A Group Is A Collection of Two or More People Who Work With One Another Regularly To Achieve Common Goals. Groups

What is the nature of groups in organizations?
A group is a collection of two or
more people who work with one another regularly to achieve common goals. Groups:
Help organizations accomplish
important tasks. Help to maintain a high-quality workforce by satisfying members needs.

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Effective groups achieve high levels of:
Task performance.
Members attain performance goals regarding
quantity, quality, and timeliness of work results.
Members satisfaction.
Members believe that their participation and
experiences are positive and meet important personal needs.
Team viability.
Members are sufficiently satisfied to continue
working together on an ongoing basis.

Formal groups. Officially designated to serve a specific organizational purpose. May be permanent or temporary.
Permanent work groups are command
groups in the vertical organization structure. Temporary work groups are task groups specifically created to solve a problem or perform a a defined task.

Formal groups cont.
Virtual groups.
Groups whose members convene and
work together electronically via networked computers.

Can accomplish the same things as
members of face-to-face groups.

Informal groups.
Emerge without being officially
designated by the organization.

Types of informal groups.
Friendship groups. Interest groups.

Benefits of informal groups.
Can speed up work flow by
supplementing formal lines of authority.

Can satisfy needs that are unmet by
the formal group.

Can provide members with social
satisfaction, security, and a sense of belonging.

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Why do people join groups?
Security Status Self Esteem Affiliation Power Goal Achievement
What are the stages of group development?

A group or team passes through
five lifecycle stages.

Forming. Storming.
Norming.
Performing. Adjourning.

Forming stage. Initial entry of members to a group. Members concerns include:
Getting to know each other. Discovering what is considered acceptable
behavior. Determining the groups real task. Defining group rules.

Storming stage. A period of high emotionality and tension among group members. Members concerns include:
Formation of coalitions. Dealing with outside demands. Clarifying membership expectations. Dealing with obstacles to group goals. Understanding members interpersonal styles.
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Norming stage. The point at which the group really begins to come together as a coordinated unit. Members concerns include:
Holding the group together. Dealing with divergent views and criticisms. Dealing with a premature sense of accomplishment.
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Performing stage.
Marks the emergence of a mature,
organized, and well-functioning group.

Members deal with complex tasks and
handle internal disagreements in creative ways.

Primary challenge is to continue to
improve relationships and performance.
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Adjourning stage.
Particularly important for temporary
groups.
A well-integrated group is:
Able to disband when its work is finished. Willing to work together in the future.
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An alternative Model- Punctuated Equilibrium Model
completion Phase 2 First meeting Phase 1 A (A+B)/2 B

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transition
Work-Group Behaviour
Group Member resourse External conditions Imposed on The group Group Structure Group Behaviour Model
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Group Task
Performance And satisfaction
Group Process
External Conditions Imposed
Organizational Overall strategy Authority Structures Formal Regulations Resources Selection Process Performance evaluation & Reward Culture Physical work setting
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Group Member resources
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

A group must have the right skills and
competencies available for task performance and problem solving.
Homogeneous groups may not perform
well if they lack the requisite experiences, skills, and competencies. Heterogeneous groups may perform well if they effectively utilize a variety of experiences, skills, and competencies.
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What are the foundations of group effectiveness?

Membership characteristics cont.
Diversity-consensus dilemma.
Increasing diversity among group members
makes it harder for group members to work together, even though the diversity itself expands the skills and perspectives available for problem solving.
Personality Characteristics
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From a systems perspective, group inputs
are the foundation for all subsequent group action. Key group inputs are:

Nature of the task. Goals. Rewards. Resources. Technology. Membership diversity. Group size.
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Tasks.
Technical demands of a task.
Routineness, difficulty, and information requirements.
Tasks that are complex in technical demands require unique solutions and more information processing.
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Tasks cont.
Social demands of a task.
Relations, ego involvement, and controversies over ends and means.
Tasks that are complex in social demands involve difficulties in reaching agreement on goals or methods for accomplishing them.
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Goals, rewards, and resources.
Long-term performance
accomplishments rely on:

Appropriate goals. Well-designed reward systems. Adequate resources.
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Technology.
Provides the means to get work
accomplished.
The right technology must be available
for the task at hand.

Work-flow technology can affect the
way group members interact.
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Membership characteristics. A group must have the right skills and competencies available for task performance and problem solving.
Homogeneous groups may not perform
well if they lack the requisite experiences, skills, and competencies. Heterogeneous groups may perform well if they effectively utilize a variety of experiences, skills, and competencies.
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Membership characteristics cont.
Diversity-consensus dilemma.
Increasing diversity among group
members makes it harder for group members to work together, even though the diversity itself expands the skills and perspectives available for problem solving.
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Group size. As group size increases, performance and member satisfaction increase up to a point.
Division of work promotes performance
and increased satisfaction. Communication and coordination problems occur, in turn decreasing performance and satisfaction.
Problem-solving groups should have 5
to 7 members.
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Group size cont. Groups with an odd number of members may be more effective for resolving disagreements and reaching a speedy decision. Groups with an even number of members may be more effective when careful deliberation, consensus building, or complex problem solving is required.
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What are group and intergroup dynamics?

From a systems perspective, the
throughputs for a group or team are group dynamics.

Group dynamics concern the forces
operating within groups that affect the way members relate to and work with one another.
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What goes on within groups. Required behaviors.
Those formally defined and expected by
the organization.
Emergent behaviors. Those that group members display in addition to what the organization asks of them. Emergent behaviors often supplement
and extend required behaviors.
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What goes on within groups.
Member relationships revolve around:
Activities the things people do or the
actions they take.

Interactions interpersonal
communications and contacts.

Sentiments the feelings, attitudes,
beliefs, or values held by group members.
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What goes on between groups.
Intergroup dynamics.
The dynamics that take place between
two or more groups.
Organizations and their members seek
to avoid the negative aspects and achieve the positive aspects of intergroup dynamics.
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What goes on between groups.
On the negative side, intergroup dynamics
may divert energies as members focus on animosities rather than performance.

On the positive side, competing groups may:
Work harder. Become more focused on key tasks. Develop more internal loyalty and satisfaction. Achieve creativity in problem solving.
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A Group Is A Collection of Two or More People Who Work With One Another Regularly To Achieve Common Goals. Groups

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What is the nature of groups in organizations?