GROUP DYNAMICS

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world.
Margaret Mead
A group is constantly developing and changing when Interaction takes place. A group is
-

connections linking the individual members

two or more individuals.

We define "group" as more than two employees who have an ongoing relationship in
which they interact and influence one mother's behaviour and performance. The
behaviour of individuals in groups is something more than the sum total of each acting
in his or her own way. In other words, when individuals are in groups, they act differently
than they do when they are alone.
A group refers to the association of two or more persons interacting among themselves
for the achievement of common goal.
Jennifer and Gareth have defined a group as set of two or more people who interact
with each other to achieve certain goals or to meet certain needs.
A group may be defined as a collection of people who have a common purpose or
objective, interact with each other to accomplish the group objectives, are aware of one
another and perceive themselves to be part of group.

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A group can be identified by:

1. Studying the perception group and cognition of each of the group members to
determine as to which other individuals exist for each of the members psychologically.
2. Analysis of the group itself and the itself and the behavior of each of its members to
ascertain as to whether or not a particular individuals fits in a member.
Here group interaction and common goal are very important elements of group. The
interaction reflects regular discussions and communication which may influence the
behaviour of the group members. Moreover, the group members agree to achieve some
common goal which is termed as group goal. The group goal binds the members
together for making effort in the direction of realisation of the goal.
Given the important role that groups play in organisations, let us concentrate our focus
upon the meaning of a work group. In true sense and for our purpose of studying group
behaviour, the collection of individuals is called a group, when :
They have a common goal;
The members of the group constantly interact with each other, so that one persons
actions affect and
are being affected by the action of another person;
Each member of group identifies with other member of the group;
The member of the group is psychologically aware of each other;
The behaviour of each member is interdependent on others .

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Thus, a group is a set of two or more people who continuously interact with each other
to achieve certain goals or meet certain needs. Accordingly, only gathering of individuals
cannot be called a group.
Mere collection of people cannot constitute a group. eg:-a crowd in front of a shop in the
market watching India vs Pakistan one day cricket match on T.V. will not be called as
Group. Because people do not interact with one another, do not know one another, and
also do not share a common purpose.
.
TYPES OF WORK GROUPS
Whatever may be the causes for which groups are formed, the formation of groups has
become inevitable phenomenon in every organisation. There exists different types of
groups in organisations. Each group plays crucial role in achieving organisational
effectiveness. There are different ways through which we can classify the groups. One
broad way to classify the group is on the basis their formation. Accordingly, the group
can be formal group or informal group.
1.1.1 Formal Work Groups
Formal work groups are formed by the organisations. These groups are formed in order
to help the organisation to achieve its specific goals. The goals of formal work group are
determined according to the needs of the organisation. For example, purchase
committee, quality control group, disciplinary action committee are the formal groups
constituted by an organisation. These groups are established to accomplish certain
organisational goals such as increasing product quality, safety, discipline, etc. in an
organisation.
Types of Formal Work Groups
There are different types of formal groups in an organisation. Four important kinds of
formal groups are command groups, the committees, teams, and self-managed work
teams. Let us learn them in detail.
Command Group : It is the collection of employees who report to the same supervisor.
Command groups are based on the basic reporting relationship in organisations. The
existence of formal groups is represented on organisational charts as departments
(such as finance, personnel, marketing, sales, or accounting). Command groups help
an organisation to accomplish variety of tasks. They have tremendous impact upon the
extent to which an organisation is able to achieve its goals. The leaders of the
command group play an important role in determining the effectiveness of these groups.
The Committees : It is the collection of people who are brought together by the
organisation to accomplish a specific goal. Once the goal is achieved, the organisation
disbands the committees. In case such committees are dealing with long term
problems, in that case they may not be disbanded but the members in the committees

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can be changed or rotated on the basis of seniority and other criteria. These kinds of
committees are known as standing committees.
The Team : It is a formal work group. People work in a group does not mean that they
work in a team. A team is formed by the organisation for some specific purpose. In a
team, there is a high level of interaction among its members. The members of the team
work together very intensely to achieve a common goal. In course of working together,
the member of the team learn the abilities and experiences of their members to
accomplish things that could not be achieved by individuals working separately or by
any other kinds of work groups.
Self-Managed Work Teams : Self-managed work teams are little different from normal
teams . The members of self-managed work team are responsible for ensuring that the
team accomplishes its goals.
Leader of this team is identified by its members. The performance of leadership tasks is
assigned to individual group members. The team is empowered to discipline its
members who are not performing at an adequate level. There is coordinating efforts
across group members, and even hiring and firing for and within the team is done by the
team itself. In the recent years self-managed teams are gaining popularity and they
have created a dramatic impact on organisations as well as on their members.

