How groups function and, ultimately, their effectiveness hinge on group characteristics and processes known collectively as group dynamics. there are five key elements of group dynamics: group size and roles, group leadership, group development, group norms, and group cohesiveness. the better you understand these elements, the more effective you can be as a manager. in this exercise you will strengthen your understanding of the various elements of group dynamics.

roll over each name to read a description. then, drag the name to the corresponding aspect of group dynamics on the chart which is: norms, cohesiveness, size, leadership

jacob: jacob doesn't like the way others in his work group always assume there should be no disagreement about how work should be done. he sometimes does his tasks in a different order from the other group members.

micki: micki belongs to a book club with others from work. they have developed an order for who gets to choose the next book. that person also leads the discussion about the book.

kenneth: kenneth has always wanted to be in a work group with others who love the company and the work as much as he does. his current group has his same values. he wouldn't want to transfer to any other group.

sam: sam is proud that his manager believes he is capable of taking responsibility for ensuring that his team lives up to its potential and achieves its goals.

brennan: brennan belongs to a group where the members communicate easily and share information. he and the others can see the importance of his contributions to the group's goals.

brady: brady knows that her role will be larger during the next phase of the team's project. she is the expert in nanotechnology, the focus of the over the next several months, so others will depend on her guidance.

jennifer: jennifer doesn't always complete her work for the group. there are so many others that she feels no one will notice when she isn't participating very much.

jolene: jolene is in a group that seems to be falling apart. no one wants to participate or share information. in fact, there doesn't seem to be much communication anymore at all.