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LaCosta,
I completely agree that being a part of the out-group is absolutely miserable. I believe that leaders should work to rid their organizations of the out-groups so that way all followers feel welcome and appreciated. When this happens, the work level goes up and you see better work coming from your subordinates. They enjoy what they are doing and where they are at and therefore, they are going to put forth a positive effort towards their work.

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I complete

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LaCosta - I think our layout of our office now currently isolates part of Student Services and I am afraid some employees will feel that they are no longer in the in-group because of their new locations.  Space has a way of creating a feeling of isolation and being left out.  That is how I felt when my office was down the hall and separate from Student Services.  I needed face-to-face contact with peers to make me feel as if I was valued and part of the in-group.  Please don't let proximity be a barrier to feeling as if you are part of the in-group.

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Good points Patrick. Being in the "in group" does make you feel relaxed and feel like you can have relationships with the others in the group. You feel connected to the others in the group and you feel like you are all there for the same purpose. In the "out group" a person feels distant from the others and you feel like you are only here to do your job and go home. I think sometimes the way a person is treated kind of determines if they choose to push for the "in group or our group.

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Chris Osborne                                      I have always felt as if I was part of the in-group.  As part of being with the in-group I was asked to take on more responsibilities and I did so gladly.  An example I can give would be when I worked at Carolina Federal Credit Union.  While I was there two different ladies went on maternity leave and I was asked to cover their job duties in their absence.  My supervisors relied on me and believed in my abilities.  It was an atmosphere of confidence and trust and they communicated with me often and frequently asked for my opinion.  As part of the out-group on one particular job we had some employees that always complained about everything so the boss did not ask them to do more than their job required.  If they were asked to assume any additional tasks the attitudes they portrayed was not conducive to a positive work environment.

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Chris Osborne                                      I have always felt as if I was part of the in-group.  As part of being with the in-group I was asked to take on more responsibilities and I did so gladly.  An example I can give would be when I worked at Carolina Federal Credit Union.  While I was there two different ladies went on maternity leave and I was asked to cover their job duties in their absence.  My supervisors relied on me and believed in my abilities.  It was an atmosphere of confidence and trust and they communicated with me often and frequently asked for my opinion.  As part of the out-group on one particular job we had some employees that always complained about everything so the boss did not ask them to do more than their job required.  If they were asked to assume any additional tasks the attitudes they portrayed was not conducive to a positive work environment.

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Good points Elaine. As a person being in an "out group" at one point, it is very tough. You feel like not wanting to be at your job and only wanting to get your work done and go home. I feel it is important to work with these individuals as much as possible to help them with the different things they may be going through. This may help someone get in the "in group" and start loving their job.

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I know what it feel like to be in the "in group" and in the "out group". Parts of me feel I am in both of these groups now. The "in group" makes you feel like you are apart of something great and makes you feel like everyone around you wants you to be in the group as well. The "out group" makes you feel like you don't belong to "the organization" and it makes you feel like no one in the organization cares about you and only wants you there to do your job so others can do theirs. The impact that it makes if you are in the "in group" is that you feel good about your work and want to be there to do your part. In the "out group" it makes you feel like no one wants you there and you don't want to be there...a little like you want to just do your job and go home.

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As a member of the "in-group", I am motivated by the times in which I was able to add to the discussion, and when my opinions were sought out in making a decision or developing a strategy. Currently, I have a staff member whom I would feel is in the "out-group" deal to not being trust-worthy in detail oriented projects. What I have noticed is that characteristic is not a strength of his, so he must be coached, as well as having more one-on-one conversations with his supervisor & myself about strategies to develop those areas. He has strengths in other areas and while he is seen as a team player, he is also treated as a liability on some group projects.

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When in in-groups, one does benefit from feeling confident and supported by their relationship with the leader. This can, and usually does, lead to more motivation and productive work behaviors. When individuals are in out-groups, they do not receive these relationship benefits. It is the leader's responsibility to use leadership making techniques to encourage these out-group members to engage more fully with their responsibilities, with their leader, and with others in the group. If the out-group continues to decline engaging in a more partnership-based relationship with their leader, the leader would need to decide if their level of current effort was sufficient.

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When I was in the "in-group" I feel like everything was much more relaxed and less formal. The "in-group" was the group of people that the leader trusted and had the best relationships with. I was much more comfortable and relaxed when completing my work in this group because I knew that there was less pressure from the leader and if there was an issue, the leader would work with me to correct the problem. Now for the "out-group." I have had a few friends in the "out-group" before and this was because they were not very involved in the organization. They were there to do their work and did not really go above and beyond that. This group kept to themselves and did not really interact heavily with the leader. They simply did what they were told to do. I could imagine that this would put some stress on the work that is created by the subordinate because they do not feel very enthusiastic towards their position nor are they comfortable in it. Also, I think that the work created by people in this group may not be of great quality because the subordinates just want to get their work done and be done with it.

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Think of a time you were a subordinate and were included in the “in-group” or someone you knew was in the “in-group”, think of a time when you were in the “out-group” or knew someone in the “out-group”. What actions classified you in either group? How did that impact your/their work?
Please post your name as the title of your first post, keep others involved in this situation anonymous, and respond to one of your classmates.