1.1.2 Informal Work Groups

Informal work groups emerge naturally in organisations. It is just like the shadow of the
formal organisation. It is because organisational members perceive that it is difficult for
their organisations to formally fulfill some of the bare needs and feel that membership in
a group can help them to achieve their goals and meet their needs.
For example, when a group of five factory workers who go for a picnic, movie, or booz
together to satisfy their common need for affiliation and friendship this is the case of an
informal group. Even sometimes, some employees form informal group.due to their
ideological similarity.
Types of Informal Work Groups
Informal groups can be broadly divided into two types They are :
(i) friendship groups; and (ii) interest groups.
i) Friendship Groups : It is a group of employees in an organisation who enjoy each
others company and love to socialise with each other. They may socialise on the job
and off the job.
For example, a group of workers in a company who go for a picnic or a group of ladies
staff who frequently have lunch together. Friendship groups help its members to meet
the needs of social interaction. It also acts as an important source of social support to

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them. It contributes to its members to experience positive moods at work which can
ultimately enable them to be satisfied with their respective jobs.
ii) Interest Groups : Employees may form interest groups when they have a common
interest or goal to achieve in the organisation. The interest of the members may be
sometimes ignored or neglected by the organisation. The members of this group try to
achieve their goal by uniting their efforts. Because of the common interest, it helps the
members to voice their concerns, which some times provides an important pressure for
organisational changes.
12.5.3 Small Groups vs Large Groups
Group size is an important determinant of the way group members behave. The size of
a group is normally measured by the number of full-time members who are involved in
achieving the groups goals. However, a group can be composed of just two or more
people. On the basis of number of members, a group can be a small or large group. Let
us learn them.
Small Groups : In a small group, members are likely to know everybody and interact
regularly. In a small group, it is relatively easier for members to share information and
recognize individuals contribution to the group. The members of a small group identify
themselves easily and quickly with groups goals. The motivation and commitment of its
members to group goals is very high hence, the member of this groupderive higher
levels of satisfaction.
Large Groups : In a large group, there are so many members. Because of many
members, they are less likely to know one another and may have little personal contact
with each other on a day-to-day basis. As a result, there exists lower level of interaction
among members of this group and it makes information sharing difficult among them.
Some times, the factors which individuals consider lead to their own contributions to the
group, may become unimportant to the group, which ultimately reduces their motivation
and commitment towards group. Therefore, people normally tend to be less satisfied in
larger groups.
Group formation
Groups, which we find in organisations in our day-to-day life, are not formed over night.
Employee turnover, new selection, transfers and promotions of the employees in the
organisation have impact upon the group status and may bring change in the existing
group. As a result, group tasks and goals also change. How do groups change over
time? It is very interesting and significant. In order to increase group performance, it is
very important to manage these changes effectively. For example when a new batch of
employees joins an organisation, and starts forming group on the basis of various
factors discussed earlier, they face lot of difficulty to form a group.

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In fact, initially at each stage the group faces many difficulties. Similar is the case with
work groups, from their inception to adjournment , they undergo important changes.
Tuckman has divided the developments of a group in to five stages. They are forming,
storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Let us learn them in detail.
Stages of group formation
Forming : The first stage of group development is called forming. At this stage,
members try to know each other and establish a common understanding among them.
They struggle to clarify group goals and determine appropriate behaviour within the
group. The forming stage is completed once individuals within the group feel that they
are truly the members of the group.
Storming : As its name implies, this stage is characterised by considerable amount of
conflict. At this stage, group members try to resist for being controlled by the group very
often, the members disagree about who should lead the group. They also have
difference of opinion over how much power should the leader of their group have, etc.
This stage is completed when group members no longer resist the groups control and
there is mutual understanding and agreement about who will lead the group. Normally
this stage is completed when group members consider that is it is better to work
together for the achievement of the group goals.
Norming : This is the third stage in the group development. At this stage, group
members really start feeling that they belong to the group. They develop a very close
intimacy and relationship with one another. A feeling of friendship develops among
them. A well-developed sense of common purpose of the group emerges among the
members. In this stage, group members agree on standards to guide the behaviour in
the group.
Performing : When this stage reaches, the group is ready to tackle all types of group
tasks. The members of the group work toward achievement of the group goals. The real
work of the group gets accomplished at this stage. To arrive at this stage, groups should
not take very long time.

