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FOUNDATIONS OF GROUP BEHAVIOUR4.1 WORK GROUPS
A group is defined as two or more individuals, interacting and
interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular
objectives. It is may be defined as two or more people who bear an
explicit psychological relationship to one another. The groups are
bound by the perceptual periphery of their members. This idea of a
boundary is fundamental to the modem group concept. It is useful to
think of a group as a network of relations within which roles
emerge. Groups consist of two or more people who meet the
requirements of inter-dependence & also share an ideology.
"Group Dynamics" refers to the adjustive changes in the group
structure as a whole produced by changes in any part of the group.A
comprehensive definition would say that if a group exists in an
organisation, its members:1. Are motivated to join2. Perceive the
group as a unified unit of interacting people3. Contribute in
various amounts to the group processes4. Reach agreements and have
disagreements through various forms of interaction.TYPES OF
GROUPS
Formal GroupsThe demands and processes of the organization lead
to the formation of different types of groups. Specifically, at
least two types of formal groups exist: command and task. Command
Group The command group is specified by the organization chart and
is made up of the subordinates who report directly to a given
supervisor. The authority relationship between a department manager
and the supervisors, or between a senior nurse and her
subordinates, is an example of a command group. Task Group A task
group comprises the employees who work together to complete a
particular task or project. For example, the activities of clerks
in an insurance company when an accident claim is filed are
required tasks. These activities create a situation in which
several clerks must communicate and coordinate with one another if
the claim is to be handled properly. These required tasks and
interactions facilitate the formation of a task group. The nurses
assigned to duty in the emergency room of a hospital usually
constitute a task group, since certain activities are required when
a patient is treated.Informal GroupsA group that is neither
formally structured nor organizationally determined; appears in
response to the need for social contact. Informal groups are
natural groupings of people in work environments in response to
social needs. In other words, informal groups are not deliberately
created; they evolve naturally. Two specific types of informal
groups are interest and friendship. Interest Groups Individuals who
may not be members of the same command, task group, or team may
come together to achieve some mutual objective. Examples of
interest groups include employees grouping together to present a
unified front to management for more benefits and waitresses
"pooling" their tips. Note that the objectives of such groups are
not related to those of the organization, but are specific to each
group. Friendship Groups Many groups form because the members have
something in common such as age, political beliefs, or ethnic
background. These friendship groups often extend their interaction
and communication to off-the-job activities.Other classification of
Groups:
Work Group: A group that interacts primarily to share
information & make decisions to help members perform within his
area of responsibility. Cliques: Small informal groups within work
or task groups which the formal groups get splintered into because
of the size, or common interest or common characteristics.
Coalitions: Clusters of individuals who temporarily come together
to achieve a specific purpose. Membership Group: A group in which
an individual belongs to or is admitted to. Aspirant Group: A
group, which an individual aspires to belong to. Primary group:
Primary group comprises all those with whom an individual regularly
and intimately interacts, for example, family, friends, etc.
Secondary group: A group with which interaction is less intimate
and interaction is not very high, for example, co-workers in an
organisation who do not belong to the same command or task group.
Associative Group: A group with which an individual would like to
be associated with, for example, those belonging to higher income
groups, celebrities and other influential persons with which a
middle income group individual or any other person would like to
mingle with. Dissociative Group: A group with which an individual
does not want to be associated with, for example, lower income
groups for the status-conscious groups.The Dynamics of Group
Formation: People join groups for the following reasons:
Satisfaction SECURITY: By joining a group, individuals can
reduce the insecurity of "standing alone." People feel stronger,
have fewer self-doubts, and are more resistant to threats when they
are part of a group. STATUS: Inclusion in a group that is viewed as
important by others provides recognition and status for its
members. SELF-ESTEEM: Groups can provide people with feelings of
self-worth. That is in addition to conveying status to those
outside the group, membership can also give increased feelings of
worth to the group members themselves.
