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Group Dynamics and Team Work

Dr. Fred Mugambi MwirigiJKUAT

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What is a group?

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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Components of a group?

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What is the nature of groupsin organizations? 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 an experiences are

positive and meet important personal needs.

Team viability. Members are sufficiently satisfied to continue working together

on an ongoing basis.

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Groups and TeamsGroups

1. Interact with one another.

2. Are working toward some common purpose.

3. Perceive themselves to be a group.

4. Have a strong, focused leader.

5. Have individual accountability.

6. Strive to run efficient meetings.

Teams

1. Are a special type of group.

2. Have complementary skills.

3. Are committed to a common purpose.

4. Have a set of performance goals.

5. Have a defined approach to a task.

6. Have a team leader who shares leadership roles.

7. Have individual and mutual accountability.

8. Encourage open-ended discussion and participation.

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Types of Groups

Formal Groups deliberately formed by the organization to

accomplish specific tasks and achieve goals.

Informal Groups emerge over time through the interaction of

workers to satisfy a social or recreational purpose.

Are not sanctioned but may be tolerated by the organization.

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Another View

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Work Teams

Without cohesiveness there cannot be effective performance

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Types of Work Teams

Cross-Functional Team Is a group of workers with different specialties drawn from

the same level in the organization to blend their talents to accomplish a task such as product development.

Have individual members who think in terms of what is good for the organization and not their specialty.

Top-Management Team Is the group of managers at the top of organizations that

collaborates in making most major decisions. Occasionally, can be a committee of two or more top

executives who claim to share power.

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Virtual Teams

Are small groups of people who conduct almost all of their collaborative work by electronic communication rather than face-to-face. Members can be located anywhere in the world.

Task Teams

Constructed around key

organizational tasks

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Synergy and harmony are key in team performance….

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Stages of Group DevelopmentStage 1: Forming Group members learn:

what tasks are expected to be performed.

what the benefits are of group membership.

what rules must be followed and expected behaviors.

Stage 2: Storming A time of hostility, infighting, tension,

and confrontation. Members argue to clarify expectations. Coalitions, cliques, and subgroups form

within the group.

Stage 3: Norming A period of quiet; resistance is overcome

and group standards (norms) are established.

Cohesiveness and commitment begin to emerge.

Stage 4: Performing In this stage, the group is ready to focus

on accomplishing its key tasks. Intrinsic motivation and creativity emerge

as the group performs (“working for the cause”).

Stage 5: Adjourning Groups are dissolved after their tasks are

accomplished.

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The Stages of Group Development

Adjourning Storming

NormingPerforming

Forming

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Tuckman’s Five-Stage Theoryof Group Development

IndividualIssues

Forming Storming Norming Performing

“How do I fit in?”

“What’s myrole here?”

“What do theothers expectme to do?”

“How can I bestperform my role?”

GroupIssues

“Why are we here?”

“Why are wefighting overwho’s incharge and whodoes what?”

“Can we agreeon roles andwork as a team?”

“Can we do thejob properly?”

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Power over Others

Power over Others

Ability to Contribute

Ability to Contribute

Personal Characteristics

Personal Characteristics

Group MemberStatus

Group MemberStatus

Status: A socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others

Status Inequity Status Inequity National Culture

National Culture

Other things influencing or influenced by status

Group Properties—Status

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– Members are aware of each other’s assets and liabilities.

– Individual differences are accepted.

– The group’s authority and interpersonal relationships are recognized.

– Group decisions are made through rational discussion.

– Conflict is over group issues, not emotional issues.

– Members are aware of the group’s processes and their own roles in them.

Mature Groups

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Groups Decision Making

How groups make decisions. Decision by lack of response. Decision by authority rule. Decision by minority rule. Decision by majority rule. Decision by consensus. Decision by unanimity.

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Advantages of group decision making

More knowledge and expertise is applied to solve the problem.

A greater number of alternatives are examined. The final decision is better understood and

accepted by all group members. More commitment among all group members to

make the final decision work.

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Disadvantages of group decision making.

Potential Individuals may feel compelled to conform to the apparent wishes of the group. The group’s decision may be dominated by one

individual or a small coalition. Group decisions usually take longer to make.

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Groupthink

The tendency for members of highly cohesive groups to

lose their critical evaluation capabilities.

Groupthink can lead the group to make poor decisions.

Group members and leaders should:

Be sensitive to the occurrence of groupthink.

Take actions to prevent the occurrence of groupthink.

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How to improve group decision making

Brainstorming.

Nominal group technique.

Delphi technique.

Computer-mediated decision making.

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Brainstorming

Group members actively generate as many ideas and alternatives as possible, and they do so relatively quickly and without inhibitions.

Brainstorming rules. All criticism is ruled out. Free-wheeling is welcomed. Quantity is wanted. Piggy-backing is good.

