Contact Us

If you still have questions or prefer to get help directly from an agent, please submit a request.
We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Please fill out the contact form below and we will reply as soon as possible.

  • Courses
  • Home
  • Business Management & Operations
  • Management, Leadership, & Organizational Behavior

Group Structure - Explained

What is Group Structure?

Written by Jason Gordon

Updated at April 8th, 2022

Contact Us

If you still have questions or prefer to get help directly from an agent, please submit a request.
We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Please fill out the contact form below and we will reply as soon as possible.

  • Marketing, Advertising, Sales & PR
    Principles of Marketing Sales Advertising Public Relations SEO, Social Media, Direct Marketing
  • Accounting, Taxation, and Reporting
    Managerial & Financial Accounting & Reporting Business Taxation
  • Professionalism & Career Development
  • Law, Transactions, & Risk Management
    Government, Legal System, Administrative Law, & Constitutional Law Legal Disputes - Civil & Criminal Law Agency Law HR, Employment, Labor, & Discrimination Business Entities, Corporate Governance & Ownership Business Transactions, Antitrust, & Securities Law Real Estate, Personal, & Intellectual Property Commercial Law: Contract, Payments, Security Interests, & Bankruptcy Consumer Protection Insurance & Risk Management Immigration Law Environmental Protection Law Inheritance, Estates, and Trusts
  • Business Management & Operations
    Operations, Project, & Supply Chain Management Strategy, Entrepreneurship, & Innovation Business Ethics & Social Responsibility Global Business, International Law & Relations Business Communications & Negotiation Management, Leadership, & Organizational Behavior
  • Economics, Finance, & Analytics
    Economic Analysis & Monetary Policy Research, Quantitative Analysis, & Decision Science Investments, Trading, and Financial Markets Banking, Lending, and Credit Industry Business Finance, Personal Finance, and Valuation Principles
  • Courses
+ More

Table of Contents

What is Group Structure?Rules Norms Conformity Status systems Group Size Group Cohesiveness 

What is Group Structure?

Groups are individuals banded together by a formal or informal process. The structure of the group, whether dictated by an authority or organic from member interactions, will have the following structural elements:

Rules

Groups are restricted by rules. These rules originate through a common understanding of all members or through imposition by an authority.

Norms

Groups are influenced by informal behavior, called norms. Norms stand for what the group sees as normal behavior. These are generally not formally expressed. They are simply understood or intuitive by all members.

Conformity

Members of a group are unique individuals. As members of the group, they are required to conform to rules, common understanding (norms), and the expressed values or interests of the group.

Status systems

Formal and informal groups have internal status systems. This means that individual members assume or achieve levels of authority, respect, and influence within the group. This creates an informal status system that may be completely separate and unique from any formal hierarchical levels.

Group Size

Groups vary in size from two to millions of individuals. When groups are part of an organization, the size of the group is dictated by the demands of the task or situation to be addressed by the group.

Group Cohesiveness

Group members naturally form personal bonds with other members. Cohesiveness relates to the extent to which members are collectively bound by loyalty and duty to other members of the group.

Back to: BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Was this article helpful?

Yes
No

Related Articles

  • Vision Statement - Explained
  • Business Management - Explained
  • Group vs Team - Explained
  • ERG Theory - Explained



©2011-2021. The Business Professor, LLC.
  • Privacy

  • Questions

Definition by Author

0
0
Expand