GROUP DEVELOPMENT

The Issues

The nature and types of groups

The stages of group development

Considerations in creating effective teams

The nature and types of groups

Two or more people interacting interdependently to achieve a common goalFormal groups

Established by an organization to facilitate the achievement of organizational goals

Informal groups

Neither formally structure nor organizationally determined

Emerge naturally in response to the interests of members

Types of Groups/Teams

Management teams

Groups of multiple individuals brought together who all share management responsibility and are brought together to make some higher level management decisions

Work teams

Groups of people who focus on producing a particular product or service

Self-managed work teams: Groups of, typically, 10 to 15 people who take on responsibilities of their former supervisors.

Types of Groups/Teams

•Task forces

•Committees

Cross-functional teams

Groups of people from different work areas (from about the same hierarchical level), who come together to accomplish a task.

Types of Groups/Teams

Characteristics of virtual team

1. The absence of paraverbal and nonverbal cues

2. A limited social context

3. The ability to overcome time and space constraints

Characteristics of virtual team

1. The absence of paraverbal and nonverbal cues

2. A limited social context

3. The ability to overcome time and space constraints

Virtual teams

Groups of people that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.

Stages of Group Development

Stages of Group Development

Stages of Group Development (cont’d)

Cohesiveness and Group Effectiveness

Increasing group cohesiveness:1. Make the group smaller.

2. Encourage agreement with group goals.

3. Increase time members spend together.

4. Increase group status and admission difficultly.

5. Stimulate competition with other groups.

6. Give rewards to the group, not individuals.

7. Physically isolate the group.

Increasing group cohesiveness:1. Make the group smaller.

2. Encourage agreement with group goals.

3. Increase time members spend together.

4. Increase group status and admission difficultly.

5. Stimulate competition with other groups.

6. Give rewards to the group, not individuals.

7. Physically isolate the group.

Relationship Between Group Cohesiveness, Performance Norms, and Productivity

A Team-Effectiveness Model

The Issues

The nature and types of groups

The stages of group development

Considerations in creating effective teams (e.g., group cohesiveness)