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Abstract

This study examines the relationship between newly emphasized production pressures and the internal dynamics of ongoing work groups. The focus is on cohesive group behavior and the role that supervisory management may play with respect to that behavior within a group-oriented high-pressure work environment. The data for this study were drawn from a major manufacturing company and collected at two different times; 1 year after a company imposed work pressure system began and I year after that. The results indicate that work pressures tend to disrupt work-group cohesive behavior per se but that the effect is not especially robust. Additionalfindings indicate that supervisory behavior can have a substantial effect on cohesive behavior and how members of work groups respond to pressures in terms of relevant internal dynamics. Especially relevant is the apparent effect of the supervision under especially high work pressure conditions.

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Work Pressure as a Determinant of Work Group Behavior

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