abstract person would think would generally add a dimension of their personality which would allow them to be more open.

A concrete thinker is more rigid in their approach and only thinks of the absolutes. These cognitive dimensions also create a group dynamic that is afforded solely as an outward sign, in essence their personality. The open mindedness of the abstract group members adds a positive dynamic to group cohesion. “It was found that groups composed of open minded subjects were superior in communication, problem-solving time, and acceptance of the overall situation (problems, group experimenter) than groups composed of closed minded subjects. The cognitive ability of a group member in relation to their personality can greatly affect the outcome of an intervention. Interventions primarily take place within a group context and success is partly dependent upon how well the group interaction is formed and how well the group interaction relates to each other.

All rights reserved (2010) and my not be duplicated or refernced without written permission of author: John Errigo, M.S., by corporate authorization, HODT, Inc. (synergy@hodtinc.com)