PhD Final Thesis April 2013.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

Thesis Keith Gale 20133.10.2 SatisfactionStudy of an individuals need for satisfaction arising from completed tasks wasestablished following the pioneering work of Henry Murray (1938). Within groups,two contemporary theories may be used to examine self-concepts, the OptimalDistinctiveness Theory (Brewer, 1993) which provides a model of well-being withingroup contexts, and the Self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1991) which isrelevant to personal thriving within groups. Formal groups (officers, definedobjectives and regular progress meetings) introduce stronger norms and higherexpectations of their members whereas informal groups (friendships, hobbies,interests) provide less structure and lower expectations of members. Investigation ofthe effect of satisfaction experienced by construction professionals, and relationshipswithin groups with performance was undertaken by Leung et al (2008). In summaryof this work, the authors concluded that contributions from an individual and the rolewithin a group were variables influencing effective commitment and performance.3.10.3 RelationshipsRelationships between different groups have been the subject of sociological studiesfor a significant period of time. Fiske (1992), developed a relational theory forgroups that recognised social cognitive structures representing knowledge withattributes and stimuli. Further research provided four models to which all cultures arestated to comply (Fiske and Haslam, 1996). The four models are:• Communal sharing – the group is more important than the individual• Authority ranking – a linear hierarchy• Equality matching – a balanced social exchange• Market pricing – a sense of proportional outcomesIn addition, such groups will fit with legal, political and economic systemsconsidered normal within a particular environment (Cohen, 2001). Constructiongroups are formed for a specific purpose and the communal sharing model appears toprovide a close match with this relationship cognitive structure.60