When you finish studying the material in this chapter, you should be able to:

• Identify the four criteria of a group from a sociological perspective.
• Identify and briefly describe the five stages in Tuckman’s theory of group development.
• Distinguish between role overload, role conflict and role ambiguity.
• Contrast roles and norms, and specify four reasons norms are enforced in organisations.
• Distinguish between task and maintenance functions in groups.
• Summarise the practical implications for group size and group member ability.
• Discuss why organisations need to carefully handle mixed-gender task groups.
• Describe groupthink, and identify at least four of its symptoms.
• Define social loafing, and explain how organisations can prevent it.