Dimensions of Quality (IEM Quality Control 31March 2021)

Dimensions of Quality

There are eight such dimensions of quality. These are:

1. Performance:

It involves the various operating characteristics of the product. For a television set, for example, these characteristics will be the quality of the picture, sound and longevity of the picture tube.

Performance: Performance refers to a product's primary operating characteristics. This dimension of quality involves measurable attributes; brands can usually be ranked objectively on individual aspects of performance.

 

2. Features:

These are characteristics that are supplemental to the basic operating characteristics. In an automobile, for example, a stereo CD player would be an additional feature.

Features: Features are additional characteristics that enhance the appeal of the product or service to the user.

 

3. Reliability:

Reliability of a product is the degree of dependability and trustworthiness of the benefit of the product for a long period of time.

It addresses the probability that the product will work without interruption or breaking down.

Reliability: Reliability is the likelihood that a product will not fail within a specific time period. This is a key element for users who need the product to work without fail.

 

4. Conformance:

It is the degree to which the product conforms to pre- established specifications. All quality products are expected to precisely meet the set standards.

Conformance: Conformance is the precision (accuracy) with which the product or service meets the specified standards.

 

5. Durability:

It measures the length of time that a product performs before a replacement becomes necessary. The durability of home appliances such as a washing machine can range from 10 to 15 years.

Durability: Durability measures the length of a product’s life. When the product can be repaired, estimating durability is more complicated. The item will be used until it is no longer economical to operate it. This happens when the repair rate and the associated costs increase significantly.

 

6. Serviceability:

Serviceability refers to the promptness, courtesy, proficiency and ease in repair when the product breaks down and is sent for repairs.

Serviceability: Serviceability is the speed with which the product can be put into service when it breaks down, as well as the competence and the behaviour of the service person.

 

7. Aesthetics:

Aesthetic aspect of a product is comparatively subjective in nature and refers to its impact on the human senses such as how it looks, feels, sounds, tastes and so on, depending upon the type of product. Automobile companies make sure that in addition to functional quality, the automobiles are also artistically attractive.

Aesthetics: Aesthetics is the subjective dimension indicating the kind of response a user has to a product. It represents the individual’s personal preference.

 

8. Perceived quality:

An equally important dimension of quality is the perception of the quality of the product in the mind of the consumer. Honda cars, Sony TV and Rolex watches are perceived to be high quality items by the consumers.

Perceived Quality: Perceived Quality is the quality attributed to a good or service based on indirect measures.

Quality and Quality Control (IEM Quality Control 30March 2021)

Quality and Quality Control

 

Quality refers to how good something is compared to other similar things. In other words, its degree of excellence. When used to describe people, it refers to a distinctive characteristic or attribute that they possess. In this sense, we can also use cthe term for things. If I think that Mary’s best attribute is her honesty, I can say “Mary’s best quality is her honesty.”

When we refer to ‘people of quality’ we usually mean people of high social standing. However, the term, with this meaning, is less common today than in the past.

In business, especially manufacturing, it is a measure of excellence. In this context, it can also refer to a state of being defect-free.

The ISO standard defines quality as:

“The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.”

Quality is a relative (comparative) concept. It is related to certain predetermined characteristics such as shape, dimensions, composition, finish, colour, weight, etc. In simple words, quality is the performance of the product as per the commitment made by the producer to the consumer. J. M. Juran (1970) who is considered the father of quality research has defined quality as “the performance of the product as per the commitment made by the producer to the consumer.”

For example, a watch should show accurate time or a ball point pen should write legibly on a piece of paper.

 

Quality in business

In business, manufacturing, and engineering, the term has a pragmatic interpretation as the superiority or non-inferiority of something. It also refers to a product as ‘fit for purpose,’ while at the same time satisfying consumer expectations.

Customer’s and producer’s interpretation

“Consumers / Customers may focus on the specification quality of a product / service, or how it compares to competitors in the marketplace.”

“Producers might measure the conformance quality, or degree to which the product / service was produced correctly. Support personnel may measure quality in the degree that a product is reliable, maintainable, or sustainable.”

 

Definitions of Quality

Any business that can't manage the quality of its processes and products tends to fall apart. Quality is critical to sales, cost control, productivity, risk management and compliance.

