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Organisational

Behaviour

(Sem I)

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GROUPS AND TEAMS

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What is a Group?

Obviously, a group is more than simply a collection ofpeople.

Group is a collection of two or more interacting

individuals with a stable pattern of relationships

between them who share common goals and who

perceive themselves as being a group. Four key

characteristics:

Social interaction One of the most obviouscharacteristics of groups is that they are

composed of two or more people in social

interaction. The members of a social group

must have some influence on each other.

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What is a Group?

Stability Groups also must possess a stable

structure. A collection of individuals that

constantly changes cannot be thought of as a

group.

Common interests or goals Members share

common interests or goals.

Recognition as being a group The

individuals involved must perceive

themselves as a group.

Creating effective groups for project work, problem

solving, creative activities, brainstorming and

information gathering, resolution of conflicts, grievances

and disputes.

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Types ofGroups

I) Formal Groups

A group formed by management to accomplish the

goals of the organization (formed due to the demands

and processes of the organization).

The accomplishment of these goals requires that certain

tasks be performed and that employees be assigned to

perform these tasks. As a result, most employees will

be members of a group based on their position in theorganization.

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Types ofGroups

Command GroupThis group is specified by the organization

chart and is made up of subordinates who

repot directly to a given supervisor. Eg., the

authority relationship between a department

manager and the supervisors.

Task Group

This comprises of the employees who work

together to complete a particular task or

project. For eg., the nurses assigned to dutyin the emergency room of a hospital usually

constitute a task group, since certain

activities are required when a patient is

treated.

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Types ofGroups

TeamIt is a formal group comprised of people

interacting very closely together with a

shared commitment to accomplish agreed

upon objectives. Both command and task

groups can be thought of as teams. However,

because the concept of teams has become

such a significant factor in organizational

design and functioning in recent years, team

is being treated as separate formal group.

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Types ofGroups

II) Informal GroupsThese groups develop naturally among an

organizations personnel without any

direction from the management of the

organization within which they operate.

Interest Groups

A group that comes together to satisfy a

common interest and disbands when the goal

has been achieved. Eg., includes employees

grouping together to present a unified front tomanagement for more benefits.

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Types ofGroups

II) Informal Groups Friendship Groups

Informal groups that form because the

members have something in common such

as age, political beliefs, or ethnic

background. Their interactions and

communication extends to off-the-job

activities.

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Distinction between Formal and Informal Groups:

The major difference formal groups are designated by

the formal organization as a means to an end. Informal

groups/interests are important for their own sake to

satisfy a basic human need for association.

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Stages ofGroup Development

Although we cannot predict with perfect certaintyexactly how all groups will form, two systematic models

of group development appear to be most descriptive

the five-stage model and the punctuated-equilibrium

model.

The Five-Stage Model (B W Tuckman, 1965)

This model identifies five distinct stages through

which groups develop.

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1. FORMING

Characterised by uncertainty (frequently

confusion) about the purpose, structure and

leadership of the group. Group members

efforts to understand and define their

objectives, roles and assignments within the

group. Patterns of interaction among group

members are tried out and either discarded

or adopted, at least temporarily. Generally,this stage is complete when individuals begin

to view themselves as part of a group.

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4. PERFORMING

Structures and procedures are now in place

and the group is ready to get on with the job

in hand. The group is fully functional.

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5. ADJOURNINGRefers to the disbanding of the group, perhaps

because people move on, or because its task

has been completed. For temporary groups,

such as committees, project groups, task forces

etc. this stage includes disbandment. Whereas,permanent groups may not reach this stage.

Increasingly, adjournment is becoming an

expected stage of group development,

however. Many organizations rely on temporary

groups for problem-solving tasks and product

development like HP and 3M. At these

organizations, project teams may have a life

cycle ranging from less than a month to severalears.

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Of course, not all groups progress smoothly and

predictably through these stages. Numerous factors can

either hinder or facilitate the process.

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The Punctuated-Equilibrium Model (Gersick, 1988)

Not all scientists agree groups develop in the order

identified in the five-stage model. (This is an alternative

model: for temporary groups with deadlines). They have

their own unique sequencing of actions (or inaction).

