Slide 1.
Management and Development
of People
Lecture 7:
Team Work
Definition of a group: Schein
Any number of people who:
– interact with one another;
– are psychologically aware of one another;
– perceive themselves to be a group.
Group characteristics: Adair
A collection of people who share most of the following
characteristics:
A definable membership
Group consciousness
Sense of shared purpose
Interdependence
Interaction
Ability to act in a unitary manner
Question
What is the difference between a Group
and a Team?
Differences between a team and a
group
Figure 8.1 Differences between a team and a group
Source: Belbin, R. M. Beyond the Team, Butterworth-Heinemann (2000). Copyright © 2000. Reproduced with permission from Elsevier Ltd.
Formal and informal groups
Formal groups
Informal groups
Are created to achieve specific
organisational objectives and
are concerned with the co-
Serve to satisfy the
ordination of work activities psychological and social
needs of group members not
Group members have defined related necessarily to the tasks
roles and the nature of work to be undertaken
tasks to be undertaken is a
predominant feature of the
group They are based on personal
Tend to be relatively relationships and membership
permanent, although there can cut across the formal
may be a change in the structure of the organisation
membership of the team
Major functions of informal
groups: Lysons
The perpetuation of the informal group culture
The maintenance of a communication system
The implementation of social control
The provision of interest and fun in work life
A Formal Group: Quality circles
A quality circle is a group of people within an
organisation who meet on a regular basis to
identify, analyse and solve problems relating to
quality, productivity or other aspects of day-to-
day working arrangements using problem-
solving techniques.
Essential features of quality
circles
Membership is voluntary A leader can be chosen
The group numbers between from within the group
5 and 10 people Group members receive
Membership is normally
training in communication
and problem solving skills
drawn from people doing The group recommends
similar work solutions to management
The group selects the and if possible has
problems to be tackled and authority to implement
them
methods of operating
Reasons for forming groups
or teams
Certain tasks can be performed through the
combined efforts of a number of individuals
working together.
Collusion between members, e.g. to share
unpopular tasks and aid creativity and initiative.
Companionship, mutual understanding and
support.
Provide a sense of belonging, identity and status.
Provide guidelines on generally acceptable
behaviour.
Offer protection for its membership.
Factors contributing to group
cohesiveness and performance
Figure 8.4 Factors contributing to group cohesiveness and performance
Tuckman’s model in Action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=S02D9QzDe4s
Group development and
maturity factors
Forming
– Initial formation: the ‘polite’ stage
Storming
– Testing the group: power struggles and conflict
Norming
– Consolidating: standards and guidelines are set
Performing
– The effective operating stage
Adjourning
– Disbanding once the task is complete
Social identity theory and
group membership
Figure 8.5 Processes of social and self-categorisation
Source: Guirdham, M. Interactive Behaviour at Work, third edition, Financial Times Prentice Hall (2002), p. 119. Reproduced with permission of Pearson Education Ltd.
Strong groups: advantage
or problem?
Strong groups can perform well.
Interactions may be mutually helpful.
Social cohesiveness can result in low turnover
and absenteeism.
Strong groups are not always high performing
groups.
Group norms may outweigh organisational
standards.
Once developed the culture of a strong group
can be hard to change.
Symptoms of Groupthink
Rationalisation
Peer Pressure
Illusion of Invulnerability
Moral High Ground
Stereotyping
Self-censorship
Illusion of Unanimity
Characteristics of an effective
work group
A belief in shared aims and objectives
A sense of belonging to the group
Acceptance of group values and norms
A feeling of mutual trust and dependency
Full participation and consensus in decisions
A free flow of information and communication
Open expression of feelings and disagreements
Conflict resolution within the group
Low levels of staff turnover, absenteeism etc.
Teamwork as a fashionable term
‘It is certainly true to say that any group of people
who do not know they are a team cannot be one.
To become a team, a group of individuals needs to
have a strong common purpose and to work
towards that purpose rather than individually.
They need also to believe that they will achieve
more by co-operation than working individually’.
Cane
The Importance of Teamwork
Teamwork, according to ACAS, increases
organisational competitiveness by:
– Improving productivity
– Improving quality and encouraging innovation
– Taking advantage of opportunities provided by
technological advances
– Improving employee motivation and commitment.
The Skills of Effective Teamworking
‘To build good teams you need a wide pool of staff
with different talents to draw upon... Good
managers should delight in the diversity and
excellence of their staff and know that one of
their main jobs is to manage the problems that
come with any diverse group of talented people’.
- Peeling
Creative leadership and
group development
A leader can influence effective team development
by:
– Building a platform of understanding
– Creating a shared vision
– A creative climate
– A commitment to idea ownership
– Resilience to setbacks
– Developing networking skills
– Learning from experience
Virtual Teams
A collection of people who are geographically
separated but still work together closely.
The primary interaction among members is by
some electronic information and communication
process.
Experience shows the importance of trust,
democracy, shared control and expert power in
managing and leading dispersed teams.
Leadership and motivation
of the virtual team
Say hello
Build trust
Recruit with care
Don’t rely on email
Encourage dissent
Use technology thoughtfully
Measure outcomes
Use virtual teams to go where the talent is and
work more efficiently
Don’t say virtual teams ‘aren’t quite the real thing’
Role Relationships
The roles that an individual plays with a group is
influenced by a combination of:
– Situational factors – requirements of the task, style of
leadership
– Personal factors – such as values, attitudes,
motivation and ability, etc.
Role sets – the range of associations or contacts
with whom an individual has meaningful
interaction.
Role Set
Figure 8.6 Representation of a possible role set in the work situation
Factors Affecting Roles
A number of factors can have an impact on the
successful performance of individuals in their
roles:
– Role incongruence
– Role expectations
– Role conflict
– Role incompatibility
– Role ambiguity
– Role overload
– Role underload
– Role stress
Role relationships and conflicts
Figure 8.7 Role relationships and conflicts
Source: Adapted from Miner, J. B. Management Theory, Macmillan (1971), p. 47.
Avoiding Role Stress
Increase the clarity of role expectations.
Improve recruitment and selection to obtain good job
match.
Proper induction and socialisation, training and career
development.
Health screening for early warning signs of stress.
Creation of new roles and restructuring of tasks.
Advanced notice of problems or changes.
Attention to factors that will improve cohesiveness.
Review of organisational structures, information flows
and communication networks.
Further Reading
Mullins, L.J. 2010. Management and Organisational Behaviour. 10th Ed.
- Chapter 8
Adair, J. 2009. Effective Teambuilding REVISED ED: How to make a winning team. London:
Pan
Robbins, S.P. And Judge, T.A. 2013. Organizational Behaviour. 15th Ed. Harlow: Pearson
Education Ltd.
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READING WEEK
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for Seminar w/c 4th January
Start revising for the Examination!
