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Chapter
Understanding Groups and Managing Work Teams
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Learning Outcomes
Define a group and describe the stages of group development
Describe the major concepts of group behavior
Discuss how groups are turned into effective teams
Discuss contemporary issues in managing teams
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What Is a Group?
Group
Two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals
A group is defined as two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals. Formal groups are work groups that are defined by the organization’s structure and have designated work assignments and specific tasks directed at accomplishing organizational goals
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Exhibit 9-1 provides some examples of formal groups
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5. What Are the Stages of Group Development?
Forming Stage
The first stage of group development in which people join the group and then define the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership
Storming Stage
The second stage of group development, which is characterized by intragroup conflict
The forming stage has two phases. The first occurs as people join the group. In a formal group, people join because of some work assignment. Once they’ve joined, the second phase begins: defining the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership.
The storming stage is appropriately named because of the intragroup conflict. There’s conflict over who will control the group and what the group needs to be doing.
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6. Group Development Stages (cont.)
Norming Stage
The third stage of group development, which is characterized by close relationships and cohesiveness
Performing Stage
The fourth stage of group development, when the group is fully functional and works on the group task
The norming stage is one in which close relationships develop and the group becomes cohesive. There’s now a strong sense of group identity and camaraderie.
The fourth stage is performing. The group structure is in place and accepted by group members. Their energies have moved from getting to know and understand each other to working on the group’s task.
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7. Group Development Stages (cont.)
Adjourning Stage
The final stage of group development for temporary groups, during which groups prepare to disband
The final stage is adjourning. In this stage, the group prepares to disband. Attention is focused on wrapping up activities instead of task performance
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Research shows that groups develop through five stages.3 As shown in Exhibit 9-2, these five stages are: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.
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9. What Are the Major Concepts of Group Behavior?
Role
Behavior patterns expected of someone who occupies a given position in a social unit
Norms
Standards or expectations that are accepted and shared by a group’s members
A role refers to behavior patterns expected of someone who occupies a given position in a social unit. Individuals play multiple roles, , adjusting their roles to the group to which they belong at the time.
All groups have established norms, acceptable standards that are shared by the group’s members. Norms dictate output levels, absenteeism rates, promptness or tardiness, the amount of socializing allowed on the job, and so on.
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10. What Is Status and Why Is It Important?
A prestige grading, position, or rank within a group
Status is a prestige grading, position, or rank within a group. As far back as scientists have been able to trace human groupings, they’ve found status hierarchies: tribal chiefs and their followers, nobles and peasants, the haves and the have-nots. Status systems are important
factors in understanding behavior
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11. Does Group Size Affect Behavior?
Large Groups
are good for gaining diverse input
Small Groups
Are typically faster at implementation
Social Loafing
The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually
The size of a group affects that group’s behavior. However, that effect depends on what
criteria you’re looking at.
The evidence indicates, for instance, that small groups complete tasks faster than larger
ones. However, if a group is engaged in problem solving, large groups consistently get better marks than their smaller counterparts.
Groups of approximately five to seven members tend to act more effectively
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12. Are Cohesive Groups More Effective?
Group Cohesiveness
The degree to which group members are attracted to one another and share the group’s goals
Research has looked at group cohesiveness, the degree to which members are attracted to one another and share the group’s goals. The more that members are attracted to one another and the more that a group’s goals align with each individual’s goals, the greater the group’s cohesiveness.
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14. How Are Groups Turned into Effective Teams?
80 percent of Fortune 500 use teams
Teams typically outperform individuals when the tasks require multiple skills, judgment, and experience
Work Teams
Groups whose members work intensely on specific, common goals using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and complementary skills
When companies like W. L. Gore, Volvo, and Kraft Foods introduced teams into their production processes, it made news because no one else
was doing it. Today, it’s just the opposite—the organization that doesn’t use teams would be newsworthy. It’s estimated that some 80 percent of
Fortune 500 companies have at least half of their employees on teams. And over 70 percent of U.S. manufacturers use work teams
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Types of Work Teams
Problem-Solving Teams
A team from the same department or functional area that’s involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems
Self-Managed Work Team
A type of work team that operates without a manager and is responsible for a complete work process or segment
When work teams first became popular, most were problem-solving teams, which are teams from the same
department or functional area involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems. Members share
ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved.
A self-managed work team is a formal group of employees who operate without a manager and are responsible for a complete work process or segment. A self-managed team is responsible for getting the work done and for managing themselves
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Types of Teams (cont.)
Cross-Functional Team
Teams made up of individuals from various departments and that cross traditional departmental lines
Virtual Team
A type of work team that uses technology to link physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal
The third type of team is the cross-functional team, which we introduced in Chapter 5 and defined as a work team composed of individuals from various specialties. Many organizations use cross-functional teams.
The final type of team is the virtual team, which is a team that uses technology to link physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal. For instance, a virtual team at Boeing-Rocketdyne played a pivotal role in developing a radically new product.
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19. WHAT FACTORS MAKE A TEAM EFFECTIVE?
Adequate Resources
the team’s ability is reduced without adequate resources
Team Leadership and Structure
all members contribute in the work
Trust
Team members must trust each
Performance Evaluation and Reward System
Members have to be accountable both individually and jointly
Four contextual factors appear to be most significantly related to team performance. These include adequate
resources, leadership and structure, a climate of trust, and performance evaluation and reward systems.
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Much research has been done on what it is that makes a team effective. Out of these efforts, we now have a fairly focused model identifying those characteristics. Exhibit 9-6 summarizes what we currently know about what makes a team effective
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21. Processes Related to Effectiveness
Five team process variables have been shown to be related to team effectiveness. These include :
a common purpose
specific team goals
team efficacy
managed conflict
minimal social loafing
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22. Work Design and Team Effectiveness
These Important work design characteristics enhance team member motivation and increase team effectiveness
Autonomy
Using a variety of skills
Completing a whole and identifiable task or product
Several team composition factors are important to a team’s effectiveness. These include team member abilities, personality, role allocation, diversity, size of teams, member flexibility, and member preferences. Part of a team’s performance depends on its members’ knowledge, skills, and abilities.
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Nine potential team roles have been identified. (See Exhibit 9-7.) High-performing work teams have people to fill all these roles and have selected people to fulfill these roles based on their skills and preferences.
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24. When Are Teams Not the Answer?
Teamwork takes more time and often more resources than does individual work
Teams require managers to communicate more, manage conflicts, and run meetings
The benefits of using teams need to exceed the costs
Teamwork takes more time and often more resources than does individual work. Teams require managers to communicate more, manage conflicts, and run meetings. So, the benefits of using teams need to exceed the costs. And that’s not always the case! In the rush to use teams, some managers have introduced them into situations in which it would have been better to have individuals do the work.
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