Understanding Groups and Teams

1
Understanding Groups and Teams

• Chapter fifteen

2
Group

• Two or more interacting and interdependent
  individuals who come together to achieve
  particular goals.
• Formal groupwork groups defined by the
  organizations structure that have designated
  work assignments.
• Informal groupsocial groups that form around
  friendships and common interests.

3
Examples of Formal Groups

• Command groupsdetermined by the organizational
  chart composed of individuals who report
  directly to a given manager.
• Task groupscomposed of individuals brought
  together to complete a specific job task
  temporary in nature.
• Cross-functional teamsbring together knowledge
  and skills of individuals from various work
  areas.
• Self-directed teamsessentially independent take
  on managerial responsibilities such as planning,
  hiring, scheduling, and performance evaluations.

4
Stages of Group Development
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Adjourning
5
Stage 1 Forming

• People join the group and then define the groups
  purpose, structure, and leadership.
• Strong need for acceptance and conflict
  avoidance.
• Avoid serious issues and feelings, focus on
  simple tasks like when to meet, who does what.
• Individuals are gathering information and
  impressions about each other and the task at
  hand.
• Moving from this stage requires a willingness to
  move from comfort zone and start discussing
  topics that could produce conflict.

6
Stage 2 Storming

• Characterized by competition and conflict among
  members.
• Accept membership in the group, but resist
  control that group imposes on individuality.
• Questions arise regarding leadership, structure,
  rules, rewards, and evaluations.
• Moving from this stage requires that the rules
  for engagement have been established and the
  tasks or responsibilities are clear and agreed.

7
Stage 3 Norming

• Characterized by close relationships and
  cohesiveness.
• Members understand each other better and
  appreciate each others skills and experiences.
• Listening is high.
• Lots of data flow and creativity.
• Hard work to get to this stage members may
  resist any changes to group.

8
Stage 4 Performing

• Moved from getting to know and understand each
  other.
• Characterized by interdependence and flexibility.
  
• Everyone is task-oriented and people-oriented.
• Support for experimentation in problem solving
  with emphasis on achievement.
• Group identity, loyalty, and morale are high.

9
Stage 5 Adjourning

• For temporary groups, when members are concerned
  with wrapping up activities rather than task
  performance.
• About completion and disengagement from group
  tasks and group members.

10
Class Activity

• Trace the development of your project teams
  development through the stages of group
  development.
• How closely did it parallel the group development
  model?
• How might the group development model have been
  used to improve the groups effectiveness?

11
Explaining Work Group Behavior
12
Group Behavior Model
Group Tasks
Group Member Resources
External Conditions Imposed on the Group
Group Processes
Performance and Satisfaction
Group Structure
13
External Conditions Imposed on the Group

• Organizations overall strategy
• Authority structures
• Formal regulations
• Availability or absence of resources
• Employee selection criteria
• Organizations performance management system
• Organizations culture
• Physical layout of the groups work space

14
Group Member Resources

• Members knowledge, abilities, and skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Conflict management and resolution
• Collaborative problem solving
• Communication
• Members personality characteristics
• Sociability, self-reliance, and independence tend
  to be positively related to productivity and
  morale.
• Authoritarianism and unconventionality tend to be
  negatively related to productivity and morale.

15
Group Structure

• Group structure influences members behavior.
• Defines member roles, norms, conformity, status
  systems, group size, group cohesiveness, and
  formal leadership positions.

16
Group Structure Roles

• A set of behavior patterns expected of someone
  occupying a given position in a social unit.
• Informal roles
• Keeping group focused
• Encouraging all members to contribute ideas
• Role conflict

17
Group Structure Norms

• Acceptable standards or expectations shared by a
  groups members.
• Impacts work output levels, promptness,
  absenteeism, and socializing.
• Effort and performance
• Dress
• Loyalty

18
Group Structure Conformity

• Higher in collectivist cultures than in
  individualistic cultures.
• Conformity to norms is high even in US.
• Groupthinkwhen members feel pressure to align
  their opinions with others opinions.

