2. Chapter 7
Groups and Teamwork
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3. Learning Outcomes Describe the five stages of group development.
After reading the material in this chapter, you should be able to:
Describe the five stages of group development.
Contrast roles and norms, and specify four reasons norms are enforced in organizations.
Explain how a work group becomes a team.
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4. Learning Outcomes Describe self-managed teams and virtual teams.
Define social loafing and explain how managers can prevent it.
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5. FUNDAMENTALS OF GROUP BEHAVIOUR
What is a Group?
Two or more freely interacting people with shared norms and goals and a common identity.
Why don’t mere aggregates of people fit this definition?
See page 138
Drawing from the field of sociology, a group is defined as two or more freely interacting individuals who share collective norms and goals and have a common identity.
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6.  2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
See Table 7-1 on page 138
Formal and Informal Groups. If a group is formed by management to help the organization accomplish its goals, then it qualifies as a formal group. These are usually called work group, team, committee or task force. An informal group exists when the members’ overriding purpose for getting together is friendship. These groups often overlap. Managers are split on whether friendship helps or hinders productivity.
There are two basic functions of groups: organizational and individual. Table 7-1 lists these functions.
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7. The Group Development Process
Five stages of group development:
Forming – “ice-breaking” stage; uncertainty high; mutual trust low; if no formal leader asserts authority, emergent leader will step in
Storming – time of testing leader’s policies & assumptions; subgroups form; subtle forms of rebellion occur; many groups stall in this stage
Norming – group cohesiveness (a “we” feeling) develops
See pages
The Group Development Process. Groups and teams in the workplace go through a maturation process, such as one would find in any life-cycle situation (e.g. humans, organizations, products). Tuckman’s model is often cited—see Figure 7-1. The five steps are forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.
Stage 1: Forming is the ‘ice-breaking’ stage where group members are uncertain and anxious about such things as their roles, who is in charge and the group’s goals.
Stage 2: Storming is the stage of testing.
Stage 3: Norming is the stage that is next where questions about authority and power are resolved through unemotional group discussions. Group cohesiveness defined as the ‘we feeling’ that binds people is a product of this stage.
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8. The Group Development Process (cont’d)
Five stages of group development (cont’d):
Performing – focus is on solving task problems; climate of open communication, strong cooperation, and helping behaviour; group achieves more than any one individual
Adjourning – the work is done; rituals such as parties, award ceremonies, graduations can provide closure
See pages
Stage 4: Performing is the activity stage where there is a climate of open communication, strong cooperation, and lots of helping behaviour.
Stage 5: Adjourning is the time when the work is done and it is time to move on
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9.  2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
See Figure 7-1 on page 139 and read pages 139 – 140 for details.
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10. Group Member Roles
Roles – sets of behaviours that persons expect of occupants of a position
Role overload – when the total of what is expected from someone exceeds what he or she is able to do
Role conflict – when different people expect different things from one person
Role ambiguity – when an individual does not know what is expected of them
See pages 140 – 141
Roles are the expected behaviours for a given position.
Role overload occurs when other people’s expectations of someone exceed that individual’s ability.
Role conflict occurs when other people have conflicting or inconsistent expectations of someone.
Role ambiguity occurs when an individual does not know what is expected of them.
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11. Task vs. Maintenance Roles
Task and maintenance roles need to be performed if a group is to accomplish anything.
Task roles enable the work group to define, clarify and pursue a common purpose.
Maintenance roles foster supportive and constructive interpersonal relationships.
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12. Summary
Task roles keep the group on track while maintenance roles keep the group together.
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13.  2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
See Table 7-2 on page 141
Task roles are task-oriented group behavior. These enable the work group to define, clarify and pursue a common purpose, that is keep the group on track.
Maintenances roles are relationship building group behaviour. These foster supportive and constructive interpersonal relationships, that is keep the group together.
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14. Norms
Norms – shared attitudes, opinions, feelings, or actions that guides social behaviour; more encompassing than roles.
How Norms are Developed:
explicit statements by supervisors or co-workers
critical events in the group’s history
primacy  first behaviour sets a pattern
carry-over behaviours from past situations
See pages
Norms are more encompassing than roles. Roles involve behavioural expectations for specific positions; norms help organizational members determine right from wrong and good from bad.
A norm is shared attitudes, opinions, feelings or actions that guide social behaviour.
If one does not conform to the norms, one can experience ostracism that is, rejection by other group members. The silent treatment by friends would be an example.
How norms are developed. Norms are developed in four ways:
explicit statements by supervisors or co-workers,
critical events in the group’s history,
primacy or the first behaviour pattern that emerges in a group often sets group expectations, and
carryover behaviours from past situations.
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15. Think About It
What norms are currently in effect in all of your classes?
Do these norms help or hinder your ability to learn?
Norms can affect performance either positively or negatively.
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16. Ostracism Rejection by other group members.
Also known as “the silent treatment”
Group members positively reinforce those who adhere to current norms with friendship and acceptance.
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17. Norms (cont’d) Why Norms Are Enforced:
Help the group or organization survive
Clarify or simplify behavioural expectations
Help individuals avoid embarrassing situations
Clarify the group’s or organization’s central values and/or unique identity
See page 143
Why norms are enforced. Norms tend to be enforced by group members when they help the group or organization survive; when they clarify or simplify behavioural expectations; when they help individuals avoid embarrassing situations; and when they clarify the group’s or organization’s central values and/or unique identity.
