PR 662 Lecture Notes - Lecture 90: Equity Theory, Group Cohesiveness, Social Loafing

• School: Ball State University
• Department: Public Relations
• Course: PR 662
• Professor: Dr. Lee

Document Summary

Group property 4: size: smaller groups are faster at completing tasks members perform better, large groups are consistently better at problem solving. Size is important factor in group behavior as well and impacts the behavior in groups. The larger the group the harder it is to get contribution by all members and do so in a timely manner. Whereas small groups can be limited in their problem-solving ability and the availability of resources could be limited. There are some detrimental behaviors that can occur around group size. For example as groups get larger social loafing can occur which is when an individual will put in less effort because they think others in the group will make up for them. Causes: equity theory unequal distribution of work, dispersion of responsibility clouds the relationship between individual inputs and group output. Increase inter-group competition: set group goals, engage in peer evaluation, distribute group rewards based on members" individual contributions.