10 Robbins Fom5ce Stu ch10

Chapter 10
Understanding Groups and

Teams
Chapter 10, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Management, Fifth Canadian Edition 10-1
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education Canada
LEARNING OUTLINE
Follow this Learning Outline as you read and study this chapter
• Understanding Groups and Teams

– Define the two types of groups
– Define work team
– Compare groups and teams
– Describe the four most common types of teams
– Describe the five stages of team development
LEARNING OUTLINE (cont’d)
Follow this Learning Outline as you read and study this chapter
• Turning Individuals into Team Players

– Describe the roles team members play
– Discuss how organizations can create team players
• Turning Groups into Effective Teams
– List the characteristics of effective team
– Describe the relationships between group cohesiveness and
productivity
– Discuss how conflict management influences group behaviour
– Define social loafing
Understanding Groups and Teams
• Group
– Two or more interacting and interdependent
individuals who come together to achieve particular
goals
• Formal groups
– Work groups that have designated work assignments
and tasks directed toward organizational goals
• Informal groups
– Groups that are independently formed to meet the
social needs of their members
Exhibit 10.1a Examples of Formal
Groups
• Command
• Task
• Cross-functional
• Self-managed
Groups that are determined by the organization

chart and composed of individuals who report
directly to a given manager
Exhibit 10.1b Examples of Formal
Groups
• Command
• Task
• Self-managed
Groups composed of individuals brought together

to complete a specific job task; their existence is
often temporary because once the task is
completed, the group disbands
Exhibit 10.1c Examples of Formal
Groups
• Command
• Task
• Self-managed
Groups that bring together the knowledge and
skills of individuals from various work areas or
groups whose members have been trained to do
each others’ jobs
Exhibit 10.1d Examples of Formal
Groups
• Command
• Task
• Self-managed
Groups that are essentially independent and in
addition to their own tasks, take on traditional
responsibilities, such as hiring, planning and
scheduling, and performance evaluations
Types of Teams
• Problem-solving teams
– Employees from the same department and functional
area who are involved in efforts to improve work
activities or to solve specific problems
• Self-managed work teams
– A formal group of employees who operate without a
manager and are responsible for a complete work
process or segment
Types of Teams (cont’d)
• Cross-functional teams
– A hybrid grouping of individuals who are experts in
various specialties and who work together on various
tasks
• Virtual teams
– Teams that use computer technology to link physically
dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal
Ex. 10.2 Stages of Team Development
Prestage 1 Stage I Stage II

Forming Storming
Stage III Stage IV Stage V

Norming Performing Adjourning
Stages in Group Development
• Forming • Performing
– Members join and begin the – A fully functional group
process of defining the group’s structure allows the group to
purpose, structure, and
focus on performing the task at
leadership
hand
• Storming
– Intragroup conflict occurs as
• Adjourning
individuals resist control by the – The group prepares to disband
group and disagree over and is no longer concerned
leadership with high levels of
• Norming performance
– Close relationships develop as
the group becomes cohesive and
establishes its norms for
acceptable behaviour
Creating Team Players
• Challenges for team players

– Individual resistance
• Success is not defined by individual performance but the
team as a whole
– Culture
• Cultural background of individualism or collectivism will
affect team development
Creating Team Players (cont’d)
• Task-oriented roles
– Roles performed by group members oriented towards
task accomplishment
• Maintenance roles
– Roles performed by group members oriented towards
maintaining good relations within the group
Shaping Team Behaviour
• Selection
– Individual should have technical and interpersonal
skills
• Training
– Workshops can help individuals become team players
• Rewards
– Given to encourage team work rather than individual
accomplishments
Ex.10.3 Characteristics of Effective
Teams
Characteristics of Effective Teams
• Have a clear understanding • Are unified in their
of their goals commitment to team goals
• Have competent members • Have good communication
with relevant technical and systems
interpersonal skills • Possess effective negotiating
• Exhibit high mutual trust in skills
the character and integrity of • Have appropriate leadership
their members • Have both internally and
externally supportive
environments
Turning Groups into Effective Teams
• Group Cohesiveness
– The degree to which members are attracted to a
group and share the group’s goals
• Highly cohesive groups are more effective and
productive than less cohesive groups when their goals
align with organizational goals
Exhibit 10.4 The Relationship
Between Cohesiveness and
Productivity
Cohesiveness
High Low
Strong Increase Moderate Increase

