ORG 3500 Group psychology
ORG 3500 Group psychology
This course aims at providing the candidates with a solid foundation for recognizing and relating to different group processes in life at work. The candidate is going to gain research-based knowledge about human interactions at the workplace, like different forms of psychological processes that occur in groups, social influence, conflict, and harassment. The student will have a broad overview of how groups are established and developed, but also gain knowledge of factors that threaten the effectiveness of groups. Furthermore, the candidate ought to have nuanced knowledge about the difference between groups and teams, and how different teams perform different tasks and functions at work.
In addition to knowledge of the effectiveness of teams and groups in organisations, students will gain knowledge of the potentially harmful aspects concerning group dynamics. The course covers different destructive processes, like conflict escalation, bullying and sexual harassment. This knowledge is central for leaders and HR-workers when meeting people in organisations.
After taking this course you will have knowledge about:
- Group unity, development, and the value of psychological safety
- How perceive, think about and act when faced with our own versus other groups (intergroup relationships)
- Power and social influence in small and large groups
- Destructive psychosocial processes, including conflict escalation, bullying, and sexual harassment
- Conditions for effectiveness and performance in teams, in theory and in practice
- Characteristics, challenges, and strategies for special kinds of teams, including interdisciplinary and digital teams
After taking this course you will know how to:
- Recognize and distinguish different types of group cohesion, as well as describe and exemplify developmental processes in groups
- Explain and exemplify how one’s own group affiliation affects how we think about our own group (in-group) versus other groups (out-groups), as well as discuss the sources of conflict between groups and possible solution strategies
- Describe and question how power and social influence works in small and large groups
- Describe different forms of destructive interpersonal phenomena (e.g., conflict, bullying, harassment) considering group psychological theories, as well as describe how to handle these
- Describe and discuss conditions for effectiveness and performance in teams, as well as analyse and exemplify different types of teams effectiveness considering these conditions
- Discuss characteristics, challenges and strategies for special kinds of teams, including interdisciplinary and digital teams
Students will develop their ability to reflect on group processes, how an individual affects a group, and how the group affects the individual (and the importance of each individual’s contribution). It is also important to realize that individual contributions influence a team’s performance, where individuals support each other and provide a synergetic effect.
The course will cover these topics:
- Group unity, development, and the value of psychological safety
- How perceive, think about and act when faced with our own versus other groups (intergroup relationships)
- Power and social influence in small and large groups
- Conflicts, conflict escalation, bullying, and sexual harassment
- Conditions for effectiveness and performance in teams, in theory and in practice, including team training, team development, functions and dynamics in effective teams
- Characteristics, challenges, and strategies for special kinds of teams, including interdisciplinary and digital teams
This course is based on a combination of theory-based teaching and experience-based learning. Throughout the course, you will encounter traditional lectures, in addition to classes where the participants perform and reflect on team-based exercises that stimulate and illustrate group psychological processes, reflection and understanding of theory.
Higher Education Entrance Qualification
Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Invigilation Weight: 100 Grouping: Individual Support materials:
Duration: 3 Hour(s) Exam code: ORG 35001 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination every semester |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 42 Hour(s) | |
Prepare for teaching | 30 Hour(s) | |
Student's own work with learning resources | 125 Hour(s) | |
Examination | 3 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.