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.

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Groups go through two stages marked by the

midpoint of the groups time together. The first

half is a period of equilibrium, in which the

group makes plans, but accomplishes little.

During the second half, group members make

changes that lead them to accomplish the

groups task as the deadline approaches.

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The idea is: Groups develop inertia, which keeps

them going (i.e. equilibrium) until the halfway

point, when they realize that deadlines loom

large. This stimulates them to confront

important issues and to initiate changes,beginning (i.e. punctuating) a new equilibrium.

This phase lasts until the group kicks into a

final push just before the deadline.

Although the punctuated-equilibrium model is

relatively new, studies suggest that it does a

good job of describing how groups develop.

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Characteristics ofGroups

To understand group behavior, one must be awareof the general characteristics of groups. Some

of the more important ones are: composition,

status hierarchy, roles, norms, leadership and

cohesiveness.

Composition the extent to which group

members are alike. Homogenous groups are

likely to be more cohesive whereas

heterogeneous groups may outperform

homogeneous ones in certain situations

because they have a richer variety of

knowledge and experience to draw upon.

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y Status Hierarchy The status assigned to a

particular position is typically a consequence of

certain characteristics that differentiate one

position from other positions. A person is given

status because of such factors as job seniority,age or assignment. Eg., the oldest worker may

be perceived as being more technically

proficient and is attributed status by a group of

technicians.

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y Roles (the hats we wear) Each position in thegroup structure has an associated role that

consists of the behaviors expected of the

occupant of that position. Eg., a boss may be

expected to give orders, and a teacher may be

expected to lecture and to give exams. Role incumbent a person holding a particular

role.

Role expectations The behaviors expected of

someone in a particular role.

Role ambiguity Confusion arising from notknowing what one is expected to do as the holder

of a role.

Role differentiation The tendency for various

specialized roles to emerge as groups develop.

Role conflict When an individual is confronted

by divergent role expectations.

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y Norms (a groups unspoken rules) Generallyagreed upon informal rules that guide group

members behavior. They represent shared

ways of viewing the world. In many cases they

may never be formally stated but somehow

known by all group members e.g., establishingappropriate ways to dress.

y Leadership The leadership role is an

extremely crucial characteristic of group as the

leader exerts influence over the other members

of the group. Especially in formal groups the

leader can reward or punish members who do

not comply with the orders or rules.

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y Cohesiveness Formal and informal groupsseem to possess a closeness or commonness

of attitude, behavior, and performance. The

strength of group members desires to remain a

part of the group.

Group think Highly cohesive groups can also

be problematic. Irving Janis, defines groupthink

as the deterioration of mental efficiency, reality

testing, and moral judgement in the interest of

group solidarity.

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Groups and Teams

Groups and teams are not the same. A group istwo or more individuals interacting with each

other to accomplish a common goal. Teams

are mature groups with a degree of member

interdependence and motivation to achieve a

common goal. Teams start out as groups, but

not all groups become mature and

interdependent or teams.

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Groups and Teams Some Commonalities

y Both formed when two or more individuals

interact.

y Both provide structure for the work and

interaction of their members.

y Members of both share a common goal(s).y Members of both can perform specific

technical, leadership, problem-solving and

emotional roles.

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Teams: Special Kinds ofGroups

A team may be defined as a group comprising of

a small number of people with

complementary skills who are committed to a

common purpose or set of performance goals

and approach for which they hold themselves

mutually accountable.

Teams have more cohesiveness, more

responsibility, and use member talents moreeffectively than do other groups.

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How Teams Differ from Groups

In groups, performance typically depends on the

work of individual members (individual work

products). In teams, performance depends on

both individual contributions and collective work

products. Team focus on both individual and mutual

accountability that is, they work together to

produce an outcome that represents their joint

contributions, and each team member shares

responsibility for that outcome. In groups,individual performance is taken into consideration

when it comes to issuing rewards. In groups, the

supervisor holds individual members accountable

for their work, whereas in teams, members hold

themselves accountable.

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Types of Teams

Distinctions among teams can be made on the basis of size,composition, organizational level, duration (temp. vs

permanent), objectives etc are a few possibly distinguishing

characteristics. We will use a number of these to categorize

important types of teams in organizations today.

