1. What is group dynamics?

What structured approaches are most useful for

accomplishing group objectives?
A group can be defined as several individuals who come together to accomplish a particular task
or goal. Group dynamics refers to the attitudinal and behavioral characteristics of a group. Group
dynamics concern how groups form, their structure and process, and how they function. Group
dynamics are relevant in both formal and informal groups of all types. In an organizational setting,
groups are a very common organizational entity and the study of groups and group dynamics is an
important area of study in organizational behavior.

https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Gr-Int/Group-Dynamics.html

2. In your role as a student, do you feel you are motivated more by Maslow's lower-order or higher-
order needs? Explain. Describe how you expect motivation to change once you graduate.

I am more motivated by Maslow’s lower-order need at the moment. I badly need my

physiological needs to be met first in order for me to survive through these times in which one could
easily get illnesses especially of covid-19. I need enough sleep and healthy foods in order to do all my
school assignments and finish my classes on time and be motivated to finish studying. As I progress in
my age, when I graduate and when I start working my needs will gradually increase and I will be much
more motivated to pursue Maslow’s higher order needs. As a person who advances in age, you could say
that self actualization, social interactions, and self esteem are very much needed for a person to adopt
these qualities to avoid stress and other mental illnesses. As one matures she gets to face more
problems and these types of problems can only be survived when Maslow's higher order needs are met.

https://www.studypool.com/documents/8100417/in-your-role-as-a-student-do-you-feel-you-are-
motivated-more-by-maslow-s-lower-order-or-higher-order-needs-explain-describe-how-you-expect-
motivation-to-change-once-you-graduate-

3. Think of the best leader you have ever worked with on a job or in any other
activity. Think of the worst leader. Discuss the contrasting styles and skills
used by the two. How did you respond to each? What could they have done
differently?
https://getlighthouse.com/blog/good-leader-vs-bad-leader/

4. As a leader of an organization, how do you develop “teamwork” and

“cohesiveness” in your organization?
Most people will work as part of a team at some point during their careers. Teams within the
workplace need cohesiveness to function effectively and productively and successfully reach their goals.
Several best practices promote team cohesiveness, including ensuring team members are
communicating effectively and keeping the team motivated.

Team cohesiveness refers to a team's ability to effectively work as a whole towards a common
goal. It also means that the team's members want to contribute to the team's ability to work well
together. Team cohesiveness does not come naturally to most people and must be fostered out of trust
and interpersonal relations among team members. Teams that feel united are more likely to succeed
when working on projects and communicate and interact effectively when performing tasks related to
the end goal.

Team cohesion is important for several reasons, including:

 Better communication among team members
 A heightened ability to achieve company objectives and goals
 A decreased need to micromanage a team, freeing up time for managers
 A positive work environment
 A decreased use of resources due to a team's effectiveness and efficiency
 Increased job satisfaction among employees who are part of a cohesive team
The more cohesive a team is, the more the benefits of team cohesion are apparent. Working
towards team cohesion also allows managers and team leaders to improve their leadership skills and
management abilities by encouraging creative thinking and providing opportunities to expand their
understanding of how teams work together effectively.
Here are steps to consider when working towards improving team cohesiveness in the
workplace:
1. Encourage communication
A cohesive team thrives on open communication. If you want to increase team cohesiveness,
begin implementing good communication practices. Provide the necessary resources needed for team
members to communicate with each other and encourage active and open communication. Several
communication channels promote team engagement, including online messaging platforms and remote
team meeting software.
Open communication encourages team members to voice their concerns, ideas and efforts and
resolve conflict more quickly and efficiently. It also helps foster trust among team members and
supports connections that will ultimately increase the team's effectiveness as a whole.

2. Practice team-building activities

It's important to focus not only on the goals the team needs to reach but also on the
relationships among team members that contribute to achieving those goals. Team-building activities
help boost members' self-esteem and overall morale and encourage team members to build bonds with
each other to support the team's success.
Examples of team-building activities to try include:
 Volunteer work
 Monthly team outings
 Scavenger hunts
 Circle of appreciation
 Team games
 Team lunches
Consider implementing a team-building activity at least once a month to support team member
relationships and provide the opportunity for members to establish relationships with one another.

