1. Groups and Teams 14 Chapter Read Objectives
Introduce Desert Survival Activity
Timing – Individually – 3-5 minutes
Group 15 minutes
Debrief 15 minutes
2 ½ hours
Desert Survival
Lecture
RTT Case (without debrief)

2. Chapter #14 Learning Objectives
By the conclusion of this discussion you should know:
the difference between a group and a team and the advantages they have in organizations.
how groups develop over time and the importance of group dynamics.
how to recognize non-effective group behaviors and understand how to make your work groups more effective and efficient.
Read Objectives
Introduce Desert Survival Activity
Timing – Individually – 3-5 minutes
Group 15 minutes
Debrief 15 minutes
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3. Groups, Teams and Organizational Effectiveness
Two or more people who interact with each other to accomplish certain goals or meet certain needs.
Team
A group whose members work intensely with each other to achieve a specific, common goal or objective.
All teams are groups but not all groups are teams.
Teams often are difficult to form.
It takes time for members to learn how to work together.
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4. Groups’ and Teams’ Contributions to Organizational Effectiveness
Performance Enhancement:
Workers in a group have the opportunity to produce more or better output than separate workers.
Members correct other’s errors, bring new ideas to bear.
Managers should build groups with members of complimentary skills.
Responsive to Customers:
Safety issues, regulations, costs.
Cross-functional teams provide the wide variety of skills needed.
Teams consist of members of different departments.
Creativity/Innovation: individuals rarely possess the wide variety of skills needed.
Team members also uncover flaws and develop new ideas.
Managers should empower the team for the full innovation process.
Motivation: members of groups, and particularly teams, are often better motivated and satisfied than individuals.
It is fun to work next to other motivated people.
Team members see their contribution to the team.
Teams also provide social interaction.
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Figure 14.1

5. The Types of Groups and Teams in Organizations
Formal Group
A group that managers establish to achieve organization goals.
Informal Group
A group that managers or nonmanagerial employees form to help achieve their own goals or to meet their own needs.
Cross-functional: members of different departments.
Cross-cultural: members of different cultures.
Research and Development Teams: Create new products.
Top Management team: help develop firm’s direction.
Important to have diversity in it to avoid group think.
Command Groups: members report to same manager (working departments).
Task Force: created to meet a given objective. (your work groups)
Standing committees are permanent task forces.
Self-Managed Teams: members are empowered to complete
some given work.
Team decides how to do the task.
Keys to effective self managed teams:
Give the team enough responsibility and autonomy to be self-managing.
The team’s task should be complex enough to include many different steps.
Select members carefully. Look for diversity, skills, and enthusiasm.
Manager should guide and coach, not supervise.
Determine training needs and be sure it is provided.
Friendship group: made up of employees who enjoy each other’s company.
Satisfy the need for human interaction and social support.
Interest Groups: Workers seek to achieve a common goal based on their member
ship in the organization.
Managers should observe interest groups to learn what employees see as important.
Source:
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Figure 14.2

6. Group Dynamics Group Dynamics Group size affects how a group performs.
Normally, small groups (2 to 9 members)
Larger groups can be used when more resources are needed and division of labor is possible.
Group tasks impact how a group interacts.
Task interdependence shows how the work of one member impacts another;
Group Dynamics
The characteristics and processes that affect how a group or team functions
As interdependence rises, members must work more closely together.
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7. Types of Task Interdependence
Task Interdependence Types
Pooled
Members make separate, independent contributions to group such that group performance is the sum of each member’s contributions.
Sequential
Members perform tasks in a sequential order making it difficult to determine individual performance since one member depends on another.
Reciprocal
Work performed by one group member is mutually dependent on work done by other members.
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Figure 14.3

