2023: Week 06 SPRING

Groups are:

• two or more interdependent individuals who have come together to achieve particular objectives.

• two or more individuals interacting to achieve particular objectives.

• two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives.

• two or more individuals who have come together to achieve particular objectives.

Informal groups:

• come together to achieve particular objectives.

• are neither informally structured nor organisationally determined.

• are designated work groups defined by an organisation’s structure.

• appear in response to the need for social contact.

Stages of group development include:

• storming, forming, norming, performing and debriefing.

• briefing, forming, storming, norming, and performing.

• norming, briefing, forming, storming, performing and debriefing.

• forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.

What role requirements do groups impose on individuals?

• Role perception is an individual’s view of how he or she is supposed to act in a given situation received by external stimuli.

• Role expectations are how others believe a person should not act in a given situation.

• A psychological contract in a written agreement that sets out mutual expectations of management and employees.

• Role conflict is a situation in which a group is confronted by divergent role expectations.

What are group strengths?

• Generally, more accurate than teams.

• Generate less complete information and knowledge.

• Offer increased diversity of views.

• Offer less creativity.

Group weaknesses include:

• discussion reliable to be dominated by a few members.

• less time-consuming.

• conformity pressures in the group.

• concrete responsibility.

Organisational teams:

• are a great way to use employee talents and decrease motivation.

• are less flexible and responsive to changes in the environment.

• can facilitate employee involvement.

• increase employee isolation in decision making.

Teams:

• generates positive synergy through coordinated effort.

• have member commitment to a common purpose, establishment of general team goals, team efficacy.

• have a managed level of conflict and increases social loafing.

• generates positive synergy through individual effort.

Types of teams include:

• problem-solving and multi-team system teams.

• multi-team systems and self-managed work teams.

• cross-functional and vertical teams.

• virtual and multi-functional teams.

The key components of an effective team are:

• context, composition and process.

• resources, leadership and trust.

• direction, momentum and commitment.

• common purpose, aggregation of goals and interdependent tasks.