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Adjourning : This is the last stage of the group development. At this stage, a group
disbands after having accomplished its goals. However, ongoing work groups in
organisations do not go through this stage rather they remain at the performing stage.
Thus, the five-stages model of group development forming-storming-normingperforming-adjourning though sounds logical, research reveals that not all groups go
through each of the stages and groups do not necessarily go through the stages
sequentially. There can be considerable levels of conflict throughout their existence. As
a result, the elements of storming stage continue for a long time.

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FACTORS OF GROUP FORMATION

There are various factors, which influence the formation of groups in organisations. Let
us learn following important factors of group formation:
Psychological Factors : After joining the organisation, individual joins a particular
group in which he/she finds him/her interest, attitude, personality, perception etc.
matching with other individuals within the department or the organisation. As a result,
group is formed.
Social Factors : Individuals also form or join the group based upon their social class,
caste, and religion to satisfy their social needs. They do it primarily for satisfying their
love, affection and care needs, which initially they feel deprived after leaving their
families.
Security Factors : As an individual, sometimes one can feel insecure over unexpected
developments such as sudden health problem, termination, suspension, local problems
etc., therefore, everyone likes to be in a group to feel secured to work. Especially in a
new place, for a new employee, the security need could be one of the major factors for
joining a group.
Economic Factors : When an individual works in an organisation, he/she gets all types of
economic incentives and benefits available within the rules and regulations. Sometimes
organisations cannot meet an individuals accidental or obligatory needs like money for
marriage, house construction, medical care and other proposes. So he/she gets associated with
those people who help him/her at the time of need.

Cultural Factors : Individuals come to work from different society and culture. In case
the place at which they work are far away from their place of origin , region and culture;

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they feel like a fish out of water. It may be due to the absence of cultural celebrations.
This is one of the reasons for which people coming from same culture, tradition and
speaking similar language usually form the group.
Proximity, Interaction, Interest and Influence : This is one of the common and logical
reason for which people form the group in the organisation. Some people have to work
together. Due to the similarity of nature of job, they have to interact with each other for
this purpose. In course of interaction, interest develops which ultimately influences each
other to sit, eat, discuss and share besides working together .
Difference between group and team
Sometime we are confused that a group is also a team. A group can be called a team
when it is formally formed by the organisation. Katzenbach & Smith have defined a
team as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a
common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold
themselves mutually accountable. Thus, major difference between the team and group
is that the group can also be informally formed without any complementary skills and
formal efforts of the organisation ; team is always constituted by the organisation. It so
happens because it is practically impossible for a formal organisation to meet the
informal needs of its employees.

Theories of group Formation

There are four theories explaining why people interact and form groups. These are:
PROXIMITY THEORY: Individuals tend to affiliate with one another because of spatial
or geographical proximity or nearness. For instance, peasants in a village or students
next to each other in class interact more and thus will eventually form a group.
ACTIVITY THEORY: When people are involved in similar activities, they tend to
generate spontaneous interaction and sentimentality leading to cooperation and
problem solving. Commonness in occupational interests makes it possible for people to
socialize on a wide range of issues related to the particular activity.
EXCHANGE/BENEFIT THEORY: It holds that some groups are formed purely on
business-like relations. Members will only decide to form, join or continue together on
the basis of the gains thereafter. Rewards in this context, will yield gratification while the
costs involved include material loss, privileges, anxiety, frustrations or fatigue. The
rewards could be tangible or non-tangible e.g power, leadership and prestige.
BALANCE THEORY: It borders closely with the activity theory except that it would draw
on emotional cum-intellectual dimension of the interaction. People are attracted together
on the basis of similar attitudes towards life e.g likes and dislikes, beliefs, political
ideologies etc.

