PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Jeannine Meleski

Industrial/Organizational
August 1992
 

Professional Subcultures and Group Cohesion

    The purpose of this thesis was to examine different professional subcultures within an organizational culture.  A group of multiple subcultures was compared to a single-subculture group.  The study focused on how group cohesion was affected when different professional subcultures were brought together in a task-focused group.

    The study population included 50 subjects from a large aerospace organization.  There were five combined-subculture teams and five single-subculture teams of 5 members each.  The selected instrument was the Group Attitude Scale, which measured group cohesion.  A t test was used.
    It was hypothesized that a team composed of members from different professional subcultures would have a higher level of group cohesion than a team composed of members from a single professional subculture.  The hypothesis was supported, meaning the combined-subculture group’ cohesion score was significantly higher than the single-subculture group’s cohesion score (t = 3.94, p < .01).

Psychology Department * CSULB * 1250 Bellflower Blvd. * Long Beach, CA  90840-0901 * 562-985-5001