Man by his nature is habituated to live in groups forming a community. He cannot survive alone. He becomes affiliated and associated with a number of formal and informal sub-groups. A group develops distinct characteristics and attributes and in turn passes on these attributes, in part or full to the constituent members of the group. Constituent members derieve several benefits from the group, and in turn are also brought up to respect and be inspired by the traditions, social regulations and customs the group. Members of a group thus accept common habits, practices and beliefs, which uniquely identify from the rest.

Group discipline or Team Discipline is a concomitant feature of group development. In fact it has been observed that individuals develop powerful loyalties to the informal groups of which they are constituents. The members comprising the group adhere to the common codes set by the group and inter-act harmoniously, resulting in the overall group-happiness.

" People easily form clubs, fraternal societies, and the like, based on congeniality, which may give rise to real intimacy. Where there is a little common interest and activity, kindness grows like weeds by the roadside" (Charles Horton Cooley).

Group discipline can be fostered by the sustained efforts of an able leadership, built on a foresighted vision and directed towards group welfare. Group discipline, at smaller levels lime Work Groups and well-knit teams promote force multiplier or synergy. It is based on the concept of division of labour and specialization.

If you want to view group discipline in its most perfect and punctual form, you must observe the example of specific species of animal, birds and tiny insects. When left in their natural habitat, they set a good example of group discipline and organized group living. Bird, quadrupeds on the earth, the mammals, the tiny creatures like ants and bees all follow strict ways of life or habits. They also live in-groups and behave in-groups with a level of discipline, which is really marvelous. The great scientist Einstein has referred about the microscopic brain of the tiny ant, and the power that nature has invested in this microchip. The ants live in tribes; they have king, queen, soldiers and workers each performing their assigned task. They store food, move from place to place in-groups. How they do it, our scientists have not been able to decipher. Another marvel is the Siberian Crane, which regularly move from one part of the globe to the other. From Siberia they navigate in the sky and reach the same lake in Rajasthan every year at a particular season, nest there, breed and go back to their original abode.

Groups may be organised or unorganised, formal or informal. Within organisations we also have work-groups and Teams.

Members of the group are not aware they are part of a group. But still the group exhibits specific behaviour pattern. The group of customers belonging to a business organization is an example. The organisation individually deals with each and every member. Members inter se, have no contacts. The group however has specific pattern of behaviour, with reference to demand of the products, repeat orders, etc.

Organised groups command mutual cohesion and recognition. A training programme organises its members into a number of specific study groups. Each group is to prepare and submit a particular project and has a leader. Here every member knows to which group he belongs.

It is a voluntary association intended to promote the benefit of its members. Membership is not compulsory. But once a member, the individual develops a distinct loyalty and affiliation to this informal group. An example of an informal group within an organization is the trade union(s) of its employees. It is possible that some employees have more attachment and loyalty to the Union than to the organization. Quoted below is an extract from wen site of Accel-Team.Com dealing with the subject "Advancing Employee Productivity". This is a comprehensive web site on Personnel Management. The commercial site markets informative textbooks on each topic.

"Within every organization there are often informal group pressures that influence and regulate individual behavior. Informal groups formulate an implicit code of ethics or an unspoken set of standards establishing acceptable behavior. Informal groups almost always arise if opportunities exist.

Often, these groups serve a counter organizational function, attempting to counteract the coercive tendencies in an organization. If management prescribes production norms that the group considers unfair, for instance, the group's recourse is to adopt less demanding norms and to use its ingenuity to discover ways in which it can sabotage management's imposed standards.

Informal groups have a powerful influence on the effectiveness of an organization, and can even subvert its formal goals. But the informal group's role is not limited to resistance. The impact of the informal group upon the larger formal group depends on the norms that the informal group sets. So the informal group can make the formal organization more effective, too. To learn more on this topic you may access the web site-
(http://www.accel-team.com/work_groups/index.html)