Group and teams in an organizations

Concept of group: Group is a collection of people,

when two or more people who act or interact with
each other to achieve a common goal. People
involved in a group are aware of one another and
perceive themselves to be a part of groups.
Characteristics of group
1. Collection of people
2. Common objectives
3. Collective identity
4. Mutual interaction
5. Similar interest
6. Group leader
Types of group
Reasons for joining group
A. Employees point of view
1. Security: by joining in a group individual feel secure
then standing done. When they are part of group
they become stronger, feel confidence and more
resistance for threats.
2. Status: All group have their norms, value, and
recognition. Being in group viewed as important by
other people. So, people join in a group for status
and prestige.
3. Power: what we cannot achieve alone, it can
achieve from group to control employees, to make
decision making etc.
4. Self esteem: it is the internal recognition and is
concerned with self respect. Groups can provide people
feeling of self worth. It provides great image in the eye of
people like praise, prestige, recognition and value.
5. Goal achievement: Group consists of different people
having different skill, knowledge and ability. When these
people work together to accomplish assignment job, goal
can achieve.
B. Organization point of view
1. Socialization: when people join in organization that is
new for him/her. The group will help new employees to
adapt its formal and informal culture and rules. It makes
new employees feel comfortable for doing assigned job.
Due to socialization from group to ne employees reduce
burden of management.
2. communication: groups may be formal and informal
in organization. To do different kinds of job there
need effective communication in hierarchy. Group
help to flow all the information to all its members.
3. Effective functioning: All the functions in an
organization are divided into different group. They
do assigned job according to best of their ability. It
bring effectiveness in functioning.
4. Decision making: It is done to solve the problem of
organization. When group members are participate
to make organization decision making then it will be
effective because two head is better than one head.
 Group dynamics

Group dynamics is concern how groups form, their

structure and process and how they function. It is
concern with formation, interaction and function in a
group. It is capacity of group to adopt new ideas to
change itself with time and circumstances.
Many social scientists have been exploring in how
people forms groups and they agreed that formation
is dynamic process. Group are form in an
organization officially to solve or achieve specific
purposes. Informal group form automatically having
common interest, close distance, same attitude etc.
• An internal nature view: This view explains
the term group dynamics from the angle of
internal nature of group, how they form, their
structure and process and how they function
and affect individual members, other group as
well as organization.
• A technical view: it consists of techniques. This
mainly focuses on role playing, brainstorming,
focus group, sensitivity training, team building
etc. this is the functional pattern view of
group dynamics concept.
• A Normative view: this view says how group
should be organized and conducted. They
mainly focused on democratic leadership,
members participation and overall co-
operation.
Stages/development of group dynamics
1. Forming stage: in this stage people introduce
themselves. Individual ask a number of questions as
they begin to identify with group members. It is marked
by a great deal of uncertainty and confusion about
group’s purpose, structure, leadership and group rules.
This stage is complete when members have begun to
think of themselves as a part of group.
2. Storming stage: The storming stage is one of inter-
group conflict. Members accept the existence of group
but resist the constraints that group imposes on
individuality. Struggle for individual power and
influences are common. Group members negotiate
roles that are needed for effective group functioning
and members tend adopt and maintain those roles for
the duration of the group.
3.Norming stage: In this stage there is close
relationship and unity. Role, responsibilities are
clearly defined. Members strive to maintain harmony
and keep a strong sense of identity. They have
feeling of ‘we’. This stage is completed when the
members accept a common set of expectation of an
acceptable way of doing things.
4. performing: this is action part of group formation.
The members begin to work according to their role,
interact, and group effort is directed towards goal
achievement. Members attention is directed to self
motivation and task accomplishment. They do
assigned task through mutual support, co-ordination
and guidance.
5. Adjourning: Groups are adjourned for two reasons.
First, the group has completed its task. Secondly, the
members decide to disband and close group with
sentimental feelings. The attention of the members
is directed towards winding up activities. So, some
may be depressed over loss of friendship during the
life of work groups.
 Issues of group decision making
Group decision making is a type of participatory
process in which group of individual acting
collectively, analyze problem or situation, evaluate
alternative and choose the best alternatives to solve
the problem. Because of join effort of group, it is
possible to use skill, knowledge and experience of
group members to achieve quality decision making
and achieve goal. But while making group decision
there is some issue or disadvantages are:
1. Time constraints: To solve any problem through
groups there need to share opinion, information and
knowledge to all members.
If group members are more it become problem for
effective communication and interaction and it will
take long time in discussion and to come to mutual
consent. It take more time to make decision
compare to individual.
2. Diffusion of responsibility: No individual wants to
take full responsibility in group decision because all
the members are responsible for group decision and
outcomes of it. It is the reason that group decision
can make it easier for members to deny personal
responsibility and blame others for decision.
3. Group think: It is psychological phenomenon that
occurs within a group of person in which they have
mutual harmony and cohesiveness. Group members
try to minimize conflicts and reach to consensus
decision without critical evaluation of alternative
view point. They do not want to create conflict even
though they have great disagreement. So there is
possibility of loss of creativity, unique and
independent thinking.
4. Group polarization: it refers to the tendency of
groups to make more extreme decisions than
working alone, because of social support they make
decision even by taking risk.
5. Domination of individual: group decision means
collective decision but in practice it may not possible.
Some selected members manage to assume a
position of informal leadership owing to their
personality, sometimes, such leaders may dominate
to other members and can play major role in
decision making by ignoring other members.
Techniques of decision making
1. Brainstorming
2. Nominal group
3. Delphi technique
4. Computer mediated
Dynamics of informal group
• Informal group are unofficial, not logical, but such
group play important role in the organization setting.
These groups are generated by personal relation and
interest of group members. Each informal group has
its own formal leader who is elected among the
members of the group. Authority is given to the
person not to the position. Management can not
abolish informal group but must learn to live with
them. Management should have positive attitude
towards such groups.
Nature of informal group
Significance of informal group
 Concept of team