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Nominal group technique

A form of structured group decision making

that enables everyone to participate and have

his/her ideas heard without hostile criticism or

distortions.

A structured voting procedure is used to prioritize

responses to the nominal question.

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Delphi technique

Used in situations where group members are unable to meet face to face.

The process. A series of questions is distributed to a panel. Panel members submit their responses to a decision

coordinator. The decision coordinator summarizes the responses,

and sends the summary along with a follow-up questionnaire to the panel.

Panel members send in their responses. The process is repeated until a consensus is reached.

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Computer-mediated decision making

Electronic brainstorming through the use of

special software and personal computers..

The nominal group and Delphi techniques lend

themselves to computer mediation.

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Group Problem Solvingand Decision Making:

Steps in theDelphi Process

StartStartStartStart

Prepare questionnairePrepare questionnairePrepare questionnairePrepare questionnaire

Determine expertise requiredDetermine expertise requiredDetermine expertise requiredDetermine expertise required

Sample experts (sample size)Sample experts (sample size)Sample experts (sample size)Sample experts (sample size)

Distribute questionnaireDistribute questionnaireDistribute questionnaireDistribute questionnaire

Analyze question responsesAnalyze question responsesAnalyze question responsesAnalyze question responses

Has consensus been reached?Has consensus been reached?Has consensus been reached?Has consensus been reached?

Provide requested information Provide requested information and tabulate responsesand tabulate responses

Provide requested information Provide requested information and tabulate responsesand tabulate responses

Prepare the next questionnairePrepare the next questionnairePrepare the next questionnairePrepare the next questionnaire

Problem definitionProblem definitionProblem definitionProblem definition

Compile final responses and Compile final responses and disseminate the results (final disseminate the results (final report)report)

Compile final responses and Compile final responses and disseminate the results (final disseminate the results (final report)report)

YesYes

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Potential Problem Within Groups

Group Polarization Shifts in member attitudes to more or less risky

positions, which, in turn, reduces intragroup cohesion.

Social Loafing Occurs when an undermotivated person shirks

individual responsibility and tries to squeeze by without contributing a fair share of the work.

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Potential Problem Within Groups

Groupthink Occurs when strong group cohesiveness creates an

extreme form of consensus and interferes with effective decision making.

Contributors to groupthink:strong member identification with the groupdirective leadershiphigh stressinsulation of the groupno built-in mechanism for evaluating decisions

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Performance

Expec

ted

Actual (due to

loafin

g)

Other Conclusions Odd number groups do

better than even. Groups of 5 to 7 perform

better overall than larger or smaller groups.

Other Conclusions Odd number groups do

better than even. Groups of 5 to 7 perform

better overall than larger or smaller groups.

The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually

Social Loafing

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Increasing Group Cohesiveness Make the group smaller Encourage agreement with group goals Increase the time members spend together Increase group status and admission difficulty Stimulate competition with other groups Give rewards to the group, not individuals Physically isolate the group.

Increasing Group Cohesiveness Make the group smaller Encourage agreement with group goals Increase the time members spend together Increase group status and admission difficulty Stimulate competition with other groups Give rewards to the group, not individuals Physically isolate the group.

Cohesiveness

Degree to which group members are attracted to each other and are motivated to stay in the group

Group Properties—Cohesiveness

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Group Size and homogeneity are particularly key

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Relationship Between Group Cohesiveness, Performance Norms, and Productivity

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A Team-Effectiveness Model

A Team-Effectiveness Model

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Goal: Maximise process gains while minimising process losses!

Effects of Group Processes

Potential group effectiveness Process gains Process losses

Actual group effectiveness

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What are the foundationsof group effectiveness? 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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Factors Affecting Group Performance

1. Composition

2. Size

3. Norms

4. Cohesiveness

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Composition Heterogeneous group with diverse abilities and

information more effective. Effective outcome with heterogeneous group in

terms of gender, personality, opinions, skills and perspective.

More conflict laden and less expedient- more deliberate.

Cultural diversity useful when diversity of view points are required.

However, culturally diverse group have difficulty in learning.

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Size

Size has a major effect on group performance Smaller groups tend to be more effective than

larger groups Social loafing and free riding are major

problems that groups must overcome Odd number groups are more prefered

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Norms

These are acceptable standards of behaviour that are shared by group members.

These define what ought/ought not to be done by members.

When accepted and agreed upon by members these act as behaviour influencing parameters for conduct without outside control.

Norms differ group to group. These could be formally or informally laid down.

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Common classes of norms Performance norms: laid down parameters as to how

hard a person is required to work, what production level to achieve and so on.

Appearance norms: dress, seeming to look for a new job etc.

Arrangement norms: basically applicable to informal groups. These laid down degree of social interaction. In essence participative social activities.

Allocation of resources norms: these could include pay, bonus, tools equipment, assignment of difficult jobs etc.

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End