GROUP BEHAVIOR, TEAMS, AND CONFLICT

GROUP

Two or more people who perceive themselves as a group and interact in some way

a collection of people to be called a group, the following four criteria must be met:

1. Members of the group must see themselves as a unit.

2. The group must provide rewards to its members.

3. Anything that happens to one member of the group affects every other member.

4. The members of the group must share a common goal.

Corresponding Effects:

anything that happens to one member of the group affects every other member

Reasons for Joining Groups

• Assignment

• Physical Proximity

• Affiliation

• Identification

• Emotional Support

• Assistance or Help

• Common Interests

• Common Goals

Physical Proximity

• People tend to form groups with people who either live or work nearby.

Affiliation

• People join groups to be near and talk to other people.

• Increases job satisfaction.

• Leadership style in which the individual leads by caring about other and that is most effective in a climate of anxiety.

Identification

The need to associate ourselves with the image projected by other people, groups, or objects.

Group cohesiveness

The extent to which members of a group like and trust one another.

Group Homogeneity

Extent to which its members are similar

Homogenous Group:

Groups whose members share the same characteristics.

Heterogenous Group:

Groups whose members share few similarities.

Slightly Heterogenous Group

• Groups in which a few group members have different characteristics from the rest of the group.

• Group performance is best in slightly heterogeneous groups.

Stability:

The extent to which the membership of a group remains consistent over time.

Stability of Membership (Facts)

• Members remain for long periods of time are more cohesive and perform better.

• Previously worked together perform better than groups whose members are not familiar.

Isolation

Groups that are isolated or located away from other groups tend to be highly cohesive

Outside Pressure

• The amount of psychological pressure placed on a group by people who are not members of the group.

• Groups that are pressured by outside forces also tend to become highly cohesive.

Psychological Reactance

When we believe that someone is trying to intentionally influence us to take some particular action, we often react by doing the opposite.

Group Size

• Most cohesive and perform best when group size is small.

• Consist of approximately five members.

Additive Tasks

• Group’s performance is equal to the sum of the performances by each group member.

• Each member’s contribution is important, and larger groups will probably be better than smaller groups.

Conjunctive Tasks

• Group’s performance depends on the least effective group member.

• Success on a conjunctive task is limited by the least effective member, smaller groups are usually best

• Example: three-legged race, two teammates have their legs tied together and must run in sync. Their performance depends on the slower or less coordinated teammate, so the team can only go as fast as the weakest link

Disjunctive Tasks

• Group’s performance is based on the most talented group member.

• Larger groups are probably better.

Social Impact Theory:

• The addition of group member has the greatest effect on group behavior when the size of the group is small.

• So, the theory suggests that when a group is small, each member has a greater chance of influencing the group's behavior. As the group grows larger, the impact of any single member decreases.

Group Status

• The group does not actually have to have high status, but it is important that its members believe they have high status.

• The higher the group’s status, the greater its cohesiveness.

• The group does not

  actually have to have high status, but it is important that its members believe they

  have high status

Group Ability and Confidence (facts)

Groups consisting of high-ability members outperform those with low-ability members.

Personality of the Group Members

• Group made of people who are open to experience, emotionally stable, conscientious, and agreeable to perform better.

• Members have task-related experience and score high in the personality dimensions.

• Groups working on intellectual

  tasks will do better if their group members are bright,

• Groups working on physical

  tasks (e.g., sports teams) will do better if their group members score high in the personality dimensions of conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness

Communication structure

The manner in which members

of a group communicate with

one another.

Centralized Network:

Best to use to solve a problem as quickly as possible.

Open Network

Goals of fraternities and singles clubs are to encourage members to get to know one another

Group Roles

Extent to which members assume different roles

Group Roles: Its members’ roles must fall into one of two categories:

*actually there are three treat the two as a criteria

• Task-oriented roles

• Social-Oriented Roles

• Individual Role

Task-oriented roles

Behaviors such as offering new ideas, coordinating activities, and finding new information.

Social-Oriented Roles

Involve encouraging cohesiveness and participation.

Individual Role

• Includes blocking group activities, calling attention to oneself, and avoiding group interaction.

• Seldom result in higher group productivity.

Norman Triplett (1898)

• Noticed that cyclists rode faster when competing against other cyclists than when competing against a clock.

• Study: children completed a task either alone or while competing against other children.

• Triplett is the reason we began studying social facilitation — he sparked interest in how the presence of others affects performance.

