Management - Group Dynamics Lecture notes

8/10/2019 Management - Group Dynamics Lecture notes

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GROUPSINORG NIS TION

Individuals constitute the group and several groups constitute theorganisation. A group is an important unit for sociological andpsychological analysis to understand organisational behaviour. It

affects the behaviour of its members, other roups, and the wholeorganisation.

Definitions of Group

G C Homans: "A group is any number of people who share goals,often communicate with each other over a period of time, and are fewenough so that each individual may communicate with all the others,person-to person.

A group is col lect ion of two or more people who have common

object ives or interests and interact with each o ther to accompl ish their

ob jectives, are aware of each oth er and perceive themselves to be a

par t of a group.

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CONDITIONSORFACTORSINGROUPDYNAMICS

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Key Factors in

Group

Dynamics

1.Organis ation-related Facto rs

4. Job/Work -related Factor s

2. Member-related Facto rs

3. Group-related Factor s


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Characteristics and Reasons for Group Formation

Needs/Reasons/objectives

1. Nearness and Similarity

2. Survival

3. Security

4. Social Needs

5. Recognition

6. Economic Benefits

7. Information and Development

8. Solving Work Problems

9. Group Efficacy (Synergy

10. Interaction

11. Other Reasons

Characteristics of Group

1. Membership

2. Leadership

3. Formal Hierarchy or Status

4. Composition

5. Specific Task

6. Interaction

7. Group Norms

8. Communication

9. Group Cohesiveness

10. Member Satisfaction

11. Size12. Types

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FORMAL AND INFORMAL GROUPS

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Formal and Informal GroupsOrganisation involves two types of groups, fo rmal group and informal group. Formalgroups are deliberately created to achieve organisational objectives while informal groups

come into existence spontaneously. Existence of informal groups can neither be ignored norrestricted.

Formal GroupFormal group is deliberately and purposefully created. It is created to meet organisationsrequirements. It has specific objectives, rules, and defined relationship. Each member in theformal group has clear-cut authority and responsibility. His position and status are clarified.

Formal group has to functions as per the policies, rules, and procedures of organisation. Suchgroup may be temporary or permanent in nature.

Informal GroupsInformal group, on the other hand, is created automatically or spontaneously due tointeractions among people in organisation. Informal group doesnthave defined objectives andspecified scope. It comes into existence to satisfy members social and psychological needswhich formal structure cannot satisfy. It is not created for organisations needs; people with

similar nature, likings, and feeling may form an informal group. Friendship groups, membershipgroups, reference groups, and interest groups are common informal groups.

Note: For difference between formal and informal groups, refer Table 18.1,Ramesh B. Rudani


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FUNCTIONSANDPROBLEMSOFINFORMALGROUPS

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Functions of Informal

Groups1. Group Integrity2. Social Satisfaction3. Solving Work Problem4. Prescribing Norms and Values5. Protection of Members6. Collaborating Efforts7. Supporting Management8. Filling Communication Gap9. Emotional Support10. Contribution to Organisation

Efficiently

Limitations/Problems of

Informal Group1. Resistance to Change2. Restriction of Output3. Source of Role Conflict (conflict

between formal and informalroles)

4. Source of Rumour(miscommunication)

5. Inertia (inactivity or lethargy)6. Aggressive Conformity (i.e.,

forceful conformation)7. Narrow Vision and Rigidity8. Source of Rebellion9. Source of Conspiracy10. Compulsion on organisation to

accept unjust demand, etc.


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SUBCLASSIFICATIONSOFGROUPS

Command Group

A group composed of

the individuals whoreport directly to agiven manager

Task Group

Those working together

to complete a job ortask in an organizationbut not limited byhierarchical boundaries

Interest Group

Members work together

to attain a specific

objective with which

each is concerned

Friendship Group

Those brought togetherbecause they share

one or more common

characteristics

Formal Groups Informal Groups


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STAGESOFGROUPFORMATION


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STAGESOFGROUPFORMATION


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DYNAMICSOFTEAMS

Team and group are, to some extent, similar and are usedinterchangeably. However, teams and teamwork are more popular intodays organisations. Team differs from group mainly in form ofoutcomes or performance results. Teams are used for high

performance results. They are revised version of traditional formalgroups. They have collective and synergic effects on final outcomes.Committee, commission, board, taskforce, Quality Control (QC), etc.,are popular forms of team.

