Ch 4 Individual, Groups and Teams
Syllabus:
1(d)(ii) Groups and teams
1(e)team management
1 Individuals
The process of behavior
Cause (stimulus)
The person’s need, want, tension or discomfort
Goal
Behavior
Psychological factors affecting individual behavior
Personality
Perception
Attitudes
Intelligence
Personality
With the task: different personality suit different types of work
With systems and management culture
With other personalities in the team: personality clashes are a prime source of conflict at work
Attitudes
Knowledge, beliefs or disbeliefs, perceptions
Feelings and desires
Volition, will or the intention to perform an action
Perception (see Ch3)
Factors influencing attitudes
Attitudes to work: individual’s standpoint on working, work conditions, colleagues, the organization and management
Attitudes at work: attitudes about other people, politics, religion, etc.
Intelligence
Class and class consciousness
Age
Race, culture or religion
Lifestyle and interests
sex
2 Groups and teams
Groups
Definition:
Group is collection of people who perceive themselves to be a group.
Attributes of group:
Sense of identity: group boundaries
Loyalty to group and acceptance within the group
Purpose and leadership
Consciously organized
Task oriented and effectively fulfill organization’s work
Become teams
Present in any orga.
Constantly fluctuating membership and structure
Formal group
Informal group
Behavior of groups
Formal groups: composed of people who have to work interdependently.
Informal groups: do not have a special plan and their behavior is not specified, not being directed to the organizational objectives.
Command groups: formal, consisting of a manager and immediate subordinates.
Task groups: have members who work together to accomplish a given task as working groups.
Reference groups: have the duty of guiding or clarifying people’s views. (ACCA)
Various kinds of groups in the organizational context:
Definition:
A norm is a standard of specific behavior expected of and by the members of a social group. Norms are which group can exert its authority over members. They are made effective by educating, observing, warning and disciplining.
Cohesiveness is the attractiveness of the group for its members. It is affected by:
Size of group
Results of inter-group competition
Group status
Objectives of group
Environment and stability
Groups change over time (see P66)
Forming
Storming
Norming
performing
Group is first brought together, but is characterized by uncertainty and doubt among members who need to consult the leadership for guidance.
Corners get knocked off. There is much conflict and dissent within the group, and hostility towards both the leader and tasks in hand.
Group is settling down into a routine and maintaining or at least achieving the standards set out for it. There is cooperation and initiative as well as an exchange of ideas.
The group has the desire to complete the tasks assigned to it. At this stage, the group is a strong, loyal, cohesive team.
3 Need for teams
Definition:
A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose , performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves basically accountable.
A team is any group of people who must significantly relate with each other in order to accomplish shared objectives.
Characteristics of teams
Formal group, with a leader and a distinctive culture and geared towards a final result.
A shared common goal
Members enjoy working together
People made commitment to achieve the goals
Diverse individuals
Great loyalty to the project and respect for the manager and firm belief in the accomplishment
Attain a team spirit and a very high team morale
Purpose of teams
Combine skills of different individuals
Avoid complex communication between different business functions
Pear of letting down the team can be a powerful motivator and control of the performance and behavior of individuals
Generate ideas
Decisions can be evaluated from more than one viewpoint
Investigate new development
The basic purpose is to solve complex problems
Multi-disciplinary teams
Individuals with different skills and specialisms. (see P62)
Multi-skilled teams
Individuals who can perform any of the group’s tasks. (see P63)
Drawbacks of teamworking
Not suitable for all jobs
May delay good decision-making
Group norms may restrict individual personality and flair
Group think prevents consideration of alternatives or constructive criticism
Personality clashes and political behavior
4 Team building (see P67)
Team identity (P69 )
Team solidarity (P69 )
Shared objectives (P70 )
Three issues involved:
According to Woodcock, to build an effective team, you must first identify the blockages to team-building and then decide on the building blocks to be used. (see table in P67-68)
