Teams and Groups work

Teams and Groups work

1. Social Loafing

   • Tendancy to do worse on simple tasks but better on complex tasks when in presence of others (AND individual performance cannot be evaluated)
     • Presence of others dcan relax individuals
       • yBstander effect
         • Kitty genovese - 38 witnesses

2. Social facilitation

   • People do better on simple tasks and worse on complex tasks when in presence of others
     • Simple well learned task - performance improves infront of others
       • Triplet 1898
         • Children wound fishing reel better infront of others
           • Zajonc
             • Presence of others increases arousal
               • Makes simple tasks easier
               • Makes Complex/learning harder

3. Group Decisions

   • Assumed that group decisons are better
     • 1906 guess the ox
       • Average of everyones guesses was 1 away
     • Some factors that make group decisions worse
       • Process Lose
         • Group interaction that my inhibit problem solving
           • Best informed individuals must be confident
           • May be unaware of most competent
           • May only be loud who get heard
       • Failure to share unique info
         • Only focus on consensual info
         • Making individuals responsible for certain info helps reduce this
       • Groupthink
         • Maintaing group cohesiveness or solidarity may be more important than considereing facts
         • his narrows down the ideas and dicussion
         • Impartiality, seeking out or anonymous opinions and subgroups may reduce this
   • should not be used when
     • Problem doesnt require sharing or evaluation of alternatives
     • Climate risks group think
     • Leaders arent willing to make unit effective

4. What are groups and Teams Definitions

   • What is a group
     • Schien 88 people who interact, psychologically aware and perceive themselves to be in a group
     • Benefits
       • Info
       • Identity
       • Norms
     • Formal
       • Permentant
         • e.g Comittees
       • Temporary
         • e.g project team
     • Informal
       • Group who regularly socialise together
         • Hobbies
         • drinking
         • Cross ranks
   • Teams
     • When is a group a team
       • Members have common goal
       • Members have interdependent task
       • Formal membership
       • High interaction
       • Cohesion
       • Size limit
     • Features of a Team
       • Task
       • Goals
       • Roles
       • Process emphasis
       • Performance demands and measurement

5. Intergroup conflicts

   • Consequences
     • Other grouop percieved as enemy
     • Distorrtion, denying own weakness, or others strengths
     • Reduced communication and interaction
     • Negative stereotypes
     • Winners
       • Enhance cohesion
       • Complacency
       • High intragroup coop
       • Low concern for goals
       • Confirms stereotypes of in and out groups
     • Losers
       • Intragroup conflict
       • Less cohesion
   • Prevent INTRAgroup conflict by
     • Emphasis on organizational effectiveness
     • Avoid win lose situations
     • High interaction and frequent communication
     • Group member rotation
   • Reduce INTERgroup conflict
     • Locate common enemy
     • Locate superordinate goal
     • Raise interactions between groups
     • Experiential group training

6. Functions of groups

   • Working towards task completion or goal - interdependently
   • Connecting and cordinating - e.g among departments
   • Complex assesment
   • Problem solving
   • Decision making
   • implementing process e.g training
   • Needs of individuals
   • Sense of identity
   • Reduce uncertainty and insecurity
   • Problem solving