Chapter

1. Chapter Seven GROUP DYNAMICS AND TEAMWORK

2. After reading this chapter you should be able to: 1. Define the term group, and explain why it is not just a collection of people. 2. Identify different types of groups operating within organizations as well as how they develop. 3. Describe the importance of norms, roles, status, and cohesiveness within organizations. 4. Explain how individual performance in groups is affected by the presence of others (social facilitation), the cultural diversity of group membership, and the number of others with whom one is working (social loafing). 5. Explain what teams are, and distinguish them from groups in general. 6. Describe the types of teams that exist in organizations and the steps that should be followed in creating them. 7. Understand the evidence regarding the effectiveness of teams in organizations. 8. Explain the factors responsible for the failure of some teams to operate as effectively as possible. 9. Identify how successful teams can be built.

3. Groups At Work: Their Basic Nature (Pp. 252-262) Group Dynamics - focus on the nature of groups, including their formation and development, their structure, and their inter- relationships with individuals, other groups, and the parent organization What Is a Group? - groups have four key characteristics Social interaction - two or more individuals who are able to influence each other Stability - members stay together and function as a unit Common interests or goals - helps to achieve a mutual goal Recognition as being a group - members perceive differences between themselves and non-members

4. Groups At Work: Their Basic Nature (cont.) Types of groups Formal - created by the parent organization and intended to direct the members toward some organizational goal Command - group determined by the connection between individuals who are formal members of the organization - determined by the organization’s rules regarding who reports to whom Task - formed around a specific task - expertise rather than position in the organization determine membership Informal - without direction from the organization, develops around a common goal or interests of the members Interest - group of employees who voluntarily come together to express and satisfy a common interest(s) Friendship - group extends beyond the workplace - develops without encouragement from management - offers opportunities to satisfy social needs

5. Figure 7.2 Varieties of Groups in Organizations Formal Groups Informal Groups Command Groups Task Groups Interest Groups Friendship Groups Groups

6. Groups At Work: Their Basic Nature (cont.) Why Do People Join Groups? - can achieve ends that would not be possible alone Satisfy mutual interests - by bonding together people can satisfy mutual goals Achieve security - groups provide safety in numbers and protection against common enemies Fill social needs - satisfy people’s basic need to be with others Fill need for self-esteem - groups provide opportunities for people to be recognized

7. Groups At Work: Their Basic Nature (cont.) Five-Stage Model of Group Development - a general framework of group formation Forming - members get to know each other and seek to establish ground rules - stage complete when individuals begin to think of themselves as a group Storming - members resist control by group leaders and show hostility - stage complete when conflict is resolved and the group’s leadership is accepted Norming - group becomes more cohesive, shared feelings become common, and feelings of camaraderie develop - stage complete when individuals accept a common set of expectations about the way to do things Performing - energy devoted to accomplishing goals Adjourning - occurs when goals are met and the group is no longer needed - end may be abrupt or gradual

8. Groups At Work: Their Basic Nature (cont.) Figure 7.5 Period of Equilibrium Period of Change Group makes plans Group makes changes Final changes made Task completed Beginning of group discussions Halfway to deadline Group deadline Time Punctuated-Equilibrium Model of Group Development - recognizes that members working to meet a deadline approach their task differently in the first half of their time together than they do in the second half Phase 1 - groups define their task, setting a mission that is unlikely to change until the second half of the group’s life Phase 2 - recognition that group must operate differently in order to meet its goals

9. Groups At Work: Their Basic Nature (cont.) The Structural Dynamics of Work Groups - interrelationships between the individuals constituting a group and the characteristics that make group functioning both orderly and predictable Roles - the typical behaviors characterizing a person in a social context Role incumbent - person performing a particular role Role expectations - behaviors expected of incumbent - social disorganization would result without clear role expectations Role ambiguity - incumbent’s confusion arising from not having clear role expectations - leads to job dissatisfaction, lack of commitment Role differentiation - tendency for various specialized roles to emerge as groups develop Task-oriented role - activities of a group member who, more than anyone else, helps a group reach its goal Socioemotional role - activities of a group member who is supportive and nurturant of other members Self-oriented role - activities of a group member who focuses on personal good, often at the expense of others

10. Groups At Work: Their Basic Nature (cont.) The Structural Dynamics of Work Groups (cont.) Norms - generally agreed-on, informal rules that guide the behavior of group members Prescriptive norms - dictate the behaviors that should be performed Proscriptive norms - dictate specific behaviors that should be avoided Status - relative prestige, social position, or rank given to groups or individuals by others Formal status - prestige one has by virtue of official position in the organization - status symbols - objects reflecting the position of a person within an organization’s hierarchy of power Informal status - prestige accorded persons with certain characteristics not formally recognized by the organization