AFFILIATION: Groups can fulfil social needs. People enjoy the
regular interaction that comes with group membership. For many
people, these on-the-job interactions are their primary source for
fulfilling their needs for affiliation.
POWER: What cannot be achieved individually often becomes
possible through group action. There is power in numbers.
PROXIMITY: ATTRACTION:
SIMILARITY: GOAL ACHIEVEMENT: There are times when it takes more
than one person to accomplish a particular task - there is a need
to pool talents, knowledge, or power in order to complete a job. In
such instances, management will rely on the use of a formal
group.THEORIES OF GROUP FORMATION:Balance theory of group
formation: This theory is based on activities, interactions, and
sentiments. These three are directly related to one another. The
more activities persons share, the more numerous will be their
interactions and stronger will be their sentiments; the more
interactions among persons, the more will be their shared
activities and sentiments; and the more sentiments persons have for
one another, the more will be their shared activities and
interactions. The theory states that persons are attracted to one
another on the basis of similar attitudes toward commonly relevant
objects and goals.
Exchange theory: Exchange theory is based upon reward-cost
outcomes of interaction. A minimum positive level (rewards greater
than costs) of an outcome must exist in order for attraction or
affiliation to take place. Rewards from interactions gratify needs,
while costs incur anxiety, frustration, embarrassment, or
fatigue.
A Model of Group Formation and Development
THE FIVE STAGES GROUP-DEVELOPMENT MODEL
Groups go through five distinct stages of development namely;
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, & Adjourning.
1. Forming: It is the first stage of group development. It is
called the ice breaking stage where everyone is getting to know one
another. Group members get to know one another and learn about the
function of the group. This initial stage is marked by uncertainty
and even confusion. Group members are not sure about the purpose,
structure, task, or leadership of the group.2. Storming: It is the
second stage of group development where group roles and hierarchy
are established. This stage of development, as indicated by the
term, is characterized by conflict and confrontation. (In the
usually emotionally charged atmosphere, there may be considerable
disagreement and conflict among the members about roles and
duties.)3. Norming: Finally, in this stage the members begin to
settle into cooperation and collaboration. They have a "we" feeling
with high cohesion, group identity, and camaraderie. In this stage,
the group becomes a cohesive unit and members begin to understand
their group roles. Also known as the initial integration stage.4.
Performing: This is the stage where the group is fully functioning
and devoted to effectively accomplishing die tasks agreed upon in
die forming stage. (This is the final stage if the group is
permanent, but the group may go through the stages again, starting
at the storming stage.) In this stage, the group focuses on the
tasks or project they were formed to complete. Also known as the
total integration stage.5. Adjourning: This represents the end of
the group, which in ongoing, permanent groups will never be
reached. However, for project teams or task forces with a specific
objective, once the objective is accomplished, the group will
disband or have a new composition, and the stages will start over
again.GROUP BEHAVIOUR MODEL (EXPLAINING WORK GROUP MODEL)
EXTERNAL CONDITIONS IMPOSED ON THE GROUPWork groups don't exist
in isolation. They're part of a larger organization. So every work
group is influenced by external conditions imposed from outside it.
These external conditions include the organization's overall
strategy, its authority structures, formal regulations, resources,
employee selection process, performance evaluation and reward
systems, culture, and physical work setting.GROUP MEMBER RESOURCES:
A group's potential level of performance depends, to a large
extent, on the resources that its members individually bring to the
group. Knowledge, skills, and abilities: Part of a group's
performance can be predicted by assessing the knowledge, skills,
and abilities of its individual members. A review of the evidence
has found that interpersonal skills consistently emerge as
important for high work group performance. These include conflict
management and resolution, collaborative problem solving, and
communication.
Personality characteristics: The general conclusion is that
attributes that tend to have a positive connotation in our culture
tend to be positively related to group productivity, morale, and
cohesiveness. These include traits such as sociability, initiative,
openness, and flexibility. In contrast, negatively evaluated
characteristics such as authoritarianism, dominance, and
unconventionality tend to be negatively related to the dependent
variables. These personality traits affect group performance by
strongly influencing how the individual will interact with other
group members.
