This document discusses groups and teams in organizations. It defines groups as collections of individuals who interact to accomplish goals, while teams are groups working together to achieve common objectives. The document outlines different types of groups like formal vs informal and cross-functional vs self-managed teams. It also discusses factors that impact group dynamics and performance such as size, task interdependence, roles, leadership, and cohesiveness. Highly cohesive groups tend to have greater member satisfaction and productivity but can risk conformity over performance.
3. Group
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Two or more people who interact with each other to
accomplish certain goals or meet certain needs.
A group is a collection of individual
Who have significantly interdependent relations with each
other
Whose group identity is recognised by non-members
Who have differentiated roles in the group.
4. Team
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A group of people working together
to achieve common objectives or
goals.
All teams are groups but not all
groups are teams.
Value of teams is increasing because
of their roles in employee motivation,
productivity, employee satisfaction,
improving communication,
expanding job skills, etc.
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Fig. Groups’ and Teams’ Contribution to Organisational Effectiveness
7. Competitive Advantage with Groups
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& Teams
Performance Enhancement: Make use of synergy
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: Difficult to achieve given
many constraints.
Safety issues, regulations, costs.
Cross-functional teams provide the wide variety of skills
needed.
Teams consist of members of different
departments.
8. Competitive Advantage with Groups
8
& Teams
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.
9. Types of Group & Team
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Groups & Teams
Formal Groups Informal Groups
created by managers created by workers
Cross- Top Self-
Friendship Interest
Functional Mgmt. Managed
Groups Groups
Teams Teams Teams
Cross-
R&D Command Task
Cultural
Teams Groups Forces
Teams
10. Types of Group & Team
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Type of Team
Top-management A group composed of the CEO, the president,
team and the heads of the most important
departments
Research and A team whose members have the expertise
development team and experience needed to develop new
products
Command groups A group composed of subordinates who
report to the same supervisor, also called a
department or unit,
Task forces A committee of managers or nonmanagerial
employees from various departments or
divisions who meet to solve a specific,
mutual problem; also called an “ad hoc”
committee
11. Types of Group & Team
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Type of Team
Self-managed work A group of employees who supervise their
team own activities and monitor the quality of the
goods and services they provide.
Cross-functional composed of members from different
teams departments
Cross-cultural teams composed of members from different
cultures or countries
Friendship group An informal group composed of employees
who enjoy each other’s company and
socialize with each other.
Interest group An informal group composed of employees
seeking to achieve a common goal related to
their membership in an organization.
12. Self-managed Work Team
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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 for their diversity, skills, and
enthusiasm.
Managers should guide and coach, not supervise.
Determine training needs and be sure it is provided.
The team is free to decide:
Which working methods will be used
Who shall belong to the group
Who shall perform which duties
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Dynamics affect how a group or team functions.
14. Group Size
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Group size affects how a group performs.
Advantage of small groups
Interact more with each other and easier to coordinate
their efforts
More motivated, satisfied, and committed
Easier to share information
Better able to see the importance of their personal
contributions
15. Group Size
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Advantages of large groups
More resources at their disposal to achieve group goals
Enables managers to obtain division of labor advantage
Disadvantages of large groups
Problem of communication and coordination
Lower level of motivation
Members might not think their efforts are really needed
16. Group Task
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Group tasks impact how a group interacts.
Task interdependence shows how the work of one
member impacts another; as interdependence rises,
members must work more closely together.
Task interdependence Types:
Pooled Task Interdependence: each member of a group
makes separate and independent contributions to group
performance.
Sequential Task Interdependence: requires specific behaviors
to be performed by group members in a predetermined order.
Reciprocal Task Interdependence: the activities of all work
group members are fully dependent on one another so that each
member’s performance influences the performance of every
other member of the group.
18. Group Roles
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Role:set of behaviors a group member is expected to
perform because of their position in the group.
In cross-functional teams, members perform roles in their
specialty.
Managers need to clearly describe expected roles to group
members when they are assigned to the group.
Role-making occurs as workers take on more roles as group
members.
Self-managed teams may assign the roles to members
themselves.
19. Group Leadership
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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.
20. Group Cohesiveness
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Group Cohesion - interpersonal attraction binding
group members together
Enables groups to exercise effective control over
the members
Groups with high cohesiveness
demonstrate lower tension & anxiety
demonstrate less variation in productivity
demonstrate better member satisfaction, commitment,
& communication
21. Group Cohesiveness
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Level of Participation: as cohesiveness rises, so will
participation.
Participation helps get members actively involved, but too much
can waste time.
Level of Conformity: as conformity rises, so does
cohesiveness.
With too much conformity, performance can suffer.
Level of Group Goal Accomplishment: as cohesiveness
rises, the emphasis on group accomplishment will rise.
High levels of cohesiveness can cause the group to focus more on
itself than the firm.