3. Structure goals
 Structuring goals in an easy-to-understand manner ensures all team members understand their
responsibilities and roles for each goal. A common way to structure goals is by creating a goal pyramid
that outlines each set of goals at a different level. For example, you could structure goals as company
goals, team goals and individual goals. This type of goal pyramid clearly shows the section that each
particular goal falls under beginning with company-wide goals and ending with individual goals. This
approach also provides transparency for your team and allows them to have a clear grasp of the
hierarchy of goals and the purpose behind each goal.
Additionally, goal pyramids also make it easier to establish clear objectives at every level and
provide a viable way to measure success and keep the big-picture goals at the forefront of your team's
mind.
4. Provide training and development
Team members who feel confident in their abilities are more likely to interact with their team
members more productively and complete their tasks more efficiently. Offering training and
development opportunities is a great way to encourage team members to take control of their skills and
abilities and give them confidence when performing tasks. This will ultimately help to improve their
work and overall contribution to the team as a whole.

5. Celebrate successes as a team

Celebrating success as a team can have a powerful effect on overall team cohesiveness. Rather
than focusing on a person's success within the team, use that success to celebrate the team as a whole.
Thank your team members for their work and recognize that all members plan an important role in
meeting goals.

6. Focus on building trust

Trust plays a major role in a team's ability to work well together and in a cohesive manner.
While focusing on enhancing and improving communication supports the building of trust, there are
other steps you can take to further the trust within your team. To build trust, the team leader must set a
precedent and be as transparent as possible with their team. When a team feels that their leader keeps
secrets or isn't being honest and open, team members are more likely to lose trust and feel they can't
communicate safely and productively.
As a team leader, you should communicate your ideas and provide updates as they come. Share
successes and issues with the team and encourage the team to work together to find solutions with your
help. Celebrate successes together as a team as well as missteps and ensure that team members are
singled out for either.

7. Define the values of the company and team

Team members who clearly understand the values of the organization they work for and of the
team they are part of are more likely to want to contribute to the team's success. When your team is
first formed, ensure all members are aware of the organization's goals and values. Then, establish the
team's values and goals as well as the purpose of the team and what it's working towards. You can also
ask team members how they currently interpret the team and its goals and work to ensure that all team
members have a common understanding of them.

8. Empower members of the team

 Giving team members responsibilities and even authority in particular areas will empower team
members, ultimately increasing overall team cohesion. When team members feel they have ownership
over the activities, tasks and issues of the group, they are more likely to work together as a team to
handle these situations and take responsibility for their role in them.

9. Resolve conflicts as a group

Even the best teams experience conflict at some point. It's how teams resolve conflict that
ultimately determines the team's overall cohesiveness. Constructive conflicts make great opportunities
to strengthen team cohesion and intra-team relationships. When conflicts arise, the team should work
together to come to a viable solution as quickly as possible. Encourage team members to work together
to develop and implement solutions and ensure they have the resources available to work towards
conflict resolution.

10. Choose team members with care

Not everyone will be able to work together as a cohesive team. When deciding who will be a
part of your team, take into consideration their abilities, personality and ability to work within a group
setting. Choosing the right people to work as a team will promote team cohesion and make working
together much easier and more productive.
References: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/team-cohesiveness
Other references: https://www.podium.com/article/team-cohesion/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/12/28/14-ways-for-
business-leaders-to-build-team-cohesion/

5. Identify the sources of conflict. Describe briefly how goal differences can lead
to conflict. How do power and status differences lead to conflict?

Six Sources of Conflict

Here are six common sources within an organization that may lead to interpersonal
conflict:

1. LACK OF ROLE CLARIFICATION

Conflict can emerge when it is unclear who is responsible for what task or what part of a
project. Clear job descriptions and expectations can reduce this contributor to conflict.

