effective groups and teams (group5)

EFFECTIVE GROUPS AND TEAMS

Melissa AmeliaSpeaker

September 10, 2016

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Groups, Teams and Organizational Effectiveness

• Group– Two or more people

who interact with each other to accomplish certain goals or meet certain needs

• TEAM– A GROUP WHOSE MEMBERS

WORK INTENSELY WITH EACH OTHER TO ACHIEVE A SPECIFIC, COMMON GOAL OR OBJECTIVE

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Groups and Teams as Performance Enhancers

• Synergy – performance gains that

result when individuals and departments coordinate their actions

• PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT– MAKING USE OF THE SYNERGY

FROM EMPLOYEES IN A GROUP PRODUCING MORE OR BETTER OUTPUT THAN EMPLOYEES WORKING SEPARATELY.

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Groups and Teams as Performance EnhancersFactors that contribute to synergy1. Ability to bounce ideas off one another 2. Correct each other’s errors3. Bring more new ideas to bear on problems4. Accomplish projects beyond the scope of individuals

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Groups’ and Teams’ Contributions to Organizational Effectiveness

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Teams and Innovation

• Innovation– The implementation of creative ideas for new products, new

technologies, new services, or even new organizational structures essential for gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage

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Groups and Teams as Motivators

• 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 organizational goals.

• Teams provide needed social interaction and help employees cope with work-related stressors.

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Types of Groups and Teams

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• Formal Group– A group that managers establish to achieve

organization goals.

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• Informal Group– A group that managers or nonmanagerial employees

form to help achieve their own goals 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 important departments

Research and development team

A team whose members have the expertise and experience needed to develop new products

Command groups A group composed of subordinates who report to the same supervisor, also called a department or unit,

Task forces A committee of managers or nonmanagerial employees from various departments or divisions who meet to solve a specific, mutual problem; also called an “ad hoc” committee

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The Types of Groups and TeamsType of Team

Self-managed work team

A group of employees who supervise their own activities and monitor the quality of the goods and services they provide.

Virtual team A team whose members rarely or never meet face to face and interact by using various forms of information technology such as email, computer networks, telephone, fax and video conferences.

Friendship group An informal group composed of employees who enjoy each other’s company and socialize with each other.

Interest group An informal group composed of employees seeking to achieve a common goal related to their membership in an organization.

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Group Roles

• Group Roles – The set of behaviors and tasks that a group member is expected

to perform because of his position in the group

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The Stages of Group Development

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Stages of Group Development

• Forming– Group members get to know each other and reach common

goals.• Storming

– Group members disagree on direction and leadership. Managers need to be sure the conflict stays focused.

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Stages of Group Development

• Norming– Close ties and consensus begin to develop between group

members.• 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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Group Norms

• Group Norms – Shared guidelines or rules for behavior that most group members

follow

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Conformity and Deviance

• Members conform to norms to obtain rewards, imitate respected members, and because they feel the behavior is right.

• Conformity and deviance must be balanced for high performance from the group.

• Deviance allows for new ideas in the group.

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Balancing Conformity and Deviance in Groups

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Group Cohesiveness

• Group Cohesiveness – The degree to which members are attracted to their group

• Three major consequences– Level of participation– Level of conformity to group norms– Emphasis on group goal accomplishment

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Sources and Consequences of Group Cohesiveness

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Factors Leading to Group Cohesiveness

Factor

Group Size Smaller groups allow for high cohesiveness; Low cohesiveness groups with many members can benefit from splitting into two groups.

Effectively Managed Diversity

Diverse groups often come up with better solutions.

Group Identity Encouraging a group to adopt a unique identity and engage in competition with others can increase cohesiveness.

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

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Managing Groups and Teams for High Performance• Motivating group members to achieve organizational

goals:– Members should benefit when the group performs well—rewards

can be monetary or in other forms such as special recognition.– Individual compensation is a combination of both individual and

group performance.

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Managing Groups and Teams for High Performance• Social loafing

– The human tendency to put forth less effort in a group than when they work alone

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Three Ways to Reduce Social Loafing

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PROMOTING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

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Communication and Management

• CommunicationThe sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a

common understanding.

• Importance of Good CommunicationIncreased efficiency in new technologies and skillsImproved quality of products and servicesIncreased responsiveness to customersMore innovation through communication

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The Communication Process

• Phases of the Communication Process:– Transmission phase in which information is shared by two or more

people.– Feedback phase in which a common

understanding is assured.

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• Sender – person wishing to share information with some other person

• Message – what information to communicate• Encoding – sender translates the message into symbols

or language• Noise – refers to anything that hampers any stage of the

communication process

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• Receiver – person or group for which the message is intended

• Medium – pathway through which an encoded message is transmitted to a receiver

• Decoding - critical point where the receiver interprets and tries to make sense of the message

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• Feedback phase is initiated by the receiver• Receiver decides what message to send to the original sender• Feedback eliminates misunderstandings, ensures that

messages are correctly interpreted

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Verbal & Nonverbal Communication

• Verbal Communication– The encoding of messages into words, either written or spoken

• Nonverbal– The encoding of messages by means of facial expressions, body

language, and styles of dress.

