Group Dynamics

Chapter 2 CBAD 373

Why work in teams?

• increased productivity and problem solving

• improved quality

• enhanced employee quality of work life and job satisfaction

• reduced costs

• reduced turnover and absenteeism

• increased development of members through more responsibility

• improved creativity and innovation

Stages of team development

• Forming

• Storming

• Norming

• Performing

• Adjourning

Forming

Members are involved in:

• Defining the initial project & understanding its scope and objectives

• Discussing how to divide the necessary tasks

• Learning about each other and the available resources

Role of a Leader in Forming

encourage the team to establish a mission & purpose, set up a work schedule, get to know one another, and establish certain norms for working together.

Storming

Adverse feeligns emerge, and the group is in conflict and chaos

• Results in arguments among members, emergence of subgroups, and the disunity

• “My way is best” “Who appointed you cheif"?”

Role of a Leader in Storming

• To refrain from taking sides and help members to focus on the task

• To help the group members focus on the task and not on personal differences

• To promote an environment of open communication

Norming

• Groups face their issues, conflicts, and power and leadership struggles openly and directly

• Members feel a new ability to express constructive criticism

Role of a leader in norming

to encourage members to take on more responsibility, work together, set challenging goals, and take personal responsibility for team success.

Performing

• teams have worked through their differences

• members are motivated to accomplish their task and focused on attaining team objectives

Role of a leader in Performing:

• to encourage members to provide support to and serve as resources for one another

• to maintain the team’s cohesion and morale and guide it toward success

• To stay observant

Adjourning

• Members are likely to feel disappointed if the experience was positive, or gratitude if the experience was negative

• Task at this stage is to complete final follow-up on projects

Role of a Leader in Adjourning

• To encourage the members to debrief the project

• To recognize and reward accomplishments and efforts

Conflict Management Strategies Avoiding:

Avoiding: Choosing not to deal with the issues or the people involved

Suitable when:

• Issues are trivial or of minor importance to one

• Emotions are high

• One feels that one cannot resolve the conflict or others could resolve it more effectively

  • Often this is the case yet we fail to “avoid”

  • Sometimes you don’t have enough information to have a valid opinion

Conflict Management Strategies Accommodating:

Accommodating: Being more concerned with maintaining the relationship than with accomplishing a goal through the interaction

Suitable when:

• Issue is that not important

• Harmony is of greater importance than winning

• You don’t always have to be right

Conflict Managment Strategies Compromising:

Compromising: Agreeing to give up part of the goal and part of the relationship to reach an agreement

Suitable when:

• There is a need for temporary solutions

• Both parties are at a comparable level

• There are time pressures

• Collaboration or competing is not possible

Conflict Management Strategies Competing:

Competing: Working to achieve one’s goals at all costs, even if it means sacrificing the relationship

Suitable when there is:

• Severe time restriction

• Crisis situation

• Need to issue an unpopular decision

• Need to take an action that is vital to an organizations’ welfare

• Stand up for what matters

Conflict Management Strategies Collaborating:

Collaborating: Involves energy, commitment, and excellent skills in communication, problem solving, and negotiation

Suitable when:

• there are no time constraints

• Solution that satisfies both parties’ objectives and maintains the relationship is sought

• Issue is important to all parties involved

• Conflicting parties are responsible for implementing a solution