Social Influence And Leadership

It has become increasingly important for leaders to improve their use of small groups in order to accomplish goals. Many recognize that they cannot succeed on their own without the help of committed team members. As mentioned in our text, no individual has all the skills and not the time to carry out all the tasks required of leadership.
In this summary I will examine the social influence of small groups. There are many factors that influence groups and their performance. I will focus on the effects of status, leadership styles and conformity on groups. I will also discuss the importance conflict management plays in the overall success of group processes.
There are many factors that influence small group interaction. Status and power, leadership, and group norms all play a part in the social influence of groups. To understand how groups can be successful we must examine these influences. I will concentrate on three areas; status, leadership styles, and conformity.
When we hear the word status, we are likely to think of prestige. These two words are welded together in common thinking. However, status used in this context will refer to the position an individual occupies. Th

Conflict management involves the control, but not resolution, of a long-term or deep-rooted conflict. This is the approach of choice when complete resolution seems to be impossible. In this case, a conflict can be managed to make it more constructive and less destructive thus making the results of the ongoing conflict more beneficial and less damaging to all sides. While conflict is perceived to be destructive within groups, it can also be constructive. Teams, organizations and individuals need conflict to grow. New ideas from conflict can grow and new understandings of different approaches to problems can emerge. Conflict occurs when individuals or groups are not obtaining what they need or want and are seeking their own self-interest. Sometimes the individual is not aware of the need and unconsciously starts to act out. Other times, the individual is very aware of what he or she wants and actively works at achieving the goal. Conflict is often inevitable because we are d!

On some occasions when new groups are formed there is not an established “pecking order”. This is when attained status comes into play. This type of status is earned or accomplished. It can be the results of our effort or lack of effort. People normally rise to positions of high-attained status based on the merits of their own individual accomplishments. The effects of status can influence our own behavior along with others in group interaction. While e may find that we have a high degree of status in one group, we may have a low degree in another.

Some experts make a distinction between formal leadership and informal leadership. Formal leaders have legitimate power of position within an organization to influence others to work for the organization’s objectives. Informal leaders usually have no such authority and may or may not exert their influence in support of the organization. Both formal and informal leaders make use of several kinds of power, including the ability to grant rewards or impose punishments and possession of expert knowledge.