Qu.

Have you ever been in a situation where informal group norms put you in role

conflict with formal organization standards?

Defining Groups
A group can be defined as two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives (Robbins & Judge, 2013). Implicitly the concept of group goes a step beyond individual effort and considers the collective group output. Groups can also be further classified as formal or informal. In the context of a formal organization, a good example of formal groups are the teams and departments explicitly setup to provide a service or to play a specific functional role in order to ensure the organization to achieve its mission. Here the group is defined by the structure of the organization and has been tasked specifically to carry out activities which will contribute to the overall objective or goal, this form of group is referred to as a formal group. An example of a formal group can be the cost control team within a car manufacturing business. Their role specifically will be analyze costs for the organization. Though the core business of the company may be to produce cars, this formal group is engaged to provide the management with analysis on cost, which will be required take decisions on how to optimize cost, production efficiency and profitability. On the other hand if a group of 5 friends within this same cost controlling team and/or from the production team who work on the lines, come together to form a small team who go to lunch together and watch football every weekend, then we can have another spontaneous group within this same organization which would then be referred to as an informal group. An online dictionary defines informal groups as groups which emerge naturally due to the response and common interests of the members of an organization who can easily identify with the goals or independent activities of the group (Business Dictionary, 2013). Another study stated that it was impossible to avoid the formation of informal groups within structured organizations and that it would be difficult for organization to forbid informal working relationships to arise. They also defined informal organizations as

interlocking social structure created to answer employees social and psychological needs because people need to feel they are part of something (Farivar & Esmaeelinezhad, 2012).

Characteristics of informal groups & Norms

Below is a summary of some of the likely characteristics informal groups within organizations are likely to have: o Occur spontaneously as a result of everyday interaction between employees o Built on friendship and mutual interest of the individuals o Existence of some implied code of conduct within the group members which ultimately impacts the behavior of group members. o Possibility of some form of unofficial informal group leader, who influences the other members, however this unspoken leadership can easily be changed as per the needs of the informal group o Free communication between informal group members as compared communication within the formal organization which may be more cumbersome and restricted o Platform for sharing experiences, feelings about occurrences within the formal organization, knowledge sharing etc. o Reciprocal relationships Beyond these characteristics of informal groups, another important property of a group, formal or informal, is norms. According to Robbins & Judge, norms can be defined as acceptable standards of behaviour shared by their members that express what they ought and ought not to do under certain circumstances. These norms have the power influence members behaviour within the group (Robbins & Judge, 2013). In the case of a formal group within a structured organization, the norms will then constitute the clear standards and guidelines which governs how employees should behave within the organization. These may be in the form of performance norms which may now to explicit rules on what is acceptable, a form of business code of conduct or what behaviour is expected from employees, and this may be a means of measuring what output is expected from employees.

Impact of Informal Groups on Organizations, Role Conflict

It is also important to understand the impact and the effects that informal groups can have on formal organizations. Some studies have assessed the impact of informal groups on the performance of the organizational (Farivar & Esmaeelinezhad, 2012). It is possible that informal groups can actually help the organization to work more effectively and efficiently if properly managed. For instance, by capitalizing on the easy communication between informal group members, employers (formal organization) will be able to encourage good working groups who can share learning and knowledge easily. It have also been proved that group norms can determine the output and productivity of the organization as researched by the famous Hawthorne studies which sought to examine the relationship between the some parameters such as physical environment and productivity of employees. In some cases also, the norms existing within an informal group may easily conflict with the standards within formal organization. Studies suggest in such cases that; the organisation may become less efficient at meeting its stated objectives. Organizational conflict arises where the interest, norms and actions of the informal group opposes the standards of the formal organization. I will now attempt to answer the question: Have you ever been in a situation where informal group norms put you in role conflict with formal organization standards? My initial answer would have been an unequivocal no, but I would say yes after careful considerations of the subtle issues which may constitute role conflict. In a classic example I can cite the example of myself and a group of friends absenting ourselves from the office for 90 minutes to watch a World Cup match during official office hours. Though the usual explanation will be that, we would return after the match to cover up for the time lost, the plain truth is that, we were unofficially out of office. Many minor cases of such nature are common to most of us, we bend the rules just a little bit. In more serious cases we can have an example of groups of senior students (usually) who refuse to attend a compulsory function within their educational institution. These may arise as the norm of the group may be to stay in the dormitories to and chat or listen to music. It is also worth noting that in cases where informal group behavior within a formal

organization becomes a threat to others individuals, there may be recourse to law enforcement agencies in order to handle such incidents.

Conclusion
The formation of informal groups is only a natural occurrence which arises as individuals seek to share mutual interest and to bond with others within their environment. It is also true that all such groups have norms, unspoken rules, which influence greatly the behavior of the members therein. Studies have shown that these informal groups may have positive and negative impacts on the formal organizations within which they occur. Conflicts vis--vis the standards of the organization are also likely. However there is the possibility for management within organizations to leverage on the good rapport fostered within such formal groups in order to implement initiatives which will best benefit the formal organization as a group at large.

References
1. Business Case Studies, 2013. The formal and informal organisation structure. [Online] Available at: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/operations/theformal-and-informal-organisation-structure.html [Accessed 28 October 2013]. 2. Business Dictionary, 2013. BusinessDictionary.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/informalgroups.html#ixzz2izTPkryI [Accessed 25 October 2013]. 3. Farivar, F. & Esmaeelinezhad, O., 2012. The Effects of Informal Groups on Organizational Performance. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 01 April. 4. Robbins, S. P. & Judge, T. A., 2013. Organizational Behavior. 15th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 5. UKEssays, 2013. Formal & Informal Groups. [Online] Available at: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/management/formal-informalgroups.php [Accessed 28 October 2013].