1. Fit for Purpose

Perhaps the most useful business definition of quality is "fit for purpose". This definition evolved in quality management circles. It's useful because it's applicable to any process, service or product. However, it can be difficult to measure.

If the purpose of an aircraft is to be fast, efficient, comfortable and safe — then that's the definition of a quality aircraft.

Fit for purpose is a practical and flexible definition that's the cornerstone of most quality management initiatives.

2. Conformance to Requirements

Quality is often measured in terms of conformance to requirements. For example, business users define requirements for a sales system. The sales system is developed and its quality is measured against the requirements.

This definition is ideal for quality assurance teams that need to validate processes, systems, services and product quality. Working from requirements, they can easily validate conformance and identify non-conformance.

The problem with this definition is that requirements may offer a biased and subjective view of quality. In many cases, requirements represent little more than the ideas of business stakeholders. There's often no objective validation that these ideas will yield a quality result.

3. Quality Is Cost

Traditionally, product quality was thought of in terms of material costs. A watch that's made of gold is higher quality than a watch made of plastic. High quality sheets have a thread count of 180 or higher. High quality hand moisturizer has a high Shea butter content.

This type of quality definition works well for some simple products. However, it's inapplicable to technology, art and culture. The history of technology is filled with

cheaper products that have higher quality.

 

4. Quality is Price

Quality is an essential part of economic models. Economists have developed various definitions of quality.

Economists tend to judge quality by the price consumers are willing to pay.

If you're an economist and you need to measure quality across an entire economy — you need a quality definition that's easy to measure. According to economists, if something is expensive, it's high quality.

 

5. Quality is a Standard

The manufacturing industry was the first to take a hard, scientific look at quality. Manufacturers are concerned both with the quality of products and the quality of the manufacturing process itself.

If you're manufacturing one million cars a month you can't afford to produce sub-standard products that will be returned by your customers. You can't afford product liability issues that result from sub-standard product. You also can't afford inefficient processes.
Manufacturers use standards and continual process improvement methodologies to improve both processes and product quality. They view quality in terms of measurements and statistics.

6. Quality is Value for Performance

Marketing teams look for practical definitions of quality that explain why consumers and businesses buy.

One of the best ways to model purchasing behaviour is with the following definition of quality.

According to estimates, McDonald's sells 550 million Big Macs each year in the US alone. Obviously, customers see value in the Big Mac. It's not always practical to measure quality by the yardstick of a 3-star restaurant.

According to this definition a Rs.10 disposable tooth brush may be higher quality than a Rs.3000 golden tooth brush because it offers more value.

 

7. Quality is An Experience

As economies have shifted from a product to a service focus marketer have sought definitions of quality that explain why customers purchase services.

You don't go to a fine restaurant for the quality of food (product) alone. You go for the end-to-end experience from calling to make the reservation to paying the check and walking out the door. Customers judge fine dining by aesthetics, service, atmosphere, decor, taste, smell, etc.

Experiences are measured by establishing relationships with customers to elicit dialog and feedback. Experience quality can also be measured by bottom line metrics such as revenue, return visits and lifetime customer value.

 

 

Quality Control

A system of maintaining standards in manufactured products by testing a sample of the output against the specification.

“Quality control is a system of inspection, analysis and action applied to a manufacturing process so that, by inspecting a small portion of the product currently produced, an analysis of its quality can be made to determine what action is required on the operation in order to achieve and maintain the desired level of quality.” - Joseph Manueb.

 

“Quality control is the mechanism by which products are made to measure up to the specifications determined from the customer’s demands and transform into sales, engineering and manufacturing requirements. It is concerned with making things right rather than discovering and rejecting those made wrong. Quality control is a technique by means of which products of uniform acceptable quality are manufactured.”

“Quality control may be defined as that industrial management technique or group of techniques by means of which products of uniform acceptable quality are manufactured. It is indeed the mechanism by which products are made to measure up to specifications determined from customer’s demand and transformed into sales, engineering and manufacturing requirements. It is concerned with making things right rather than the discovering and rejecting those made wrong”. - Alford and Beatty

“Quality control means the recognition and removal of identifiable causes and defects, and variables from the set standards”. - J.A. Shubin.

