Relationships Between Group Environment Scales and Group Performance and Cohesion

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between group processes and group performance and cohesion in task and social groups. Subjects completed the Group Environment Scale (GES) and a brief questionnaire describing a group: 95 described a social group, and 49 described a task group. Task groups were rated higher on order and organization, leader control, and task orientation. Social groups scored higher on expressiveness, self-discovery, and innova tion. GES scales correlated with cohesion in both task and social groups were cohesion, self-discovery, leader support, and independence. Performance in social groups was related to task orientation, order and organization, leader support, cohesion, and leader control. Results supported the conceptual distinction between cohesion and performance and the importance ofprocesses dealing with both the task and group maintenance.