dynamics of ob

7/30/2019 Dynamics of OB

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Compiled by

A Srinivasa Rao

The dynamics of OB

- Groups and teams


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Types of Groups Formal Groups

created by managerialdecision to accomplishstated goals of theorganization.

Command Group

Task Group

Formal Groups

created by managerialdecision to accomplishstated goals of theorganization.

Command Group

Task Group

Informal Groups

arise from individualefforts and developaround commoninterests andfriendships rather thandeliberate design.

Interest Groups

Friendship Groups

Informal Groups

arise from individualefforts and developaround commoninterests andfriendships rather thandeliberate design.

Interest Groups

Friendship Groups


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Why People Form Groups

The Satisfactionof Needs

Proximity andAttraction

Group GoalsEconomics


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Mutual Acceptance

Communication and Decision Making

Motivation and Productivity

Control and Organization

Stages of Group Development


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Characteristics of Groups

Structure StatusHierarchy

Roles

Leadership

CohesivenessNorms


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44 Expected role:Expected role: Formal requirements ofFormal requirements of

the role within the group.the role within the group.

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Perceived role:Perceived role: The set of behaviorsThe set of behaviorswhich the group member believeswhich the group member believes

he/she should enact.he/she should enact.

44 Enacted role:Enacted role: The behaviors which theThe behaviors which the

member actually carries out.member actually carries out.

Role Types in Groups


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Group Norms Standards of behavior shared by group

members Formed only for things important to the

group

May be written, but more often orallycommunicated; can be implicit

Accepted in various degrees by groupmembers

May apply to all or to only some group

members


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Leadership Roles in Groups

In Formal Groups

Can exercise legitimately sanctioned power (i.e., rewardsand punishment)

In Informal Groups

Helps accomplish group goals

Enables members to satisfy needs

Embodies the values of the group

Represents groups viewpoint with other group leaders

Facilitates group conflict, initiates group actions,maintains the group as a functioning unit


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Group Cohesiveness: Sources of

Attraction to a Group

The goals of the group and the members

are compatible and clearly specified The group has a charismatic leader

The group has a reputation foraccomplishment

The group is small enough to have

members opinions heard The members support one another and

help each other overcome obstacles


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Degree of

group

cohesiveness

Low

Performance

probably orientedaway from

organizational goals

Performance

probably oriented

toward achievement

of organizational

goals

High

Performance

oriented away from


Performanceoriented toward

achievement of


Low High

Agreement with organizational goals

Relationship Between Group Cohesiveness and

Agreement with Organizational Goals


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Groupthink A cohesivegroups desire for agreement

interferes with the groupsconsideration of alternative

solutions.


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Characteristics of Groupthink

Illusion of invulnerability.

Members believe that they are invincible.

Tendency to moralize.

Any opposition to group views is characterized bymembers as weak, evil, or unintelligent.

Feelings of unanimity.

Each member of the group supports the leadersdecisions. Members may have reservations aboutdecisions, but do not share their views.


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Characteristics of Groupthink (continued)

Pressure to conform.

Formal and informal attempts are made todiscourage discussion of divergent views.

Opposing ideas dismissed.

Any individual or outside group that criticizes oropposes a decision receives little or no attentionfrom the group.


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Types of TeamsProblem-Solving

Teams

Virtual Teams

Cross-FunctionalTeams

Sunk works

Self-Directed WorkTeams


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Why are Teams Formed?

To enhance

organizationalproductivity

To assume thetasks of managers

eliminated bydownsizing

To provide flexibility

and faster decisions

To enhance

organizationalproductivity

To assume the

tasks of managerseliminated bydownsizing

To provide flexibilityand faster decisions

To take advantage

of the benefits ofdiversity

To improve quality

To increase

customer

satisfaction

To take advantage

of the benefits ofdiversity

To improve quality

To increase

customer

satisfaction


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Teams should be used when thefollowing factors are present:

A serious commitment from group members. A complicated problem that requires

employees with diverse talents and functional

expertise. A goal of improving on an existing product,

service, or process.

A task that lends itself to a division of labor.

A situation in which making the wrong

decision is too costly.


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Before placing employees into teams,

decision makers should ask the followingquestions:

Can the work be performed better by more thanone individual?

Does the work lend itself to a common set ofgoals for the people in a team?

Are members of the team interdependent?


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Requirements for Effective Teams

Top-level commitment and provision

of clear goals.

Management-employee trust.

Willingness to take risks and shareinformation.

Time, resources, and a commitmentto training.


