INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS AND TEAMS
Key Concepts
• Individual behavior
• Groups and teams
• Team work
• Team development
Individual Behavior
• Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns
of thinking, feeling and behaving. Two types of personality
Introvert is a quiet, inflexible, rigid and decision are mainly on
subjective basis
extrovert friendly, social, decisions are mainly on objective basis.
• An individual’s personality should align with their work requirements in three ways.
Tasks at hand. The personality should be congruous with the tasks at hand.
Organization systems and management. The personality should be in harmony
with organisation systems(culture)and management
Personality of the rest of the team. personality should match and be well-attuned
with the personality of the rest of the team.
Role Theory
• Role set. in every situation the role is set e.g. Manager, Subordinates etc.
Individuals need to be aware of the role set they inhabit at any given time
in order to behave appropriately for that role.
• Role ambiguity. occurs if an individual is confused about the roles that he
has set out to undertake for example, a manager treating subordinates as
his friends will lead to ambiguity.
• Role conflict or incompatibility occurs if an individual is asked to fulfill two or
more roles which are conflicting in demands.
• Role signs. indicate the role an individual is filling at a given moment so that
others respond to you in that role without confusion.
• Role models. are the individuals who others look up to, e.g. Manager is a role
model for me.
CONTRIBUTION OF INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS
AND TEAMS TO ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS
Difference between Groups and Teams
• Definition of a group. Group defines a collection of people with a commonality.
They may and may not share a common goal. In a group members are
independent to achieve the task . Group can be formal and can be informal as
well.
• Definition of a team. Team is a collection of people with a complementary skills
(different skills). They share a common goal. Members are interdependent .
Informal & Formal Groups
• formal groups are established by organizations to achieve some specific
objectives.
• Informal groups are formed by the members of such groups by
themselves. They emerge naturally, in response to the common interests of
organizational members. ‘Informal group is the part of formal group’
Teamwork
Benefits of Teams
• Teams merge the skills of different individuals.
• Teams enhance coordination.
• Team loyalty is a powerful motivator.
• Teams generate a pool of data.
• The decisions made by teams are more accurately evaluated.
Weaknesses of Teams
• Team-working may not be appropriate(suitable) for all jobs.
• Team-work should not be introduced for the sake of fashion.
• Decision-making can be delayed in a team.
• Team consensus and cohesion may sometimes lead to group overlooking
viable options so wrong decisions can be taken.(this happens when group
think factor occur)
• Personality clashes will disrupt team performance
Team Incentives for the motivation
• Profit sharing schemes. an employee receives a percentage of a company's
profits based on its quarterly or annual earnings.
• Gain-sharing schemes. gain share is a system businesses use to try to get their
employees to become more productive. It is a management system to increase
profitability by motivating workers to boost their performance through
participation and involvement. As their productivity increases, so do the
company’s profits. Workers subsequently share financially in the improvement.
• Employee share option schemes. an employee share scheme, you get shares or
can buy shares in the company you work for. This is also known as an employee
share purchase plan, share options or equity scheme. Companies use share
schemes to attract, retain and motivate employees. They also align employee
interests with those of shareholders.
Belbin Nine Team Roles
Plant. Innovators & ideas. Prefer to work alone.
Creative, imaginative,unorthodox(creative). Solves
difficult problems
Thinking
Oriented Monitor evaluator. Separate good ideas from bad.
Roles Sober(sensible and serious person), strategic and
discerning(having or showing good judgement.), see
all options, judges accurately
Specialist. Skills in a specific job. Single minded, self
starting, dedicated, provides knowledge and skills in
rare supply
Shaper. Challenge norms, take lead, push team.
Overcome obstacles. Dynamic(positive in attitude
and full of energy and new ideas), challenging, thrives
on pressure, the derive and courage to overcome
Action obstacles
Oriented Implementer. Executors of plan. Disciplined, reliable.
Efficient and turns ideas in to practical action
Roles
Completer finisher. Complete the fine details.
Painstaking conscientious(extremely careful or precise
about details), anxious(feeling or showing worry),
searches out errors and omissions, delivers on time
Coordinator. Natural team leader. Delegates tasks.
Confident, a good chairperson, clarifies goals,
promotes decision making, delegate well
People
Team worker. Cooperative, listens, averts friction and
Oriented conflict.
Roles
Resource investigator. Find external resources.
Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative, explores
opportunities, develop contacts
Tuckman’s stages of team development
note
• Acquaints meaning …. Knows something or someone slightly.
• Later writers added two stages to Tuckman's model
Dorming. Once a group has been performing well for some time, it may
get complacent, and fall back into self-maintenance functions.
Mourning: The group sees itself as having fulfilled its purpose – or, if it is a
temporary group, is due to physically disband.
Team Development
• The term team building generally refers to the selection, development,
and collective motivation of result oriented teams. Managers must attend
to the issues of
Team identity. Individual team members are recognized as a part of
team.
Team solidarity. Team members are loyal to the team and each other.
• Shared objectives. Cooperation and participation of team members in achieving
the goals of a team
