Topic 14: Understanding Groups and Teams

Topic 14: Understanding Groups and Teams

1. What is a group?

   • 2 or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals
   • Formal Groups:
     • Established by the organisation with designated work assignments/specific tasks
     • Informal Groups:
       • Social nature and occur naturally in the workplace in response to the need for social contact and are formed around friendships/common interests

2. Stages of group development:

   • 1. Forming:
     • Two Phases:
       • 1. People join a group because of a work assignment (formal) or because it provides another desired benefit (informal)
       • 2. Members define the group's purpose, structure and leadership. it is characterised by uncertainty as members determine what behaviour is acceptable. Complete when members begin to think of themselves as part of a group
     • 2. Storming
       • Stage of intergroup conflict, members accept the existence of a group but resist the control it imposes on individuality, there is conflict over who will control the group and at completion there is a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership within the group and agreement on group direction
       • 3. Norming:
         • Close relationships develop and the group becomes cohesive and there is a strong sense of group identity/camaraderie. Completion is when the group structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a common set of expectations (or norms) regarding group member behaviour
         • 4. Performing:
           • Group structure is in place/accepted by members, energies have moved from getting to know/understand each other to performing the task at hand, for permanent work groups performing is the last stage in their development and for temporary groups there is a 5th stage:
             • 5. Adjourning:
               • In this stage the groups prepare to disband. Attention is directed towards wrapping-up activities

3. Explaining work group behaviour

   • The reasons some groups are more successful/achieve higher levels of performance/member satisfaction than others is because of variables which include:
     • 1. External conditions imposed on the group:
       • Work groups are a subset of the organisation and is influenced by the external conditions which also effect the organisation e.g. rules/regulations and organisation strategy/culture
       • 2. Group member resources:
         • Performance potential depends on a large extent to individual resources e.g. member knowledge, abilities and skills and personality characteristics.
         • 3. Group Structure
           • Internal structures shape member behaviour and makes it possible to explain, predict and influence individual behaviour within the group. Internal structure defines members roles, norms, conformity, status systems, group size, cohesiveness and leadership
             • Roles
               • Behaviour patterns expected of someone who occupies a given position in a social unit
                 • Task-related role: helps group focus on task at hand
                 • Maintenance-related roles: helps to maintain good interpersonal relationships within the group
                 • Self-oriented roles: roles/dysfunctional behaviour that hinder or undermine team progress
               • Norms
                 • Standards or expectations that are accepted and shared by the group members, often dictates things e.g. work output levels
                 • Conformity
                   • Can go too fair especially when it results in group think
                     • Group think:
                       • Group members feel extensive pressure to align their opinions with other peoples opinions
                   • Status systems
                     • Status is prestige, grading, position or rank within a group and can be formally conferred (person's position) or informally conferred (characteristics of a person looks/intelligence etc.)
                     • Group size
                       • Important finding is social loafing:
                         • The tendency for individual to expend less effort when working collectively than individually-- causes may be due to dispersion of responsibility or members trying to 'free ride' etc
                       • Group cohesiveness
                         • The degree to which members are attached to one another and share the groups goals. Highly cohesive groups are more effective than those with less cohesiveness

4. Group processes

   • There are 2 group processes that are significant:
     • 1. Group Decision Making:
       • Advantages:
         • Groups provide more complete information/knowledge
           • Groups generate more diverse alternatives
             • Groups increase acceptance of a solution
               • Groups increase legitimacy
       • Disadvantages:
         • Groups are time consuming
           • Groups risk minority denomination
             • Pressures of conforming
               • There is ambiguous responsibility
       • Techniques managers can use to help groups make more creative decisions:
         • Electronic meetings
           • Nominal group technique (NGT)
             • Brainstroming
     • 2. Conflict Management:
       • Conflict refers to the perceived incompatible differences resulting in some form of interference/opposition
       • There are 3 views regarding conflict:
         • 1. Traditional view of conflict:
           • All conflict is bad and must be avoided
           • 2. Human relations view of conflict:
             • Some conflict is a natural/inevitable outcome in any group
             • 3. Interactionist view of conflict:
               • Some conflict is necessary for a group to perform effectively
       • Functional Conflicts
         • Conflicts that support group goals and improve performance
       • Dysfunctional Conflicts
         • Conflicts that prevent a group from achieving its goals
       • The type of conflict determines a functional from dysfunctional conflict. There are 3 types:
         • 1. Task conflicts: Conflict over content/goals of work (generally functional)
           • 2. Relationship conflicts: Conflict based on interpersonal relationships (almost always dysfunctional)
             • 3. Process conflicts: Conflict over how work gets done (generally functional if kept to a minimum)
       • 5 Conflict Management Options
         • 1. Avoidance
           • Withdrawing from conflicts or suppressing them
           • 2. Accommodation
             • Placing another's needs and concerns above your own
             • 3. Forcing:
               • Satisfying one's own needs at the expense of others
               • 4. Compromise:
                 • Each party gives up something of value
                 • 5. Collaboration:
                   • Seeking an advantageous solution for all parties

5. Turning groups into effective teams

   • What is a team?
     • Work teams are groups whose members work intensely on a specific, common goals using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability and complementary skills
   • Types of teams:
     • 1. Problem-solving teams:
       • Teams from the same departments or functional area involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems
       • 2. Self-managed teams:
         • Operates without a manager and is responsible for a complete work process or segment
         • 3. Cross-functional teams:
           • Composed of individuals from various specialities
           • 4. Virtual team:
             • Uses technology to link physically dispersed members to achieve a common goal
   • Creating effective teams:
     • Chain diagram
       • Characteristics associated with effective teams include:
         • Clear goals
           • Relevant skills
             • Mutual trust
               • Unified commitment
                 • Good communication
                   • Negotiating skills
                     • Appropriate leadership
                       • Internal and external support
   • Managing teams:
     • Planning:
       • Goal determination
       • Organising:
         • Clarifying authority and structural issues
         • Leading:
           • What role with the leader play and how will conflict be handled/what communication processes will be used?
           • Controlling:
             • How ill the teams performance be evaluated and what reward systems will be used?

6. Current challenges in managing teams:

   • 1. Managing global teams:
     • Drawbacks:
       • Dislike among members
         • Mistrust among members
           • Stereotyping
             • Communication problems
               • Stress and tension
       • Benefits:
         • Diversity of ideas
           • Limited groupthink
             • Increased attention on understanding other ideas/perspectives
     • To enhance efficiency/effectiveness, managers need to:
       • Focus on developing communication skills
         • Consider cultural differences when deciding what type of global team to use
           • Be sensitive to unique differences of members
             • Initiate team building exercises
   • 2. Understanding social networks:
     • The social network structure is the patterns of informal connections among individuals and within a group
     • Managers need to understand the social networks and social relationships of work groups because a teams informal social relationships can help/hinder its effectiveness
     • Teams with high levels of interpersonal connectedness attain their goals better and are more committed to staying together