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The Role Concept Role: Organized set of behaviors expected

of an individual in a specific position Multiple roles: Roles performed

simultaneously because the individual holds

many positions in a variety of organizationsand groups

Role set/role perception: Individuals

expectations for behavior of a person in aparticular role; different groups havedifferent expectations


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Role Conflict

Person-role conflict: role requirements

violate the basic values, attitudes, andneeds of the individual

Intra-role conflict: difficulty in satisfyingthe role requirements of people withdifferent expectations

Inter-role conflict: difficulty in fulfillingmultiple roles with conflicting expectations


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Results of Role Conflict

An individual confronted with role conflict

experiences psychological stress that mayresult in emotional problems and indecision.

Role conflict occurs frequently and with

negative effects on performance over a widespectrum of occupations.

When individuals are faced with conflicting

expectations or demands from two or moresources, the likely result is a decline inperformance.


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Groups, Teams andOrganizational Effectiveness

Group

Two or more people who interact with each other toaccomplish certain goals or meet certain needs.

Team

A group whose members work intensely with eachother to achieve a specific, common goal or objective.All teams are groups but not all groups are teams.

Teams often are difficult to form. It takes time for members to learn how to work together.


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Groups and Teams Contributionsto Organizational Effectiveness

Figure 14.1


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Groups and Teams as

Performance Enhancers

Performance Enhancement

Making use of the synergy from employees in a groupproducing more or better output than employeesworking separately.

Bounce ideas off one another. Correct each others errors.

Bring more new ideas to bear on problems

Accomplish projects beyond the scope of individuals

Managers should build autonomous empoweredgroups composed of members of complementaryskills and knowledge.


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Groups and Teams andResponsiveness to Customers

Responsiveness to Customers Difficult to achieve given the many

constraints.

Safety issues, regulations, costs. Cross-functional teams can provide the wide

variety of skills needed to meet customer

demands. Teams consist of members of different

departments.


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Teams and Innovation Innovation

The creative development of new products,new technologies, new services, or neworganizational structures

Individuals rarely possess the wide variety of skillsneeded for successful innovation.

Team members can uncover each others flaws

and balance each others strengths andweaknesses

Managers should empower the team and make itaccountable for the innovation process.


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Groups and Teams as

Motivators Members of groups, and particularly

teams, are often better motivated andsatisfied than individuals.

Team members are more motivated and satisfied

than if they were working alone. Team members can see the effect of their

contribution to achieving team and organizationalgoals.

Teams provide needed social interaction and helpemployees cope with work-related stressors.


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The Types of Groups and Teams in

Organizations

Figure 14.2Source:


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The Types of Groups and Teams Formal Group

A group that managers establish to achieveorganization goals.

Informal Group

A group that managers or nonmanagerial

employees form to help achieve their owngoals or to meet their own needs.


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The Types of Groups and Teams

Type of Team

Top-management

team

A group composed of the CEO, the president,

and the heads of the most importantdepartments

Research anddevelopment team

A team whose members have the expertiseand experience needed to develop newproducts

Command groups A group composed of subordinates whoreport to the same supervisor, also called adepartment or unit,

Task forces A committee of managers or nonmanagerialemployees from various departments ordivisions who meet to solve a specific,mutual problem; also called an ad hoccommittee


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The Types of Groups and Teams (contd)

Type of Team

Self-managed work

team

A group of employees who supervise their

own activities and monitor the quality of thegoods and services they provide.

Virtual team A team whose members rarely or never meetface to face and interact by using variousforms of information technology such as

email, computer networks, telephone, fax andvideo conferences.

Friendship group An informal group composed of employeeswho enjoy each others company and

socialize with each other.

Interest group An informal group composed of employeesseeking to achieve a common goal related totheir membership in an organization.


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Group Dynamics Group Dynamics

The characteristics and processes that affect how agroup or team functions.

Group size affects how a group performs.

Normally, small groups (2 to 9 members) interact better and

tend to be more motivated.

Larger groups can be used when more resources are neededand division of labor is possible.

Group tasks impact how a group interacts.

Task interdependence shows how the work of one memberimpacts another; as interdependence rises, members mustwork more closely together.


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Group Dynamics: Interdependence Task Interdependence Types

Pooled Members make separate, independent contributions to group

such that group performance is the sum of each memberscontributions.

Sequential Members perform tasks in a sequential order making it difficult

to determine individual performance since one memberdepends on another.

Reciprocal Work performed by one group member is mutually dependent

on work done by other members.