2. POOR PROCESSES
Often poorly constructed processes and procedures can create conflict. To avoid this
pitfall, it is helpful to regularly review your procedures and policies to ensure they
support teamwork and collaboration.

3. COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS
This is a common contributor to conflict and can occur among all levels of staff. Keeping
communication channels open and having a culture where questions are welcomed will
go a long way in mitigating this contributor to conflict.

4. LACK OF PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

When performance and quality standards are not clear, individuals quickly sort out their
own personal expectations around work quantity and quality. This can put them at odds
with others whose standards are different. Leadership and management should be fair,
clear, and consistent in articulating performance standards.

5. LACK OF RESOURCES
If employees have to compete for resources, whether it’s managerial support, tools,
equipment, or financial resources, the stage is set for competition and conflict. Asking
employees what’s needed and then providing it (if possible) will build a spirit of
collaboration rather than competition.

6. UNREASONABLE TIME CONSTRAINTS

Workplace conflict can occur when coworkers are not aware of the steps involved and
the time others need to complete their portion of a task or project. As a result, they may
expect more of each other than is reasonable. Taking time to consider job design and
cross-training employees can work to mitigate this contributor to conflict.

https://ca.achievecentre.com/blog/six-sources-of-conflict-at-work/

other references: https://www.fao.org/3/w7504e/w7504e07.htm

6. What techniques can be used to overcome the conflict between groups? Under
what circumstances can each of these techniques be most appropriate?

Conflicts are inevitable when number of people will be working together. Conflict
is defined as “difference in opinion or some kind of disagreement between two or more
parties”. Conflicts need to be resolved effectively. It is not only important to resolve the
conflict, but also is equally important to ensure that the parties involved in conflict do not
unnecessarily end up being in any kind of emotional stress during the resolution
process of the conflict. Striking a balance between resolving the conflict to find the
decision and maintaining the emotional wellbeing of people involved will be critical to
successful conflict management.
Hence it is important to understand clearly, what is a conflict, why conflict occurs,
challenges in resolving conflicts and various methods for resolving conflicts. 

There are two views on conflicts or the so called differences in opinion between people.
The traditional view says “conflicts are bad and should be totally discouraged”, and the
new modern view says” conflicts can be constructive and good and different ways of
thinking should be encouraged to get multiple ideas and solutions to problems in hand”. 

Let us approach conflict management with the idea that conflicts can be good for the
team. So for effective conflict management, there is a need for creating a right
atmosphere which empowers people to think originally and encourages them to put
forth their suggestions and opinions without fear. And the members are encouraged to
resolve conflicts among themselves with a very open and collaborative mind. People
need to rise above their personal emotions while resolving conflicts and they need to
think about the final goals of the project or work in hand. A manager should intervene in
resolving a conflict when the involved team members will not be able to resolve on their
own.

Some of the sources of conflict include disagreements on schedules, cost, priorities,

technical opinions, resources, administrative procedures and personality. Personality
related conflicts should completely be discouraged. 

Some of the conflict resolution techniques are as follows:

1. Problem Solving / Collaboration / Confronting 

In this method, people involved in the conflict or having a difference in opinion, they
come forward to discuss the problem at hand with a very open mind. They focus on
resolving the conflict and finding the best alternative/solution for the team. They discuss
by rising above personal emotions with the sole intention to finding what is best for the
team. This leads to a win-win kind of an outcome. Here everyone collaborates.
 2. Compromising/Reconciling

Sometimes for certain conflicts, there will be a need for the involved parties to think of a
middle path wherein both parties decide to give up something and identify a resolution.
This kind of solution will be temporary for that moment and are not long lasting solution.
This leads to  lose-lose kind of an outcome as both parties may feel they have lost
something.

3. Withdrawing/Avoiding

In some situation one of the parties in the conflict may decide to retract from the
discussion and allows going with the other person’s opinion. Or some situation, one of
the parties may decide to completely avoid the conflict by maintaining silence. This
works well in situation where one of the parties in the conflict is emotionally charged up
or is angry. Hence avoiding any conflict resolution provides a “cooling off” period to the
people involved so that they can later come back for meaningful resolution.

