Management and Organisational Behaviour
7th Edition
PART 5
Groups and
Teamwork
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
Management and Organisational Behaviour
7th Edition
CHAPTER 13
The Nature of Work Groups and
Teams
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.2
Popular group definitions
A popular definition defines groups in
psychological terms
Any number of people who –
• Interact with one another
• Are psychologically aware of one another
• Perceive themselves to be a group
Schein
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.3
Group characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
•
A definable membership
Group consciousness
A sense of shared purpose
Interdependence
Interaction
Ability to act in a unitary manner
Mitchell
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.4
Importance of groups on organisations
• Groups are an essential feature of the work
patterns of organisations
• People in groups influence each other, they
may develop their own hierarchies & leaders
• Group pressures can have a major influence
over the behaviour of individual members &
their work performance
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.5
Importance of groups on organisations
• The activities of the group are associated with
the process of leadership
• The style of leadership of the manager has an
important influence on the behaviour of group
members
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.6
Differences between groups & teams
• Attachment / affiliation – concerning the need
for engagement & sharing, a feeling of
community & a sense of belonging
• Exploration / assertion – concerning the ability
to play & work, a sense of fun & enjoyment,
the need for self-assertion & the ability to
choose
Kets de Vries
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.7
Differences between groups & teams
Teams
Groups
• Limited in size
• Selection – crucial
• Shared or rotating
leadership
• Mutual knowledge &
understanding
• Style – role spread
co-ordination
• Spirit of dynamic
interaction
• Medium or large in size
• Selection – immaterial
• Perception - solo
leadership
• Focus on leader
• Style – convergence
conformism
• Spirit of togetherness
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.8
Teamwork & competitiveness
Teamwork can increase competitiveness by –
• Improving productivity
• Improving quality & encouraging innovation
• Taking advantage of the opportunities
provided by technological advances
• Improving employee motivation & commitment
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.9
Factors & importance of effective team working
The general movement towards flatter organisational
structures, wider spans of control, reducing layers of
middle management, & increasing empowerment of
employees places greater emphasis on the
importance of effective team work
Team working is seen as being crucial to an
organisation’s efforts to perform better, faster & more
profitably than competitors
Lucas
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.10
Skills & qualities for effective team working
• Technical competence of individual team
members
• Ability of members to gel
• Collaborative skills
• Support between team members
• Ability to handle conflict
Guirdham
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.11
Formal groups
• Are created to achieve specific organisational
objectives & are concerned with the co-ordination of
work activities
• Group members have defined roles & the nature of
work tasks to be undertaken is a predominant feature
of the group
• Tend to be relatively permanent, although there may
be a change in the membership of the team
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.12
Informal groups
• Serve to satisfy the psychological & social
needs of group members not related
necessarily to the tasks to be undertaken
• They are based on personal relationships &
membership can cut across the formal
structure of the organisation
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.13
Major functions of informal groups
• The perpetuation of the informal group culture
• The maintenance of a communication system
• The implementation of social control
• The provision of interest & fun in work life
Lysons
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.14
Reasons for forming groups or teams
• So that certain tasks can be performed
through the combined efforts of a number of
individuals working together
• Collusion between members aiding creativity
& initiative
• Provide companionship & a source of mutual
understanding & support
• Provide guidelines on generally acceptable
behaviour
• Protection for its membership
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.15
Factors contributing to group cohesiveness &
performance
• Membership
• Work environment
• Organisational
• Group development & maturity
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.16
Factors contributing to group cohesiveness &
performance – membership
• Size of the group
• Compatibility of members
• Performance
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.17
Factors contributing to group cohesiveness &
performance – work environment
• Nature of the task
• Physical setting
• Communications
• Technology
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.18
Factors contributing to group cohesiveness &
performance – organisational
• Management & leadership
• Personnel policies & procedures
• Success
• External threat
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.19
Factors contributing to group cohesiveness &
performance – group development & maturity
• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.20
How many people should be in team?
• Response from organisations indicate team
sizes should be between 4 and 15
• Less than 4 restricts creativity & variety
• 15 is about the maximum number of people
anyone can communicate with without having
to raise their voice significantly
Cane
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.21
Group development & maturity
There are four distinct stages in group
development –
•
•
•
•
Mutual acceptance & membership
Communication & decision-making
Motivation & productivity
Control & organisation
Bass & Ryterband
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.22
Group development & maturity
an alternative perspective
1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
Tuckman
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.23
Characteristics of effective work groups
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•
•
•
•
A belief in shared aims & objectives
A sense of belonging to the group
Acceptance of group values & norms
A feeling of mutual trust & dependency
Full participation by all members & decisionmaking by consensus
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.24
Characteristics of effective work groups
•
•
•
•
A free flow of information & communication
Open expression of feelings & disagreements
Conflict resolution
Low levels of staff turnover
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.25
Virtual teams
•
Teams where the primary interaction among
members is by some electronic information &
communication process
•
A potential future compromise between fullyfledged teams & well-managed teams
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.26
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, ability, etc.
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.27
Factors affecting roles
•
Role sets – the range of associations or
contacts an individual has meaningful
interactions with
•
Role incongruence arises when a member
of staff is perceived as having a high &
responsible position in one respect but a low
standing in another respect
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.28
Factors affecting roles
•
Role expectations – what a person is
expected to do & their duties & obligations
•
Role incompatibility arises when
compliance with one set of expectations
makes it difficult or impossible to comply with
the other expectations
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.29
Factors affecting roles
•
Role overload – when an individual faces
too many separate roles or too great a
variety of expectations and is unable to
satisfactorily meet all expectations
•
Role underload arises when the prescribed
role expectations fall short of the individual’s
own perception of their role
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005
OHT 13.30
Figure 13.7
Role relationships & conflicts
Source: Adapted from Miner, J.B., Management Theory, Macmillan (1971) p.47.
Mullins: Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th edition © Pearson Education Limited 2005