“Quality control is used to connote all those activities which are directed for defining, controlling and maintaining quality”. - K.G. Lockyer.

“Quality control is systematic control by management of the variables in the manufacturing process that affect goodness of the end-product.” - H.N. Broom.

“Quality control is systematic control of these variables in the manufacturing process which affect the excellence of the end product. These variables result from the application of materials, men, machines and manufacturing condition. The production system possesses those inputs to produce desirable outputs.

Only when these variables in the inputs are regulated to the extent that they do not deviate unnecessarily from the excellence of the manufacturing process as reflected in the quality of the finished product, can the control of quality be said to exist.” - Bethel, At water and Stackman

“Quality control includes techniques and systems for the achievement of the required quality in the articles produced and for the elimination of sub-standard goods.” - Tome, Simen and HcGill.

“Quality control is a technique of scientific management which has the object of improving industrial efficiency by concentrating on better standards of quality and on controls to ensure that these standards are always maintained. It is not intended to show what is wrong with current technology, but rather to establish what can be achieved with existing methods when they are operated correctly.” - D.J. Desmond.

From the above-mentioned definitions, it is clear that quality control is concerned with controlling the negative variables which affect the ultimate quality of a product and in a broader sense it is concerned with the performance of those activities leading to fulfilment the company’s objectives.

 

Some of the important advantages to quality control are as follows:

1. The brand products build up goodwill or image which ultimately increases sales.

2. It helps the manufacturers / entrepreneurs in fixing responsibility of workers in the production process.

3. Quality control also helps in minimizing the costs by increasing efficiency, standardization, working conditions, etc.

4. It also enables the entrepreneur to know the cost of his / her product quite in advance which helps him in determining competitive prices of his product.

5. The entrepreneur can confirm whether the product manufactured by him / her is in accordance with the standard set by the Government. It further facilitates the entrepreneur to take necessary actions to comply with the standard set.

 

Methods or Tools of Quality Control:

1. Inspection:

Inspection, in fact, is the common method used for quality control purposes not only in production but also in services.

2. Statistical Quality Control:

It is an advanced method or technique used to control the quality of a product. This method is based on statistical techniques to determine and control the quality. Sampling, probability, and other statistical inferences are used in this method for controlling the quality of a product. It is widely used in process control in continuous process industries and in industries producing goods on a mass scale.

 

Ways of improving interpersonal relationships at workplace (Management-1 27March 2021)

Ways of improving interpersonal relationships at workplace:

 

1. Employees must communicate with each other effectively for a healthy relationship. Remember a problem shared is a problem halved.

2. Interact with your co-workers more often. Discussions must be on an open platform where every individual has the liberty to express his/her views and opinions. Written mode of communication is one of the effective ways of communicating at the workplace. Make sure your emails are self-explanatory and do mark a cc to all related employees. Ignoring any of your co-workers might hurt him and spoil your relationship with the individual concerned. Avoid hiding things from your fellow workers.

3. Even employees from a different team can be your friends. Talk to them. Greet them with a smile and a “Hi” whenever you meet them. An individual must not take things to heart at workplace.

4. Team leaders and supervisors should conduct morning meetings with their team members. Do not make the meeting too formal. The employees should be allowed to bring their coffee mugs. Let them interact with each other. Morning meetings go a long way in breaking the ice among employees and improving interpersonal relationships at workplace.

5. Do not favour any employee just because he is your relative or you know him personally. Favouritism spoils the relationship between superiors and subordinates.

6. Take your team out for lunch, picnics or get together once in a while. Let the employees bring their families as well. Ask your team members to exchange contact numbers amongst themselves for them to interact with each other even after work.

7. Greet your colleagues on their birthdays or anniversaries. Send them a nice e-card and do ask for a treat. Such small initiatives go a long way in strengthening the bond among fellow workers. Important festivals must be celebrated at workplace for employees to come closer to each other.

8. Individuals should be motivated to work in teams. Work must be equally allocated to team members to expect the best out of them. No employee should be overburdened. People working in teams are friendlier and adjust with each other better.

9. One needs to be a little more adjusting and compromising at the workplace. Don’t expect everything to be done just the way you like it. You will have all types of people around. Avoid fighting over petty things. Do not always look at the negative side of things. Accept people as they are. It is essential to look at the positive side of an individual. Being flexible at work always helps.