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FUNCTIONS OF THE GROUPS:

1. Formal organizational functions: These relates to basic mission attainment by the
organization. The group completes the work, creates ideas and embraces all activities
for which they are accountable.
2. Psychological Personal functions: The group formation facilitates psychological
functioning, satisfaction of the needs, outlet for affiliation and helps in getting stability
and enhancing the achievements.
3. Mixed or Multiple functions: The formal as well as informal both kinds of roles are
taken up by the members of the group. The formal group can try to fulfill various
psychological roles and leading to increased loyalty, commitment and energy for
effective attainment of the administrative and organizational goals
GROUP COHESIVENESS
Group cohesiveness is nothing but it is the attractiveness of a group to its members. A
highly cohesive group very much appeals to their members. The cohesiveness of a
group affects its performance and effectiveness. There are a large number of factors,
which influence the level of cohesiveness of a group. Those factors can be broadly
categorized into five types.
They are : size of the group, homogeneous character of group members, success of the
group, competition with other groups, and the exclusiveness of the group. Let us learn
them in detail.
Size of the Group : Just like small family is more cohesive, similar is the case with a
group. In case the size of the group is large, their members tend to be less satisfied and
do not tend to be cohesive. Normally in a large group, only a few members of the group
try to dominate every thing such as suggestion, opinion, its day to day functioning
without giving opportunities for participation to the other members in the group.
Therefore, the large groups are more prone to conflict, and members find it difficult to
form close ties with each other, than a small or medium size group in which there exists
cohesiveness.
Homogeneous Character of Group Members : More similarity the member feel with
each other, better the chances that they will well get along with, and feel comfortable to
communicate with each other. The most cohesive group is one where members are
more homogeneous in terms of age, sex, education, marital status etc. and they share
certain attitudes, values, experiences, and other characteristics, which are common to

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each other.
Success of Group : It is the success of the group which can make it cohesive. A
realisation develops among its members to avoid differences for achieving group goals.
When groups are successful in achieving their goals, they become especially attractive
to their members, and group cohesiveness enhances.
Competition with Other Groups : Competition between groups in an organisation
increases group cohesiveness when it motivates members of each group to band
together to achieve group goals. For this reason, organisations often promote group
cohesiveness by having work groups competition in the organisation between /among
groups over sales target, zero defect production, minimization of wastages; etc. A group
of production workers may compete to see which group can maintain the highest quality
standards, and groups of maintenance workers may compete to have the best
attendance record. Giving groups names and publicizing also encourage healthy
competition, which groups are doing extraordinarily well.
Exclusiveness : A groups exclusiveness is indicated by how is it difficult to become a
member of the group, the extent to which outsider look up to group members. The
exclusiveness of a group gives status in the organisation. It also provides special rights
and privileges to its group members.

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Thus, in cohesive group members become more active participants in the group
activities and the level of communication within the group increases. They share a
common goal, develop high group loyalty and get united to perceive threat. Moreover, in
a cohesive group information flows through the group very fast.

GROUP NORMS
When there are more than one individual in a group, there is every possibility of tension,
confusion and conflict over the rights, duties and status of the group among its
members. For the smooth functioning of the group, every group, develops its role
norms, and rules irrespective of its type. Roles and rules help the group members as
well as managers not only to control the members behaviour in group but also specify
what behaviours should group members engage in, so that the group will be effective,
perform at a high level, and achieve its goals. Roles and rules are formal requirements
to facilitate the smooth functioning of group.
Norms on the other hand are unwritten rules and regulations, which govern the
behaviour and actions of its members. It is the acceptable standards of behaviour of a