4. Forcing/Competing

In some situations, a person with authority and power can force his/her opinion and
resolves the conflict without giving any chance to the other party/person. This leads to a
win-lose kind of an outcome. Someone may end up feeling as a loser while the other
person with authority may feel as a winner. This technique can be used if we see the
conflicts are unnecessary and mostly destructive for the team.

5. Smoothing/Accommodating

This is a technique which is used when the atmosphere seems to be filled with
apprehension/distrust among the parties involved. And no one is coming forward for
resolving the conflict. In these kind of scenarios, one of the parties can take charge and
tries to smooth the surrounding by using nice words and by emphasizing on the points
of agreements and playing down on the points of disagreements. This can work as
catalyst to break the discomfort between the involved parties by creating a feeling of
trust and encourages them to come forward and resolve the conflict.
 Reference: https://www.knowledgehut.com/tutorials/project-management/conflict-management
Other references: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/~assets/doc/hr/Five%20methods%20for
%20managing%20conflict.pdf

7. Describe the barriers to communication that exist when you discuss a subject
with your superior in the organization?
Many barriers to effective communication exist. Examples include filtering,
selective perception, information overload, emotional disconnects, lack of source
familiarity or credibility, workplace gossip, semantics, gender differences, differences
in meaning between Sender and Receiver, and biased language. The Receiver can
enhance the probability of effective communication by engaging in active listening,
which involves (1) giving one’s full attention to the Sender and (2) checking for
understanding by repeating the essence of the Message back to the Sender.
Reference: https://open.lib.umn.edu/principlesmanagement/chapter/12-4-communication-barriers/
#:~:text=Barriers%20to%20Effective%20Communication&text=These%20include%20filtering%2C
%20selective%20perception,and%20Receiver%2C%20and%20biased%20language.

Communication Barriers Defined
Communication barriers can include anything that prevents or disables
communicators to deliver the right message to the right person at the right
time, or a receiver to get the right message at the right time.

 Physical communication barriers such as social distancing, remote work,

deskless nature of work, closed office doors, and others.
 Emotional communication barriers resulting from emotions such as
mistrust and fear.
 Language communication barriers that refer to how a person speaks both
verbally and nonverbally.

However, these communication barriers present just a high-level overview of

the cause of inefficient communication. Let’s take a deeper look into some of
the most common communication barriers that employers face today.

13 barriers adi ngan kada usa mayda kun pano masolve adi hit link
waray ko na ig upod kay halaba
References: https://haiilo.com/blog/communication-barriers/
8. A manager once told a subordinate, “To be a good leader, you must first become
a good follower”. Discuss what it means to be a good follower, whether you
agree with the statement, and why or why not.
I agree with the statement 'to be a good leader you must become a good follower'
because the good follower becomes the go-to person at work and is capable of finishing his
boss duties.A good follower  is strategic and choice-driven, taking control of his career and
empowering himself at work. A good follower realizes his boss matters , able to change his
perspective to suit his boss's style ,do things before boss asks , be the follower he wants to
have if you are the leader and develop collaborative relationships.
https://www.asklent.com/4523/manager-subordinate-leader-become-follower-
discuss-means-follower-whether-agree-statement

https://www.scribd.com/doc/136660613/A-Good-Leader-is-a-Good-Follower

9. Explain in your own words, why you feel “employee attitudes” are important. Do you think that
today’s managers under-emphasize attitudes? Explain.
Attitudes are feeling and beliefs which determine the way the employees perceive their
work place environment, the commitment they show and their behavior. Manager have to
analyze the attitude of employees towards their current jobs, towards their careers and towards
the organization.
Employee attitudes are very important and they have to be continuously monitored.
Negative attitudes indicate that there is some problem and difficulties might arise in the future.
Managers have to pay attention to the negative attitudes of the employees so that they can
identify the issues that can occur in future and prevent them from occurring by taking necessary
steps. Employees with negative attitudes don’t perform well. The quality of their work goes
down. All these lead to increase of costs to an organization.
One can think that today’s managers underemphasize employees’ attitudes. Most of the
time, they feel that it is common for employees to complain about their job , work and company.
So, they fail to recognize the underlying problems. Also, many managers try to temporarily solve
the issue, whenever one arises and don’t provide a permanent solution. In the recent days,
managers are too realizing the importance of employee attitudes. But, still there are many
managers who don’t give much importance to employee attitudes.
Reference: https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/organizational-behavior-human-behavior-at-
work-14th-edition-chapter-9-solutions-9780073386386

