1. Group Processes and Work Teams Chapter 8

2. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 2 Learning Objectives 1.Define what is meant by a group and identify different types of groups operating within organizations. 2.Describe the importance of norms, roles, status, and cohesiveness within organizations. 3.Explain how individual performance in groups is affected by the presence of others (social facilitation), the cultural diversity of group membership, and the number of others with whom one is working (social loafing). 4.Define what teams are and describe the various types of teams that exist in organizations. 5.Understand the evidence regarding the effectiveness of teams in organizations. 6.Explain the factors responsible for the failure of some teams to operate as effectively as possible and identify steps that can be taken to build successful teams.

3. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 3 Your Team Experiences How have your personal experiences in work teams compared to those described in this chapter? What insights did you gain while reading this chapter?

4. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 4 Group Dynamics The social science field focusing on the nature of groups – the factors governing their formation and development, the elements of their structure, and their interrelationships with individuals, other groups, and organizations.

5. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 5 Group A collection of two or more interacting individuals who maintain stable patterns of relationships, share common goals, and perceive themselves as being a group.

6. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 6 Types of Groups Formal Groups Formal Groups: Groups that are created by the organization, intentionally designed to direct its members toward some organizational goal. Informal Groups Informal Groups: Groups that develop naturally among people, without any direction from the organization within which they operate.

7. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 7 Types of Groups

8. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 8 Formal Groups Command Group Command Group: A group determined by the connections between individuals who are a formal part of the organization (i.e., those who legitimately can give orders to others). Task Group Task Group: A formal organizational group formed around some specific task. Standing Committees Standing Committees: Committees that are permanent, existing over time. Ad Hoc Committee Ad Hoc Committee: A temporary committee formed for a special purpose.

9. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 9 Informal Groups  Interest Group  Interest Group: A group of employees who come together to satisfy a common interest.  Friendship Groups  Friendship Groups: Informal groups that develop because their members are friends, often seeing each other outside of the organization.

10. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 10 Reason You Joined Groups What groups do you belong to? Why did you join? Are the reasons you remain a member the same as why you joined? What were reasons you did not remain a member of other groups?

11. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 11 Why People Join Groups

12. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 12 How Groups are Formed  Five-Stage Model  Five-Stage Model: The conceptualization claiming that groups develop in five stages – forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.  Punctuated Equilibrium Model  Punctuated Equilibrium Model: The conceptualization of group development claiming that groups generally plan their activities during the first half of their time together, and then revise and implement their plans in the second half.

13. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 13 Five-Stage Model

14. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 14 Punctuated-Equilibrium Model

15. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 15 Structural Dynamics The pattern of interrelationships between the individuals constituting a group; the guidelines of group behavior that make group functioning orderly and predictable. Roles Roles: The hats we wear Norms Norms: A group’s unspoken rules Status Status: The prestige of group membership Cohesiveness Cohesiveness: Getting the team spirit

16. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 16 Role Concepts  Role  Role: The typical behavior that characterizes a person in a specific social context.  Role Incumbent  Role Incumbent: A person holding a particular role.  Role Expectations  Role Expectations: The behaviors expected of someone in a particular role.  Role Ambiguity  Role Ambiguity: Confusion arising from not knowing what one is expected to do as the holder of a role.

17. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 17 Role Concepts  Role Differentiation  Role Differentiation: The tendency for various specialized roles to emerge as groups develop.  Task-Oriented Role  Task-Oriented Role: The activities of an individual in a group who, more than anyone else, helps the group reach its goal.  Socio-Emotional Role  Socio-Emotional Role: The activities of an individual in a group who is supportive and nurturant of other group members, and who helps them feel good.  Self-Oriented Role  Self-Oriented Role: The activities of an individual in a group who focuses on his or her own good, often at the expense of others.

18. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 18 Common Group Roles

19. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 19 Norms Generally agreed on informal rules that guide group members’ behavior. Prescriptive Norms Prescriptive Norms: Expectations within groups regarding what is supposed to be done. Proscriptive Norms Proscriptive Norms: Expectations within groups regarding behaviors in which members are not supposed to engage.

20. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 20 Norm Development

21. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 21 Status The relative prestige, social position, or rank given to groups or individuals by others. Formal Status Formal Status: The prestige one has by virtue of his or her official position in an organization. –Status Symbols –Status Symbols: Objects reflecting the position of any individual within an organization’s hierarchy of power. Informal Status Informal Status: The prestige accorded individuals with certain characteristics that are not formally recognized by the organization.

22. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 22 Group Cohesiveness The strength of group members’ desires to remain a part of the group. Influencing factors: –Severity of initiation –Conditions of high external threat or competition –Time spent together –Group size –History of success

23. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 23 Group Cohesiveness Positive consequences: –Increased group member satisfaction –Increased participation in group activities –Increased acceptance of group goals –Potentially high productivity –Decreased absenteeism and turnover Negative consequences: –May be counterproductive if group’s goals are contrary to organization’s goals

24. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 24 Social Facilitation  The tendency for the presence of others sometimes to enhance an individual’s performance and at other times to impair it.  Drive Theory of Social Facilitation  Drive Theory of Social Facilitation: The theory according to which the presence of others increases arousal, which increases people’s tendencies to perform the dominant response.  If that response is well learned, performance will improve.  But, if it is novel, performance will be impaired.  Evaluation Apprehension  Evaluation Apprehension: The fear of being evaluated or judged by another person.  Computerized Performance Monitoring  Computerized Performance Monitoring: The process of using computers to monitor job performance.

25. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 25 Cohesiveness & Work-Related Tension Group Cohesiveness from low to high Number of groups From S. E. Seashore, Group Cohesiveness in the Industrial Work Force, 1954. Research conducted by Stanley E. Seashore at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Reprinted by permission.

26. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 26 Social Facilitation

27. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 27 Computer Monitoring

28. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 28 Social Loafing The tendency for group members to exert less individual effort on an additive task as the size of the group increases. –Additive task –Additive task: A type of group task in which the coordinated efforts of several people are added together to form the group’s product. Social Impact Theory Social Impact Theory: The theory that explains social loafing in terms of the diffused responsibility for doing what is expected of each member of a group. The larger the size of a group, the less each member is influenced by the social forces acting on the group.

29. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 29 Social Loafing Describe an incident of social loafing in which you may have been involved. What might have been done to overcome the social loafing in this situation?

30. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 30 Social Loafing

31. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 31 Social Loafing and Culture  Individualistic Cultures  Individualistic Cultures: National groups whose members place a high value on individual accomplishments and personal success.  Collectivistic Cultures  Collectivistic Cultures: National groups whose members place a high value on shared responsibility and the collective good of all.

32. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 32 Overcoming Social Loafing Make each performer identifiable Make work tasks more important and interesting Reward individuals for contributing to their group’s performance Use punishment threats

33. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 33 Team 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.

34. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 34 Groups vs. Teams

35. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 35 Work Teams: Then and Now

36. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 36 Types of Teams

37. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 37 High-Performance Teams  Teams whose members are deeply committed to one another’s personal growth and success.  Characteristics:  People are free to make their own decisions without checking with others.  Everyone on the team shares responsibility.  All members agree on what they are trying to accomplish.  Everyone cares about results and members coordinate their individual talents to achieve them.

38. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 38 Continuum of Autonomy  In work groups, bosses have responsibility over decisions and are accountable for work outcomes. The workers themselves have very little autonomy.  By contrast, in self-managed work teams, the workers themselves have responsibility over decisions and are accountable for work outcomes.  Semiautonomous work groups are positioned between these two extremes.

39. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 39 Self-Managed Teams vs. Traditional Work Groups

40. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 40 What SMWTS Manage

41. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 41 Creating Teams Stage One: Prework Stage One: Prework –Determining whether a team should be formed –Establishing the team’s objectives –Creating an inventory of needed skills –Determining the team’s authority Stage Two: Creating Performance Conditions Stage Two: Creating Performance Conditions –Ensuring the team has the resources to carry out its work Stage Three: Forming and Building the Team Stage Three: Forming and Building the Team –Establishing who is and is not a member of the team –Ensuring members accept the team’s mission –Clarifying the team’s mission and responsibilities Stage Four: Providing ongoing assistance Stage Four: Providing ongoing assistance

42. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 42 How Successful are Teams? People enjoy working in teams after they have adjusted to them. Teams help enhance commitment among employees. Teams appear to be an effective way of eliminating layers of management, allowing more to be done by fewer people. Teams are not always responsible for making individuals and organizations more productive.

43. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 43 Why Teams Fail Members are unwilling to cooperate with each other. Teams fail to receive support from management. Some managers are unwilling to relinquish control to teams. Teams may fail to cooperate with other teams.

44. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 44 Developing Successful Teams 1. Provide training in team skills. 2. Compensate team performance. 3. Provide support. 4. Communicate the urgency of the team’s mission. 5. Promote cooperation within and between teams. 6. Select team members based on their skills or potential skills. 7. Be patient.

45. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 45 Teams in Union Environment What are the effects or implications in a union environment where you want to implement self-managed work teams? What are the considerations? –Obstacles –Advantages –Selling Points

46. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 46 Skills Training  Team Building  Team Building: Formal efforts directed toward making teams more effective.  Key Areas of Team Training  Key Areas of Team Training: – Being a team member – Self-management  Team Training Exercises – Role-definition exercises – Goal-setting exercises – Problem-solving exercises – Interpersonal-process exercises

47. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 47 Interpersonal Skills

48. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 48 Self-Management Skills

49. © Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 49 So What? What can you do to make your (current and future) team experiences more successful?