GROUP STRUCTURE: Work groups have a structure that shapes the
behaviour of members and makes it possible to explain and predict a
large portion of individual behaviour within the group as well as
the performance of the group itself. Some of these structural
variables include formal leadership, roles, norms, group status,
group size, composition of the group, and the degree of group
cohesiveness.
Formal Leadership: Almost every work group has a formal leader.
He or she is typically identified by titles such as unit or
department manager, supervisor, foreman, project leader, task force
head, or committee chair. This leader can play an important part in
the group's success and effect individual and group performance
variables.Roles: All group members are actors, each playing a role.
A role is a set of expected behaviour patterns attributed to
someone occupying a given position in a social unit. The
understanding of role behaviour would be greatly simplified if each
of us chose one role and "played it out" regularly and
consistently. We all are required to play a number of roles, and
our behaviour varies with the role we are playing. So different
groups impose different role requirements on individuals. As we
shall see, one of the tasks in understanding behaviour is grasping
the role that a person is currently playing.
Role Identity: There are certain attitudes and actual behaviours
consistent with a role, and they create the role identity. People
have the ability to shift roles rapidly when they recognize that
the situation and its demands clearly require major changes. For
instance, when union stewards were promoted to supervisory
positions, it was found that their attitudes changed from pro-union
to pro-management within a few months of their promotion.
Role Perception: One's view of how one is supposed to act in a
given situation is a role perception. Based on an interpretation of
how we believe we are supposed to behave, we engage in certain
types of behaviour.Role Expectations: Role expectations are defined
as how others believe you should act in a given situation. How you
behave is determined to a large extent by the role defined in the
context in which you are acting. When role expectations are
concentrated into generalized categories, we have role stereotypes.
There is an unwritten agreement that exists between employees and
their employer. This psychological contract sets out mutual
expectations-what management expects from workers, and vice versa.
In effect, this contract defines the behavioural expectations that
go with every role. Management is expected to treat employees
justly, provide acceptable working conditions, clearly communicate
what is a fair days work, and give feedback on how well the
employee is doing. Employees are expected to respond by
demonstrating a good attitude, following directions, and showing
loyalty to the organization. The psychological contract should be
recognized as a "powerful determiner of behaviour in organizations.
It points out the importance of accurately communicating role
expectations.
Role Conflict: When an individual is confronted by divergent
role expectations, the result is role conflict. It exists when an
individual finds that compliance with one role requirement may make
more difficult the compliance with another. Conflicts imposed by
divergent expectations within organization impact on behaviour.
Certainly, they increase internal tension and frustration. There
are a number of behavioural responses in which one may engage. For
example, one can give a formalized bureaucratic response. The
conflict is then resolved by relying on the rules, regulations, and
procedures that govern organizational activities. Other behavioural
responses may include withdrawal, stalling, negotiation, or
dissonance (redefining the facts or the situation make them appear
congruent.)
Norms: All groups have established norms, that is, acceptable
standards of behaviour that are shared by the group's members.
Norms tell members what they ought and ought not to do under
certain circumstances. From an individual's standpoint, they tell
what is expected of you in certain situations. When agreed to and
accepted by the group, norms act as a means of influencing the
behaviour of group members with a minimum of external controls.
Norms differ among groups, communities, and societies, but they all
have them.
Common Classes of Norms: Performance norms: Work groups
typically provide their members with explicit cues on how hard they
should work, how to get the job done, their level of output,
appropriate levels of tardiness, and the like. These norms are
extremely powerful in affecting an individual employee's
performance - they are capable of significantly modifying a
performance prediction that was based solely on the employee's
ability and level of personal motivation. Appearance norms: These
include things such as appropriate dress, loyalty to the work group
or organization, when to look busy, and when it's acceptable to
goof off. Some organizations have formal dress codes. Similarly,
presenting the appearance of loyalty is important, especially among
professional employees and those in the executive ranks. So it's
often considered inappropriate to be openly looking for another
job. Social arrangement norms: These norms come from informal work
groups and primarily regulate social interactions within the group.