10. Avoid being jealous. Leave your ego behind the moment you enter the workplace. Appreciate if someone has performed exceptionally well. Remember only hard work and nothing else pays in the long run.

11. Stand by your colleagues when needed. It is only you who can create a healthy atmosphere at the workplace.

 

Tips to improve interpersonal relationship at workplace.

 

1. Do not treat office as your home. There is a certain way of behaving at the workplace. It is essential to be professional at work. Never misbehave with any of your colleagues. Leg-pulling, criticism, backbiting is a strict no. It is better to avoid someone you don’t like rather than fighting or arguing with him/her. Your office colleagues can be your friends as well but one must know where to draw the line.

2. An individual should not interfere in his colleague’s work. Superiors must formulate specific KRAs (Key Result Area) for all the employees and make sure job responsibilities do not overlap. Overlapping of job responsibility leads to employees interfering in each other’s tasks and eventually fighting over small issues. One should be concerned only with his work rather than trying to find out what the other employee is up to.

3. Give space to your fellow workers. Giving space in fact is essential in all relationships. Overhearing anyone else’s personal conversation is strictly unprofessional. An employee must not open envelopes, couriers or letters not meant for him. Such practices lead to severe displeasure among employees and eventually spoil relationships.

4. Do not spread baseless rumours at workplace. Even if you know something about someone, learn to keep things to yourself. Discuss it with the individual concerned in private rather than publicizing the whole thing. Organization has nothing to do with anyone’s private matters.

5. Pass on correct information to others. If your superior has asked you to share some information with any of your colleagues, make sure it is shared in its desired form. Data tampering and playing with information spoil relationships among colleagues and lead to confusions at the workplace.

6. Do not share all your secrets with your co-workers. You never know when they might misuse them. Even if you do, make sure you are doing it with someone you trust blindly.

7. Leave your ego behind. Do not bring your personal tensions to work. Think before you speak. Making fun of colleagues is something which is not at all expected out of a professional.

8. A team leader should not scold any of his team members in front of others. It might insult him/her. Call the individual concerned either to your cabin or conference room. Avoid comparisons among team members. The employees must be strictly judged according to their work and nothing else. Employees doing well should be suitably rewarded.

9. Stay away from nasty politics at workplace. Do not try to harm anyone. It is absolutely okay to appreciate someone who has done something exceptionally well. Avoid being jealous. It will harm you in the long run. There should be healthy competition among the employees for a healthy environment at the workplace.

 

Interpersonal Relationship Skills / Qualities

A strong association between individuals sharing similar interest and goal is called as interpersonal relationship. It is important to have trustworthy colleagues around at the workplace.

One needs to know how to interact with fellow workers. Let us go through some interpersonal skills an individual needs to inculcate for a healthy relationship with co-workers.

1. Stay positive at the workplace. Do not crib over small things. No individual on this earth is perfect. Do not always find mistakes in others.

2. Respect your colleagues. It is unprofessional to misbehave with fellow workers. An employee must behave in an acceptable way at the workplace. Maintain the decorum of the workplace.

3. Being rude to fellow workers spoils the relationship among employees. Remember the way you behave speaks a lot about your education, upbringing and family background. Be polite to everyone irrespective of his/her designation and income.

4. An individual needs to have effective communication skills (both oral as well as written) for a healthy interpersonal relationship at workplace. One must be careful about the pitch and tone of his voice. Never be too loud or too soft. Being loud sometimes is considered rude and being too soft signifies lack of interest in the other person. Choice of words is also equally important. Never say anything which you yourself would not like to listen. Avoid using slangs and foul words at the workplace. Communicate more through emails as they are considered to be more reliable as compared to verbal communication.

5. Be cheerful at the workplace. Smile more often. It works.

6. Make your fellow workers feel important. Show how much you care for them. If they have done something for you, do remember to thank them. The good work of employees must be acknowledged and appreciated in front of all. Being jealous does not help and in turn spoils your relationship with your fellow workers.

7. Stand by your colleagues at the times of crisis. Lend a sympathetic ear to their troubles and help them whenever required.