10. Assume that you are to be placed in charge of a group in an organization,

Outline the key action steps you are to make to be sure that the group develops
into a real team.

5 Essential Steps to Develop Your Team

When I first became a manager, I really struggled with figuring out the best way to
develop my team. I was so used to doing it all myself, that I didn’t realize that I had
to unlearn a few of the “best practices” that had gotten me to the next level. I soon
realized that as a manager, your teams’ success equates to yours. And not only that,
but your ability to inspire and develop people is actually critical to your own future,
as the higher you climb up the leadership ladder, the more you depend on the
success and strengths of others to achieve key objectives and goals. So, whether
you’re on-boarding entry-level hires or working with a long-standing team, here are
five “don’t miss” steps that managers of all experience levels can use to develop a
strong, cohesive team.
1) Ensure that each person truly understands their role.
Many employees know the basics of what their role entails, but do not have an in-
depth understanding of it. Oftentimes, people get hired, onboard, and start working
without anyone having taken the time to clearly spell out what they are fully
expected to do or how their role fits into the success of the team and company. Take
the time to meet with each person and do a thorough briefing. Be sure to ask them
how they perceive their role, detail what the expectations are, discuss their career
goals, and outline what needs to be achieved to accomplish those goals. A clear
understanding of one’s role and a definitive roadmap to advancement are essential
to development.

2) Provide training and development tools.

Based on the individual’s current skill sets and abilities, customize training to ensure
they understand how to be successful in their current role at your company. Then,
continue to offer additional development tools, classes, trainings, and assignments
to build upon their experience and shape their competencies for a future role.

3) Step away and let them do their job.

Many managers struggle with trusting their team to get the work done. We are all
very busy, so as managers we think the job will get done better and quicker if we just
do it, right? Not, exactly. No one will benefit from that behavior. For me, this was
the toughest part of becoming a manager. I trusted my team, but I always thought
that if I kept taking things on, I was helping them, when in reality it actually had a
negative effect on them. I was not letting them do their job, and I was getting burnt
out from trying to do too many things at once. The tendency to be a high performer
through personal productivity is a skill that enables managers to get to a manager
role, but has to be unlearned as work is done through your people. Be sure you’re
people are trained, know the expectations, then let go, and let them handle it. You’ll
need to be available and provide supervision, but the more you trust them, the more
confident they will become. Empower them to make decisions and to handle the
responsibility of their roles.

4) Meet with team members regularly to discuss goals.

Development won’t happen without accountability. Provide a regular check-in where
monthly goals are reviewed and new goals set. Be sure to celebrate success and to
provide honest feedback on areas where progress needs to be made. Each employee
has different learning curves and styles, so be sure to customize the approach to fit
their style. Remember, their success is your success, so create a supportive, open,
honest environment where feedback is appreciated, and make it clear that their
improvement impacts their success. Many managers shy away from giving
constructive feedback as they do not want to offend their employees, but what some
managers do not understand is employees yearn for constructive feedback. It is
imperative that they know what continuous improvements they need to make so
they can meet their goals. Before wrapping up your meeting, clearly articulate what
they need to work on for the next time. Being vague will not benefit either party, as
people cannot develop what they cannot measure.

5) Game plan for their growth.

