Group cohesion can also be affected by group interaction. As noted by Brawley (1990), we want to be on a team that works efficiently rather than on one that wastes our time and misuses our skills. Thus, degree of efficiency of the group is positively related to group cohesiveness.
Given the desirable effects of group cohesiveness, it is important to understand the factors that create this social glue and several studies have investigated for contributive factors. These studies have revealed that there are essentially five factors that produce group cohesiveness:
(1) Attraction of members toward one another as individuals (Davis, 1969);
(2) Esteem of each member for the group as a source of social identity (Tajfel, 1978);
(3) Shared common values and goals (Davis, 1969);
(4) Success in attaining goals or making progress toward them; and
(5) A common threat of an out-group enemy (Shaw, 1981; Steiner, 1972). For example, associations of small, independent grocers were more interested in having further meetings when they perceived a threat of supermarkets moving in to their areas than when they perceived no outside threat (Mulder & Stemerding, 1963).
The concept of threat brings up an additional point regarding the group cohesiveness findings which is that negative forces that discourage members from leaving a group, even if they are dissatisfied with the group, can operate to produce group cohesion (Crano & Messe, 1982). Sometimes people stay in groups because the costs of leaving are high or because they have no available alternative. One may despise one's coworkers or classmates but stay because there are no other jobs to be had or schools which one can attend.
An interesting study of the threat aspect of group cohesiveness was conducted by Lauderdale, Smith-Cunnien and Parker (1994) who explored how task-oriented groups of five members each responded to threats. Subjects (N = 240) in the stud...