Chapter 8: Group Dynamics and Teamwork

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Chapter 8 Group Dynamics and Teamwork

• November 9, 2000

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What is a group?
DEFINITION A collection of 2 or more interacting
individuals (or cows) who maintain stable
patterns of relationships, share common goals,
and perceive themselves as being a group. (page
230)
Source The Far Side
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Types of Groups in Organizations

• Formal intentionally designed by organization
  to direct members towards a goal
• Command Group (e.g. supervisor and subordinates)
• Task Group (e.g. task force)
• Informal develop naturally among people without
  any direction from organization
• Interest Group
• Friendship Group

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Why Join a Group?

• Satisfy mutual interest
• Safety in numbers
• Fulfill basic psychological need to be social
• Nurture self-esteem

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Stages in Group Development

• Forming The introduction
• Storming The compromise
• Norming Acceptance
• Performing Task fulfillment
• Adjourning Mission accomplished

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Structure of Work Groups

• Roles
• What hat are you wearing?
• Norms
• Informal
• Prescriptive versus proscriptive
• Status
• Status symbols versus informal
• Cohesiveness
• Groupthink

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Individual performance and groups

• Social Facilitation
• Perform better if know task
• Perform weaker if task is new
• Why?
• Mere presence
• Evaluation apprehension
• Distraction-conflict
• Computerized performance monitoring Big
  Brother
• Cultural Diversity
• Weak link over time
• Social Loafing
• The free rider

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What makes a team?
DEFINITION 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.
(p. 250)
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Why teams are different from groups

• Interdependence collective work products
• Mutual accountability
• Common commitment to purpose
• Self-managing

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The Exercise

• Can we make a team?

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Discussion Question 1

• Do you think the formation of teams will increase
  organizational performance? Why?

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Types of Teams

• Purpose/Mission
• Work or improvement
• Time
• Permanent or temporary
• Autonomy
• Self-managed work teams
• Authority Structure
• Intact and cross-function teams

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Stages of Work Team Creation

• Stage 1 Do prework
• Stage 2 Create performance conditions
• Stage 3 Form and build the team
• Stage 4 Provide ongoing assistance

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Why do teams fail?

• Unwilling to cooperate with each other
• Fail to receive support from management
• Manager unwilling to relinquish control
• Fail to cooperate with other teams - rivalry

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Building High-Performance Teams

• Diversify team membership
• Keep teams small in size
• Select the right team members
• Train, train, train
• Clarify goals
• Link individual rewards to team performance
• Use appropriate performance measures
• Encourage participation
• Cultivate team spirit and social support
• Foster communication and cooperation
• Emphasize the urgency of the teams task
• Clarify the rules of behaviour
• Regularly confront teams with new facts
• Acknowledge and reward