Learning and Development HR1007 Groups and Teams

Session Objectives At the end of the session you should be able to Define, compare and contrast ‘groups’ and ‘teams’ Identify reasons for the importance of group working in organisations. Outline the stages of group formation Analyse your own experience of group working

Groups can be Formal or Informal How would you define… a) A Group? b) A Team? Any number of people who interact with each other, are psychologically aware of one another and perceive themselves to be a group (Schein 88). A group working towards a defined or shared set of objectives. The essence of a team is the shared commitment by the members to their collective performance. Groups can be Formal or Informal

OK let’s all pull together! Why has team working become so necessary for organisations? External factors Internal change Flatter structures Responsiveness to customers New ideas Share knowledge Motivation and commitment Global Competition Productivity Cost reduction Quality Customer demands These PEST(LE) factors in the outside world are the ‘new realities’ in which organisations have to survive….HOW? By changing and adapting. Becoming leaner and fitter, more efficient and effective. They do this by: FLATTER STRUCTURES: Whole departments may be cut (e.g. R&D, Marketing) and in their place (CROSS FUNCTIONAL) PROJECT TEAMS emerge and disband once the project has finished. Sometimes this means working on projects outside your own org. Levels of management have been cut so those remaining managers have a greater span of control SYSTEMS: Technology has automated many routine processes and therefore SKILLS Of workforce may no longer be required. New skills need to be developed KNOWLEGDE Is shared rather than guarded by experts and/or directors. This requires COMMUNICATION constant flow of information and knowledge so that teams of people can make more effective decisions Those at the interface with the public/ customer/ product are no longer supervised but are expected to know what to do and act on their own knowledge and initiative and with the support of their team. Being a team player is therefore critical to success of these new organisational demands. OK let’s all pull together!

What affects group performance? Membership Size of the group Compatibility Permanence Work Environment Task itself Setting Communication Technology Organisation Management Policies Success External threats Group maturity Forming Storming Norming Performing Mullins 99

Group Development Tuckman & Jensen 77 Stage 4 Performing Structure Cohesion Effective Successful Openness Stage 3 Norming Guidelines Standards Cooperation Trust Roles Stage 2 Storming Disagreement Struggle for leadership Challenge Cliques Stage 1 Forming Confusion Anxiety Impressions Testing Rules Adjourning Mourning and reforming

Group Structure Roles – a set of expectations which are attributed to the role and with which we may/may not identify Role diversity – which hat are we wearing? Role Conflict –where roles are contradictory Status – influences interaction in group Norms – group think Size –social loafing Cohesiveness – attraction to group

Effective Groups Shared aims Commitment Acceptance of group values Trust Participation Sharing Solve conflict Productive

Behaviour in groups Why do we do that? B TASK ORIENTATED E H A V I O U MAINTENANCE ORIENTATED When we are in group situations we behave according to our particular agenda. For example if your main aim is to get the job done, your behaviour will appear to be TASK ORIENTATED. If a couple of the group members have fallen out over something and you want to try to patch things up, our behaviour will appear MAINTENCE ORIENTATED. And if your main aim is to get what you can out of the group, then your behaviour will appear SELF ORIENTATED. As the group grows and the members’ needs become more integrated into the group’s goals, then there is usually less self orientated behaviour and more TASK or MAINTENANCE BEHAVIOUR. Types of behaviour you might see when members are keen to get the task done include: SELF ORIENTATED Benne and Sheats (1948) Functional roles of groups. Journal of social issues, 4. pp. 41-9; Hellriegel, Slocum & Woodman (1989) Organizational Behaviour, 5th ed; Mullins (2001) Management and Organizational Behaviour 6th ed. Harlow, Prentice Hall. pp. 505-507)

Effective team management Three overlapping sets of needs have to be managed so they are all satisfied BUT……… Task Needs Task Needs: initiating;information seeking;diagnosing;opinion- seeking;evaluating;decision-making John Adair is mostly associated with his ideas on Action Centred LEADERSHIP. He focuses on what leaders actually do. The effectiveness of the leader is dependent on MEETING 3 AREAS OF NEED within the work group He represented these as 3 overlapping circles because is argued that ACTION IN ANY ONE AREA WILL AFFECT ONE OR BOTH OF THE OTHER AREAS OF NEED. IDEAL POSITION WHERE THE COMPLETE INTEGRATION OF THE 3 AREAS OF NEED ARE ACHIEVED. THE EFFECTIVE LEADER IS ONE WHO MANAGES INTEGRATE ALL 3 AREAS EQUALLY. Individ Needs Individual Needs: own goal-setting; feedback;training; learning; recognition; counselling Team Needs Group Needs: clarifying;peace-keeping;encouraging; standard-seeking John Adair 1979

Implications for Managers How groups form and interact has influence on performance Norms control group behaviour and may or may not support organisational aims Status inequities create frustration Different size groups are better at doing different activities