Unit 3: Group Processes & Behaviour

● Group- Definition, types, Tuckman, and Jensen's theory of group formation;

● Teams - Definition, types;
● Team Building - Teams in Modern Workplace, Virtual teams;
● Group dynamics - meaning. Nature, Normative view, Technical view, Nature view;
● Communication - Importance, Process:
● Communication Barriers; Downward, Upward, and Lateral communication;
● Leadership- Definition. Theories- Trait theories, Behavioural theories, Contingency
theories; Leadership styles- Charismatic, Transformational, Transactional;
● Conflicts- Nature, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and Intergroup conflicts;
● Sources of conflicts;
● Effects of conflict;
● conflict management;
● Negotiation skills

Groups:
Definition
A group refers to two or more people who share a common meaning and evaluation of
themselves and come together to achieve common goals.

●R.M. Williams (1951) “A social group is a given aggregate of people playing inter-related roles
and recognised by themselves or other as a unit of interaction.”
●R.M. MacIver (1953) “By group we mean any collection of social beings who enter into
distinctive social relationships with one another.”
●David (1968) “ A social psychological group is an organised system of two or more individuals
who are interrelated so that the system performs some functions, has a standard set of the role
relationship among its members and has a set of norms that regulate the function of the group
and each of its members.”

Characteristics of a group
Regardless of the size or the purpose, every group has similar characteristics:
(a) Common interest
(b) Unity
(c) Inter-related and dependant
(d) Affected by group characteristics
(e) Common values
(f) Control of group
(g) Obligation
(h) Expectations
Theory of group formation
Tuckman, and Jensen theory of group formation
1. Forming:
The first stage in the life of a group is concerned with forming a group. This stage is
characterized by members seeking either a work assignment (in a formal group) or another
benefit, like status, affiliation, power, etc. (in an informal group).

2. Storming:
The next stage in this group is marked by the formation of dyads and triads. Members seek out
familiar or similar individuals and begin a deeper sharing of self.

3. Norming:
The third stage of group development is marked by a more serious concern about task
performance. The dyads/triads begin to open up and seek out other members in the group.
Efforts are made to establish various norms for task performance.

4. Performing:
This is a stage of a fully functional group where members see themselves as a group and get
involved in the task. Each person makes a contribution and the authority figure is also seen as a
part of the group. Group norms are followed and collective pressure is exerted to ensure the
process of group effectiveness of the group.
5. Adjourning:
In the case of temporary groups, like project team, task force, or any other such group, which
have a limited task at hand, also have a fifth stage, this is known as adjourning, where a group
wraps up its work and then dissolves.

Teams
Groups of two or more people who interact and influence each other who are mutually
accountable for achieving common goals associated with organizational objectives and
perceived themselves as a social entity within an organization

Effective Team Characteristics

1. Ideal Size and Membership.
2. Fairness in Decision-Making.
3. Creativity.
4. Accountability.
5. Purpose and Goals.
6. Action Plans.
7. Roles & Responsibilities.
8. Information Sharing.
9. Good Data.
10. Meeting Skills and Practices.
11. Decision Making.
12. Participation.
13. Ground Rules.
14. Clear Roles.
15. Accepted Leadership.
16. Effective Processes.
17. Solid Relationships.
18. Excellent Communication.

Types of Teams
1. Simple Work Teams
● Simple work teams have low task complexity and low team fluidity.
● Their goal is simple problem solving, and often they are a group that supports day-to-day
activities, dealing with issues that require input from more than one person or generating
commitment from employees.
● Usually, these are people from the same team or department, so they generally have a
similar focus and tend to work together relatively easily.
2. Administrative Teams
● An administrative team has high task complexity but low team membership fluidity,
meaning that the problems the team deals with are complex but people stream in and
out of the group.
● The goal of an administrative team is to problem solve and then “sell” their ideas to the
rest of the organization. Their focus could be internal, external, or both, and the team
members are usually management level.

3. Cross-Departmental Teams
● A cross-departmental team tends to have a low complexity level but a high team
membership fluidity, meaning that the work is fairly simple but the teams are committed
and fairly unchanging.
● Their goal is integration in structure and setting ground rules, and their focus is internal
and very specific.

4. Process Teams
● Process teams deal with high complexity tasks and have high team member fluidity,
meaning people are assigned to the team and stay.
● These folks are creative problem solvers and deal with implementation. Their focus is
strategic and broad.
● Process teams do not have departmental affiliation and function independently to
undertake broad, organizational-level process improvements.

5. Self-Managed Teams
● Self-managed teams (SMTs) are a commonly used process team used in organizations.
● Self-managed teams are process teams of employees who have full managerial control
over their own work.
● Overall self-managed teams include these characteristics:
➢ The power to manage their work
➢ Members with different expertise and functional experience
➢ No outside manager
➢ The power to implement decisions
➢ Coordination and cooperation with other teams and individuals impacted by their
decisions
➢ Internal leadership, based on facilitation. This means that a rotating leader
focuses on freeing the team from obstacles as they do their work.

6. Virtual Teams
● Virtual teams are teams that use computer technology to tie together physically
dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.
● These virtual teams might be administrative, cross-functional, simple work or even a
process teams, but they are distinctive in that they allow people to collaborate online.
 ● Because virtual teams have limited social interaction – many times they have not met in
person – they tend to be more task-oriented and exchange less social information.
● But they’re able to do their work even if the members of the team are thousands of miles
apart, and allows people to work together who may not otherwise be able to collaborate.

Group Dynamics
Group dynamics deals with the attitudes and behavioral patterns of a group. Group dynamics
concern how groups are formed, what is their structure and which processes are followed in
their functioning. Thus, it is concerned with the interactions and forces operating between
groups.

Factors Affecting Group Behaviour

1. Group Member Resources:

The members’ knowledge, abilities, skills; and personality characteristics (sociability, self-
reliance, and independence) are the resources the group members bring in with them. Success
depends upon these resources as useful to the task.
2. Group Structure:
●Group Size
●Group Roles
●Group Norms
●Group Cohesiveness
●Status
●Support

3. Group Processes
The direction of group processes influence the success of the task. Decision-making by a group
is superior, because group generates more information and knowledge, generates diverse
alternatives, increases acceptance of a solution, and increases legitimacy.
● Task Function
● Maintenance Behaviour
● Self Interest behaviour

Teamwork in a Modern Global Organization

➢ Many businesses rely on successful teamwork to reach company goals and objectives.
➢ While more organizations have gone global, good teamwork has become increasingly
imperative, since employees with differing skill sets and ideas may be scattered on
different continents.
➢ Circumstances may call for these global employees to share what information they have
in each location in order to strategize, innovate and bring to market a company's
products or services; teamwork, therefore, plays a variety of important roles in a
business.

●Organizational Effectiveness
●Shared Knowledge
●Faster Results
●Common Purpose

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