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Types of Task

Interdependence

Figure 14.3


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Group Leadership Effective leadership is a key ingredient in

high performing groups, teams, andorganizations.

Formal groups created by an organizationhave a leader appointed by theorganization.

Groups that evolve independently in anorganization have an informal leaderrecognized by the group.


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Stages of Group Development Forming

Group members get to know each other andreach common goals.

Storming

Group members disagree on direction and

leadership. Managers need to be sure theconflict stays focused.

Norming

Close ties and consensus begin to develop

between group members.


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Stages of Group Development Performing

The group begins to do its real work.

Adjourning

Only for task forces that are temporary.

Note that these steps take time!


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The Stages of Group Development

Figure 14.4


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Punctuated equilibrium model For temporary groups with deadline

Alarm clock at half way of deadline Phase one

Period of inertia

Directions written in stone not reexamined

Transition

burst of changes

Dropping of old patterns

New perspectives


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Punctuated equilibrium model cont

Phase 2- Execution and completion.


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Group Dynamics Group Norms

Shared guidelines or rules that most groupmembers follow.

Groups may set their working hours, behavior

rules, and output quotas.


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Group Cohesiveness Group Cohesiveness

The degree to which members are attracted or loyalto the group.

Increases in group cohesiveness causes:

Participation in the group to increase which helps get

members actively involved, but too much involvement canwaste the groups time.

Conformity to group norms to increase, although with toomuch conformity, group performance can suffer.

Group goal accomplishment to increase in importance whichcan result in the group becoming more focused on itself thanthe organization.

Sources and Consequences of


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Sources and Consequences of

Group Cohesiveness

Figure 14.6


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Factors Leading to Group Cohesiveness

Factor

Group Size Smaller groups allow for high cohesiveness;

Low cohesiveness groups with manymembers can benefit from splitting into twogroups.

Managed Diversity Diverse groups often come up with bettersolutions.

Group Identity Encouraging a group to adopt a uniqueidentity and engage in competition withothers can increase cohesiveness.

Success Cohesiveness increases with success;finding ways for a group to have some smallsuccesses increases cohesiveness.

44


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Ways to Reduce Social Loafing

Make individualcontributions identifiable

Make individuals feel

that they are makingvaluable contributionsto a group

Keep the group assmall as possible

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Advice to Managers Whenever feasible, make individual contributions or

individual levels of performance in a group identifiable,

and evaluate these contributions.

When work is performed in groups, let each member knowthat he or she can make an important and worthwhile

contribution to the group. When you are unable to evaluate individual contributions

to a group, consider having group members evaluate eachothers contributions and rewarding group members on

the basis of group performance. Keep work groups as small as possible while making sure

that a group has enough resources (member knowledge,

skills, experiences) to achieve its goals.

Whenever feasible, make individual contributions orindividual levels of performance in a group identifiable,

and evaluate these contributions.

When work is performed in groups, let each member know

that he or she can make an important and worthwhilecontribution to the group.

When you are unable to evaluate individual contributions

to a group, consider having group members evaluate eachothers contributions and rewarding group members on

the basis of group performance.

Keep work groups as small as possible while making sure

that a group has enough resources (member knowledge,skills, experiences) to achieve its goals.

Task Interdependence66


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Task Interdependence

Thompsons model of group tasks helps managersidentify

Task characteristics that can lead to process losses.The most effective ways to distribute outcomes orrewards to group members to generate high motivation.

The model is based on the concept of taskinterdependence, which is the extent to which thework performed by one member of a group affectswhat other members do. There are three types:

Pooled Task InterdependenceSequential Task Interdependence

Reciprocal Task Interdependence

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Pooled Task Interdependence: each member ofa group makes separate and independentcontributions to group performance.

Sequential Task Interdependence: requiresspecific behaviors to be performed by group

members in a predetermined order.Reciprocal Task Interdependence: theactivities of all work group members are fully

dependent on one another so that each membersperformance influences the performance of everyother member of the group.

88


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Task Interdependence99


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As task interdependence moves from pooled tosequential to reciprocal interdependence, thepotential for process lossesincreases because

Identifying individual performance becomesincreasingly harder.Coordination becomes more difficult.

The potential for process gainsalso increases

as task interdependence becomes morecomplex because of the increased likelihood ofsynergy.

Synergy: A process gain that occurs when members

of a group acting together are able to produce moreor better output than would have been produced bythe combined efforts of each person acting alone.