8. Wish your colleagues on their birthdays, anniversaries and important festivals. They would feel special.

9. Be honest to others. If any of your colleagues is doing something wrong, tell him on his face. It is better to be straight forward than spreading unnecessary rumours about someone. Criticizing and making fun of fellow workers spoil relationships and eventually turn friends into foes.

10. Be a patient listener. Listen to what the other person has to say. Understand the other person’s point of view as well before jumping to conclusions. Wrong perceptions of people lead to unnecessary confusion and misunderstandings.

11. Being trustworthy helps you gain confidence of fellow workers. Learn to keep things to yourself.

12. An individual’s personal interest ought to take a backseat at workplace. Your office has nothing to do with your personal life and personal problems. You have no right to shout on your co-workers. Learn to keep a control on your emotions.

13. Be a little more understanding and compromising to avoid unnecessary conflicts at the workplace. Put yourself in your colleague’s shoes before taking any crucial decisions.

14. Be nice and kind to everyone. Make sure you are not labelled as “brat”. Be a source of inspiration for others. Remember it is you and only you who can make a difference to the organization. Behave as a thorough professional.

Interpersonal Behaviour & Importance (Management-1 26March 2021)

Interpersonal Behaviour

Interpersonal behaviour is the interaction between two or more persons. It is imperative to building and maintaining any type of relationship in our social world. However, when looking at interpersonal behaviour in the workplace, things become a little more complicated. People spend a large portion of their time in an organisation interacting with others. These interactions provide the connective tissues that help to hold the subparts of the organisation together. While there are exceptions, in general, these interactions paired Relationships, that is, they are two person contacts-with superior, subordinate, co-worker, or outsider. This dyadic relationship involves an interaction in which both may behave in a particular way which may be either cooperative or conflicting. Thus, there may be either cooperative interpersonal behaviour conflicting interpersonal behaviour. Reasons for such behaviour can be attributed to personality differences, different value system, and conflict of interest and last but not the least role ambiguity between the two individuals.

The individual dimensions of organisational behaviour viz., personality, perception, learning, attitudes, values, emotional intelligence, and motivation, shape an individual's behaviour. These dimensions are changed to a certain degree when the individual comes in contact with others in the organisation where he interacts:

(i) on one-to-one basis.

(ii) on one to group basis,

(iii) on group to one basis,

(iv) on group-to-group basis.

In each basis of interaction, the individual faces different types of situations. Therefore, how he affects the behaviour of other's and how his behaviour is affected by others differ.

Interpersonal behaviour may include both verbal communication and nonverbal communications, such as body language or facial expressions. Verbal interpersonal behaviour consists of joking, relating to one another via the art of storytelling, and taking or following orders.

Some examples of interpersonal skills include:

Active listening

Teamwork

Responsibility

Dependability

Leadership

Motivation

Flexibility

Patience

Empathy

 

Importance of interpersonal relationship at workplace.

1. An individual spends around eight to nine hours in his organization and it is practically not possible for him to work all alone.

Human beings are not machines who can work at a stretch. We need people to talk to and share our feelings. Imagine yourself working in an organization with no friends around. We are social animals and we need friends around. An individual working in isolation is more prone to stress and anxiety. They hardly enjoy their work and attend office just for the sake of it. Individuals working alone find their job monotonous. It is essential to have trustworthy fellow workers around with whom one can share all his secrets without the fear of them getting leaked. We must have friends at the workplace who can give us honest feedback.

2. A single brain alone can’t take all decisions alone.

We need people to discuss various issues, evaluate pros and cons and reach to solutions benefiting not only the employees but also the organization on the whole. Employees can brainstorm together and reach to better ideas and strategies. Strategies must be discussed on an open platform where every individual has the liberty to express his/her views. Employees must be called for meetings at least once in a week to promote open communication. Interaction on a regular basis is important for healthy relationship.

3. Interpersonal relationship has a direct effect on the organization culture.

Misunderstandings and confusions lead to negativity at the workplace. Conflicts lead you nowhere and in turn spoil the work environment.

4. We need people around who can appreciate our hard work and motivate us from time to time.

It is essential to have some trustworthy co-workers at the workplace who not only appreciate us when we do some good work but also tell us our mistakes. A pat on the back goes a long way in extracting the best out of individuals. One needs to have people at the workplace who are more like mentors than mere colleagues.