Social Facilitation

The positive effects that occur when a person performs a task in the presence of others.

Social Inhibition

The negative effects that occur when a person performs a task in the presence of others

Audience Effects

The effect on behavior when one or more people passively watch the behavior of another person.

Three Factors on the Strength of the Audience Effect

• Audience Size

• Physical Proximity

• Status

Coaction

The effect on behavior when two or more

people are performing the same task in the presence of each other.

Explaining Social Facilitation Effects

• Performance does not always increase in the presence of others.

• Performance increases only when the task being performed is easy or well learned.

• Performance decreases when the task is difficult or not well learned.

Mere Presence

Presence of others naturally produces arousal and thus may affect performance.

Comparison

The effect when an individual working on a task compares his or her performance

with that of another person performing the same task

Evaluation Apprehension

• Person performing a task becomes aroused because he or she is concerned that others are evaluating his or her performance.

• Individuals are aware that the presence of others can be rewarding (e.g., when a crowd cheers) or punishing (when a crowd boos).

Distraction

The idea that social inhibition occurs because the presence of others provides a distraction that interferes with concentration.

Social Loafing

Individuals in a group often exert less individual effort than they would if they were working individually.

Why Social Loafing occurs?

• Individual efforts will not be noticed, there is little chance of individual reward.

• Free-Rider Theory

• Sucker Effect

Free-Rider Theory

When things are going well, a group member realizes that his effort is not necessary and thus does not work as hard as he would if he were alone.

Sucker Effect

When a group member notices that other group members are not working hard and thus are “playing him for a sucker.”

Individual dominance

• When one member of a group

  dominates the group.

• one affects all

Groupthink

• A state of mind in which a group is so concerned about its own cohesiveness that it ignores important information.

• Occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decisionmaking outcome

Groupthink most often occurs when the group

• is cohesive;

• is insulated from qualified outsiders;

• has an illusion of invulnerability, infallibility, or both;

• believes that it is morally superior to its adversaries;

• Is under great pressure to conform;

• has a leader who promotes a favorite solution; and

• has gatekeepers who keep information from other group members.

Ways to Reduce Groupthink

• Group leader should not state his own position or beliefs until late in the decision-making process.

• The leader should promote open discussion and encourage group members to speak.

• A group or committee can be separated into subgroups to increase the chance of disagreement.

Devil’s Advocate:

one who questions and disagrees with the group

Nominal group

A collection of individuals whose results are

pooled but who never interact with one another.

Interacting group

A collection of individuals who work

together to perform a task.

• Interacting groups will usually outperform one individual.

• Interacting groups do not outperform nominal groups.

Creating Ideas

• Should asked to independently create them and then meet as a group.

Brainstorming

Ideas are generated by people in a group setting.

Teams work best in situations in which

• The job requires high levels of employee interaction.

• A team approach will simplify the job.

• A team can do something an individual cannot.

• There is time to create a team and properly train team members.

Work Team

A collection of three or more individuals who interact intensively to provide an organizational product, plan, decision, or service.

FACTORS OF TEAMS

• Identification

• Interdependence

• Power Differentiation

• Social Distance

• Conflict Management Tactics

• Negotiation Process

Identification

• Extent to which group members identify with the team rather than with other groups.

• Strong identification with the team improves cooperation and enhances performance

Interdependence

• The extent to which team members need and rely on other team members.

• Collaboration and mutual reliance are critical for successful teamwork.

Power Differentiation

The extent to which team members have the same level of power and respect.

• Treating others as equals and taking steps to ensure equality.

• Apologize for overstepping their roles, ask indirect questions to avoid challenges, and are polite to one another.

Social Distance

• The extent to which team members treat each other in a friendly, informal manner.

• Decrease by being casual, using nicknames, and expressing liking, empathy, and common views.

Conflict Management Tactics

• Team members respond to conflict by collaborating.

• Members try to understand the others’ views, make attempts to compromise, and use nonthreatening tones.

Negotiation Process

Members negotiate in a win–win style in which the goal is for every person

TYPES OF TEAMS

• Work teams

• Parallel Teams (Cross functional team)

• Project Teams

• Advisory Teams

• Virtual Teams

• Management Teams

Work teams

Groups of employees who manage themselves, assign jobs, plan and schedule work, make work-related decisions, and solve work-related problems.

• Formed to produce goods, provide service, or increase the quality and cost-effectiveness of a product or system.

