Class 12: Groups and Teams

Organizational Behavior is a field of study

• individuals: personality, values, motivation, creativity, perception…

• Groups: teams, decision-making, conflict, negotiation

• Organizations: power, structure, design, complementaries, and links to strategy

Why study teams

• work today is increasingly interdependent — few tasks can be done alone

• Complex problems need diverse expertise and collaboration

• Teams bridge divisions and roles, combining skills and perspectives

• Studying team helps us understand how to coordinate effectively

What do teams do

• solve coordination and communication challenges formal structures can not

• Act as linking mechanisms for knowledge, resources, and problem-solving

• Enable boundary-crossing collaboration and innovation

But effective teams are only as god as their group dynamics

Team effectiveness: is a function of quality of inputs, team design, and most important, team dynamics

• task performance

• Viability (member learning)

• Member satisfaction

Team dynamics drive whether a group thrives or struggles

We love teams because of synergy

• they bring together strengths and ideas

• They help solve problems that individuals can’t alone

• Working together can achieve Moore Han working separately

We hate teams because of friction

• they can be slow or frustrating to coordinate

• Conflicts or unequal effort can drain motivation

• Decisions can take longer or feel less satisfying

The goal of organizational behavior

Is to promote synergy and counteract issues with thoughtful team design and team dynamics

Team Development Stages (Tuckman 1965)

• Forming

• Storming

• Norming

• Performing

• Adjourning

Team design: size, composition, purpose, roles, join design

Team dynamics: synergy, social loafing, groupthink, cohesion, decision making, communication, conflict

Forming

• meeting members

• Understanding the situation

Storming

• conflicts

• Unclear rules and roles

• Confrontation and criticism

Norming

• agreement on rules and roles

• Info/opinions flow freely

• Consensus, cohesion

Performing

• energy to task

• Productivity and creativity

• Mutual assistance

Adjourning

• group dissolves

• Rites and rituals

A typical lifecycle

Groups can stop at any stage

Conflict starts with perception

Conflict is a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has or is about to negatively affect something important to them

Types of conflicts

• relationships

• Task

• Process

Relationship

Disagreements based on personal issues unrelated to work

Task

Disagreements about the work being done

Process

Centers on task strategy and delegation of duties and resources

Group Norms and Cohesion: How Teams Really Work

• what are norms?

• What is cohesion?

• How they work together

• Real talk

What are norms?

The unspoken rules in a group — like “don’t ghost the group chat” or “show up prepared”

What is cohesion?

How connected and committed people feel to the group

• when you feel the vibe, you’re more likely to follow the rules

How norms and cohesion work together

Strong cohesion makes it easier to call out slackers or celebrate effort

• but..it can also make it harder to speak up if you disagree

Real talk

Ever stayed quiet in a group because you didn’t want to mess with the vibe? That’s cohesion in action

When cohesion goes too far?

• groupthink

  • When everyone just goes along with the group — even if they disagree

    • People stay quiet to avoid conflict

    • It feels like “everyone agrees” (even if they don’t)

    • Creative ideas and honest feedback get lost

  • Some symptoms of groupthink

    • Belief inherent morality

    • Stereotyped views of out-groups

    • Direct pressure on dissenters

    • Self-censorship

    • Illusion of unanimity

Group cohesion: What Makes a Group Feel Like a Team?

It’s how attracted people feel to being part of the group. Like when a group project actually feels fun

• what builds it?

• What happens when cohesion is strong?

• The watch-outs

What builds group cohesion?

• winning together (success)

• Feeling similar (shared values or vibe)

• Small size (easier to bond)

• Facing challenges together (tight deadline , tough feedback)

• Going through something hard (like a tough onboarding or initiation)

What happens when cohesion is strong?

The good stuff

• people show up, speak up, and stick around

• Feels like “we’re in this together”

The watch-outs

• cohesion can lead to groupthink

• People might stay quiet to avoid rocking the boat

• Can become an echo chamber when new ideas get shut down

• “Strong teams feel great — but only if they leave room for different voices”

Social loafing

When people in a group don’t try as hard because they think others will pick up the slack

• free-rider effect: “why bother? Others will do it”

• Sucker effect: “why should i work hard if no one else is?”

• Too many people? It’s easy to hide and check out

Free-rider effect

Why bother? Others will do it

Sucker effect

Why should i work hard if no one else is?

So, how might we counteract team loafing?

• keep group size small: more visible individual performance and lower communication costs

• Intrinsic motivation should counteract social loafing (i.e., job design — interesting work and quality feedback

• Group members with unique inputs (indispensability) and understand kind of task

Why group size matters

The best group size depends on what you’re trying to do and how you want people to feel

Small groups = more connection

• easier to build real friendships

• Less conflict, more trust

• People feel safer to speak up

• Stronger sense of belonging and shared success

Large Groups = more power (sometimes)

• great for task where more hands or ideas help

• Additive task: everyone contributes (e.g. building a house)

• Disjunctive tasks: one great idea can win the day

Teams

a team is just a group of people trying to get something done — together

Teams change over time

They go through phases (forming, storming, etc)

Things like group size and roles shape how they evolve

Norms can help or hurt

Clear roles = less stress, more success

• When everyone knows what they’re doing, the group work better

• And people feel more included, respected, and motivated