GROUPS AND TEAMS

Chapter 14
UNDERSTANDING GROUPS
 Group
 Two or more interacting and interdependent
individuals who come together to achieve
particular goals
 Formal groups
 Work groups that have designated work
assignments and tasks directed toward
organizational goals
 Informal groups
 Groups that are independently formed to
meet the social needs of their members

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EXHIBIT 14-1 EXAMPLES OF
FORMAL WORK GROUPS
STAGES IN GROUP DEVELOPMENT
 Forming  Performing
◦ Members join and begin ◦ A fully functional group
the process of defining the
group’s purpose, structure allows the
structure, and leadership group to focus on
performing the task at
 Storming
hand
◦ Intragroup conflict occurs
as individuals resist  Adjourning
control by the group and ◦ The group prepares to
disagree over leadership disband and is no longer
 Norming concerned with high
◦ Close relationships levels of performance
develop as the group
becomes cohesive and
establishes its norms for
acceptable behaviour

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EXHIBIT 14-2 STAGES OF GROUP
DEVELOPMENT
EXHIBIT 14-3 GROUP PERFORMANCE/
SATISFACTION MODEL
EXTERNAL CONDITIONS
IMPOSED ON THE GROUP
 Organization’s strategy
 Authority relationships
 Formal rules and regulations
 Availability of resources
 Employee selection criteria
 Performance management system
 Organizational culture,
 General physical layout of the group’s work
space
GROUP MEMBER RESOURCES
 Member knowledge
 Abilities- determine what members can do
 Skills-Interpersonal skills—especially
conflict management and resolution,
collaborative problem solving, and
communication—consistently emerge as
important for high performance by work
groups
 Personality characteristics- positive traits
tend to be positively related to group
productivity and morale.
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GROUP STRUCTURE
 Role
 The set of expected behaviour patterns
attributed to someone who occupies a given
position in a social unit
 Role conflict: experiencing differing role
expectations
 Role ambiguity: uncertainty about role
expectations

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GROUP STRUCTURE (CONT’D)
 Norms
 Acceptable standards or expectations that are
shared by the group’s members
 Common types of norms:
 Effort and performance
 Output levels, absenteeism, promptness, socializing
 Dress
 Loyalty

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GROUP STRUCTURE (CONT’D)
 Conformity
 Individuals conform in order to be accepted by
groups
 Group pressures can have an effect on an
individual member’s judgment and attitudes
 The effect of conformity is not as strong as it
once was, although it is still a powerful force
 Groupthink:
 The extensive pressure of others in a strongly cohesive
or threatened group that causes individual members
to change their opinions to conform to that of the
group

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EXHIBIT 14-4 EXAMPLE OF
ASCH’S CARDS
GROUP STRUCTURE (CONT’D)
 STATUS SYSTEMS
 The formal or informal prestige grading,
position, or ranking system for members of a
group that serves as recognition for
individual contributions to the group and as a
behavioral motivator.
GROUP STRUCTURE: GROUP
SIZE
 Small groups  Social Loafing
 Complete tasks faster than  The tendency for
larger groups individuals to expend less
 Make more effective use of effort when working
facts collectively than when
working individually
 Large groups
 Solve problems better than
small groups
 Are good for getting
diverse input
 Are more effective in fact-
finding

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GROUP STRUCTURE (CONT’D)
 GROUP COHESIVENESS
 The degree to which members are attracted
to a group and share the group’s goals.

Highly cohesive groups are more effective than

are less cohesive ones when their goals aligns
organization goals.
EXHIBIT 14-5 GROUP
COHESIVENESS AND PRODUCTIVITY
 GROUP PROCESSES: GROUP
DECISION MAKING
 Advantages  Disadvantages
 Generates more  Time consuming
complete information  Minority domination
and knowledge  Pressures to conform
 Generates more
 Ambiguous
diverse alternatives
 Increase acceptance
responsibility
of a solution
 Increase legitimacy of
decision
EXHIBIT 14-6 CREATIVE GROUP
DECISION MAKING
GROUP PROCESSES:
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
 Conflict
 Theperceived incompatible differences in a
group resulting in some form of interference with
or opposition to its assigned tasks
 Traditional view: conflict must it avoided
 Human relations view: conflict is a natural and
inevitable outcome in any group
 Interactionist view: conflict can be a positive force
and is absolutely necessary for effective group
performance

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CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
(CONT’D)
 Categories of Conflict
 Functional conflicts are constructive
 Dysfunctional conflicts are destructive
 Types of Conflict
 Task conflict: content and goals of the work
 Relationship conflict: interpersonal relationships
 Process conflict: how the work gets done

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EXHIBIT 14-7 CONFLICT AND GROUP
PERFORMANCE
Low Level of Conflict High

High

Level of
Group
Performance

A B C

Low

Situation A B C

Level of Conflict Low or none Optimal High

Type of Conflict Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional

Group's Apathetic Viable Disruptive

Internal Stagnant Self-Critical Chaotic
Characteristics Unresponsive to Change Innovative Uncooperative
Lack of New Ideas
Level of Group Low High Low
Performance

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CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
(CONT’D)
 Techniques to Reduce Conflict:
 Avoidance
 Accommodation
 Forcing
 Compromise
 Collaboration

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EXHIBIT 14-8 CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
GROUP TASKS AND GROUP
EFFECTIVENESS
 Highly complex and interdependent task
require:
 Effective communication: discussion among
group members.
 Controlled conflict: More interaction among
group members.
WHAT IS A WORK TEAM?
 Work team
 A groups whose members work intensely on a
specific, common goal using their positive
synergy, individual and mutual
accountability, and complementary skills
 Types of Work Teams

 Problem-solving teams
 Self-managed work team
 Cross-functional team
 Virtual team
TYPE OF TEAMS
 Problem-solving teams
Employees from the same department or
functional area involved in efforts to improve
work activities or to solve specific problems.

 Self-managed work team

A formal group of employees who operate
without a manager and are responsible for a
complete work process or segment
TYPE OF TEAMS
 Cross-functional team
A hybrid grouping of individuals who are
experts in various specialties and who work
together on various tasks.

 Virtual team
Teams that uses computer technology to link
physically dispersed members in order to
achieve a common goal
EXHIBIT 14-9 GROUPS VERSUS TEAMS
EXHIBIT 14-10 CHARACTERISTICS
OF EFFECTIVE TEAMS
CURRENT CHALLENGES IN
MANAGING TEAMS
 Getting employees to:
 Cooperate with others
 Share information
 Confront differences
 Sublimate personal interest for the greater
good of the team
 MANAGING GLOBAL TEAMS
 Group Member Resources
 Unique cultural characteristics of team members
 Avoid Stereotyping
 Group Structure

 Conformity- less groupthink

 Status- varies in importance among cultures
 Social loafing- predominantly a Western bias
 Cohesiveness- more difficult to achieve
 Group processes- capitalize on diverse ideas

It’s vital that managers be sensitive to the unique

differences of each member of the global team,
EXHIBIT 14-11 GLOBAL TEAMS
UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL NETWORKS

 Social network
 The patterns of informal connections among
individuals within a group.

 Importance of social networks

 Social relationships can help or hinder its
effectiveness
 Social relationships improve team goal
attainment and increase member
commitment to the team.