5. It always pays to have individuals around who really care for us.

We need colleagues to fall back on at the times of crisis. If you do not talk to anyone at the workplace, no one would come to your help when you actually need them.

6. An individual needs to get along with fellow workers to complete assignments within the stipulated time frame.

An Individual working all alone is overburdened and never finishes tasks within deadlines. Support of fellow workers is important. You just can’t do everything on your own. Roles and responsibilities must be delegated as per specialization, educational qualification and interests of employees. An individual needs help of his fellow workers to complete assignments on time and for better results.

 

Group Cohesiveness (Management-1 25March 2021)

Group Cohesiveness

 

Group cohesiveness means the degree of attachment of the members to their group. If group cohesiveness is high, the interaction between members of the group is high and the degree of agreement in group opinion is high.

A cohesive group usually has the following features:

1. The members share the group goals and norms and have common interests and backgrounds.

2. The number of members is small

3. The members interact among themselves quite frequently and interpersonal communication is very effective.

4. Group loyalty among the members is high because the group enjoys high status.

5. The members stand united against any perceived external threats to the group

6. The members keep themselves glued (affixed) to the group as they feel that their needs would be the group.

7. The group has a history of past success.

 

Factors Affecting Group Cohesiveness

There are various factors which determine the degree of group cohesiveness. Such factors are as follows:

1. Degree of Dependency on the Group: The more highly dependent a person is on a group for some result or effect, the greater will be the group's attractiveness, and consequently greater is its cohesiveness. It has been suggested that the greater the number of individuals needs a group can or does satisfy, the greater is its attractiveness and its cohesiveness.

2. Size: Size has an inverse relationship with group cohesiveness. This is so because group cohesiveness increases through interaction among group members. Thus, larger a group becomes, the less opportunity exists for interaction among the members.

3. Homogeneity and Stable Membership: Groups whose members have different interests and backgrounds are often less effective in promoting their interests. Similarly, stable relationships among members enhance group cohesiveness. This is so because the relationships have to persist over a period of time to permit people to know one another, to develop common understanding of shared goals and values

4. Location of the Group: Location of the group affects group cohesion in two ways. First, if the group members are located close to each other, they interact themselves frequently and free. Therefore, group cohesion would be high.

Second, if the group is isolated (separate) from other groups, cohesion is high. Where the line of dividing between one group and other groups does not exist, cohesion is not easy to achieve because a chain of interactions develops among members of various groups.

5. Group Status: A group with status with success stories is more attractive to its members. Therefore, they show solidarity among themselves and group cohesion tends to be high. As against this, a group which is denounced (speak out against) by all tends to have less cohesion

6. Group Leadership: The quality of the group leader determines the extent to which the group members bind themselves with the group. If the leader is dynamic and energetic, he motivates the group members to work with zeal for the attainment of common goals. He tries to build and maintain high group loyalty among members.

7. Outside Pressures: Members of a group tend to herd together to face challenges from outside pressures. When there are pressures from outside, group members tend to minimise their personal differences in order to fight the common enemy. However, it may also happen that the group is unable to bear the excessive pressures and group cohesiveness cannot be achieved to withstand such pressures.

8. Competition: Type of competition affects the group cohesiveness. Two classes of competition have different types of effects on group cohesion. These are intragroup competition, that is among the group members, and intergroup competition, that is competition as a whole. Competition between members of the group is usually destructive to group cohesiveness. As against this, intergroup competition brings cohesiveness in the group. Success resulting from intergroup competition increases cohesion further. However, losers in intergroup competition usually experience tensions and disruptive forces which upset relationships. If the group continues after defeat, a stabilisation will return near the formal level.

If the above factors are positive, they may lead to higher group cohesiveness. Their negative features reduce group cohesiveness.

In particular, three disruptive forces on group cohesion.

1. Cohesiveness declines as the members of subgroups within the group tend to use different methods to accomplish the same goals. The new of accomplishment of the goals is the disruptive factor here.

2. Differences regarding the goal or goals of the group can have an adverse effect on cohesiveness. Differences of this nature, however, are not as disruptive as differences about methods to achieve a single recognised goal.

