Foundations of Group Behavior Week 6 lecture 11,12

Group

What is a Group Collection of two or more interacting individuals with a stable pattern of relationships among them who share common goals and who perceive themselves as being a group.

Types of Groups Formal Group – created by the organization and intentionally designed to direct members toward some organizational goal. Command group Task group Informal Group – develop naturally among an organization’s personnel without direction from the management of the organization within which they operate. Interest group Friendship group

Reason for joining Groups To satisfy mutual interest and goals – by banding together, people can share their interests and help meet their mutual goals. To achieve security – Groups provide safety in numbers, protection against a common enemy To fill social needs - Being in groups helps satisfy people’s basic needs to be with others. To fill need for self esteem – Membership in certain groups provides people with opportunities to feel good about their accomplishments.

Stages in Group Development Forming – developing a sense of becoming a member of a group Storming – intragroup conflict Norming – strong sense of group identity Performing – structure of the group is accepted and fully functional Adjourning – wrapping up activities and disbandment

Structure of Work Groups (Group Properties) Roles – Role is typical behavior that characterizes person in a social context. Norms – generally agreed on informal rules that guide group members’ behavior. Status – relative social position or rank given to groups or group members by others. Cohesiveness – strength of groups members’ desires to remain part of their group. Group size – number of members in a group band together

Teams

Team: special kind of Group A group whose members have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose or set of performance goals for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

Distinction of Teams from Groups Performance of a team depends on individual contribution and collective work products while in group it depends on the work of individual performance. Teams focus on individual and mutual accountability while in Group, members don’t take responsibility for any results other than their own. Teams share a common commitment to purpose (broader purpose) whereas group members may share a common interest goal.

Types of Teams Problem-Solving Teams – share ideas or offer suggestion for the improvement of work processes and methods. Self-Managed Teams – bestowed teams on autonomy to suggest solutions for problems and implement them and take responsibility for outcomes. Cross-Managed Teams – compose of members from diverse areas to exchange information, develop new ideas and solve particular problem. Virtual Teams – use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members to attain a common goal.

Creating Effective Teams Context Adequate resources (adequate staffing, proper equipment, information, administrative assistance) Leadership and Structure (scheduling, skill, conflict resolution, decision making) Climate of Trust (good bondage among team members, facilitates cooperation) Performance Evaluation and Reward Systems (individual and joint accountability) Composition Abilities of members (technical, interpersonal, problem solving skills) Personality Allocating Roles (role allocation based on skill and preferences) Diversity Size Member’s flexibility (cross training) Members’ preference (do members like to be part of a team or not) Work Design Process common purpose (provide direction, momentum and commitment and an overall vision) Specific goals (specific, measurable, realistic performance goals) Team efficacy Conflict levels Social loafing

Turning Individuals into team Players Selection Training Rewards