As much as you need your team intact and functioning well, it’s your job to make
sure you are developing people who can advance to the next leadership level. Not
every team member will have that potential or even desire a promotion. But for
those who do, focus on providing stretch assignments, reviewing the challenges and
expectations they will face at the next level, and measure their development
progress. Don’t be afraid to let go when they are ready to move up. Many managers
make the mistake of developing people who are “almost there” and then never allow
them to move on because it disrupts the team. Be proud of their success, and
celebrate that you helped them get there. Development is a continual process and, if
done across the organization, it ensures a steady flow of leaders moving up through
the organization.
The last thing I want to emphasize is a caution. None of this will work if you don’t
focus on building trust among your team. Your team needs to know they can trust
you. Treat them with dignity, respect, and let them know that they are each
valuable. If they know their success matters to you, they will respect your
development feedback and reward you with the effort of improvement. And that’s
one of your most important responsibilities as a manager – one that can be very
rewarding as you help people achieve their personal best.
References: https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/develop-your-team-steps/
The first rule of team building is an obvious one: to lead a team effectively, you must
first establish your leadership with each team member. Remember that the most
effective team leaders build their relationships of trust and loyalty, rather than fear or
the power of their positions.

 Consider each employee's ideas as valuable. Remember that there is no such

thing as a stupid idea.
 Be aware of employees' unspoken feelings. Set an example to team members by
being open with employees and sensitive to their moods and feelings.
 Act as a harmonizing influence. Look for chances to mediate and resolve minor
disputes; point continually toward the team's higher goals.
 Be clear when communicating. Be careful to clarify directives.
 Encourage trust and cooperation among employees on your team. Remember
that the relationships team members establish among themselves are every bit as
important as those you establish with them. As the team begins to take shape, pay
close attention to the ways in which team members work together and take steps to
improve communication, cooperation, trust, and respect in those relationships.
 Encourage team members to share information. Emphasize the importance of
each team member's contribution and demonstrate how all of their jobs operate
together to move the entire team closer to its goal.
 Delegate problem-solving tasks to the team. Let the team work on creative
solutions together.
 Facilitate communication. Remember that communication is the single most
important factor in successful teamwork. Facilitating communication does not mean
holding meetings all the time. Instead it means setting an example by remaining
open to suggestions and concerns, by asking questions and offering help, and by
doing everything you can to avoid confusion in your own communication.
 Establish team values and goals; evaluate team performance. Be sure to talk
with members about the progress they are making toward established goals so that
employees get a sense both of their success and of the challenges that lie ahead.
Address teamwork in performance standards. Discuss with your team:
o What do we really care about in performing our job?
o What does the word success mean to this team?
o What actions can we take to live up to our stated values?
 Make sure that you have a clear idea of what you need to accomplish; that you
know what your standards for success are going to be; that you have established
clear time frames; and that team members understand their responsibilities.
 Use consensus. Set objectives, solve problems, and plan for action. While it takes
much longer to establish consensus, this method ultimately provides better decisions
and greater productivity because it secures every employee's commitment to all
phases of the work.
  Set ground rules for the team. These are the norms that you and the team
establish to ensure efficiency and success. They can be simple directives (Team
members are to be punctual for meetings) or general guidelines (Every team
member has the right to offer ideas and suggestions), but you should make sure that
the team creates these ground rules by consensus and commits to them, both as a
group and as individuals.
 Establish a method for arriving at a consensus. You may want to conduct open
debate about the pros and cons of proposals, or establish research committees to
investigate issues and deliver reports.
 Encourage listening and brainstorming. As supervisor, your first priority in
creating consensus is to stimulate debate. Remember that employees are often
afraid to disagree with one another and that this fear can lead your team to make
mediocre decisions. When you encourage debate you inspire creativity and that's
how you'll spur your team on to better results.
 Establish the parameters of consensus-building sessions. Be sensitive to the
frustration that can mount when the team is not achieving consensus. At the outset
of your meeting, establish time limits, and work with the team to achieve consensus
within those parameters. Watch out for false consensus; if an agreement is struck
too quickly, be careful to probe individual team members to discover their real
feelings about the proposed solution.

https://hr.berkeley.edu/hr-network/central-guide-managing-hr/managing-hr/
interaction/team-building/steps