in Productivity in Productivity
Decrease in No Significant Effect

Productivity on Productivity
Tips for Managers:
Increasing Group Cohesiveness
• Increasing socio-emotional cohesiveness
– Keep the group relatively small
– Strive for a favourable public image to increase the
status and prestige of belonging
– Encourage interaction and cooperation
– Emphasize members’ common characteristics and
interests
– Point out environmental threats (e.g., competitors
achievements) to rally the group
Source: R. Kreitner and A. Kinicki, Organizational Behavior, 6th Ed. (New York: McGraw
Hill/Irwin, 2004), p. 460. Reprinted by permission of McGraw Hill Education.
Tips for Managers:
Increasing Group Cohesiveness
• Increasing instrumental cohesiveness
– Regularly update and clarify the group’s goal(s)
– Give each group member a vital “piece of the action”
– Channel each group member’s special talents toward
the common goal(s)
– Recognize and equitably reinforce every member’s
contributions
– Frequently remind group members they need each other
to get the job done
Source: R. Kreitner and A. Kinicki, Organizational Behavior, 6th Ed. (New York: McGraw
Hill/Irwin, 2004), p. 460. Reprinted by permission of McGraw Hill Education.
Managing Group Conflict
• Conflict
– The perceived incompatible differences in a
group resulting in some form of interference with
or opposition to its assigned tasks
• Traditional view: conflict must it avoided
• Human relations view: conflict is a natural and inevitable
outcome in any group
• Interactionist view: conflict can be a positive force and is
absolutely necessary for effective group performance
High
Low Level of Conflict High Exhibit 10.5
Conflict and
Level of
Group
Group
Performance
Performance
A B C
Low
Situation A B C
Level of Conflict Low or none Optimal High

Type of Conflict Dysfunctional Functional Dysfunctional
Group's Apathetic Viable Disruptive
Internal Stagnant Self-Critical Chaotic
Characteristics Unresponsive to Change Innovative Uncooperative
Lack of New Ideas
Level of Group Low High Low
Performance
Managing Group Conflict (cont’d)
• Categories of Conflict
– Functional conflicts
– Dysfunctional conflicts
• Types of Conflict
– Task conflict: content and goals of the work
– Relationship conflict: interpersonal relationships
– Process conflict: how the work gets done
Managing Group Conflict (cont’d)
• Techniques to Reduce Conflict:

– Avoidance
– Accommodation
– Forcing
– Compromise
– Collaboration
Forcing Collaborating
Exhibit 10.6
Conflict Resolving conflicts by
satisfying one’s own
needs at the expense
Resolving conflicts by
seeking an advantageous
solution for all parties.
of another’s.
Resolution
Techniques Resolving conflicts by
each party's giving up
something of value.
Compromising
Resolving conflicts by
Resolving conflicts by placing another’s needs
withdrawing from or and concerns above
suppressing them. your own.
Source: Adapted from K.W. Thomas,
“Conflict and Negotiation Processes in
Organizations,” in M.D. Dunnette and L.M.
Hough (eds.) Handbook of Industrial and Avoiding Accommodating
Organizational Psychology, vol. 3, 2nd ed.
(Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists
Press, 1992), p. 668. With permission.
Uncooperative Cooperative
Cooperativeness
Preventing Social Loafing
• Social Loafing
– The tendency for individuals to expend less
effort when working collectively than when
working individually
Teams Aren’t Always the Answer
• Three questions to ask to determine the

appropriateness of a team approach:
– Can the work be done better by more than one
person?
– Does the work create a common purpose or set of
goals that is more than the aggregate of
individual goals?
– Are the members of the group interdependent?

10 Robbins Fom5ce Stu ch10

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10 Robbins Fom5ce Stu ch10

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Chapter 10

Understanding Groups and

• Understanding Groups and Teams

• Turning Individuals into Team Players

Groups that are determined by the organization

Groups composed of individuals brought together

Prestage 1 Stage I Stage II

Stage III Stage IV Stage V

• Challenges for team players

Strong Increase Moderate Increase

Decrease in No Significant Effect

Level of Conflict Low or none Optimal High

• Techniques to Reduce Conflict:

• Three questions to ask to determine the

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