8. Group Roles
Group Role - set of behaviors and tasks that a group member is expected to perform because of his or her position in the group.
Task
Maintenance
Personal
In cross-functional teams, members are expected to perform roles in their specialty.
Managers should clearly describe expected roles to group members when they are assigned to the group.
Role-making occurs as workers take on more responsibility in their roles as group members.
Self-managed teams may assign the roles to members themselves.
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9. Group Leadership
Effective leadership is a key ingredient in high performing groups, teams, and organizations.
Formal groups created by an organization have a leader appointed by the organization.
Groups that evolve independently in an organization have an informal leader recognized by the group.
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10. The Stages of Group Development
Forming
Group members get to know each other and reach common goals.
Storming
Group members disagree on direction and leadership. Managers need to be sure the conflict stays focused.
Norming
Close ties and consensus begin to develop between group members.
Performing
The group begins to do its real work.
Adjourning
Only for task forces that are temporary.
Note that these steps take time!
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Figure 14.4

11. Group Dynamics Group Norms
Shared guidelines or rules that most group members follow.
Groups may set their working hours, behavior rules, and output quotas.
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12. Group Dynamics Conformity and Deviance
Members conform to norms to obtain rewards, imitate respected members, and because they feel the behavior is right.
When a member deviates, other members will try to make them conform, expel the member, or change the group norms to accommodate them.
Conformity and deviance must be balanced for high performance from the group.
Deviance allows for new ideas in the group.
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13. Balancing Conformity and Deviance in Groups
Figure 14.5
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14. Group Cohesiveness Group Cohesiveness
The degree to which members are attracted and loyal to the group.
Increases in group cohesiveness causes:
Participation in the group to increase which helps get members actively involved, but too much involvement can waste the group’s time.
Conformity to group norms to increase, although with too much conformity, group performance can suffer.
Group goal accomplishment to increase in importance which can result in the group becoming more focused on itself than the organization.
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15. Sources and Consequences of Group Cohesiveness
Determinates of cohesiveness: can be altered to change cohesiveness levels in a group.
Group Size: small groups allow high cohesiveness.
Managed Diversity: Diverse groups often come up with better solutions.
Group Identity: When cohesiveness is low, encourage a group to adopt a unique identity and engage in healthy competition with others. WMA Story/Remember the Titans
Success: cohesiveness increases with success.
Group cohesiveness: measures the loyalty to the group by its members.
Level of Participation: as cohesiveness rises, so will participation.
Level of Conformity: as conformity rises, so does cohesiveness.
Level of Group Goal Accomplishment: as cohesiveness rises, the emphasis on group accomplishment will rise.
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Figure 14.6

16. Threats to Group Effectiveness
Inappropriate conformity
Groupthink
Group demographics
Social Loafing
Masculine and Feminine Discussion: Don’t’ want to offend anyone. Masculine traits are not male and Feminine traits are not female. Explain.
Demographics: age, national origin, perceptions, race, religion, gender, etc.
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17. Three Ways to Reduce Social Loafing
We will have NO Social Loafers
Social loafing
The human tendency to put forth less effort in a group than individually.
Results in possibly lower group performance and failure to attain group goals
Reducing social loafing:
Make individual efforts identifiable and accountable.
Emphasize the valuable contributions of individual members.
Keep group size at an appropriate level.
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Figure 14.7

18. Increasing Group Effectiveness
Leadership
Productive Meetings
Team-building exercises
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19. Managing Groups and Teams for High Performance
Motivating group members to achieve organizational goals:
Members should benefit when the group performs well
Individual compensation is a combination of both individual and group performance.
Make additional resources (beyond compensation), such as choice assignments, available to high-performance groups.
rewards can be monetary or in other forms such as special recognition.
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20. Managing Groups and Teams for High Performance (cont’d)
Help groups manage conflict
All groups will have conflict, managers should seek ways to direct it to the goals.
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21. Conclusion Team formation requires a lot of hard work and time.
Teams can take on many different forms and serve various functions.
Effective teams can provide advantages to organizational performance.
Team behavior needs to be monitored and action needs to be taken to ensure effectiveness.
Remember The Titans Case
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