Performance Expectations and Behavior in Small Groups

Abstract

When given a collective task to accomplish, a group of strangers will evolve patterns of interaction that clearly reflect differences in power and prestige among the members. Some mcmbers will be more active than others, exercise more influence than others, and be rewarded more often than others. It is our purpose to set down in fornul axiom form some of the processes that underly such patterns of inequalities and that account for their maintenance. Bales and his associates found in their observation of ad hoc college student discussion groups that, through time, marked inequalities develop in the overall rates of initiation of activity by each member.' Further, they found that those who initiate activity most frequently also receive activity most frequently and tend to be ranked highest by group members on the criteria of who had the ideas, who guided the group discussion, and who demonstrated leadership. Norfleet found similar regularities in her examination of adult discussion groups which met together over a period of three weeks.2 Ratings, by the members, of those individuals seen as having contributed most to the -productivity of the group became concentrated, with a high degree of agreement, on a few individuals. Those who were rated as the contributors also tended to be high on both initiation and receipt of interaction. These investigations indicate that a cluster of correlated inequalities develop in discussion groups. If we assume that the guidance ratings reflect primarily successful influence and that the best ideas and ,contribute to productivity ratings reflect judgments of ability at the discussion task, then the cluster of inequalities includes at least initiation of activity, receipt of activity, task ability and social influence. The characteristics of these groups and their activities which we believe were crucial to the formation of inequalities were that: a) they were given a collective task to accomplish; b) it was reasonable to think of members having differential capacity to contribute to completing the task; c) the completion of the task was of central importance to the members. Under pressure to complete the task successfully, those thought to be more able were given more opportunities to contribute (questions, inquiring glances, etc.) and were allowed