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Types of Teams

Problem-Solving Teams

As the name implies, these teams are formed to

deal with problems be it a very specific and

known problem or potential future problem(s).

The life span of such teams may vary from a fewdays to many months, occasionally a year or

longer.

Quality circles are examples of permanent

problem-solving teams. A QC is a small team of

employees who meet on a regular basis, usuallyon company time, to recommend improvements

and solve quality-related problems. Frequently, a

part of total quality management efforts. Circles

typically comprise 6 to 12 employees who.

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Types of Teams

Problem-Solving Teams

who perform related jobs. Circle members

are usually trained in group processes (for eg.,

structured techniques for diagnosing problems

and brainstorming).

AT&T, for eg., has effectively used problem-

solving teams to address customer needs,

resulting in quicker response time and increased

customer satisfaction.

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Types of Teams

Cross-Functional Teams

A cross-functional team is one consisting of

member from different functional departments

(eg., engineering, accting, HR, mktg.). In most

cases team members come from differentdepartments and different levels (mgrs. and non-

mgrs.). Eg., cross-functional teams working on

product design and testing include a product

designer, engineers, purchasing and mktg.

members, assembly workers, and even suppliers.

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Types of Teams

Research and Development Teams

R&D teams are used to develop new products.

Their use is most extensive in high-tech

industries such as aviation, electronics and

computers. R&D teams are usually composed ofrepresentatives of many different deptts. or

functions in the organization. Eg., a computer

company may form a R&D team made up of

representatives from mktg., sales, engineering,

purchasing and finance to develop plans for anew product.

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Team Effectiveness

To develop effective teams:

Training

According to research some of the skill highly

desirable for team members to be effective

are: Open-mindedness

Emotional stability

Accountability

Problem-solving abilities

Communication skills

Conflict resolution skills

Trust

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Team Effectiveness

Communication

An increased need for information. The failure of

many team efforts unwillingness to share

information.

Empowerment Along with information, teams must have the

authority to make decisions and act automously.

Whether a problem-solving team, an R&D team

or an SMT, teams that lack authority are generally

less effective.

RewardsThe reward system in most organizations is

individually based i.e. individual performance.

Team success must be factored in and team

performance should be rewarded.

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Group Decision Making

In most organizations, a great deal of decision makingis achieved through committees, teams, task forces,

and other kinds of groups. This is because managers

frequently face situations in which they must seek and

combine judgments in group meetings. This is

especially true for non-programmed problems, whichare novel and have much uncertainty regarding the

outcome. In most organizations, it is unusual to find

decisions being made on such problems by one

individual on a regular basis.

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Group Decision Making

In terms of the decision-making process itself, groups

superior:

Inestablishing goals and objectives

In identifying causes and developing

alternative solutions In evaluating alternative solutions

In solution selection

When it comes to implementation and follow-up of adecision, whether or not made by a group, usually

accomplished by individual managers. Thus, since a

group ordinarily is not responsible for implementation

and follow-up necessarily rests with the individual

manager.

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Techniques forGroup Decision Making

BrainstormingThe generation of ideas in a group through

non-critical discussion. The basic rules are:

Avoid criticizing others ideas

Share even far-out suggestions

Offer as many comments as possible Build on others ideas to create your own

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Delphi TechniqueA method of improving group decisions using

the opinions of experts, which are solicited by

mail/questionnaire and then compiled. The

expert consensus of opinions is used to

make a decision.

DT retains the advantage of having several

judges while removing the biasing effects that

might occur during face-to-face interaction.

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Nominal Group Technique

The nominal group technique structures face-to-

face group meetings in such a way that the open

expression and evaluation of ideas is encouraged.

Steps: A small group gathers around a table and

receives instructions; problem is identified Participants privately write down ideas about

solutions

Each participants ideas are presented, one at a

time, and are written on a chart until all the ideas

are expressed. Each idea is discussed, clarified, and evaluated

by group members

Participants privately rank the ideas in order of

their preference.

The highest-ranking idea is taken as the groups

decision.

Documents

IBS OB - 05