CHAPTER 6

ORGANIZING:
GROUPS AND TEAMS

Management of Healthcare Organizations: An Introduction

Third Edition
Peter C. Olden

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llege of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Learning Objectives
Studying this chapter will help you to
 describe characteristics of groups and teams,
 state why groups and teams are used,
 explain structural characteristics that affect group
performance,
 explain process characteristics that affect group
performance,
 recognize roles played by group members, and
 understand how to make groups effective.

Copyright © 2019 Foundation of the American

College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
What Are Groups?
 Group: Two or more people who interact with
each other and share a common purpose

 Team: Special group with specific complementary

abilities, strong commitment to common goals,
and shared accountability for goal achievement

 Committee: A formal group that is established

with an official mandate, is linked to
organizational hierarchy, and is accountable for
its mandate

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Why HCOs Have Groups and Teams
 Combine and coordinate work fragmented by
division of labor
 Enable workers to grow
 Enable workers to share skills and knowledge
 Build commitment to changes and plans
 Obtain people’s input, representation, and support
 Improve problem solving and decision making
 Strengthen working relationships and camaraderie

Copyright © 2019 Foundation of the American

College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
How Managers Create Good Groups

 Purpose  Developing
 Size  Leading
 Membership  Communicating and
 Relation to the interacting
organization  Decision making
 Authority  Learning
 Leader

 Culture

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llege of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Structure: Purpose

Managers establish clear group purpose.

 May be called charge or mandate

 Guides group’s other structures and processes
 Helps group stay focused
 Helps measure progress and achievement

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Structure: Size
Managers decide group size
(how many people).

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Structure: Membership
Managers and others decide who will be in the group.
 Who can provide pertinent knowledge, skills, and attitudes?
 Who works well in groups (or could after training)?
 Who has time for the team while still doing regular job?
 Who could add diversity to a committee?
 Who might grow professionally from group membership?
 Who can represent important stakeholders and constituents?
 Who is needed for the team to comply with laws, standards?
 Who can perform helpful task and maintenance roles and
avoid harmful personal roles?

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Structure: Relation to
Organization Hierarchy
Managers decide where (to whom) group is
accountable in organization hierarchy.

 Groups that connect to high-level position. . .

• Perceived as important and powerful
• Obtain more political clout
• Obtain more resources

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Structure: Authority
Managers decide what (if any) authority
group will have.

 Will the group have the authority to. . .

• Establish (or only recommend) policy?
• Advise other groups?
• Spend funds? (If so, how much?)
• Make (or only recommend) decisions?
• Require actions of others?

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Structure: Leader
Managers or group decides group’s leader(s).

 Which leader position(s) will the group have?

 Which duties and authorities will group leader
position(s) have?
 How long can someone serve as a group leader?
 Who will fill group leader position(s)?

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Structure: Culture
Managers and the group establish
group culture (values, attitudes, and norms).

 Culture influences group’s effectiveness

 Culture should support group’s purpose
 Culture should fit with HCO’s overall culture

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Process: Developing

Group members must develop the group.

Five stages of group development:

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Process: Leading

Group leader(s) lead group members.

Leaders should:
 Explain group’s vision and goals
 Divide up group’s work, tasks, responsibilities
 Resolve group conflicts
 Motivate group members
 Perform task and maintenance roles
 Interact effectively with all group members
 Let others lead when appropriate

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Process:
Communicating and Interacting

Group members must

communicate and interact effectively.

 Within group
 With others outside group
 Use task and maintenance roles
 Use speaking, listening, discussing, persuading,
explaining, interpersonal communications

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Process: Decision Making

Group members must make decisions effectively.

 Decision making ranges from autocratic to democratic

 Different decision processes appropriate for different
decisions due to different. . .
• Leadership
• Time urgency
• Members
• Other factors
 Groups should. . .
• Ensure members are accountable for decisions
• Avoid groupthink when making decisions

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Process: Learning

The group must learn as a group

about the group.

 Group learning not same as individual learning

 Group must reflect on its structures, processes,
and performance
 Learning enables a group. . .
• To understand itself
• To adjust itself to improve its performance

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
Final Ideas to Improve Groups

 Understand and adjust to external factors that

affect groups.
 Use trainers, coaches, consultants if needed to help
employees work in groups.
 Follow guidelines for virtual teams.
 Follow guidelines for group meetings.

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
For Your Toolbox

 Group structures
 Group processes
 Group member roles
 Team development model

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College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.
One More Time
 A group is two or more people who interact with
each other and share a common purpose.
 Groups are essential for HCOs.
 Group performance depends on seven structures:
purpose, size, membership, relation to hierarchy,
authority, leader, culture.
 Group performance depends on five processes:
developing, leading, communicating and
interacting, decision making, learning.
 Task and maintenance roles of members help the
group; personal roles harm the group.
Copyright © 2019 Foundation of the American
College of Healthcare Executives. Not for sale.