With whom group members eat lunch, friendships on and off the job,
social games, and the like are influenced by these norms.
Allocation of resources norms: These norms can originate in the
group or in the organization and cover things such as pay,
assignment of difficult jobs, and allocation of new tools and
equipment.
Conformity: As a member of a group, you desire acceptance by the
group. Because of your desire for acceptance, you are susceptible
to conforming to the group's norms. There is considerable evidence
that groups can place strong pressures on individual members to
change their attitudes and behaviours to conform to the group's
standard. People conform to the important groups to which they
belong or hope to belong. The important groups have been referred
to as reference groups and are characterized as ones in which the
person is aware of the others; the person defines himself or
herself as a member, or would like to be a member; and the person
feels that the group members are significant to him or her. The
implication, then, is that all groups do not impose equal
conformity pressures on their members. Conformity thus refers to
the adjusting of one's behaviour to align with the norms of the
group.
Status: A socially defined position or rank given to groups or
group members by others. Status is an important factor in
understanding human behaviour because it is a significant motivator
and has major behavioural consequences when individuals perceive a
disparity between what they believe their status to be and what
others perceive it to be.
Status and Norms: Status has been shown to have some interesting
effects on the power of norms and pressures to conform. For
instance, high-status members of groups often are given more
freedom to deviate from norms than are other group members.
High-status people also are better able to resist conformity
pressures than their lower-status peers.
Status Equity: It is important for group members to believe that
the status hierarchy is equitable. When inequity is perceived, it
creates disequilibrium that results in various types of corrective
behaviour. People expect rewards to be proportionate to costs
incurred. Employees expect the things an individual has and
receives to be congruent with his or her status.
Status and Culture: The importance of status does vary between
cultures. The message here is to make sure you understand who and
what holds status when interacting with people from a culture
different than your own. An American manager who doesn't understand
mat office size is no measure of a Japanese executive's position or
who fails to grasp the importance that the British place on family
genealogy and social class is likely to unintentionally offend his
Japanese or British counterpart and, in so doing, lessen his
interpersonal effectiveness.
Size: The size of a group affects the group's overall behaviour.
The evidence indicates, for instance, that smaller groups are
faster at completing tasks than are larger ones. However, if the
group is engaged in problem solving, large groups consistently get
better marks than their smaller counterparts. Large groups-a dozen
or more member- are good for gaining diverse input. So if the goal
of the group is fact-finding, larger groups should be more
effective. On the other hand, smaller groups are better at doing
something productive with that input Groups of approximately seven
members tend to be more effective for taking action. One of the
most important findings related to the size of a group has been
labelled social loafing. Social loafing is the tendency for
individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than
when working individually - it directly challenges the logic that
the productivity of the group as a whole should at least equal the
sum of the productivity of each individual in that group.
Composition: Most group activities require a variety of skills
and knowledge. Evidence generally supports the conclusion that
heterogeneous groups perform more effectively than do those that
are homogeneous since the heterogeneous groups would be more likely
to have diverse abilities and information. Essentially, diversity
promotes conflict, which stimulates creativity and leads in turn to
improved decision making. Variable group demography: This is the
degree to which members of a group share a common demographic
attribute, such as age, sex, race, educational level, or length of
service in the organization, and the impact of this attribute on
turnover. The composition of a group may be an important predictor
of turnover. Differences per se may not predict turnover. But large
differences within a single group will lead to turnover. If
everyone is moderately dissimilar from everyone else in a group,
the feelings of being an outsider are reduced. So, it's the degree
of dispersion on an attribute, rather than the level, that matters
most.
Cohesiveness: Groups differ in their cohesiveness, that is, the
degree to which members are attracted to each other and are
motivated to stay in the group. Studies consistently show that the
relationship of cohesiveness and productivity depends on the
performance-related norms established in that group.
