Learning Outcomes

• Define groups and the stages of group development.

• Describe the major components that determine group
performance and satisfaction.
• Define teams and best practices influencing team
performance.
 Know how to maximize outcomes through effective negotiating.
 Develop your skill at coaching team members.
• Discuss contemporary issues in managing teams.
Groups and Group Development
• Group
Two or more interacting and interdependent individuals
who come together to achieve specific goals.

Formal groups
 Work groups defined by the organization’s structure that have
designated work assignments and tasks.
– Appropriate behaviors are defined by and directed toward
organizational goals.
Informal groups
 Groups that are independently formed to meet the social needs
of their members.
 Examples of Formal Groups

• Command Groups
 Groups that are determined by the organization chart
and composed of individuals who report directly to a
given manager.

• Task Groups
 Groups composed of individuals brought together to
complete a specific job task; their existence is often
temporary because once the task is completed, the
group disbands.
Examples of Formal Groups (cont’d)

• Cross-Functional Teams
 Groups that bring together the knowledge and skills of
individuals from various work areas or groups whose
members have been trained to do each others’ jobs.

• Self-Managed Teams
 Groups that are essentially independent and in
addition to their own tasks, take on traditional
responsibilities such as hiring, planning and
scheduling, and performance evaluations.
Stages in Group Development
• Forming • Performing
 Members join and begin the  A fully functional group
process of defining the structure allows the group to
group’s purpose, structure, focus on performing the task
and leadership. at hand.
• Storming • Adjourning
 Intragroup conflict occurs as  The group prepares to
individuals resist control by disband and is no longer
the group and disagree over concerned with high levels
leadership. of performance.
• Norming
 Close relationships develop
as the group becomes
cohesive and establishes its
norms for acceptable
behavior.
Stages of Group Development
Group Performance Satisfaction Model
External Conditions Imposed on the Group

 Organization’s strategy
 Authority relationships
 Formal regulations
 Available organizational resources
 Employee selection criteria
 Performance management (appraisal) system
 Organizational culture
 General physical layout of work space
Group Member Resources
• Knowledge
• Skills
 Interpersonal skills such as conflict management and resolution,
collaborative problem solving, and communication determine
how effectively members perform in a group
• Abilities
 Determine what members can do

• Personality traits
 Positive traits tend to be positively related to group productivity
and morale
Group Structure
• Role
 The set of expected behavior patterns attributed to
someone who occupies a given position in a social
unit that assists the group in task accomplishment or
maintaining group member satisfaction.
 Role conflict: experiencing differing role expectations
 Role ambiguity: uncertainty about role expectations
Group Structure (cont’d)
• Norms
 Acceptable standards or expectations that are shared
by the group’s members.
• Common types of norms
 Effort and performance
 Output levels, absenteeism, promptness, socializing
 Dress
 Loyalty
Group Structure (cont’d)
• Conformity
 Individuals conform in order to be accepted by
groups.
 Group pressures can have an effect on an individual
member’s judgment and attitudes.
 The effect of conformity is not as strong as it once
was, although still a powerful force.
 Groupthink
 The extensive pressure of others in a strongly cohesive or
threatened group that causes individual members to change
their opinions to conform to that of the group.
Group Structure (cont’d)

• Status System
 The formal or informal prestige grading, position, or
ranking system for members of a group that serves as
recognition for individual contributions to the group
and as a behavioral motivator.
 Formal status systems are effective when the perceived
ranking of an individual and the status symbols accorded that
individual are congruent.
Group Structure: Group Size
• Small groups • Social Loafing
 Complete tasks faster  The tendency for
than larger groups. individuals to expend less
 Make more effective use effort when working
of facts. collectively than when
working individually.
• Large groups
 Solve problems better
than small groups.
 Are good for getting
diverse input.
 Are more effective in fact-
finding.
Group Structure (cont’d)
• Group Cohesiveness
 The degree to which members are attracted to a
group and share the group’s goals.
 Highly cohesive groups are more effective and productive
than less cohesive groups when their goals aligned with
organizational goals.
The Relationship Between Cohesiveness and Productivity
Group Processes: Group Decision Making

• Advantages • Disadvantages
 Generates more complete  Time consuming
information and  Minority domination
knowledge.
 Pressures to conform
 Generates more diverse
alternatives.  Ambiguous responsibility
 Increases acceptance of a
solution.
 Increases legitimacy of
decision.
Techniques for Making More Creative Group Decisions
Group Processes: Conflict Management

• Conflict
 The perceived incompatible differences in a group
resulting in some form of interference with or
opposition to its assigned tasks.
 Traditional view: conflict must be avoided.
 Human relations view: conflict is a natural and inevitable
outcome in any group.
 Interactionist view: conflict can be a positive force and is
absolutely necessary for effective group performance.
Group Processes: Conflict Management

• Categories of Conflict
 Functional conflicts are constructive.
 Dysfunctional conflicts are destructive.

• Types of Conflict
 Task conflict: content and goals of the work
 Relationship conflict: interpersonal relationships
 Process conflict: how the work gets done
Group Processes: Conflict Management

• Techniques to Manage Conflict:

 Avoidance
 Accommodation
 Forcing
 Compromise
 Collaboration
Group Tasks and Group Effectiveness

• Highly complex and interdependent tasks

require:
 Effective communications: discussion among group
members.
 Controlled conflict: More interaction among group
members.
Advantages of Using Teams
• Teams outperform individuals.
• Teams provide a way to better use employee
talents.
• Teams are more flexible and responsive.
• Teams can be quickly
assembled, deployed,
refocused, and disbanded.
What Is a Work Team?
• Work Team
 A group whose members work intensely on a specific
common goal using their positive synergy, individual
and mutual accountability, and complementary skills.
• Types of Teams
 Problem-solving teams
 Self-managed work teams
 Cross-functional teams
 Virtual teams
Groups versus Teams
Types of Teams

• Problem-Solving Teams
 Employees from the same department and functional
area who are involved in efforts to improve work
activities or to solve specific problems.

• Self-Managed Work Teams

 A formal group of employees who operate without a
manager and responsible for a complete work
process or segment.
Types of Teams (cont’d)
• Cross-Functional Teams
 A hybrid grouping of individuals who are experts in
various specialties and who work together on various
tasks.

• Virtual Teams
 Teams that use computer technology to link physically
dispersed members in order to achieve a common
goal.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
Characteristics of Effective Teams

• Have a clear • Are unified in their

understanding of their commitment to team goals.
goals. • Have good communication
• Have competent systems.
members with relevant • Possess effective
technical and negotiating skills.
interpersonal skills.
• Have appropriate
• Exhibit high mutual trust leadership.
in the character and
• Have both internally and
integrity of their
externally supportive
members.
environments.
Current Challenges in Managing
Teams
• Getting employees to:
 Cooperate with others
 Share information
 Confront differences
 Sublimate personal
interest for the greater
good of the team
Managing Global Teams
• Group Member Resources
 Unique cultural characteristics of team members
 Avoiding stereotyping

• Group Structure
 Conformity—less groupthink
 Status—varies in importance among cultures
 Social loafing—predominately a Western bias
 Cohesiveness—more difficult to achieve

• Group processes—capitalize on diverse ideas.

• Manager’s role—a communicator sensitive to the type of
global team to use.
Drawbacks and Benefits of Global Teams
Understanding Social Networks
• Social Network
 The patterns of informal connections among
individuals within groups.
• The Importance of Social Networks
 Relationships can help or hinder team effectiveness.
 Relationships improve team goal attainment and
increase member commitment to the team.