Groups and Teams in Organizations

Groups and Teams

Groups

• A collection of individuals who share resources and information to complete a task.
• Types of groups:
  • Formal: determined by the organization chart, focused on task completion.
  • Informal: formed based on interest or friendship, focused on shared objectives.

Reasons Groups Stay Together

• Security
• Status
• Self-esteem
• Affiliation
• Power
• Goal achievement
• Attractiveness

Teams

• A group of people with a collective identity joined together to accomplish a goal.
• Types of teams:
  • Self-managed work
  • Problem-solving
  • Cross-functional
  • Virtual

Groups vs Teams

• Groups: collection of individuals working independently to achieve a task, one leader, independent, individual goals, discuss, decide, and delegate.
• Teams: group of people with collective identity, shared, participative, interdependent, mutual accountability, accomplish goals collectively, discuss, decide, and do.

Groupthink

• A phenomenon where members conform to majority opinion to maintain group harmony rather than stating their own opinions.
• Occurs when members are similar, cohesive, and lack diverse perspectives.
• Solutions:
  • Limit group size
  • Diverse group members
  • Leaders must not give own ideas, get other input first
  • Appoint devil's advocate
  • Decision techniques

Group Properties

• Conformity: behavior that follows the requirements of a group or society.
• Social loafing: tendency of individuals to put forth less effort when part of a group.
• Cohesiveness: sticking together.
• Collective efficacy: a group's view of its own ability to achieve its goals.

Stages of Group Development

• Forming (stage 1): group meets for the first time, uncertainty about leadership, purpose, and structure.
• Storming (stage 2): conflict arises as members begin to push against constraints.
• Norming (stage 3): group members know what is required of them, members are cohesive, purpose and leadership are clear.
• Performing (stage 4): functioning group progressing towards their goals.
• Adjourning or Transforming (stage 5): last step in the process for temporary groups, members have mixed feelings.

Team Effectiveness Criteria

• Team must work well together to achieve objectives.
• Get things done in time according to a reasonable schedule.
• The outcomes need to meet minimum quality criteria.
• The outcomes must be achieved within budget.
• The team must grow in its ability and capacity.

Advantages of Working in Teams

• More ideas and better quality.
• Increase innovation.
• Create an environment of support.
• Boost individual confidence.
• Good teams make the most of individual talents.
• Create better communication and respectful relationships among employees.

Disadvantages of Working in Teams

• Agreement is difficult to reach.
• Conflict.
• Ignore other perspectives.
• Uncooperative individuals in the team.
• Some members are ignored or feel insignificant.
• The more conflict, the less innovation, the farther the team gets from implementation and meeting goals.
• Social loafing.
• Strong personalities take over the team.
• Strained relationships.

Improving Team Performance

• Training.
• Selection.
• Rewards.
• Teambuilding.
• Team Design.

Individual vs Group Decision Making

• Individual:
  • Pros: fast, best individual outperforms group, accountability.
  • Cons: less ideas, determining best individual not easy, individual may procrastinate.
• Group:
  • Pros: diverse and creative ideas, greater commitment to decision, better solutions, interaction builds relationships and trust.
  • Cons: takes longer, conflict, groupthink, social loafing.