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18. TEAMS, TRUST, & TEAMWORK Team
a small number of people with complementary skills
committed to a common purpose, performance goals, & approach
hold themselves mutually accountable
See pages
The team approach to managing organizations is having diverse and substantial impacts on organizations and individuals. Teams promise to be the cornerstone of progressive management for the foreseeable future. Therefore, everyone will need to brush up on his or her team skills. Both women and younger employees seem to thrive in team-oriented organizations.
A Team is More Than Just a Group. A team is defined as ‘a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.
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19. A Team is More Than Just a Group
A work group becomes a team when:
Leadership becomes a shared activity.
Accountability shifts from strictly individual to both individual and collective.
The group develops its own purpose or mission.
Problem solving becomes a way of life, not a part-time activity.
Effectiveness is measured by the group’s collective outcomes and products.
See pages
A group becomes a team when:
Leadership becomes a shared activity.
Accountability shifts from strictly individual to both individual and collective.
The group develops its own purpose or mission.
Problem solving becomes a way of life, not a part-time activity.
The group’s collective outcomes and products measure effectiveness.
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20.  2007 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
See Table 7-3 on page 145
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21. Trust: A Key Ingredient of Teamwork
Trust – reciprocal faith in others’ intentions and behaviour; must be earned; cannot be demanded
Three Dimensions of Trust:
Overall trust – expecting fair play, the truth, & empathy
Emotional trust – faith that someone will not misrepresent you to others or betray confidence
Reliableness – belief that promises & appointments will be kept and commitments met
See page 146
These have not been good times for trust in the corporate world. Trust itself is defined as reciprocal faith in others’ intentions and behaviour. In short, we get what we give so trust begets trust and distrust begets distrust.
Three dimensions of trust are:
overall trust - expecting fair play, the truth and empathy,
emotional trust - faith that someone will not misrepresent you to others or betray a confidence, and
reliableness - the belief that promises and appointments will be kept and commitments met.
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22. How to Build Trust Six guidelines for building trust:
Communication - keep everyone informed; give feedback; tell the truth.
Support - be available and approachable.
Respect - delegate; be an active listener.
Fairness - give credit where due; objectively evaluate performance.
Predictability - be consistent; keep your promises.
Competence - demonstrate good business sense and professionalism.
See page 146
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23. Self-Managed Teams
Self-managed Teams – groups of employees granted administrative responsibility for their work
Research concludes that self-managed teams have:
A positive effect on productivity
A positive effect on attitudes such as responsibility & control
No significant effect on attitudes such as job satisfaction & organizational commitment
No significant effect on absenteeism or turnover
See pages 147 – 148
Self-managed teams are defined as groups of workers who are given administrative oversight for their work. Administrative oversight involves delegated activities such as planning, scheduling, monitoring, and staffing.
Self-managed teams are variously referred to as semi-autonomous work groups, autonomous work groups and super teams. When self-managed teams are used, organizations should be prepared to undergo revolutionary changes in management philosophy, structure, staffing, and training practices and reward systems. The traditional notions of managerial authority and control are turned on their heads.
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24. Virtual Teams
A virtual team is a physically dispersed task group that conducts its business through modern information technology.
Meaningful face-to-face contact, especially during early phases of the group development process, is absolutely essential.
See pages 148 – 149
Virtual Teams. A virtual team is a physically dispersed task group that conducts its business through modern information technology. These teams are very flexible and efficient because the people are driven by information and skills and not by time and location.
Research insights on virtual teams reveal that they follow similar patterns to face-to-face groups; Internet chat rooms create more work and yield poorer decisions than face-to-face meeting and telephone conferences; successful use of groupware requires training and hands-on experience; and inspirational leadership has a positive impact on creativity in electronic brainstorming groups.
Practical considerations. Virtual teams are not a cure-all. Meaningful face-to-face contact, especially during early phases of the group development process, is absolutely essential.
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25. Social Loafing
Social loafing – decrease in individual effort as group size increases. It occurs when:
the task is perceived to be unimportant, simple, or not interesting
group members think their individual input is not identifiable
group members expect co-workers to loaf
See page 150
Why do Work Teams Fail? The tendency for reduced effort as group size increases was identified many years ago, and this continues to be a problem today. More recently, specific problems related to self-managed teams have been identified.
Social loafing is defined as the decrease in individual effort as group size increases.
Social loafing theory and research. it is assumed that social loafing effects are explained by equity of effort; loss of personal accountability; motivational loss due to the sharing of rewards; and coordination loss as more people perform the task. Social loafing occurs when the task is perceived to be unimportant or simple, group members think that their individual output is not identifiable, or when groups members expect their co-workers to loaf.
Practical implications of the research findings are that social loafing is not an inevitable part of group effort, and that management can curb this threat to group effectiveness by making sure that tasks are challenging and perceived as important.
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26. Attributes of High-Performance Teams
Participative leadership
Shared responsibility
Aligned on purpose
Strong communication
Future-focused
Focused on task
Creative talents applied
Rapid response to opportunities
See page 151
Team building encompasses many activities intended to address work team failure and improve the internal functioning of work groups. The goal of team building is to create high-performance teams with the following eight attributes:
Participative leadership. Creating an interdependency by empowering, freeing up, and serving others.
Shared responsibility. Establishing an environment in which all team members feel as responsible as the manager for the performance of the work unit.
Aligned on purpose. Having a sense of common purpose about why the team exists and the function it serves.
Strong communication. Creating a climate of trust and open, honest communication.
Future focused. Seeing change as an opportunity for growth.
Focused on task. Keeping meetings focused on results.
Creative talents. Applying individual talents and creativity.
Rapid response. Identifying and acting on opportunities.
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