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group which is commonly shared by its members. We can only call a group effective
groups, which control the behaviour of its members through its norms and channelize
their effort for the attainment of group as well as the organisational goals. Group
rewards its members who conform to the norm in a specified manner through verbal
praise and they also get help from other members. Group also punishes its members
when somebody in the group deviates from the norm.
Norms develop when members in a group share a common idea of acceptable
behaviour, which, monitor each others behaviour in the group. Many norms develop
because several members bring their past experiences from other groups and from
other organisations. Sometimes some critical incidents in the life of the organisation
may also set the norm for the group.
The first and the most commonly used criteria for conformity of the group norms is
compliance. It is assenting to a norm in order to attain rewards or avoid punishment. A
realisation is developed among them that the compliance of norm will bring certain
benefits and ignoring it will bring certain costs. Groups put tremendous pressure on the
members to change their attitude and behaviour for the conformity of group norms.
Following are the advantages of norms for a group:
Norms enables a group to accomplish its goals.
Norms help the group to control and regulate the behaviour of its members without
external influence.
Norms enable a group to survive in the face of threat and competition from other
groups. They protect the group and its members from outside pressure and
interference.
Norms help the group and its member to express groups value and give the group a
unique identity of its own.
Norms of the group enhance the predictability of group members in terms of
performance, appearance etc.
Group Dynamics
The group dynamics refers to changes which take place within groups and is concerned
with the interaction and forces obtained between group members in social settings .It is
a study of forces operating within a group. A group doesnt simply mean individuals
possessing same identical features. For instance, A collection of students or beggars
doesnt form a group. These are class. A group is formed when the Two or More
individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve
particular objectives
The social process by which people interact face-to-face in a group environment
is called Group Dynamics.

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The word Dynamics comes from the Greek word meaning force ;hence group
dynamics refers to the study of forces operating within a group. Suppose we say one
plus one equals eleven. In the world of Mathematics that is a logical error, but in the
world of Group Dynamics it is entirely rational to say one plus one equals eleven.
FEATURES OF GROUP DYNAMICS:
Concerned with group - Group dynamics is concerned with group .Wherever a group
exists the individuals interact and members are continuously changing and adjusting
relationship with respect to each other . The members of the group may interact , may
be in state of tension , may be attracted or repelled to each other , may seek the
resolution of these tensions and return to equilibrium after the resolution.
Changes - Changes go on occurring like introduction of the new members, changes in
leadership , presence of old and new members and the rate of change fast or slow.
The groups may dissolve if the members are not enthusiastic about the goals, they have
no faith in the ideology and donot identify themselves with the group. This means that
the cohesiveness in the group has decreased.
Rigidity or Flexibility - There may be rigidity or flexibility (cohesiveness or conflict) that
influence a group dynamics. If the members get along well there is smooth sailing for
the group and if there is conflict it leads to problems. A rigid group may not change and
lacks adaptability to change. But the members if are able to solves the problems, the
equilibrium can be maintained. The conflict and tension if increases within the group,
this can cause an open flare up and strong measures are urgently.
Group organization - The group organization is essential. It leads to greater group
effectiveness, participation, cooperation and a constructive morale. The leader will be
effective only if the group is organized and stable. Some degree of organization is
essential for effective functioning of the group and depends on the proportion of the
well-defined roles members have in the group. The organized group, is one with every
member having specific roles and acting towards other members in the prescribed
manner.
Continuous process of restructuring, adjusting andreadjusting members
-Dynamic group always is in continuous process of restructuring, adjusting and
readjusting members to one another for the purpose of reducing the tensions ,
eliminating the conflicts and solving the problems which its members have in common.
The changes may take within a group and it is interesting to study the way the change
do occur. The frequent changes indicate the capacity of the group to change and adapt.
PRINCIPLES OF THE GROUP DYNAMICS:
1- The members of the group must have a strong sense of belonging to the
group .The barrier between the leaders and to be led must be broken down.

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2- The more attraction a group is to its members, the greater influence it would
exercise on its members.
3- The grater the prestige of the group member in the eyes of the member in the
eyes of the members, the greater influence he would exercise on the theme.
4- The successful efforts to change individuals sub parts of the group would result
in making them confirm to the norms of the group.
5- The pressures for change when strong can be established in the group by
creating a shared perception by the members for the need for the change.
6-

Information relating to the need for change, plans for change and the
consequence of the changes must be shared by the members of the group.

7-

The changes in one part of the groups may produce stress in the other parts,
which can be reduced only by eliminating the change or by bringing about
readjustments in the related parts.

8- The groups arise and function owing to common motives.

