Group & Team Behaviour

By :
Name –Pulkit Gupta
Enrollment No. - 1011001112
 What is a Group?

Two or more people interacting and

interdependent, who have come together to
achieve particular objectives.
Why do people join groups?-
Affiliation
Security
Status
Self-esteem
Power
Goal achievement
 What is a team?

 Team is a number of persons associated in some joint action

 Teams are groups of people who work actively together to achieve a
purpose for which they are all accountable
 Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in
complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.
Comparison between Groups and
Teams
 Work Groups  Work Teams
 Goal- to share  Goal- collective
information performance
 Synergy-
 Synergy-positive
neutral/negative
 Accountability-
 Accountability-
individual individual and
 Skills-random and mutual
varied  Skills-
 Leadership- clearly complementary
focused leader  Leadership-shared
leadership
 Why organizations are preferring
teams?

Structural change
Increased interdependence among different
functions
Emphasis on creative decisions
Tasks are requiring multi skills, judgment and
experience.
Types of Groups
Formal & Informal Groups
Command group
Task group
Interest group
Friendship group
 Formal Groups
A group is formal when it is purposely designed to
accomplish an organizational objective or task. It is
created via a formal authority for some defined
purpose.

Informal Groups
These emerge naturally in response to the common
interests of organizational members. They are formed
spontaneously without any formal designation. These
result due to personal bonds and social interaction
among people who work together at the same place
and may have similarities as well as differences in their
nature and their outlook.
 Stages of Group
Development

Five Stage Model - forming, storming, norming,

performing, adjourning

Punctuated Equilibrium Model -

First meeting sets the group’s direction.
First phase of group activity is one of inertia
A transition takes place at the end of this first
phase.
The transition initiates major changes.
A second phase of inertia follows the transition.
Group’s last meeting is characterized by
markedly accelerated activity
Stages of Group Development
 Forming
A time for defining:
task
responsibilities
goals
Structure
group
Leader?

10
Forming – What we Feel
excitement
Anticipation
Pride
attachment
Suspicion

11
 Storming
earned title
task and the effects
polar positions
Separation
charged and emotional
conflict

12
Storming – What we Feel
tension
Jealousy
Fluctuations
Concern
Questioning

13
 Norming
accepting
Comfortable
manage conflict
Competition
responsibility

14
Norming – What we Feel
Comfort
Relief
optimism
spirit

15
 Performing
solving problems
directing behavior
productivity
Goals
interdependence

16
Performing – What we Feel
Satisfaction
Reflection
Tolerance

17
 Adjourning
Temporary groups
Wrapping things up

18
Adjourning – What we Feel
Upbeat
Depressed

19
(High)
Performance

Phase 2
Completion
First
Meeting
Transition
Phase 1

(Low)
A (A+B)/2 B

Time
GROUPS DYNAMICS

People Throughputs
Tasks
• Task
Resource
performance
Goals
• Member
Size Norms satisfaction
Setting Conflict
Information Cohesion
Technology Decisions
Communication
Inputs Outputs
Factors influencing Group
Behaviour
 Roles- role identity, role perception, role
expectation, role conflict
 Norms-performance norms, appearance
norms, social norms, allocation of
resources norms
 Conformity of norms
Deviant workplace behavior
 Status- socially defined position or rank
◦ status and norm
◦ status equity
◦ status and culture
Size- task accomplishment, problem solving
Social loafing ( the tendency to put less
efforts when working collectively than
when working individually)

Cohesiveness- the degree to which group

members are attracted to each other and are
motivated to stay in the group
Results in More participation, More
success, More communication, More
personal satisfaction, High Productivity
Roles in Groups
Task-oriented roles
Roles performed by group members to
ensure that the tasks of the group are
accomplished
Maintenance roles
Roles performed by group members to
maintain good relations within the group
Individual roles
Roles performed by group members that are
not productive for keeping the group on task
Roles That Build Task
Accomplishment

Initiating
Group Decision Making
 Strengths  Weaknesses
 More complete  Time consuming
information and  Conformity pressures
knowledge
 Dominated by one or a
 More alternatives
few members
 Increased diversity of  Ambiguous
views responsibility
 High quality decisions  Groupthink
 Increased acceptance of
a solution
Group think- Norm for consensus overrides
the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of
action.

Group shift- a change in the decision risk

between the group’s decision and individual
decision that members within the group would
make. It can be either towards conservatism
or greater risk.
Symptoms of Groupthink

The illusion of overconfidence and

invulnerability.
Belief in the inherent morality of the group.
Pressures for conformity.
Self Censorship.
Illusion of unanimity.
Techniques of Group Decision
Making
 Brainstorming – This involves a group of
people, usually between 5 and 10, sitting
around a table in a classroom setting
generating ideas in the form of free
association.

 Delphi Technique – This involves

obtaining the opinions of experts
physically separated from each other and
unknown to each other.
 Nominal Technique – This involves highly
structured procedures employed for
generating and analyzing various ideas and
alternatives.