Teams differ in terms of:

Permanency and Proximity

Permanency:

The extent to which a team will remain together or be disbanded after a task has been accomplished.

Proximity

Physical distance between people

Virtual Teams

Teams that communicate through email rather than face to face.

On the basis of the six factors just discussed, Donnellon (1996) placed teams into one

of five categories:

collaborative teams, emergent teams, adversarial teams, nominal teams, and doomed teams

• Collaborative Teams and Emergent Teams: True teams

• Nominal Teams and Doomed Teams: Non teams

• Adversarial Teams: Somewhere in between a true team and a nonteam.

Traditional approach:

Have employees specialize in performing one particular task.

Team approach:

No supervisor, each of the production workers would be called a “team member” and be cross trained to perform all of the tasks.

Crews:

Type of work teams. Groups of “expert specialist have specific role positions, perform brief events that are closely synchronized with each other and repeat these events across different environmental conditions” (Firefighters..)

Parallel Teams (Cross-Functional Teams)

Consist of representatives from various departments (functions) within an organization

Project Teams

Groups formed to produce onetime outputs.

• Creating a new product, installing a new software system, or hiring a new employee.

Management Teams

Teams that coordinate, manage, advise, and direct employees and teams.

• Responsible for providing general direction and assistance to those teams.

Four Developmental Phases of a Team

Forming Stage-Storming Stage-Norming Stage-Performing Stage

Forming stage

The first stage of the team process, in which team members “feel out” the team concept and attempt to make a positive impression.

• ▪ On their best behavior as they try to impress and get along with the other team members.

• Concentrates on clarifying its mission, determining the goals it wants to accomplish, deciding on the tasks to be done to accomplish their goals, setting rules and procedures, and developing alternative courses of action to reach their goals.

Storming Stage

Group members disagree, resist their team roles, and challenge each other’s ideas.

Norming Stage

• Teams establish roles and determine policies and procedures.

• Begin to acknowledge the reality of the team by accepting the team leader and working directly with other team members to solve difficulties.

Performing Stage

• Teams work toward accomplishing their goals.

• Make innovative suggestions, challenge one another without defensive responses, and participate at high levels.

12 Common Problems Encountered by Teams (Only 6 mentioned in the book)

1. The Team Is Not a Team

2. Excessive Meeting Requirements

3. Lack of Empowerment

4. Lack of Skill

5. Distrust of the Team Process

6. Unclear Objectives

Excessive Meeting Requirements

Either meet too infrequently or meet so often that they waste time when they do meet.

Lack of Empowerment

• Formed to solve problems but are not given sufficient authority to conduct their business.

• Managers worry that the job won’t be done correctly.

Distrust of the Team Process

Management doesn’t trust the concept of teams.

Unclear Objectives

Teams work best when they know why they were formed, what they are expected to accomplish, and when they are supposed to be finished.

ATLERNATE THEORY – PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM

Teams set their direction early on, follow it for a while, then make major changes midway through the project.

Effective team design

• Effective teams require complex, structured, tasks that demand interdependence.

• Teams should be big enough to include all the skills and ideas needed but small enough for easy coordination and active participation from everyone.

• Successful teams balance technical skills with adaptability and conflict resolution.

Conflict

The psychological and behavioral reaction to a perception that another person is keeping you from reaching a goal, taking away your right to behave in a particular way, or violating the expectancies of a relationship

TYPES OF CONFLICT

1. Functional Conflict

2. Dysfunctional Conflict

3. Interpersonal Conflict (1v1)

4. Individual-Group Conflict

5. Group-Group Conflict (5v5)

Dysfunctional Conflict

Keeps people from working together, lessens productivity, spreads to other areas, and increases turnover

Functional Conflict

Moderate levels of conflict can stimulate new ideas, increase friendly competition, and increase team effectiveness.

Interpersonal Conflict

Conflict between two people (between two coworkers, subordinate and supervisor).

Individual–Group Conflict

• Conflict between an individual and the other members of a group.

• Occurs when the individual’s needs are different from the group’s needs, goals, or norms.

Group–Group Conflict

• Conflict between two or more groups.

• Departments fight for budget allocations.

CAUSES OF CONFLICT

• Competition for Resources

• Task interdependence

• Jurisdictional Ambiguity

• Communication Barriers

• Beliefs

• Personality

Competition for Resources

• When demand for resources is greater than the resources available

• in groups, when demand for a resource exceeds its supply, conflict occurs.