Groups and Group Development

A group is defined as two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals.
Formal groups are work groups that are defined by the organization’s structure and have designated work assignments and specific tasks directed at accomplishing organizational goals.
Informal groups are social groups. These groups occur naturally in the workplace and tend to form around friendships and common interests.

Stages of Group Development… Formal Stage

• Forming
• Storming 
• Norming 
• Performing 
• Adjourning

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Forming Stage
•Has two phases. The first occurs as people join the group. In a formal group people join because of some work assignment. Once they’ve joined, the second phase begins: defining the group’s purpose, structure and leadership.
•It involves a great deal of uncertainty as members “test the waters” to determine what type of behaviour are acceptable.
•This stage is complete when members begin to think of themselves as part of a group.


Storming Stage
This is the second stage of group development characterisedby intragroup conflict. There is conflict over who will control the group and what the group needs to be doing. During this stage, a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership and agreement on the group’s direction emerge.


Norming Stage
The third stage of group development in which close relationships develop and the group becomes cohesive. There is now a strong sense of group identity, friendship, and solidarity.
This stage is complete when the group structure solidifies, and the group has assimilated a common set of expectations (or norms) regarding member behaviour.



Performing Stage
At this level the group structure is in place and accepted by group members. Their energies have moved from getting to know and understand each other to working on the group’s task.
This is the last stage of group development for permanent work groups. Temporary groups move ahead to another stage –the adjourning stage.



Adjourning Stage
In this stage, the group prepares to disband. The group focuses its attention on wrapping up activities instead of task performance. Group members react in different ways. Some are upbeat and thrilled about the group’s accomplishments; others may be sad over the loss of companionship.

Factors Determining Group Performance & Satisfaction
 
External Conditions Imposed on the Group

Workgroups are affected by external conditions such as the organization’s strategy, authority relationships, formal rules and regulations ,availability of resources ,employee selection criteria, performance management system and culture, and the general physical layout of the group’s work space.
For instance,some groups have high-quality tools and equipment to do their job while others don’t. Also an organization might be pursuing a strategy of lowering cost so  improving quality ,which will affect what a group does and how it does it.


Group Member Resources
A group’s performance potential depends to a large extent on the resources each individual brings to the group. There sources include knowledge, abilities, skills, and personality traits, and they determine what members can do and how effectively they will perform in a group.
Interpersonal skills (e.g.,conflict management and resolution skills, collaborative problem solving, and communication) consistently emerge as important for high performance by workgroups.


Group Structure
Groups have an internal structure that shape members’ behaviour and influence group performance. The structure defines roles, norms, conformity, status systems, group-size ,group cohesiveness, and leadership.

• Norms are standards or expectations that are accepted and shared by a group’s members.
• Conformity means yielding to pressure from a group to behave in a certain way in order to be accepted by group members.
• [Groupthink] A faulty decision-making process that leads cohesive in-groups to seek concurrence, thereby preventing consideration of information or opinions that might cause conflict.

Status Systems. Status is a prestige grading,position,or rank within a group.
Group size affects performance and satisfaction, but the effect depends on what the group is supposed to accomplish.
Social Loafing is the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually.

Group Cohesiveness is the degree to which group members are attracted to one another and share the group’s goals.

Conflict Management in Groups
Conflict is perceived incompatible differences resulting in some form of interference or opposition. Whether the differences are real is irrelevant; if people in a group perceive that differences exist, then there is conflict.
 
Three views regarding conflict:
Traditional view of conflict: Conflict is bad and must be avoided
Human relations view of conflict: Conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group.
Interactionist view of conflict:Some conflict is necessary for a group to perform effectively.

Turning Groups into Effective Teams
What is a Work Team?
Teams are groups whose members work intensely on a specific, common goal using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and complementary skills.
Types of Work Teams

• Problem-solving teams
• Self-managed work team
• Cross-functional team
• Virtual team

Turning Groups into Effective Teams
Problem-Solving Team: A team from the same department or functional area that is involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems.
Self-Managed Work Team: A type of work team that operates without a manager and is responsible for a complete work process or segment.
Cross-Functional Team: A work team composed of individuals from various functional specialties.
Virtual Team: A type of work team that uses technology to link physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.

Creating Effective Work Teams
Teams are not always effective; they don’t always achieve high levels of performance. However, research on teams provide insights into the characteristics typically associated with effective teams. They are listed as follows:

Clear Goals: High-performance teams have a clear understanding of the goals to be achieved.
Relevant Skills: Effective teams are composed of competent individuals who have the necessary technical and interpersonal skills to achieve the desired goals while working well together.
Mutual Trust: Effective teams are characterized by high mutual trust among members. That is, members believe in each others' ability, character and integrity.


Unified Commitment: Unified commitment is characterized by dedication to the team’s goals and willingness to expend extraordinary amounts of energy to achieve them.
Good Communication: In effective teams, members convey messages verbally and non-verbally in ways that are clearly understood, for which feedback can be elicited.
 
Negotiating Skills: Because problems and relationships regularly change within teams, members need to be able to confront and reconcile differences.
Internal and External Support: Internally, the team should have a sound infrastructure which means proper training, a clear and reasonable measurement system that team members can use to assess their overall performance. Externally, managers should provide the team with the resources needed to get the job done.

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