Definitions of Team1. Team is a group of ind iv iduals with the abi l i ty to do sp ecial

tasks, who p refer to w ork c ol lect ive ly for speci f ic purp ose,have share leadersh ip, and bear indiv id ual and co l lect iveaccountabi l i ty .

2. Team is w ell planned, wel l organised, and well-def ined smallformal grou p of eople, each of them tends to be expert inhis respect ive area, and the team has more specif ic g oals toachieve.


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CHARACTERISTICSOFTEAM

1. Characteristics of Team

2. Collective Work-products

3. Synergic Effects

4. Improved Version of

Formal Group

5. Small Size or Limited

Members

6. Rewarding Pattern

7. Complementary

Membership Role

8. Emphasis

9. Shared Leadership

10. Accountability

11. Specific Purpose

12. Interacting Style

13. Members Characteristics

(or Expertise):


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WHYHAVETEAMSBECOMESOPOPULAR?

Great way to use employee talents

Teams are more flexible and responsive to changes

in the environment

Can quickly assemble, deploy, refocus, anddisband

Facilitate employee involvement

Increase employee participation in decision making

Democratize an organization and increase

motivation

Note: Teams are not ALWAYS effective10-12


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DIFFERENCESBETWEENGROUPSANDTEAMS

Work Group

A group that interacts primarily to share information and to

make decisions to help each group member perform within

his or her area of responsibility

No joint effort required

Work Team

Generates positive synergy through coordinated effort.

The individual efforts result in a performance that isgreater than the sum of the individual inputs

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COMPARINGWORKGROUPSANDWORK

TEAMS

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POPULARFORMSOFTEAM

Cross-functional

Teams

VirtualTeams

SelfManaged

Teams

Problem-solving

Teams


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TYPESOFTEAMS

Problem-Solving Teams Groups of 5 to 12 employees from

the same department who meet for a

few hours each week to discuss

ways of improving quality, efficiency,

and the work environment

Self-Managed Work Teams

Groups of 10 to 15 people who take

on the responsibilities of their formersupervisors

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TYPESOFTEAMS(CONTINUED)

Cross-Functional Teams

Employees from about the same hierarchical level, but

from different work areas, who come together to

accomplish a task

Very common

Task forces

Committees

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TYPESOFTEAMS(CONTINUED)

Virtual Teams

Teams that use computer technology to tie together

physically dispersed members in order to achieve a

common goal

Characteristics

Limited socializing

The ability to overcome time and space constraints

To be effective, needs:

Trust among members

Close monitoring

To be publicized

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CREATINGEFFECTIVETEAMS: CONTEXT

Adequate Resources

Need the tools to complete the job

Effective Leadership and Structure

Agreeing to the specifics of work and how the team fits

together to integrate individual skills

Even self-managed teams need leaders

Leadership especially important in multi-team systems

Climate of Trust

Members must trust each other and the leader

Performance and Rewards Systems that Reflect

Team Contributions

Cannot just be based on individual effort

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CREATINGEFFECTIVETEAMS: COMPOSITION

Abilities of Members

Need technical expertise, problem-solving, decision-making, and good interpersonal skills

Personality of Members

Conscientiousness, openness to experience, andagreeableness all relate to team performance

Allocating Roles and Diversity

Many necessary roles must be filled

Diversity can often lead to lower performance

Size of Team

The smaller the better: 5 to 9 is optimal

Members Preference for Teamwork

Do the members want to be on teams?

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Documents

Management - Group Dynamics Lecture notes