Group processes can produce positive results. Groups can produce
synergy, ie., groups can create outputs greater than the sum of its
parts. Synergy is a term that refers to an action of two or more
substances that results in an effect that is different from the
individual summation of the substances. Whereas, social loafing
represents negative synergy. In this case the whole is less than
the sum of its parts. The social facilitation effect helps us to
understand group process better. The Social facilitation effect
refers to the tendency for performance to improve or decline in
response to the presence of others. The research on social
facilitation tells us that the performance of simple, routine tasks
tend to be speeded up and made more accurate by the presence of
others. When the work is more complex, requiring closer attention,
the presence of others is likely to have a negative effect on
performance. So process gains will be maximised by training people
for simple tasks in groups, while training people for complex tasks
in individual private practice sessions.GROUP TASKS: Research on
group effectiveness tells us that management would be well advised
to use a larger group for the tasks that depend on its facilitation
or accomplishment for pooling of varied and diverse information and
perspective. Similarly, more information processing is required for
tasks that have higher uncertainness - those that are complex and
interdependent. But when a group's task is coordinating and
implementing a decision the process loss created by each additional
member's presence is likely to be greater than the process gain he
or she makes. So the size-performance relationship is moderated by
the group's task requirements. The impact of group processes on the
group's performance and member satisfaction is also moderated by
the tasks that the group is doing. The evidence indicates that the
complexity and interdependence of tasks influence the group's
effectiveness. Effective communication and minimal levels of
conflict should be more relevant to group performance when tasks
are interdependent.
GROUP DECISION MAKINGStrengths of Group Decision Making: Groups
generate more complete information and knowledge; therefore, bring
more input into the decision process. They also increased diversity
of views thereby generating higher quality decisions. Moreover,
group members who participated in making decisions are likely to
enthusiastically support the decision and encourage others to
accept it. Weaknesses of Group Decision Making: Group
decision-making is time consuming. There are conformity pressures
in groups resulting in squashing any overt disagreement. Group
discussion can be dominated by one or a few members possibly
affecting the group's overall effectiveness. Group decisions suffer
from ambiguous responsibility.
Effectiveness & Efficiency: Depending upon the criteria used
for effectiveness, in terms of accuracy, group decisions will tend
to be more accurate. The evidence indicates that, on the average,
groups make better-quality decisions than individuals. However, in
terms of speed, individuals are superior to groups, In terms of
creativity, group tends to be more effective than individuals. In
terms of the degree of acceptance of the final solution, group
decision-making is better. But effectiveness cannot be considered
"without also assessing efficiency. In terms of efficiency, groups
are generally less efficient than individuals. Group
decision-making consumes more time than if an individual were to
tackle the same problem alone. In deciding whether to use groups,
then, consideration should be given to assessing whether increases
in effectiveness are more than enough to offset the losses in
efficiency.GROUPTHINK AND GROUP SHIFT These are the two by-products
of group decision-making and have the potential to affect the
group's ability to appraise alternatives objectively to arrive at
quality decision solutions.
Groupthink is a phenomenon in which the norm for consensus
overrides the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action.
It describes situations in which group pressures for conformity
deter the group from critically appraising unusual, minority, or
unpopular views.
Groupthink seems to occur most often where there is a clear
group identity, where members hold a positive image of their group
that they want to protect, and where the group perceives a
collective threat to this positive image. So groupthink is not a
dissenter suppression mechanism as much as it's a means for a group
to protect its positive image. What managers can do to minimize
groupthink is encourage group leaders to play an impartial role.
Leaders should actively seek input from all members and avoid
expressing their own opinions, especially in the early stages of
deliberation. Another thing is to appoint one group member to play
the role of devil's advocate. This member's role is to overtly
challenge the majority position and offer divergent perspectives.
