Groups Dynamics and

Teamwork
•Group
• Two or more people who
interact with each other
to accomplish certain
goals or meet certain
needs.
•DEFINITION OF A TEAM
•A team is a social unit of collection of
people who interact and communicate
with each other, whose behaviour is
regulated by shared values and norms ,
who are willing to expend effort to seek
common goals and objectives, who
have complementary roles, and who
perceive themselves as members of the
team.
All teams are groups but not all groups are teams.
 Teams often are difficult to form.
 It takes time for members to learn how to work
together.
 Which of the following is closest
WHAT IS A TEAM?
to your ideal of a team?
• Women aged 20-30 with red hair
• People in a bus queue
• Theatre audience
• a football team
• 50 people waiting at the airport
to go on the same package
holiday
Security Status

What
Makes
Self-
Esteem People Affiliation

Join
Groups?
Goal
Power
Achievement

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of

Tehran
Groups’ and Teams’ Contributions to
Organizational Effectiveness
 Tuckman’s Five-Stage Theory
of Group Development

Performing
Adjourning
Norming

Storming Return to
Independence
Forming
Dependence/
interdependence

Independence

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of

Tehran
 A:Aims
L:Leadership
Features of P:People
a successful
team D: Design and Delivery
E: Environment
C:Change
Bion & Tavistock Model

Three Main
assumptions
of group

Fight then
Dependency unite
fight
•Bion Suggests that initially groups are
dependent or try and escape their
problems, then enter a fight stage over how
to deal with them, followed by uniting to
take action
Schutz framework of
Group Development

•High lighted the issues

• Inclusion/ exclusion
• Power and Control
• Affection
The Types of Groups and Teams
The Types of Groups and Teams
 Groups typically outperform individuals when the tasks
involved require variety of skills, , experience and
decision making.

Groups are more flexible and can quickly assemble,

IMPORTANCE achieve goals, disband and move on to another set of
objectives.

OF GROUPS
IN Groups have many motivational aspects.

ORGANIZATI Members are most likely to participate in problem

ON solving and decision-making activities leading to
empowerment and increased productivity.

Organization efficiency depends on the efficiency of its

groups.
 Lack of Synergy

Social Loafing

Negative
Scapegoating
Group
Process Group Think

Concepts
Obedience to authority and group pressure

Risky Shift and Caution Shift

 Purpose of the meeting is unclear or worse, is held to
satisfy a timetable only.
Too many people present

Some of those present will be elsewhere

Reasons for
ineffective Vague agenda

team People do not prepare items for discussions

meetings Poor timekeeping

Poorly chaired

Minutes are late and inaccurate and do not identify what

action to be taken by whom.
Think through the purpose of the meeting
To progress and To brief people and
coordinate projects, exchange To build team morale
activities and people information

To share risks and

To solve problems To make decisions sensitive or difficult
decisions

To announce
To generate ideas
decisions
What participants should do in
meetings?
• Suggest ideas
• Confine to what is relevant
• Listen carefully and follow discussions
• Clarify other people's contribution and
build on their ideas.
• Accept decisions, even if they conflict
with your own view.
• Review the success of the meeting
What participants should not
do?
• Don’t interrupt
• Do not dominate the discussion
• Don’t be a silent detractor
• Don’t arrive later or leave early, rustle
through papers, reading messages on
their mobile at the meeting.
• Whisper, gossip, pass secret messages.
 Effective Teamwork Through Trust
Trust: “Reciprocal faith in others’ intentions and behavior.”
How to Build Trust
• Communication (keep everyone informed; give feedback; tell
the truth).
• Support (be available and approachable).
• Respect (delegate; be an active listener).
• Fairness (give credit where due; objectively evaluate
performance).
• Predictability (be consistent; keep your promises).
• Competence (demonstrate good business sense and
professionalism).
Effective Teamwork Through Cooperation
• Cooperation
• Competition
Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of
Tehran
Effective Teamwork Through Cohesiveness
Cohesiveness: “A sense of we-ness helps team stick together.”

How to Enhance Cohesiveness

• Socio-Emotional Cohesiveness
1.Keep the team relatively small.
2.Increase the status and prestige of belonging.
3.Encourage interaction and cooperation.
4.Emphasize member,s common characteristics and interests.
5.Point out environmental threats to rally the team.
• Instrumental Cohesiveness
1.Regularly update and clarify the team,s goals.
2.Give every team member a vital “piece of the action”.
3.Channel each team member,s special talents to the common goals.
4.Recognize and equitably reinforce every member,s contributions.
5.Frequently remind team members they need each other to get the job done.
Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of
Tehran
• Invictus is one of the very
inspiring movies about
building a good team in trying
circumstances.
•Coach Carter based on the
true story of Coach Ken Carter,
a top basketball player who
returned to his local high
school to coach this
dysfunctional team.
Remember the titans is a true
story of a newly appointed
African-American coach and
his high school team on their
first season as a racially
integrated unit.
REFELCTIONS
•Identify three You could choose ideas relation to
main insights you  Effective Performance in teams: ALPDEC
have gained form  Dealing with different stages if team development as a leader and
this chapter and participant
explain how and  Dealing with issues rising from basic assumptions behaviours of
where you are dealing with issues of inclusions, control and affection.
going to put  Preventing negative group processes such as lack of synergy, social
them into loafing, scapegoating, group think, obedience to authority and
group pressure, risky caution shift
practice in your
 Handling meetings either as a participant or chair
academic study
 Knowledge if your preferred team roles
or working life