Organizational Psychology

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to develop and pilot-test an express questionnaire for assessing the functions of work groups and informal subgroups in relation to their respective members. The questionnaire consists of two sections (each — with the same list of items), intended to assess (1) the functions of a work group, as a whole, and (2) the functions of the informal subgroup. Study design. To examine the content validity of the questionnaire we conducted a study on a sample of 290 workers from 49 work groups (manufacturing and project groups and crews, military units, etc.) in five organizations. First, informal subgroups within participating work groups were identified bymeans of a specialized express questionnaire embedded in a computerized software package “Group Profile”. Then the study participants filled out the main questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and Cronbach’s α coefficient were calculated, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. Findings. The six-factor structure of the questionnaire was confirmed, as six subscales for measuring the corresponding functions of groups and subgroups emerged: (1) creating possibilitiesfor realizing individual goals and meeting individual needs; (2) providing protection from externalsocial threats; (3) providing information to members; (4) educating members; (5) providing adaptive capacities to members; and (6) providing control and regulation. According to the analyzed indicators, both sections of the questionnaire have acceptable validity and reliability. Value of the results. The developed express questionnaire should allow the specialists in the field to: (a) expand scientific understanding of the role work groups and informal subgroups play in the activities, behaviors, and development of individual employees and (b) enable solving practical problems to ensure more effective activity of specific work groups. The composition of items — identical for both sections of the questionnaire — ensures universalization of the stimulus material, which will allow researchers and practitioners to adequately compare the results of studying the functions of work groups and informal subgroups. The questionnaire is available and can be used in two versions: a complete one (simultaneous measurement of group and subgroup functions) and a short one (assessment of only group functions). Practical application. With the developed questionnaire, practitioners will get the opportunity to assess the degree of manifestation of each function of a specific work group and informal subgroups within it. Based on its results, it will be possible to predict the performance effectiveness and social effectiveness of a work group, as a whole and individual informal subgroups more confidently, aswell as to purposefully strengthen selected functions of groups and subgroups.