Still another suggestion is to utilize exercises that stimulate
active discussion of diverse alternatives without threatening the
group and intensifying identity protection. One such exercise is to
have group members talk about dangers or risks involved in a
decision and delaying discussion of any potential gains. By
requiring members to first focus on the negatives of a decision
alternative, the group is less likely to stifle dissenting views
and more likely to gain an objective evaluation.
Groupshift refers to a change in decision risk between the
group's decision and the individual decision that members within
the group would make; can be either toward conservatism or greater
risk. In comparing group decisions with the individual decisions of
members within the group, evidence suggests that there are
differences. In some cases, the group decisions are more
conservative than the individual decisions. More often, the shift
is toward greater risk. What appears to happen in groups is that
the discussion leads to a significant shift in the positions of
members toward a more extreme position in the direction in which
they were already leaning before the discussion. Findings on
groupshift have shown that group decisions exaggerate the initial
position of the individual members, that the shift has been shown
more often to be toward greater risk, and that whether or not a
group will shift toward greater risk or caution is a function of
the members' prediscussion inclinations.
SUMMARY & IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGERS:
PERFORMANCE Any predictions about a group's performance must
begin by recognizing that work groups are part of a larger
organization and that factors such as the organization's strategy,
authority structure, selection procedures, and reward system can
provide a favourable or unfavourable climate for the group to
operate within. For example, if an organization is characterized by
distrust between management & workers, it is more likely that
work groups in that organization will develop norms to restrict
effort & output than will work groups in an organization in
which trust is high. So managers shouldn't took at any group in
isolation. Rather, they should begin by assessing the degree of
support external conditions provide the group. It is obviously a
lot easier for any work group to be productive when the overall
organization of which it is a part is growing and it has both top
management's support and abundant resources. Similarly, a group is
more likely to be productive when its members have the requisite
skills to do the group's tasks and the personality characteristics
that facilitate working well together. A number of structural
factors show a relationship to performance. Among the more
prominent are role perception, norms, status inequities, the size
of the group, its demographic makeup, the group's task, and
cohesiveness. There is a positive relationship between role
perception and an employee's performance evaluation. The degree of
congruence that exists between an employee and his or her boss in
the perception of the employee's job influences the degree to which
that employee will be judged as an effective performer by the boss.
To the extent that the employee's role perception fulfils the
boss's role expectations, the employee will receive a higher
performance evaluation. Norms control group member behaviour by
establishing standards of right and wrong. If managers know the
norms of a given group, it can help to explain the behaviours of
its members. When norms support high output, managers can expect
individual performance to be markedly higher than when group norms
aim to restrict output Similarly, acceptable standards of
absenteeism will be dictated by the group norms. Status inequities
create frustration and can adversely influence productivity and the
willingness to remain with an organization. Among those individuals
who are equity sensitive, incongruence is likely to lead to reduced
motivation and an increased search for ways to bring about fairness
(i.e., taking another job). The impact of size on a group's
performance depends upon the type of task in which the group is
engaged. Larger groups are more effective at fact-finding
activities. Smaller groups are more effective at action-taking
tasks. Our knowledge of social loafing suggests that if management
uses larger groups, efforts should be made to provide measures of
individual performance within the group. It is found that the
group's demographic composition is a key determinant of individual
turnover. Specifically, the evidence indicates that group members
who share a common age or date of entry into the work group are
less prone to resign. We also found that cohesiveness can play an
important function in influencing a group's level of productivity.
Whether or not it does depends on the group's performance-related
norms. The primary contingency variable moderating the relationship
between group processes and performance is the group's task. The
more complex and interdependent the tasks, the more that
inefficient processes will lead to reduced group performance.
SATISFACTION As with the role perception-performance
relationship, high congruence between a boss and employee, as to
the perception of the employee's job, shows a significant
association with high employee satisfaction. Similarly, role
conflict is associated with job-induced tension and job
dissatisfaction. Most people prefer to communicate with others at
their own status level or a higher one rather than with those below
them. As a result, we should expect satisfaction to be greater
among employees whose job minimizes interaction with individuals
who are lower in status than themselves. The group
size-satisfaction relationship is what one would intuitively
expect: Larger groups are associated with lower satisfaction. As
size increases, opportunities for participation & social
interaction decrease, as does the ability of members to identify
with the group's accomplishments. At the same time, having more
members also prompts dissension, conflict, and the formation of
sub-groups, which all act to make the group a less pleasant entity
of which to be a part.
