Group Cohesion and Productivity

Describe your most positive experience in working on a group project in which the group's cohesiveness led to greater work productivity.  Have you experienced a situation that was just the opposite - a situation in which group cohesiveness negatively impacted the productivity of the project? Provide examples to support your descriptions. Respond to at least two of your classmates' posts.

Norms and Conformity

Norms influence behavior conformity among group members.  What factors will influence group members to conform to a group's norms, and when will members remain independent?  Do individuals who do not conform to the group's norms ever succeed in influencing the rest of the group?  Provide examples to support your analysis. Respond to at least two of your classmates' posts.

Best Workplace

Review the most current results of FORTUNE Magazine's annual ranking of America's "100 Best Companies to Work For." Explore the website of at least three of the companies noted. Develop a two- to four page paper that addresses the following:

• When reviewing the descriptions of the work environments, identify elements that appear to foster employee motivation and group cohesion among employees.
• Relate your analysis to the material presented in the chapters assigned for reading this week. For example, there may be elements that support George Homans' theory, or another theory of exchange in groups.