9- The groups survive by pacing the members into functional hierarchy and
facilitating the action towards the goal.
10-The intergroup relations, group organization, member participation is essential for
effectiveness of a group.

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CONCEPT OF TEAM
If you visit an organisation, you will find that most of the activities of the organisation are
performed by a group of persons. In an organisation, activities are arranged in such a
way that require collective contribution. Every individual contributes for the achievement
of a common goal. The individuals interact, collaborate, coordinate and influence among
the members. Thus, most of the time individuals work in a team.
A team may be defined as a group of two or more people who interact and influence the
members for the achievement of common goal.
Steven and Mary Ann Von have defined team as groups of two or more people who
interact and influence each other, are mutually accountable for achieving common
objectives, and perceive themselves as a social entity within an organisation.
Based on this definition, the characteristics of the teams may be elaborated as under :
a group of two or more persons
regular interactions among members
influence the behaviour of team members
mutually accountable
interdependent
social entity
achievement of common goal
The frequency of interactions, influence and the nature of task may determine the
formation of group, i.e., long-term, short-term, formal, informal etc.
TYPES OF TEAM
Formal Team
Formal teams or groups are created deliberately by managers carrying out specific
tasks to help the organisation achieve its goals.
Types of Formal Team
Command team - The most prevalent type of formal group is the command team,
which includes a manager and all employees who report to that manager. In some
organisations that want to deemphasize hierarchy, the titles may change.
Committee- Another type of formal team is the committee, which generally lasts a long
time and deals with recurrent problems and decisions. For instance, your university or
college probably has a committee for student affairs to deal with recurring issues that
involve students lives. While members of this committee may come and go, the
committee remains in place over time.

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Some formal teams are temporary. They may be called task forces or project teams.
These teams are created to deal with a specific problem and are usually disbanded
when the task is completed or the problem is solved.
Informal Team
Informal teams or groups emerge whenever people come together and interact
regularly. Such groups develop within the formal organisational structure. Members of
informal teams tend to subordinate some of their individual needs to those of the team
as a whole. In return, the team supports and protects them.
The activities of informal teams may further the interests of the organisation. Saturday
morning games, for example, may strengthen the players ties to each other. Or a
womens group may meet to discuss various actions that can make the organisation a
better place for women to work.
informal groups independently and outside management auspices. The groups
encourage, recognize, and strengthen the bonds of women at all levels of the company.
.
TEAM DEVELOPMENT
As you have already learnt that the team is formed as a result of interactions and
influence of members who strive for the achievement of common goal. In this process,
the team members try to understand others behaviour, realize the appropriateness of
the behaviour and the roles of the team members.
This is an on going process because the composition of team may keep on changing.
The new members may join and the old members may leave the team. Thus, the team
members pass through several stages for the development of team. Bruce Truckman
has identified five stage model of team development.
Forming:
Storming
Norming :
Performing:
Adjourning:
Kormanski and Mozenter have identified following stages of team development:
Awareness
Conflict
Cooperation
Productivity, and
Separation

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4.5 TEAM BUILDING

Team building refers to shaping of the team for smooth functioning. Steven and Mary
Ann Von have defined
team building as any formal intervention directed toward improving the development
and functioning of a work team. Thus, the process of team building aims at enhancing
the effectiveness of a team.
Pareek Udai has suggested following approaches for team building.
The Johari Window Approach : This approach aims at helping members to express
their feelings, opinions reactions and accept feedback from team members. This
enhances their sensitivity towards the team members.
The Role Negotiation Approach : This approach focuses on understanding the
expectations of the team members and accommodating their behaviour according to the
expectations. This enhances the collaborative effort of the team members.
The Team Roles Approach : This approach advocates that there are certain roles
which each team members are expected to perform. Belbin has identified eight roles.
They are :
Chairman/coordinator, shaper, plant, monitor/ evaluator, company worker, resource
investigator, team worker and completer/finisher. Smooth performance of these roles
brings harmony in the effort of the team members.
The Behaviour Modification Approach : This approach focuses on examining
members behaviour towards the team. The individual member evaluates his/her own
behaviour and finds out the most suitable behaviour. Now he/she adopts the most
suitable behaviour for the performance of the team.
The Simulation Approach : In this approach an artificial team is formed where
members interact, discuss,
deliberate and learn from other members behaviour. In this situation, the team members
learn the most
effective way of dealing with the challenges and meet the requirements and the
expectations of the team
members.
The Action Research Approach : In this approach, the whole range of behaviour is
analysed and evaluated. The researcher interacts with the team members and
evaluates their behaviour. The effort is made to find out most suitable behaviour of the
team members.