11. Groups At Work: Their Basic Nature (cont.) The Structural Dynamics of Work Groups (cont.) Cohesiveness - the strength of members’ desires to remain part of their group - influenced by: - severity of initiation into the group - conditions of external threat - amount of time that members spend together - size of group (i.e., smaller tends to be more cohesive) - history of success - caution: cohesiveness can be problematic if group’s goals are contrary to the parent organization’s goals

12. Individual Performance in Groups (Pp. 263-271) Figure 7.9 If well- learned Improved performance Correct Enhanced tendency to perform the dominant response Presence of others Arousal Impaired performance Incorrect If not well- learned Social Facilitation - both performance improvements and decrements stemming from the presence of others Drive theory - the presence of others increases arousal, which in turn increases the tendency to perform the dominant response - if response is well learned, performance is enhanced - if response is novel, performance is impaired Evaluation apprehension - fear of what others might think

13. Individual Performance in Groups (cont.) Figure 7.10 Monitored by computer Performance was considerably lower when monitored either in person or by computer Monitored by person Performance was highest when people were not monitored Control group (not monitored) 0 5 10 15 20 Average Number of Anagrams Solved Correctly Social Facilitation (cont.) Social facilitation via an “Electronic Presence”- computerized monitoring already is widely used - performance suffers on complex tasks when computer monitored

14. Individual Performance in Groups (cont.) Figure 7.11 Good Performance Homogeneous groups were better at first 4.00 As time passed, performance differences disappeared 3.50 Standardized Performance Measure 3.00 Diverse groups Homogeneous groups 2.50 Poor Performance Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Time Performance in Culturally Diverse Groups - workplace becoming increasingly diverse both racially and ethnically

15. Individual Performance in Groups (cont.) Figure 7.12 High The more people working on a group task, the smaller the contribution made by any one member of the group will be Amount of Individual Group Performance Low One person working alone Small group Large group Social Loafing - tendency for group members to exert less individual effort on an additive task as the size of the group increases - contribution is less than it would be if performing alone Additive tasks - group tasks in which the coordinated efforts of several people are added together to form the group’s product Social impact theory - the effect of any social force acting on a group is divided equally among its members - the larger the group, the less pressure on any member to perform well

16. Individual Performance in Groups (cont.) Social Loafing (cont.) Effect of culture - culture plays an important part in determining people’s tendencies toward social loafing Individualistic culture - members place a high value on individual accomplishments and personal success - individual interests guide performance Collectivistic culture - members place a high value on shared responsibility and the collective good of all - group interests guide performance Overcoming social loafing - make each performer identifiable - public posting - make work tasks more important and interesting - reward individuals for contributing to their group’s performance - use punishment threats

17. Figure 7.13 Effect of Culture on Social Loafing In the collectivistic cultures of China and Israel, people performed better as part of a group than alone In the United States, people performed better alone than in groups (i.e., social loafing occurred) Perform in groups Perform alone 25 20 15 Standardized Performance Measure 10 5 0 Peoples Republic of China Israel United States

18. Teams: Special Kinds of Groups (Pp. 271-276) Figure 7.14 Groups vs. Teams Individual contributions and collective work products Performance depends on... Individual contributions Accountability for outcomes rests on... Individual outcomes Mutual outcomes Common goals Members are interested in... Common goals and commitment to purpose Responsive to... Demands of management Self-imposed demands Team - a group whose members have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose or set of performance goals for which they hold themselves mutually accountable

19. Teams: Special Kinds of Groups (cont.) Improvement Teams (concerned with improving effectiveness of processes ) Work Teams (concerned with products and services) Purpose or mission Permanent (remain intact as long as the organization exists) Temporary (exist for a finite period) Time Self-Managed Work Teams (team members make their own key decisions) Work Groups (leaders make decisions for group members) Degree of autonomy Cross-Functional Teams (members from several different specialties) Intact (work within own specialty area) Authority structure Types of Teams - vary along four major dimensions Figure 7.15

20. Effective Team Performance (Pp.277-283) How Successful Are Teams? - answering this question is tricky Survey evidence - where used, teams were generally highly regarded Case study evidence - further support for the effectiveness of teams in many different organizations - studies may not be entirely objective Experimental evidence- autonomous work teams had: - fewer accidents and lower rates of absenteeism - members who were more satisfied with their jobs than employees in conventional work arrangements Potential Obstacles to Success - members who are unwilling to cooperate - failure to receive support from management - some managers are unwilling to relinquish control - failure to cooperate with other teams

21. Effective Team Performance (cont.) Building Successful Teams Diversify team membership - different skills and experiences Keep teams small in size - least number of workers practicable Select the right team members - employees who enjoy teamwork Train, train, train - cross-training Clarify goals Link individual rewards to team performance Use appropriate performance measures - team should develop their own measures of success Promote trust - support mutual interests Encourage participation - leads to greater commitment to decisions Cultivate team spirit and social support - “can do” attitude Foster communication and co-operation Emphasize the urgency of the team’s task - rally around challenges Clarify the rules of behavior Regularly confront teams with new facts - prompts fresh approaches Acknowledge and reward vital contributions to the team