A team is defined as two or more person who interact

and influence each other for achieving a common
goal. It is essential for any organization to achieve
goal. To encourage employees and for effective
performance team work is required. Its aim is to
improve problem solving abilities and creative
thinking of employees with support an trusting them.
All the team members requires close communication
to co-ordinate and share ideas, skills and knowledge
to achieve common objectives.
Nature of team
Types of teams
 Difference between group and team

Group Team
1. Goal is to share 1. Goal is collective
information. performance.
2. It is to get synergic result 2. It is to get synergic result
through individual effort. through collective effort.
3. Individual accountable 3. Individual and team
4. Focus on strong , clearly accountable.
focused leadership. 4. Shared leadership
5. Members skill are varied. 5. Members skills are
multiple.
Team work process
a. Common purposes: team work is a process started
with determination of common purpose. It should
provides direction and guidance. It should be
accepted by team. To be effective team purposes
must be common and meaningful, provide direction
and draw commitment from the members.
b. Specific goal: After determination of purpose,
specific goals should determine which should be
acceptable by all members. It should facilitate clear
communication and help team to maintain their
focus on getting result.
c. Team efficacy: Effective team have confidence in
themselves, they believe in success. Team efficacy is
defined as an ability to produce a desired or
intended result, team that have been successful raise
their belief about future success, which in turn
motivates them and work hard.
d. Conflict level: team work is to minimize conflict level
among team members. But conflicts is not always
bad. All effective teams will be characterized by an
appropriate level of conflict. Some functional team
conflicts are required for effective team performance
but personal conflict need to avoid
.
e. Social loafing: It refers to the tendency of one or
some of team members to put in less effort
compared to working alone. This will cause
productivity losses. Individual engage in social loafing
of group’s efforts because their particular
contribution cannot be identified. Team should
discourage the tendency of social loafing.