4.2 WORK TEAMS
A team is always distinguished by the fact that its members are
people with complementary skills who are committed to a common
purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold
themselves mutually accountable. Groups in general need not have
such unanimity of purpose.
Two or more people who are interdependent, who share
responsibility for outcomes, who see themselves as (and who are
seen by others as) an intact social entity in a larger social
system are also called as teams When teams are formed, its members
must have (or quickly develop) the right mix of complementary
competencies to achieve the teams goals. Also its members need to
be able to influence how they will work together to accomplish
those goals.
Similarities and Differences between Work Teams and Work
Groups
Work groups & work teams: A work group is a group that
interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to
help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility.
Work groups have no need or opportunity to engage in collective
work that requires joint effort. So their performance is merely the
summation of each group members individual contribution devoid of
positive synergy that would create an overall level of performance
that is greater than the sum of the inputs.
A work team generates positive synergy through coordinated
effort. The extensive use of teams creates the potential for an
organisation to generate greater outputs with no increase in
inputs.
Similarities
Stages of group formation apply to the development of teams.
Teams start out as groups. Teams, like groups, have norms.
Members of teams, like those of groups, have roles.
Role ambiguity, role conflict and social loafing are evident in
both groups and teams.
Cohesiveness is important for both groups and
teams.Differences
IMPORTANCE OF TEAMS:
1. Teams typically outperform individuals when the tasks being
done require multiple skills, judgment and experience.
2. Teams are more flexible and responsive to change events than
are traditional departments or other forms of permanent groupings.
Teams have the capability to quickly assemble, deploy, refocus and
disband.
3. Teams are an effective means for management to democratize
their organizations and increase employee motivation.
4. Teams have the potential to create positive synergy in a
shorter time than with traditional organizational structures.
5. Teams encourage individuals to sublimate their individual
goals for those of the group. They also help disband parochialistic
attitudes and fragmented views that evolve from functional
departmentalisation.
6. Cross-functional teams are an effective means for allowing
people from diverse areas within an organisation (or even between
organisations) to exchange information, develop new ideas and solve
problems, and co-ordinate complex projects.
7. The implementation of teams almost always comes with expanded
job training through which employees build their technical,
decision-making, problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
8. Teams focus on processes rather than functions; thus
encouraging cross-training and expansion of skills leading to
organisational flexibility. As such, capacity of the organisation
to adapt to changing conditions is enhanced.
9. The shift towards knowledge-based rather than
production-based work has necessitated virtual teamwork that enable
employees to complete knowledge-based tasks from a distance through
information technology. Globalisation and the benefits of knowledge
sharing and teamwork have made virtual teams a necessity.
TYPES OF TEAMS: The four most common forms of teams likely to be
found in organisations are:
1. Functional teams: They usually represent individuals who work
together daily on a cluster of ongoing and independent tasks.
Functional teams often exist within functional departments
-marketing, production, finance, auditing, human resources and the
like.
2. Problem solving teams: They focus on specific issues in their
areas of responsibility, develop potential solutions, and often are
empowered to take actions within defined limits. Such teams
frequently address quality or cost problems.
3. Cross-functional teams: They bring together the knowledge and
skills of people from various work areas to identify and solve
mutual problems. They draw members from several specialities or
functions and deal with problems that cut across departmental and
functional lines to achieve their goals. They are often more
effective in situations that require adaptability, speed and a
focus on responding to customer needs.