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The Appreciative Inquiry Approach : This approach focuses on the identification of

positive qualities in the team members. The effort is made to channelize these positive
qualities towards the achievements of the team goal.
Pareek Udai has integrated the above approaches and further suggested following
approaches for team building which are discussed below :
Projection into Future : In this approach, the team members prepare common vision
of the team. Several small teams may prepare their own vision which may be further
developed as a broader organisational vision. The team members may be encouraged
to make effort towards realising them,.
Linkage with Individual Goals : As you must be aware that the building block of the
team is individual. Each person has his/her individual goal as well as team goal.
Therefore, the individual goal must be integrated with the team goal. This brings
harmony in the team effort and enhances the performance of the team.
Force Field Analysis : Several forces influence the performance of the team. Team
members are required to analyse these forces and identify the positive forces. These
favourable forces are channelised for the achievement of the team goal.
Strengthening Positive Forces : The positive forces are identified and further
reinforced. The reinforcement of behaviour motivates the members for making efforts
towards the realisation of team goal. This further strengthens the positive behaviour of
the team members.
Reducing Negative Forces : In this approach, the forces which inhibit the performance
of the team are identified. The efforts are made to remove these negative forces.
Monitoring : The team members chalk out detailed plans and targets to be achieved.
The mechanisms forachieving these targets are spelt out. The steps are devised to
monitor them at each step. The proper monitoring mechanism facilitates the process of
accomplishment of team goal.
While building the team, the managers must take into account those factors which
contribute to effective accomplishment of the team goals. The integrated view of the
above approaches may provide better insights for enhancing the effectiveness of the
team.
TEAM EFFECTIVENESS
In an organisation, you may find that some teams are very successful and work
effectively than others. The question arises what is team effectiveness? Steven and
Mary Ann Von have defined team effectiveness as the extent to which the team
achieves its objectives, achieves the needs and objectives of its members and sustains
itself over time. This means that the effective team has following parameters:

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 The degree to which the objectives of the team are achieved;

The degree to which the team achieves the needs and well being of its members; and
The ability of the team to survive.
Steven and Mary Ann Von have suggested following elements of team effectiveness:
1) Organisational and Team Environment : Organisational and team environment
relates to the following elements:
Reward System
Communication
Systems
Physical Space
Organisational Environment
Organisational Structure, and
Organisational Leadership
2) Team Design : It involves following elements:
Task Characteristics
Team Size; and
Team Composition
3) Team Processes : It includes:
Team Development
Team Norms
Team Roles; and
Team Cohesiveness
Kormasnski and Mozenter have identified following elements which contribute to team
effectiveness:
Members understand and are committed to group goals;
They are friendly, concerned and interested in others;
They acknowledge and confront conflicts openly;
They listen to others and understand them;
They involve others in the process of decision making;
They recognize and respect individual differences;
They contribute ideas and solutions;
They value ideas and contributions of others;
They recognize and reward team efforts; and
They encourage and appreciate comments about team performance.
These are the major elements contributing to the team effectiveness. Moreover, there
may be several factors which influence the team effectiveness. Managers are required
to make detailed analysis of these factors and find out broader perspectives of the team
effectiveness. The proper management and implementation of these elements may
certainly improve the effectiveness of the team.

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Questions
1- What is Group ? Distinguish between group and team. Why do people form
groups in organisations ?
2- Distinguish between formal team and informal team.
3- Distinguish between storming and norming.
4- Enumerate five most suitable process of team building.
5- Enumerate the process of development of group.
6- What is Group Cohesiveness?
7- What is a group ? Why do people form groups in organisation? Do you think that
formation of
group serve their purpose. Discuss.
8- How is group different from team? Explain the features of different types of
formal work group.
9- What do you mean by group development? Explain different stages of the
development of a group.

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