University:
California State University, Northridge
Course:
MGT 360 | Management and Organizational Behavior
Academic year:

2024
Views:

360

Pages:

22
Author:

Kaeden Hicks

Group Definition  A group is a collection of two or more people who work with one another regularly to achieve common goals.  Groups:  Help organizations accomplish important tasks.  Help to maintain a high-quality workforce by satisfying members’ needs. What is the nature of groups in organizations?  Effective groups achieve high levels of:  Task performance.  Members attain performance goals regarding quantity, quality, and timeliness of work results.  Members satisfaction.  Members believe that their participation an experiences are positive and meet important personal needs.  Team viability.  Members are sufficiently satisfied to continue working together on an ongoing basis. Benefits of Groups Good for people  Improve productivity  Sometimes make better decisions  Increase commitment to decisions  Have control over members  Offset the negative effects of large organizational size  Groups and Task Performance Create the opportunity for synergy.  In the absence of experts make better decisions  More willing to make risky decisions  Problem: Free riding, breakdown in dynamics  Types of Groups Formal: officially designated for specific organizational purpose.  Informal:  form spontaneously,  based on personal relationships and special interests,  can be found within formal groups  Stages of Group Development  Forming: Everyone very polite, low productivity Primary concern entry into group.  What does the group offer me?  What will I be asked to do?  What is acceptable behavior?  Stages of Group Development (Cont.)  Storming: High emotionality and tension, low productivity. Expectations clarified and elaborated  Begin to focus on performance  Understanding increases  Cliques may form  Stages of Group Development (Cont.)  Norming: Rules and expectations set, higher productivity. Group comes together  Differences recede  Focus on maintaining group  Standards are clear  Stages of Group Development (Cont.)  Performing: Focus on productivity, highest productivity Total integration  Mature state, organized and well functioning   Adjourning or Reforming Task completed group breaks up  Membership changes stages start over  Decision Making in Groups Lack of Response (Do nothing)  By Authority Rule (Chair decides)  Decision by Minority  Decision my Majority (Voting)  Decision by Consensus  Decision by Unanimity  Advantages of Group Decisions Better information  More Alternatives Generated  Understanding and Acceptance better after decision.  Commitment to decision stronger  Disadvantages Of Group Decisions Social Pressure to Conform--Group Think  Minority Domination  Time Demands  Team Work  Characteristics of High Performing Teams Strong sense of core values  Turn general sense of values into specific objectives  Have the right mix of skills  Possess Creativity  How to Create a High Performance Team Communicate High Performance Standards  Set the tone in first meeting--primacy  Make sure members have the right skills  Establish clear rules for team behavior  Find ways to create early success  Make sure members spend time together  Give positive feedback and reward high performance  Team Process: Task Activities Initiating: offering ideas, suggestions solutions  Seeking Information: Clarifying suggestions, seeking functional accuracy, asking others.  Giving Information: Providing relevant information.  Team Process: Task Activities (cont) Clarifying: clarifying relations among suggestions, coordinate members activities.  Summarizing: assessing group function, raising questions about logic.  Group Maintenance Activities      Encouraging: praising, accepting, agreeing, warmth. Harmonizing: mediating disagreements, seeking opportunities for compromise. Setting Standards: expressing standards for behavior and achievement. Following: going along, agreeing Gate keeping: encouraging participation, keeping some members from dominating. Disruptive Behavior Overly Aggressive  Withdrawing  Using group for self-confession  Talking about irrelevant matters  Trying to compete for attention  Group Cohesiveness High Performing groups need cohesiveness  Cohesiveness is high when:  Groups are homogeneous  Groups are small  Have shared goals  Members are Interdependent  Increases when groups are physically isolated  Group Norms Rules and Expectations that are enforced  Can be positive or negative, support goals or undermine them.  Relationship of Cohesion and Norms High Cohesion Low Cohesion Negative Norms Positive Norms Low Performing Gangs Moderate to Low Problem Children High Performing Stars Moderate Performing C Students Creating Cohesion         Establish urgency and importance of task Goals: Get Agreement Membership: Increase Homogeneity Interactions: Increase within group Size: Small Groups Competition: Focus on other groups Rewards: Reward group results Location: Isolate group