chapter fifteen

Effective Groups and Teams

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Contemporary Management, 5/e

Copyright 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Groups, Teams and Organizational Effectiveness

Group
Two or more people who interact with each other to accomplish certain goals or meet certain needs.

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Groups, Teams and Organizational Effectiveness

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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Groups, Teams and Organizational Effectiveness

Two characteristics distinguish teams from groups
Intensity with which team members work together Presence of a specific, overriding team goal or objective

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Groups and Teams as Performance Enhancers

Advantage of synergy
People working in a group are able to produce more outputs than would have been produced if each person had worked separately

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The Types of Groups and Teams

Formal Group A group that managers establish to achieve organization goals.

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Formal Groups
Cross-functional teams
composed of members from different departments

Cross-cultural teams
composed of members from different cultures or countries

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The Types of Groups and Teams

Informal Group
A group that managers or nonmanagerial employees form to help achieve their own goals or to meet their own needs.

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The Types of Groups and Teams

Type of Team
Top-management team Research and development team Command groups A group composed of the CEO, the president, and the heads of the most important departments A team whose members have the expertise and experience needed to develop new products A group composed of subordinates who report to the same supervisor, also called a department or unit, A committee of managers or nonmanagerial employees from various departments or divisions who meet to solve a specific, mutual problem; als o called an ad hoc committee
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Task forces

The Types of Groups and Teams

Type of Team
Self-managed work team Virtual team A group of employees who supervise their own activities and monitor the quality of the goods and services they provide. A team whose members rarely or never meet face to face and interact by using various forms of information technology such as email, computer networks, telephone, fax and video conferences. An informal group composed of employees who enjoy each others company and socialize with each other. An informal group composed of employees seeking to achieve a common goal related to their membership in an organization.
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Friendship group

Interest group

Virtual Teams
A team whose members rarely meet face-to-face Interact by using various forms of information technology Email, computer networks, telephone, fax, and videoconferences

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Friendship Groups
An informal group composed of employees who enjoy one anothers company and socialize with one another

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Interest Groups
An informal group of employees seeking to achieve a common goal related to their membership in an organization

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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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Group Cohesiveness
The degree to which members are attracted to their group Three major consequences
Level of participation Level of conformity to group norms Emphasis on group goal accomplishment

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Factors Leading to Group Cohesiveness

Factor
Group Size Smaller groups allow for high cohesiveness; Low cohesiveness groups with many members can benefit from splitting into two groups. Diverse groups often come up with better solutions. Encouraging a group to adopt a unique identity and engage in competition with others can increase cohesiveness. Cohesiveness increases with success; finding ways for a group to have some small successes increases cohesiveness.

Managed Diversity Group Identity

Success

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Outcomes of Cohesiveness
Group goals support the organization Group goals undermine the organization
1. Communication detracts from work 2. Conformity restricts productivity 3. Goals support group at expense of organization

1. Increased activity & communicati on 2. Conformity to norms 3. Goal achieve -ment

Cohesivene ss

Disadvantages to Cohesiveness
Changing course of action is difficult due to high levels of commitment Socialization can detract from work issues and productivity Group goals can replace organizational goals