FACTORS RELATED TO GROUP EFFECTIVENESS 



471 



designed to expedite the acquisition of these. 

 There appears to be little evidence con- 

 cerning the contribution of established pro- 

 cedures of this sort to the effectiveness of 

 mihtary groups. In connection with the 

 Army Orientation Program, the Research 

 Branch conducted extensive experimental 

 studies of the effectiveness of films and dis- 

 cussions dealing with the broader phases 

 of the war, and found generally seme changes 

 in specific opinions. To what extent these 

 changes were accompanied by changes in 

 other aspects of group behavior is not known. 

 Various devices, used both in connection 

 with such training programs and as a part 

 of regular military life, have long been be- 

 lieved to encourage the identification of in- 

 dividuals \vith military groups, and thereby 

 to contribute to group effectiveness. Some 

 of these are: uniforms, insignia, colois, the 

 numerous rituals involved in interpersonal 

 relations and mass observances, devices serv- 

 ing to accent the identity of particular 

 groups, and mass activities such as group 

 singing and close-order drills. There ap- 

 pears to be no precise evidence bearing on 

 the effectiveness of these procedures, and it 

 may be that none is necessary. However, 

 traditional practices are liable to reinterpre- 

 tation under changed conditions, and it is 

 conceivable that an activity such as close- 

 order drill, if perceived by participants as 

 an outmoded device useful only for killing 

 time, would defeat its purpose. Possibly 

 experimental evaluation would be in order 

 in some instances. 



Length of Time Spent in the Group 



A study carried on in the British Army 

 during World War II is reported to have 

 shown that incidence of various psychologi- 

 cal and medical disorders reaches a peak 

 after about three months of service over- 

 seas and thereafter tends to subside.^ Var- 

 ious studies of group behavior in other con- 



' Described to the writer byDr. A. T. M. Wilson. 



texts have taken notice of changes with 

 time. Benge and Capell (11) have reported 

 a regular relation between industrial morale, 

 measured by questionnaire, and length of 

 individual service. Jennings (56) and Bron- 

 fenbrenner (14), to cite but two investiga- 

 tors, found fewer isolates and, in general, 

 greater solidarity in newly formed groups 

 of young people after periods of months. 

 Obviously the effective variable in these 

 cases, whether individual or group, is not 

 sheer duration but what happens in time. 

 However, where time can be shown to be 

 related to indices of morale, then at least 

 these fluctuations can be anticipated and 

 allowed for, and possibly in some cases con- 

 ditions responsible for low points can be 

 isolated and remedied. 



Personnel Changes in a Group 



Many considerations of military policy 

 render flexibility in shifting personnel de- 

 sirable. On the other hand this has been 

 alleged to interfere with effectiveness, par- 

 ticularly in small, tightly-knit units such as 

 bomber crews. There is no conclusive evi- 

 dence on this point. Ward (93) reported 

 that Army bomber crews which had had 

 changes of bombardier or pilot showed larger 

 combat strike errors than crews without such 

 changes. He pointed out, however, that 

 the crews had not been equated in pro- 

 ficiency prior to the changes, and that per- 

 sonnel changes might be more likely in poor 

 crews. The possibility that personnel 

 changes may under certain circumstances 

 have positive effects is suggested by the 

 following observation in the ninth patrol 

 report of the USS TAUTOG (28): "The 

 policy of rotation is a most important morale 

 factor. An enthusiastic new hand. . . and 

 most of them are. . . acts as a stimulating 

 tonic. Everyone takes delight in demon- 

 strating their knowledge and feels more keen- 

 ly their responsibility." This is clearly a 

 question calling for experimental analysis, 

 in groups at various stages of development 



