A form of organizational unit, most common in the military and in government, composed of a staff group usually assigned to a high level office and principally concerned with developing policies and plans.

Conflict that exists when the achievement of one group's goals is perceived as preventing or detracting from another group's goal attainment.

Two or more people who share common values differentiating them from other people and regularly interact with each other in striving for a common goal.

The tendency of a group of people to maintain themselves as a group; the attractiveness which the group holds for its members; the unity and solidarity of the group. It is the total field of forces acting on members to remain in the group.

The behavior and relationships of people derived from their interactions within a group.

Term usually used in large companies where the Group Executive heads a group of companies and/or plants or operating locations (organizations). This arrangement is frequently used in large manufacturing and/or service organizations. Each component is headed by an executive who has a title such as President (of a wholly or partially owned subsidiary corporation) or Manager. The Group Executive also usually has an additional title such as Senior Vice President, Corporate Vice President, or Division president of the parent company.

(See SUPERVISOR, WORKING.)

Those behaviors exhibited by members of a group which are functional for holding the group together, increasing members' liking for each other, and differentiating the group from its environment. When one member is very prominent in this process, he or she is said to be playing a group-maintenance role.

A situation occurring in highly cohesive groups whereby the desire to agree is so great that it tends to dominate concern for realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action.