CHAPTER 7 – WORK TEAMS AND GROUPS o Sub-stage where the group has attained

a level of effectiveness
Group – two or more persons, interacting and o Sub-stage where the process of learning
interdependent, who have come together to and development of the group is ongoing
achieve certain objectives  Adjourning stage – involves the
termination of activities; applicable to
temporary groups such as committees,
Groups may be classified as:
project groups, task forces, and similar
1. Formal group – defined by the entities
organization structure, with designated
work assignments and established tasks
a. Command group – a group composed of Roles within Groups
individuals who report directly to a 1. Knowledge contributor – great help in
certain manager task accomplishment and the value of
b. Task group – kind of group consisting of sharing technical expertise with other
persons working together to complete a members
job task 2. Process observer – forces members to
2. Informal group – neither formally look at how the group functions
structured nor organizationally 3. People supporter – provides emotional
determined; formed by individuals and support to teammates and resolve conflicts
developed around common interests and 4. Challenger – confronts and challenges bad
friendship rather than around a deliberate ideas
design 5. Listener – someone to listen to whatever
a. Interest group – one that is formed ideas or proposals presented by any
because of some special topic interest member of the group
b. Friendship groups – one where members 6. Mediator
are brought together because they share 7. Gatekeeper – provide the opportunity for
one or more common characteristics every member to express his or her
such as age, political beliefs, or ethnic opinion
background 8. Take-charge leader – group can move
forward by defining its mission and
determining its objectives
Why people from groups
 Need satisfaction
 Proximity Group Think
 Attraction - deterioration of mental efficiency,
 Goals reality testing, and moral judgment in
 Economics the interest of group cohesiveness.

Stages of Group Development Techniques in Group Decision Making

1. Interacting groups – typical groups in
 Forming stage – the initial entry of
which members interact with each
members to a group is a primary concern;
other face-to-face
characterized by uncertainty about the
2. Brainstorming – group problem-
group’s purpose, structure and leadership
solving technique which promotes
 Storming stage – stage when conflict
creativity by encouraging members to
within the group happens
come up with any ideas, no matter how
 Norming stage – initial integration stage; strange, without fear of criticism
when the group really begins to come 3. Nominal Group Technique – group
together as a coordinated unit decision-making method in which
 Performing stage – the group emerges as individual members meet face-to-face
a mature, organized, and a well- to pool their judgments in a systematic
functioning group, and is ready to focus but independent fashion
on accomplishing its key tasks; total 4. Electronic meeting – decision-making
integration stage technique wherein members interact
through computers, allowing
 anonymity of comments and 4. The team must be free to develop its
aggregation of votes work procedures
5. The team must have a sense of
Work teams accountability
- Important elements of organizations
- Groups expected to deliver high Turning individuals into team players
performance when the organization 1. Selection
requires it 2. Training – way of turning individuals
- Formal group comprised of people into team players
interacting very closely together with a 3. Reward – powerful motivators. This is
shared commitment to accomplish agreed- also true if it is directed towards
upon objectives effective teamwork

Differences between workgroups and teams Potential team problems

 Groups emphasize individual 1. Changing membership – changes in
leadership, mutual accountability, and its composition
individual work products o Transferring to a higher priority project
 Teams emphasize shared leadership, o Occurrence of a personal problem
mutual accountability, and collective requiring extended leaves of absence
work products o Accepting a job in another company
Manage its internal turnover through
Types of Teams the following:
1. Problem-solving teams – groups of 5-12 o Recognition of the potential problems
employees from the same department who brought by high turnover
meet for a few hours each week to discuss o Development of a plan for managing
ways of improving quality, efficiency and turnover
work environment o Thinking through how best to integrate
2. Self-managed work teams – empowered new members
to make decisions about work schedules,
task allocations, job skills training, 2. Social loafing – tendency for
performance evaluation, selection of new individuals to expend less effort when
team members and controlling the quality working collectively than when working
of work individually
3. Cross Functional Teams – one composed
Reasons for social loafing
of employees from about the same
hierarchical levels, but from different work o The members think their contribution is
areas, who come together to accomplish a less noticeable
task o The members prefer to see others carry
4. Virtual teams – use computer technology the workload
to tie together physically dispersed To minimize this; it is wise to consider
members in order to achieve a common an analysis of the following
goal o The nature of the task
o The qualifications and desires of the
Developing Effective Teams participants
1. Team size must be kept as small as o The time and cost constraints
possible.
2. The team members must have a
sufficient range of skills, information,
and/or experience to do the task
3. Team members must have a sense of
common purpose like the feeling that
what they are doing is critical to the
success of the organization