Unearthed: The Other Side of Group Cohesiveness

One of the most consistently studied constructs in group dynamics research is Cohesiveness. It is a fact, that there is a tendency to see the effects of group cohesiveness as being largely positive. The periodic review of cohesiveness–performance relation had been positive. However, not much attention has been devoted to the fact that group cohesiveness can be detrimental to the group performance and other group outcomes. There are only few studies, which focuses on this aspect of cohesiveness. The objective of this paper is to examine and throw light upon other aspects of cohesiveness, which requires much needed attention. The present paper in contrast to majority of cohesiveness studies suggest a simple relation between cohesiveness - performance, seeks out to discuss the plausibility of some of the very few studies, which tried to empirically find out the other side of cohesiveness. The paper supporting these studies, suggests that the relationship between cohesiveness and performance is not that simple and may not necessarily result in better performance. The paper also highlights the need for future empirical research, which could test this relationship.