Rack BB2 — Organizational Behavior (Meso-Groups and Teams)

TAOP Resources Library -- Aisle B (Theories)

Resources: Main Page | Research Methods (A) | Major Theories (B) | Issues and Contemporary Topics (C) | Professional Education (D)

Rack BG (Groups & Teams): Social Identity Theory | Group Development | Team Roles | Conflict & Other Dysfunctions

Jump to: Importance | Theories | Research Areas | TAOP Episodes | References

What is Organizational Behavior (OB) and Where Does the Behavior of Groups and Teams Fit?

Organizational Behavior (OB) is a broad interdisciplinary field that explores how people interact within organizational settings. It examines the behavior of individuals and groups within organizational contexts and draws from multiple disciplines, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, and management science, to understand how people think, feel, and act in workplace environments.

Because many of the classic texts we cover fall under OB’s broad umbrella, we saw fit to divide our episodes by levels of analysis. This rack contains resources devoted to understanding OB at the group and team (meso) level while other racks cover the individual (micro) level and organization-system (macro) level.

The fundamental meso-level question is how do individuals come together to form groups, whether it is in formal ways like divisions or branches or less formal or temporary ways such as work groups or just regular get-togethers in the cafeteria. Meso-level OB scholars are interesting in team formation and development, patterns of communication, emergent forms of leadership, conflict and conflict resolution mechanisms, and collaborative or competitive behaviors. Put another way, one can think of OB-meso as the study of how groups and teams undergo forming, storming, norming, and performing (see Tuckman’s model below)!

Some (and only some) of the practical questions that OB studies at the meso-level might help answer include the following: What are the enablers and barriers to effective group work? How can organizations set conditions to effectively reduce or mitigate conflict? How conducive is the organization’s climate toward work performance? How is group cohesion influenced by remote or hybrid work or other digital transformations? How do personalities at the individual level influence team dynamics?

What are Some OB Theories at Meso Level?

This is a short list. Several of these have already been covered in this program (Episodes are linked and also available in the resources below). Some overarching themes include psychological safety in teams, virtual and distributed team dynamics, emotional intelligence in group interactions, and diversity and inclusion’s impact on team performance.

Social Identity Theory

Developed by Henri Tajfel and John Turner, this theory explains how group membership shapes individual identity and behavior. To illustrate, consider workplaces as complex social ecosystems where people naturally categorize themselves and others into groups. Social Identity Theory reveals how people derive part of their self-concept from group memberships, how individuals tend to favor their own group (in-group) and potentially discriminate against other groups (out-groups), and how group identification can significantly influence motivation, commitment, and performance.

Tuckman’s Group Development Model

Bruce Tuckman proposed a classic framework for team formation and evolution that includes the following stages of team development: forming or initial group formation, storming or the onset of conflict and competition as individuals establish their roles and places within the group, norming where the group develops cohesion and stabilizes working relationships, performing where the team becomes fully functional, collaborative, and productive, and finally adjourning where the team disbands or transitions to some other purpose.

Belbin’s Team Roles Theory

Meredith Belbin identified nine distinct team roles, divided into three groups that contribute to team success. Action-Oriented Roles include shapers (challenges the team, drives progress), implementers (turns ideas into practical actions), and completers-finishers: Ensures detailed work is completed. Thinking Roles includes plants (creative innovators), monitor-evaluators (provides critical, analytical perspective), and specialists (brings deep expertise). Finally, the People-Oriented Roles capture coordinators (who manage team direction and goals), team workers (who provides support and harmony) and resource investigators (who explore external opportunities)

Groupthink Theory

Irving Janis explored the dangerous psychological phenomenon where group cohesion leads to poor decision-making. Some characteristics of groupthink, according to this theory, include illusions of invulnerability, collective rationalization, beliefs in moral superiority, direct pressures placed on dissenters, self-censorship, illusions of unanimity, and mind guards who protect the group from negative information. This theory highlights the importance of psychological safety and diverse perspectives in team settings.

Social Exchange Theory

This theory applies economic principles to social interactions within groups. It seeks to explain how individuals evaluate relationships based on perceived costs and benefits, how people seek to maximize rewards and minimize punishments, and how trust and reciprocity enable sustained group collaboration

Realistic Conflict Theory

This theory explains how competition for resources can impact group dynamics. This includes how scarce resources can create intergroup tension, how competition can lead to conflict and negative stereotyping, and how collaborative goals and shared resources can reduce conflict

Contemporary Research Areas

Meso-level OB research is highly active and there are many practical applications and concerns, including some of the “hot topics” in Aisle C.

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Ecosystem

Also see Rack CI. Moving beyond surface-level diversity initiatives, contemporary research in this area takes a sophisticated, multilayered approach to understanding organizational inclusivity. Researchers are developing nuanced frameworks that recognize the complex, interconnected nature of identity and organizational dynamics, moving beyond simplistic representation metrics. At the meso-level, there is a lot of focus on team conflict and its resolution, intersectionality as a critical lens for understanding workplace experiences, psychological safety and its relationship to inclusive organizational cultures, and phenomena such as tokenism (see Episode 17).

Emotional Intelligence and Relational Dynamics

This research stream investigates the critical role of emotional and social competencies in organizational settings. How does one measure and (more importantly) cultivate emotional intelligence at the individual level and thus how can groups and teams identify and head off potential antecedents to conflict and developing the capacity to show empathy toward others.

Ethical Conduct, Trust, and Integrity in Groups

Researchers are exploring the ethical dimensions of organizational behavior with increasing sophistication to include ethical decision-making processes, leadership integrity and trust mechanisms, and addressing antecedents to unethical behaviors such as committing fraud or petty criminal activities in the workplace. How can organizations encourage members to “do the right thing” in the presence of inappropriate or unethical conduct while overcoming the groupthink-style pressures that may prevent the individuals from coming forward? We addressed this in Episode 45 on whistleblowing.

Related TAOP Episodes, Events, and Notes

45: Fate of Whistleblowers – C. Fred Alford

We discuss Fred Alford’s book Whistleblowers: Broken Lives and Organizational Power in 2001 to understand and make sense of horrible treatment often suffered by those who witness and report illegal or immoral acts and have the courage and persistence to speak up and stand for what is right. In workplace environments, we have a name for such heroic men and women – whistleblowers. But historically, the experiences of many other whistleblowers are discouraging – being ostracized, ignored, harassed, marginalized, physically attacked, socially isolated and ultimately defeated while the wrongdoers continue with their organizations. Alford’s study brings these experiences to light in hopes of changing attitudes toward those who would speak up for what is right.