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Group Definition. 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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Group Definition • 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.
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.
Benefits of Groups • Good for people • Improve productivity • Sometimes make better decisions • Increase commitment to decisions • Have control over members • Offset the negative effects of large organizational size
Groups and Task Performance • Create the opportunity for synergy. • In the absence of experts make better decisions • More willing to make risky decisions • Problem: Free riding, breakdown in dynamics
Types of Groups • Formal: officially designated for specific organizational purpose. • Informal: • form spontaneously, • based on personal relationships and special interests, • can be found within formal groups
Stages of Group Development • Forming: Everyone very polite, low productivity • Primary concern entry into group. • What does the group offer me? • What will I be asked to do? • What is acceptable behavior?
Stages of Group Development (Cont.) • Storming: High emotionality and tension, low productivity. • Expectations clarified and elaborated • Begin to focus on performance • Understanding increases • Cliques may form
Stages of Group Development (Cont.) • Norming: Rules and expectations set, higher productivity. • Group comes together • Differences recede • Focus on maintaining group • Standards are clear
Stages of Group Development (Cont.) • Performing: Focus on productivity, highest productivity • Total integration • Mature state, organized and well functioning • Adjourning or Reforming • Task completed group breaks up • Membership changes stages start over
Decision Making in Groups • Lack of Response (Do nothing) • By Authority Rule (Chair decides) • Decision by Minority • Decision my Majority (Voting) • Decision by Consensus • Decision by Unanimity
Advantages of Group Decisions • Better information • More Alternatives Generated • Understanding and Acceptance better after decision. • Commitment to decision stronger
Disadvantages Of Group Decisions • Social Pressure to Conform--Group Think • Minority Domination • Time Demands
Team Work • Characteristics of High Performing Teams • Strong sense of core values • Turn general sense of values into specific objectives • Have the right mix of skills • Possess Creativity
How to Create a High Performance Team • Communicate High Performance Standards • Set the tone in first meeting--primacy • Make sure members have the right skills • Establish clear rules for team behavior • Find ways to create early success • Make sure members spend time together • Give positive feedback and reward high performance
Team Process: Task Activities • Initiating: offering ideas, suggestions solutions • Seeking Information: Clarifying suggestions, seeking functional accuracy, asking others. • Giving Information: Providing relevant information.
Team Process: Task Activities (cont) • Clarifying: clarifying relations among suggestions, coordinate members activities. • Summarizing: assessing group function, raising questions about logic.
Group Maintenance Activities • Encouraging: praising, accepting, agreeing, warmth. • Harmonizing: mediating disagreements, seeking opportunities for compromise. • Setting Standards: expressing standards for behavior and achievement. • Following: going along, agreeing • Gate keeping: encouraging participation, keeping some members from dominating.
Disruptive Behavior • Overly Aggressive • Withdrawing • Using group for self-confession • Talking about irrelevant matters • Trying to compete for attention
Group Cohesiveness • High Performing groups need cohesiveness • Cohesiveness is high when: • Groups are homogeneous • Groups are small • Have shared goals • Members are Interdependent • Increases when groups are physically isolated
Group Norms • Rules and Expectations that are enforced • Can be positive or negative, support goals or undermine them.
Creating Cohesion • Establish urgency and importance of task • Goals: Get Agreement • Membership: Increase Homogeneity • Interactions: Increase within group • Size: Small Groups • Competition: Focus on other groups • Rewards: Reward group results • Location: Isolate group