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The Role of Perception in Communication

• Perception – process through which people select, organize, and interpret

sensory input to give meaning and order to the world around them

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The Role of Perception in Communication• Biases

– systematic tendencies to use information about others in ways that can result in inaccurate perceptions

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The Role of Perception in Communication

• Stereotypes – often inaccurate beliefs about the characteristics of particular

groups of people– can interfere with the encoding and decoding of messages

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The Dangers of Ineffective Communication• When managers and other members of an organization

are ineffective communicators, organizational performance suffers and any competitive advantage the organization might have is likely to be lost

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Information Richness and Communication Media• Managers and their subordinates can become effective

communicators by:Selecting an appropriate medium for each message—there is no

one “best” medium.Considering information richness

• A medium with high richness can carry much more information to aid understanding.

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Information Richness of Communication Media

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Communication Media

• Face-to-Face– Has highest information richness.– Can take advantage of verbal and nonverbal signals.– Provides for instant feedback.– Management by wandering around takes advantage of this with

informal talks to workers.– Video conferences provide much of this richness and reduce

travel costs and meeting times.

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Communication Media

• Spoken Communication Electronically Transmitted– Has the second highest information richness.– Telephone conversations are information rich with tone of voice,

sender’s emphasis, and quick feedback, but provide no visual nonverbal cues.

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Communication Media

• Personally Addressed Written Communication– Has a lower richness than the verbal forms of communication,

but still is directed at a given person.– Personal addressing helps ensure receiver actually reads the

message—personal letters and e-mail are common forms.– Does not provide instant feedback to the sender although sender

may get feedback later.– Excellent media for complex messages requesting follow-up

actions by receiver.

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E-Mail Dos and Don’ts• E-mail allows telecommuting employees to work from

home and keep in contact.• The use of e-mail is growing rapidly and e-mail etiquette

is expected:– Typing messages in all CAPITALS is seen as “screaming” at the

receiver.– Punctuate your messages for easy reading and don’t ramble on.– Pay attention to spelling and treat the message like a written

letter.

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Communication Media

• Impersonal Written Communication– Has the lowest information richness.– Good for messages to many receivers where little or feedback is

expected (e.g., newsletters, reports)

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Communication Networks

• Communication NetworksThe pathways along which information flows in groups and teams

and throughout the organization.Choice of communication network depends on:

• The nature of the group’s tasks• The extent to which group members need to communicate with each other

to achieve group goals.

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Communication Networks in Groups and Teams

Type of Network

Wheel Network Information flows to and from one central member.

Chain Network Members communicate only with the people next to them in the sequence.

Wheel and chain networks provide little interaction.

Circle Network Members communicate with others close to them in terms of expertise, experience, and location.

All-Channel Network

Networks found in teams with high levels of communications between each member and all others.

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Communication Networks in

Groups and Teams

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Organization Communication Networks• Organization Chart

– Summarizes the formal reporting channels in an organization.– Communication in an organization flows through formal and

informal pathways– Vertical communications flow up and down the corporate

hierarchy.– Horizontal communications flow between employees of the same

level.– Informal communications can span levels and departments—the

grapevine is an informal network carrying unofficial information throughout the firm.

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Formal and Informal Communication Networks in an Organization

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Technological Advances in Communication• Internet

– Global system of computer networks used by many firms use it to communicate with their suppliers.

• World Wide Web (WWW)– Provides multimedia access to the Internet.

• Intranets– A company-wide system of computer networks for information

sharing by employees inside the firm.

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Technological Advances in Communication• Groupware

– Computer software that enables members of groups and teams to share information with each other and improve communication.

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Barriers to Effective Communication– Messages that are unclear, incomplete, difficult to understand– Messages sent over the an inappropriate medium– Messages with no provision for feedback– Messages that are received but ignored– Messages that are misunderstood– Messages delivered through automated systems that lack the

human element

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Communication Skills for Managers

• Managers as Senders– Send clear and complete messages.– Encode messages in symbols the receiver understands.– Select a medium appropriate for the message and, importantly, one

that is monitored by the receiver.– Avoid filtering (holding back information) and distortion as the message

passes through other workers.– Ensure a feedback mechanism is included in the message.– Provide accurate information to avoid rumors.

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Communication Skills For Managers

• Managers as Receivers– Pay attention to what is sent as a message.– Be a good listener: don’t interrupt.– Ask questions to clarify your understanding.– Be empathetic: try to understand what the sender feels.– Understand linguistic styles: different people speak differently.– Speed, tone, pausing all impact communication.

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