Chapter 3

Understanding
Groups and Teams
 Group
Two or more individuals
Interacting and interdependent
Perceive themselves as members of the group
Come together to achieve particular shared
objectives and goals
People have similar interest
 Characteristics
Collection of people

Interaction and Interdependence

Similar interest

Common goals

Role Differentiation

Functions
Organizational
Psychological
 Formal Vs Informal Group
By a formal group , we mean one defined by the
organization’s structure, with designated work assignments
establishing tasks.
In formal groups, the behaviors team members should engage
in are stipulated by and directed toward organizational goals.
For Ex- Airline flight crew

informal group is neither formally structured nor

organizationally determined. They are natural formations in
the work environment that appear in response to the need for
social contact.
For Ex- Members going to a movie
 Group Properties
Roles

Norms

Status

Size

Cohesiveness

Diversity
 Roles
Role is a set of expected behavior patterns attributed
to someone occupying a given position in a social unit.

Roles are the special task, job, responsibility or

position of a group member being a member of the
group.

Generally, roles are identified in

i) Task oriented role
ii) Relationship oriented role
iii) Self oriented role
 Norms
Group norms are the set of beliefs, feelings and
attitudes commonly shared by group members.

The norms are established after the agreement

and acceptance of the members in the group,
which influences their behavior.

Norms are developed gradually and informally

that differs among groups, communities and
societies.
 Norms (Contd…)
Group members take norms as the guiding
principles, rules and commonly accepted standard
behavior for being the member of the group.

It is implicit, self-generating and stable standards

for group behavior.

All groups have established norms—acceptable

standards of behavior shared by their members that
express what they ought and ought not to do under
certain circumstances.
 Status
It is the ranking or position assigned by group members
to any member.

It defines the positional relationship which is more

important to differentiate the authority-responsibility of
different member.

It is generally assigned on the basis of roles, responsibility

to carry out by the member.

It has both positive and negative influence in group

performance.
 Size
Group size refers to the composition in number of members
in the group.

It is related with the performance goal of the group and

decision making.

The size of the group has a positive impact on behaviour

because of diverse decision and an adequate number of
people in the group.

A large group is more effective in achieving organizational

objectives. It has given birth to synergy as a result in social
loafing.
 Cohesiveness
It refers to the close interaction of the group members in
a group for accomplishment of group goals.

It defines the degree of closeness that the members feel

with the group.

It reflects the degree of unity in the group, with

observance of group norms by each of the group
members.

Highly cohesive group are more effective in goal

accomplishment and performance.
 Diversity
Diversity is the degree of the group member of
being different from one another.

It appears to increase group conflict, especially in

the early stages of a group’s tenure, which often
lowers group morale and raises dropout rates.

Although diversity can lead to conflict, they also

provide an opportunity to solve problems in
unique ways.
 Group Decision Making
Decision making is the process of selecting a course of
action from a number of alternatives.

It involves diagnosis, defining, identify the source of the

problem and information gathering and analysis of the
facts.

The quality and timeliness of decisions making process

can have significant impact on group effectiveness.

The benefit of the group decision making facilitates

resource utilization, implementation and problem solving.
 Group Decision Making Techniques
Brainstorming: This technique is an
active process of discussion by generating
ideas and alternatives as far as possible
between member of the group.

Delphi Technique: It is technique or

method, developed as a systematic,
interactive decision making method
which relies on a panel of experts.
 Group Decision Making Techniques (Contd…)
Nominal Group Technique:  is a group
process involving problem identification,
solution generation, and decision
making. It can be used in groups of many
sizes, who want to make their decision
quickly, as by a vote, but want everyone's
opinions taken into account.
 Team
“Together Everyone Achieve More”
It is the cooperative group where
individual efforts result in positive
synergy through coordinated efforts.

The team performance is greater than

the sum of what its members perform as
individual.
 Team (Contd….)

Team work improves productivity,

employee motivation, satisfaction, job
skills, organizational flexibility and
commitment to achieve common goals.

It is a collective performance.

 Characteristics
Collective performance
Positive synergy
Shared leadership roles
Individual and mutual accountability
Multiple skills
Interaction and influence
Team based reward
 GROUP TEAM
Goal is to share information Goal is collective performance

Negative synergy or neutral Positive synergy

Strong and focused leader Shared leadership roles

Individual accountability Individual and team

accountability

Rewards are member based Rewards are team based

The member skills are random The member skills are multiple
and varied and complementary
Types of Work Team
Problem Solving Team
They are concerned with ways of improving quality, efficiency
and work environment.

They consists of 8 to 10 members from same department.

Problem solving teams share ideas and offer suggestions.

They lack authority to make and implement decisions.

For ex- Quality circles

Merrill Lynch (American investing and wealth management

division of Bank of America) created a problem-solving team
to figure out ways to reduce the number of days it took to open
a new cash management account.
 CROSS FUNCTIONAL TEAM
 Group of experts from different departments

 Exchange information and co-ordinate complex projects

 Attack problems from multiple perspectives.

 Generate more ideas and alternative solutions

 For Ex- Project team.

 Starbucks created a team of individuals from production,

global PR, global communications,
 and U.S. marketing to develop its Via brand of instant coffee.
SELF MANAGED TEAM
 Defines its own goals.
 Team members are interdependent.
 Self regulating, operating with few external
controls.
 Group members of 10-15.
 Full responsibilities for outcomes.
 Evaluate each other performance.
 For Ex-Sprig Toys, Inc. uses cross-functional
teamwork in creating toys that are made of
recycled products to keep the planet healthy
and kids off the couch.
Virtual Teams
These teams use information technology and computers
to tie together physically dispersed members in order to
achieve a common goal.

Members collaborate online through communication

links.

They lack face to face communication.

They have limited social interaction.

Techniques for Effective Team Management
1. Set Guidelines

2. Focus teams on performance

3. Revisit work design

 Autonomy
 Skill variety
 Task identity
 Task significance

4. Manage conflicts within teams

Team Effectiveness Model
 Turning Individuals into Team Players
1. Selecting: Hiring Team Players

2. Training: Creating Team Players

3. Rewarding: Providing Incentives to be

a Good Player
Thank You