Advice to Managers

1010


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Advice to Managers

When a group task involves pooled interdependence, allocateindividual tasks to group members to avoid duplication ofeffort, and evaluate individual levels of performance and rewardgroup members for their individual performance.

When a group task involves sequential interdependence, do asmany of the following as feasible: Monitor on-the-job behaviorsof group members. Reward group members for groupperformance. Assign workers with similar ability levels to the

same group. Reward workers for good attendance. Havemultiskilled workers available to fill in when needed.

When a group task involves reciprocal interdependence, do asmany of the following as feasible: Keep group size small. Make

sure that each group member knows that he or she can make acontribution. Reward group members for group performance.Increase physical or electronic proximity of members.Encourage clear and open communication. Encouragemembers to help one another as needed.

1111


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Signs of Cohesiveness1212


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Signs of Cohesiveness

Low cohesivenessLow cohesiveness: Information flows slowly within thegroup, the group has little influence over its membersbehavior, and the group tends not to achieve its goals.

Moderate cohesivenessModerate cohesiveness: Group members work welltogether, there is a good level of communication andparticipation in the group, the group is able to influence

its members behavior, and the group tends to achieveits goals.

Very high cohesivenessVery high cohesiveness: Group members socializeexcessively on the job, there is a very high level of

conformity in the group and intolerance of deviance, andthe group achieves its goals at the expense of other

groups.

Consequences of High Cohesiveness

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Consequences of High Cohesiveness(Table 11.1)

Consequences of

High Cohesiveness

A high level of

participation and

communication

within the group

A high level of

conformity to group

norms

Group goal

accomplishment

Advantages

Group members are more likely to

perform behaviors necessary for

the group and organization to

achieve their goals, information

flows quickly in the group, and

turnover may be relatively low.

The group is able to control its

members behavior to achieve

group goals.

The group achieves its goals

and is effective.

Group members may waste

time socializing on the job

and chatting about nonwork

matters.

Excessive conformity within the

group may result in resistance to

change and failure to discard

dysfunctional norms.

Group members may not

cooperate with other groups

as much as they should.

Potential

Disadvantages

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Disadvantages of High Cohesiveness(Table 11.2)

Consequences of

High Cohesiveness

Consequences of

High Cohesiveness

A high level of

participation and

communication

within the group

A high level of

conformity to group

norms

Group goal

accomplishment

A high level of

participation and

communication

within the group

A high level of

conformity to group

norms

Group goal

accomplishment

DisadvantagesDisadvantages

Group members waste time socializing

on the job and chatting about nonwork

matters.

Group members behave in ways that are

dysfunctional for the organization.

The group achieves its goals at theexpense of organizational goals.

Group members waste time socializing

on the job and chatting about nonwork

matters.

Group members behave in ways that are

dysfunctional for the organization.

The group achieves its goals at the

expense of organizational goals.

Advice to Managers

1515


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d ce to a age s

If group and organizational goals are aligned and group

cohesiveness is very low, try to increase cohesiveness bydecreasing the size of the group, increasing the level of

similarity of group members, introducing some element ofcompetition with other groups, giving special rights orprivileges, and encouraging small successes.


cohesiveness is very high, try to lower it by increasing groupsize, introducing more diversity within the group, discouragingcompetition with other groups, and encouraging cooperation.

If group and organizational goals are not aligned, do not try to

increase cohesiveness. Try to realign group goals withorganizational goals by ensuring that group members benefit

when their efforts help the organization achieve its goals.


cohesiveness is very low, try to increase cohesiveness bydecreasing the size of the group, increasing the level of

similarity of group members, introducing some element of

competition with other groups, giving special rights orprivileges, and encouraging small successes.


cohesiveness is very high, try to lower it by increasing groupsize, introducing more diversity within the group, discouraging

competition with other groups, and encouraging cooperation.

If group and organizational goals are not aligned, do not try to

increase cohesiveness. Try to realign group goals withorganizational goals by ensuring that group members benefit

when their efforts help the organization achieve its goals.

Important Organizational Groups1616


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Important Organizational Groups

The Top Management TeamTop Management Teamis the team ofmanagers who report to the chief executive officer(CEO).

SelfSelf--Managed Work TeamsManaged Work Teamsare teams in whichteam members have the autonomy to lead andmanage themselves and determine how the teamwill perform its tasks.

Research and Development TeamsResearch and Development Teamsare usuallycross-functional teams that are formed to developnew products.

Virtual TeamsVirtual Teamsare teams in which a significantamount of communication and interaction occurselectronically rather than face to face.


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Thank you

dynamics of ob

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