3. If the goals of the individual members of the group are in conflict, the cohesion of the group is lessened.

 

9. Similarities of Attitudes and Values:

One of the strongest sources of group cohesiveness is the similarity in attitudes and values among group members. We enjoy the company of people who hold similar opinions, morals, beliefs and code of conduct, because the person who shares the same opinions as we do provide us with a kind of social validation for our beliefs. He provides us with a feeling that we are right. If someone disagrees with us, this might make us scared that we are wrong.

Similarity of interest is very important when the group’s primary goal is that of creating a friendly interpersonal climate. This factor may not be so important when the goal is task oriented. For example, if the army has to win a strategic battle, then the task accomplishment becomes the cohesive factor rather than the similarity of attitudes and values because the unit may consist of soldiers from different parts of the country who may not have much in common.

10. Size of the Group:

Small groups are effective. The larger the size of the group, the less cohesive the group is.

The main reasons for this are as explained below:

(i) When the group is small, its members have constant face to face contacts. Thus, there will be high degree of interaction and communication with each other. In large groups, the possibility of interaction among members is less.

(ii) As group size increases, it becomes more difficult to get the group to agree on common goals and activities and expression of disagreement and dissatisfaction increases.

(iii) Another problem with large size groups is that there is a likelihood of forming small groups within the large groups. This would result in the dilution of the common group goal thus increasing the extent of power politics play. This tends to decrease the overall cohesiveness.

(iv) Studies have shown that if all the members of the group are of the same sex, then small groups have better cohesion than large ones. But when the groups were made up of both males and females, the large groups have better cohesion.

11. Time:

It is quite natural that the more time people spend with one another, the more they will get to know each other and more tendency there will be to get closer to each other, thus, strengthening the degree of cohesiveness. In a workplace, people who work near each other are more likely to spend more time together. In routine life, you will spend more time with only those whom you like personally and want to continue interacting with them.

12. Location:

Location of the group plays an important role in determining the cohesiveness. Where members of a group are located close together separated from other groups, they will develop greater cohesiveness because of constant face to face interaction. Where there is no dividing line between one group and another, cohesion is more difficult to achieve because a chain of interactions develops.

13. Status:

Status of a group determines the degree of group cohesiveness to a great extent. A high-status group receives greater loyalty from its members which in turn makes the group stronger. That is why people are generally more loyal to high status groups.

14. Difficulty in Entry:

The more difficult it is to get in a group, the more cohesive that group becomes. The reasons are that in exclusive and elite groups the members are selected on the basis of certain characteristics and these characteristics being common to all add to the degree of liking and attraction towards each other. The more exclusive the group the more is the closeness among members. As the groups are not easy to join, the selected members feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.

15. Inter Dependency:

When each member of a group has independent activities, the cohesiveness among the members of such group will be less as compared to the group whose members are doing the operations which are dependent upon each other, thus, mutual dependency leads to greater cohesiveness.

16. Management Behaviour:

The behaviour of management has a direct influence on the degree of cohesiveness that exists within a group. The manager can make close relations difficult by creating unhealthy competition among employees. On the other hand, he can build solidarity by rewarding cooperative behaviour. The cohesive group can help attain the group goals more effectively, if the group members are properly inspired by the manager.

17. Member Turnover:

To make a group more cohesive, there is need for some degree of stable relationships among members. The higher the degree of member turnover, the less cohesive a group becomes, because the more frequently members leave a particular group the more time a new member takes to get attached to the group and the more time the old member takes to get attached to the new group.

18. Threat:

Threat is a very powerful force which unifies the group, particularly when it come from:

(i) Outside the group

(ii) Cooperation can help over-some the threat and

(iii) There is little or no chance for escape.

For example, the management threats frequently bring together an otherwise disarrayed union. Thus, the threatening party will have a less chance of success when faced with a unified force.

19. Previous Successes and Shared Goals:

When a group achieves a meaningful goal, the cohesiveness of the group increases because the success is shared by all the members and each one feels responsible for the achievement. If the group agrees on the purpose and direction of its activities, this serves to bind the group together. For this reason, successful companies find it easy to hire new talented employees.

20. Cooperation:

Sometimes the general atmosphere of group enhances cohesiveness. The overall atmosphere depends among other things on leadership.