 Fishbowling – In this technique the decision

making group of experts is seated around a
circle with a single chair in the centre of the
circle. Exchanges are made between the
centre and the group.
 Didactic Interaction – The group to make
the decision is split into two sub groups , one
favoring the “go” decision and the other
favoring the “no go” decision. They meet and
discuss their findings after which they change
places to understand the opposite viewpoint
and take a decision on mutual acceptance.
Types of Teams
Problem solving teams
Self-managed teams( Hewlett-Packard,
GM, Pepsi,Xerox etc)
Cross functional teams( automobile
companies like BMW, Honda, GE,
Toyota, Ford)
Virtual teams work across space, time,
and organizational boundaries with links
strengthened by webs of communication
technologies. (NIIT, HP, Shell, Boeing,
Ford)
Characteristics of an
Effective Team

1. Clear Purpose 7. communication

2. Informality 8. Clear rules
3. Participation 9. leadership
4. Listening 10. relations
11. diversity
5. disagreement 12. Self-assessment
6. Consensus
decisions
Factors responsible for creating an
effective team( A team-effectiveness
model)
Context- Adequate resources, leadership,
climate of trust, performance evaluation
and rewards
Composition- Ability, personality, roles,
diversity (demography), size, member
flexibility, preference for team work
Process-common purpose, specific goals,
team efficacy, conflict, social loafing,
synergy
Work Design- Autonomy, skill variety, task
identity, task significance, feedback
 Common Problems that
Teams Experience
Floundering
Overbearing and/or Dominating Members
Reluctant Members
Unquestioned Acceptance of Opinions
Rush to Accomplishment
Attribution
Discounts and Plops
Wanderlust
Feuding Members
A Model of Team
Effectiveness

Work design Composition

• Autonomy • Ability
• Skill variety • Personality
• Task identity • Roles and diversity
• Task significance • Size
• Flexibility
• Preference for teamwork
Team
effectiveness
Process Context

• Common purpose • Adequate resources

• Specific goals • Leadership
• Team efficacy • Performance
• Conflict evaluation
• Social loafing and rewards
Skills
Teams need the following skills to perform
effectively:
Technical expertise
Problem-solving and decision-making skills
Interpersonal skills
Roles That Build and
Maintain a Team

Harmonizing

Compromising
Roles of Team Leaders
Creating a real team
Setting a clear and meaningful direction
Making sure that the structure will support
working effectively
Ensuring that the team has a supportive
organizational environment
Providing expert coaching
 Creating Effective Teams –
Work Design

Effective teams need to work together and

take collective responsibility to complete
significant tasks. They must be more than a
“team-in-name-only.”
Creating Effective Teams
– Process
Common Purpose
Specific Goals
Team Efficacy
Managed Level of Conflict
Accountability
Creating a Team Charter
names and contact information
How will communication
team ground rules
decisions
potential conflicts
conflicts resolved
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.
Increasing Instrumental
Cohesiveness
Regularly update and clarify the group’s
goal(s).
Give every 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.
Relationship Between Group
Cohesiveness, Performance Norms,
and Productivity

Cohesiveness
High Low
Performance Norms

High Moderate
High
productivity productivity

Low Moderate to
Low
productivity low productivity
Guidelines for Effective Decision
Making
Be sure that the purpose of the group is
well defined and clearly understood.
Be sure that the group members
communicate freely with each other.
Be sure that the group has access to all the
necessary resources of information.
Be sure that the group is not dominated by
any member including the leader.
Be sure that the size of the group is
adequate.
Characteristics of Ineffective
Teams
Not sharing
Overdependence
Failure
conflict
Not resolving
Subgroups
 What is Trust?
A trust exercise involves engaging team members in a way
that will induce trust between them. They are sometimes
difficult exercises to implement as there are varying degrees
of trust between individuals and varying degrees of individual
comfort trusting others in general.
Dimensions of Trust
Dimensions of Trust
Integrity
Honesty and truthfulness
Competence
Technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills
Consistency
Reliability, predictability, and good judgment in
handling situations
Loyalty
Willingness to protect and save face for a person
Openness
Willingness to share ideas and information freely
Building Trust
working for others’
team player.
openness.
fair.
feelings.
consistency
confidence.
competence.
Sports Teams as Models
 Good Models
 Successful teams integrate
cooperation and competition
 Successful teams score early
wins
 Successful teams avoid
losing streaks
 Practice makes perfect
 Successful teams use
halftime breaks
 Winning teams have a stable
membership
 Successful teams debrief
after failures and successes
Poor Models
 All sport teams aren’t
alike
 Work teams are more
varied and complex
 A lot of employees can’t
relate to sports
metaphors
 Workteam outcomes
aren’t easily defined in
terms of wins and losses
 Contemporary Issues in
Managing Teams

Turning individuals into team players

( selection, orientation, training, opportunity)
Diversity and team performance
Reinvigorating mature teams
Managing reward
Issue of team leadership
Managing conflicts
 BUILD A HIGH PERFORMANCE
TEAM
Communicate high standards
Set tone from first meeting
Create sense of urgency
Choose members with needed skills
Set clear rules; model desired behaviors
Give positive feedback
Reward high performance

54
Beware! Teams Aren’t
Always the Answer
Questions to determine whether a team fits
the situation:
Can the work be done better by more than
one person?
Does work create a common purpose or set
of goals for the people in the group that is
more than the aggregate of individual goals?
Are members of the group interdependent?
 Summary and
Implications
 What are teams and groups?
Groups are simply the sum of individual efforts. Teams generate
positive synergy through coordinated efforts.
 Does everyone use teams?
Teams have become an essential part of the way business is
being done, with a large majority of companies now using them.
 Do groups and teams go through stages while they work?
Two different models were presented:
 The five stage model: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning
 The punctuated-equilibrium model: describes the pattern of development of
specific to temporary groups with deadlines
 Summary and
Implications
 How do we create effective teams?
For teams to be effective, carefulconsideration must be given
to resources, the team’s composition, work design, and process
variables
 How do virtual teams work?
Virtual teams function much as face-to-face teams, but have
more challenges. Virtual team members need to communicate
more about themselves at the start of projects.
 Are teams always the answer?
Ask
 Can the work be done better by more than one person?
 Does the work create a common purpose or set of goals for the people in
the group that is more than the aggregate of individual goals?
 Are the members of the group interdependent?