19
Group Structure Status

• Status is a prestige position.
• Informally conferred by education, age, skill, or
  experience.
• Formally conferred by organization.
• Pay rate, office, other perks
• Employees expect congruence between a persons
  status and perks.
• Impacts motivation.

20
Group Structure Size

• Large groups (more than a dozen members) get
  better results for problem solving.
• If goal of group is fact finding, then a larger
  group is more effective.
• Small groups are faster at completing tasks than
  larger ones.
• Smaller group would be better at doing something
  useful with the results from a fact finding
  group.

21
Group Structure Size (continued.)

• Social loafingtendency for individuals to expend
  less effort when working collectively than when
  working individually.
• Happens in societies with individualistic
  cultures, not collectivism cultures.

22
Group Structure Cohesiveness

• Degree to which members are attracted to the
  group and share the groups goals.
• Relationship between cohesiveness and
  effectiveness is complex.
• Cohesive groups are more aligned to the groups
  goals than the organizations goals.

23
Group Processes

• Include communication patterns, group decision
  processes, and power dynamics, conflict
  interactions.
• Groups potential is defined by its constraints,
  resources, and structure.
• Add in positive and negative process factors.
• Positivesynergistic idea generation
• Negativesocial loafing, poor communication

24
Two Important Group Processes

• Group decision making
• Conflict management

25
Decision Making Process

• Identify a Problem/Opportunity
• Identify Decision Criteria
• Allocate Weights to Criteria
• List Alternatives
• Analyze Alternatives
• Make a Decision
• Implement Decision
• Evaluate Decision Effectiveness

26
Advantages of Group Decision Making

• Generate more complete information and knowledge.
  
• Generate more diverse alternatives.
• Increase acceptance of the solution.
• Increase legitimacy.

27
Disadvantages of Group Decision Making

• Time consuming
• Minority domination
• Pressure to conform
• Ambiguous responsibility

28
Group Versus Individual Decision Making
29
Group Decision Making and Group Size

• Groups of five, and to a lesser extent, seven,
  are most effective.
• Odd number helps to avoid deadlocks.

30
Techniques for More Creative Decision Making

• Brainstorming
• Idea generating process that encourages
  alternatives while withholding criticism.
• Nominal Group Technique
• Each member writes down his or her ideas about
  the problem.
• Each member presents one idea to the group until
  all ideas have been presented.
• No discussion takes place until all ideas have
  been presented.

31
Group Process Conflict Management

• Conflictperceived differences that result in
  interference or opposition.
• Human relations view of conflict
• Natural and inevitable
• Not necessarily negative
• Potential to be a positive force
• Interactionist view of conflict
• Some conflict is necessary for optimal performance

32
Interactionist View of Conflict

• Functional conflictssupport a groups goals and
  improve its performance.
• Dysfunctional conflictsprevent a group from
  achieving its goals.
• Look at type of conflict to differentiate
  functional conflict from dysfunctional conflict.

33
Types of Conflict

• Task conflictrelates to content and goals of the
  work.
• Relationship conflictfocuses on interpersonal
  relationships.
• Process conflictrefers to how work gets done.

34
Conflict Resolution Techniques
Forcingsatisfying ones own needs
Collaboratingseeking an advantageous solution
for all
High
Compromisingeach party giving up something of
value
Assertiveness
Accommodating placing anothers needs above
your own
Avoidingwithdrawing from conflict
Low
Low
High
Cooperativeness
35
Group Tasks

• Complexity and interdependence of tasks influence
  the groups effectiveness.
• Simple tasks are routine and standardized.
• Complex tasks tend to be novel.

36
Turning Groups into Effective Teams
37
Work Team

• Groups whose members work intensely on a specific
  common goal using their positive synergy,
  individual and mutual accountability, and
  complementary skills.

38
Types of Teams

• Problem-solving team
• Self-managed team
• Cross-functional team
• Virtual team

39
Creating Effective Teams

• Clear goals
• Relevant skills
• Mutual trust
• Unified commitment
• Good communication
• Negotiating skills
• Appropriate leadership
• Internal and external support