GROUP GOALS, SOCIAL INTERDEPENDENCE, AND TRUST

1. GROUP GOALS, SOCIAL INTERDEPENDENCE, AND TRUST Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills 11th Edition David W. Johnson Frank P. Johnson

2. What are Group Goals? • People want to achieve goals they are unable to achieve by themselves  they form group • But do group goals exist in and of themselves? • Or are group goals the combination of individual members’ goals? What do you think?

3. Commitment to Group Goals Group goals need to be S – Specific • T – Trackable and measurable • A – Achievable but challenging • R – Relevant • T -- Transfer • 2. Involve group members in the process of forming goals – ownership

4. Operational Goals • Specific steps to achieving goals are clear and identifiable • Observable, countable, and specific indicators will make it evident when the goal has been achieved • Advantages: • Better communication among group members • Guidance in planning and carrying out group tasks • Help for the group in evaluating both the group process and the group product • Rational conflict resolution

5. How to Set Effective Group Goals? • Look for and recognize hidden agendas • Accept that they are legitimate and must be worked on • Survey-feedback method • Program evaluation and review, or critical path method

6. Social Interdependence Theory Social interdependence exists when individuals share common goals, and each individual’s outcomes are affected by the actions of the others. The type of interdependence structured in a situation determines how individuals interact with each other Social interdependence is different from social dependence and social independence.

8. Types of Positive Interdependence • Goal interdependence • Celebration/reward interdependence • Resources interdependence • Role interdependence • Identity interdependence • Environmental interdependence • Fantasy interdependence • Task interdependence • Outside enemy interdependence

9. Research on the Effects of Cooperation (Metaanalysis), Compared to Competition and Individualistic Efforts • Efforts to achieve and produce • Quality of relationships • Psychological adjustment and competence • Effect sizes are significantly higher for methodologically high quality studies of pure cooperation (as opposed to mixtures of cooperative, competitive and individualistic efforts)

10. Efforts to Achieve and Produce • Cooperation, compared to competition and individualistic efforts, leads to • Intrinsic motivation, high expectations for success • Greater effort to achieve • Long term retention • Higher level reasoning and critical thinking • Creative thinking – process gain • Group-to-Individual transfer of learning • Positive attitudes towards the task • More time on task • More positive cross-ethnic relationships

11. Quality of Relationships • More liking among individuals  • Stronger group cohesion  • Absenteeism and turnover of membership decrease • Feeling of personal responsibility to the group • Willingness to listen and be influenced by colleagues • Commitment to each other’s professional growth and success • Social support

12. Psychological Adjustment and Competence • Individualistic attitudes are related to a number of indices of pathological psychology. • Basic self-rejection • Egocentrism • Competitiveness is related to a mixture of healthy and unhealthy characteristics. • Conditional self-esteem • Egocentrism • Cooperativeness is positively related to • Emotional maturity • Well-adjusted social relations • Strong personal identity • Ability to cope with adversity • Social competencies • Basic trust and optimism about people • Self-confidence, independence and autonomy • High self-esteem • Increased perspective taking skills

14. Under What Conditions are Competitive Efforts Effective? Broader context is cooperative Between groups (not individuals) Task: nondivisible, well-practiced Evenly matched competing teams Winning is of no great importance

15. Under What Conditions Are Individualistic Efforts Effective? • Broader context is cooperative • Goal perceived as important, relevant, worthwhile • Individuals expect to be successful • Task is simple, achievable, clear

16. The Basic Elements of Cooperation • Positive interdependence – sink or swim together • Outcome interdependence • Mean interdependence • Individual accountability • Promotive interaction • Social skills • Group processing

17. Development of Cooperative Relationships • Durable and frequent interactions – more at stake in the future than in the present • Recognition ability • Emotional investment in the other group members • Tit-for-tat strategy • Avoiding the temptation to exploit other group members’ cooperation

18. Distribution of Rewards • Equity/merit view – Homans (1961) • Equality system of distributive justice • According to need • When the method of distribution is not perceived as just by all group members  low morale, high conflict

19. Social Interdependence and the Real World • All three types of interdependence exist simultaneously and continuously. • When a competitive person joins a cooperative group • Interaction pattern among group members becomes competitive • Newcomer is not aware of the change, only the group members

20. Deutsch’s Definition of Trust • An aspect of relationship  Dynamic • To trust someone always involves risk • The consequences of trusting can be • beneficial or • harmful • depending on the actions of the other person! • The feared harmful consequences (the possible loss) are more severe than the hoped beneficial outcomes (the possible gain) • If you trust, you feel relatively confident that beneficial consequences will result

21. The Dynamics of Interpersonal Trust Person B Person A

22. Trusting and Trustworthiness • Trust • Willing to risk beneficial or harmful consequences by making oneself vulnerable to other people • Openness • Sharing • Support • Acceptance • Trustworthiness • Willingness to respond to another person’s risk taking in a way that the other person will experience beneficial consequences • Accepting and supporting ≠ agreeing

23. Destroying Trust • Just one betrayal is enough to destroy trust, BUT • Distrust is extremely resistant to change • 3 types of behavior that will decrease trust: • Rejection, ridicule or disrespect as a response to the other person’s disclosure • Not reciprocating openness • Refusing to disclose your thoughts after the other person expressed acceptance, support and cooperative intentions

24. How Can I Reestablish Trust That Was Lost? • Establish superordinate goals – goals that are compelling and can only be achieved by cooperation • Increase resource interdependence • Express cooperative intentions • Always keep your word • Be absolutely and consistently trustworthy • “Test the waters” – make yourself vulnerable to the other person • Apologize sincerely • Build a tough but fair reputation

25. Trusting As A Personality Trait • Though trust is a quality of the relationship, not that of the person, some people are more willing to trust than others. • Interpersonal Trust Scale – Rotter (1971) • High trusters are • More trustworthy • More likely to give others a 2nd chance, to be liked and sought out as friends • Less likely to lie and be unhappy, conflicted or maladjusted

26. Summary • Independence (individual work) • Interdependence structured in the situation • Positive – cooperation • Negative – competition • Cooperation • Positive interdependence • Individual accountability • Face-to-face promotive interaction • Social skills • Group processing