4. Self-managed teams: They normally consist of employees who
must work together effectively daily to manufacture an entire
product (or major identifiable component) or service. These teams
perform a variety of managerial tasks, such as,
(a)Scheduling work and vacations by members,
(b)Rotating tasks and assignments among members,
(c)Ordering materials,
(d)Deciding on team leadership,
(e)Setting key team goals,
(f) Budgeting,
(g) Hiring replacements for departing team members, and
(h) Evaluating one anothers performance.
5. Virtual teams: A virtual team is a group of individuals who
collaborate through various information technologies on one or more
projects while being at two or more locations. Their team member
may be from one or multiple organisations.
Team Roles and Team Effectiveness: Teams have different needs,
and people should be selected for a team to ensure that there is
diversity and that all various roles are filled. We can identify
nine potential team roles: Creator: Initiates creative ideas.
Promoter: Champions ideas after they are initiated.
Assessor: Offers insightful analysis of options
Organizer: Provides structure.
Producer: Provides direction and follow-through
Controller: Examines details and enforces rules.
Maintainer: Fights external battles.
Adviser: Encourages the search for more information
Linker: Coordinates and integrates
Successful work teams have people to fill all these roles and
have selected people to play in these roles based on their skills
and preferences. (On many teams, individuals will play multiple
roles.) Managers need to understand the individual strengths that
each person can bring to a team, select members with their
strengths in mind, and allocate work assignments that fit with
members' preferred styles. By matching individual preferences with
team role demands, managers increase the likelihood that the team
members will work well together.Effective teams have been found to
have common characteristics.
The work that members do should provide freedom and autonomy,
the opportunity to utilize different skills and talents, the
ability to complete a whole and identifiable task or product, and
doing work that has a substantial impact on others.
The teams require individuals with technical expertise, as well
as problem-solving, decision-making, and interpersonal skills, and
high scores on the personality characteristics of extraversion,
agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability.
Effective teams are neither too large nor too smalltypically
they range in size from 5 to 12 people. They have members who fill
role demands, are flexible, and who prefer to be part of a
group.
They also have adequate resources, effective leadership, and a
performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team
contributions.
Finally, effective teams have members committed to a common
purpose, specific team goals, members who believe in the team's
capabilities, a manageable level of conflict, and a minimal degree
of social loafing.Because individualistic organizations and
societies attract and reward individual accomplishment, it is more
difficult to create team players in these environments. To make the
conversion, management should try to select individuals with the
interpersonal skills to be effective team players, provide training
to develop teamwork skills, and reward individuals for cooperative
efforts.Once teams are mature and performing effectively,
management's job isn't over. This is because mature teams can
become stagnant and complacent. Managers need to support mature
teams with advice, guidance, and training if these teams are to
continue to improve.But what makes a norm important? (1). If it
facilitates the group's survival. Groups don't like to fail, so
they look to enforce those norms mat increase their chances for
success. This means that they'll try to protect themselves from
interference from other groups or individuals. (2) If it increases
the predictability of group members' behaviours. Norms that
increase predictability enable group members to anticipate each
other's actions and to prepare appropriate responses. (3) If it
reduces embarrassing interpersonal problems for group members.
Norms are important if they ensure the satisfaction of their
members and prevent as much interpersonal discomfort as possible.
(4) If it allows members to express the central values of the group
and clarify what is distinctive about the group's identity. Norms
that encourage expression of the group's values and distinctive
identity help to solidify & maintain the group.
Symptoms of Groupthink
There is the illusion of invulnerability. There is excessive
optimism and risk taking.
There are rationalisations by the members of the group to
discount warnings.
There is an unquestioned belief in the group's inherent
mortality. The group ignores questionable ethical or moral issues
or stances.
Those who oppose the group are stereotyped as evil, weak, or
stupid.
There is direct pressure on any member who questions the
stereotypes. Loyal members don't question the direction in which
the group seems to be heading.
There is self-censorship of any deviation from the apparent
group consensus.
There is the illusion of unanimity. Silence is interpreted as
consent.
There are self-appointed mind-guards who protect the group from
adverse information.