Defining and Classifying Groups

Group(s) Two or more individuals interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives. Formal Group A designated work group defined by the organizations structure. Informal Group A group that is neither formally structured now organizationally determined; appears in response to the need for social contact.

Defining and Classifying Groups (contd)

Command Group A group composed of the individuals who report directly to a given manager. Task Group

Those working together to complete a job or task.

Interest Group Those working together to attain a specific objective with which each is concerned.

Friendship Group Those brought together because they share one or more common characteristics.

Why People Join Groups

Security

Status
Self-esteem Affiliation

Power
Goal Achievement

E X H I B I T 71

The Five-Stage Model of Group Development

Forming Stage The first stage in group development, characterized by much uncertainty. Storming Stage The second stage in group development, characterized by intragroup conflict. Norming Stage The third stage in group development, characterized by close relationships and cohesiveness.

Group Development (contd)

Performing Stage The fourth stage in group development, when the group is fully functional. Adjourning Stage

The final stage in group development for temporary groups, characterized by concern with wrapping up activities rather than performance.

Stages of Group Development

E X H I B I T 72

An Alternative Model: Temporary Groups with Deadlines

PunctuatedEquilibrium Model Temporary groups go through transitions between inertia and activity. Sequence of actions:
1. Setting group direction 2. First phase of inertia 3. Half-way point transition 4. Major changes 5. Second phase of inertia 6. Accelerated activity

The Punctuated-Equilibrium Model

E X H I B I T 73

Dynamics of Informal Group

Nature of Informal Group Relationship is develop due to common interest or due to the closeness in location. Relationship is not bounded by the authority.

In any organization informal group is obvious.

Size of the group is small. Power is not vested to anyone as a superior but person has to achieve it through his own potential.

Dynamics of Informal Group (Cont.)

Norms: Group members work together for the survival and to achieve the common group goal. Group members can anticipate the behavior of the other member, as they are very familiar with the group norms. Group member must have to behave in such a way so that the image of the group is restored. Group members should have to value the norm of their group.

Dynamics of Informal Group (Cont.)

Roles:
1. Shaper: who makes the group action oriented. 2. Planner: Who brings creative ideas. 3. Monitor: Who evaluates the feasibility of the ideas. 4. Implementer: Who takes practical and efficient action. 5. Team worker: Who solves the conflict among the members. 6. Coordinator: Who organizes the effort of other members. 7. Finisher: Who provides final touches in the total work

8. Resource investigator: Who builds good relation with the outsider in order to get resources or inputs.
9. Specialist: Who offers specialized knowledge.

Dynamics of Informal Group (Cont.)

Management of Informal Organization: Informal groups are quite powerful and influential.
As the group members interact with each other, they have co-operation, which leads to cohesiveness and powerful entity.

Duty of the management

To recognize the power of informal groups and help the group member to develop the feeling that they can achieve their own goal by contributing the organizational goal.

Dynamics of Formal Group

Positive and Negative Attributes of Committee:
Positive Attributes: Integration of ideas and opinion Reduce conflict between various departments and subunit. Improve group morale and commitment Help to develop human resources. Negative Attributes: Decision making may be time consuming and costly. Lack of individual accountability may cause individual member to blame others. Decision taken often reflect the domination of one group than another.

Work Group and Work Team

Work Group: A group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility. Work Team A group whose individuals efforts results in a performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs.

Types of Work Team

Problem Solving Team:
Team members meet for a specific number of hours per week to discuss various ways of improving quality, efficiency and the environment of the work. Such team generally consists 5-12 members.

Self-managed Work Team:

This team is totally autonomous, consists of 10-15 employees. They select their own members and evaluate their performance themselves, thereby reducing the role of supervisor.

Cross-Functional Teams:
Consists of members of same hierarchical level, but from different functional areas. These members meet together to achieve a specific goal.

Quality Circle
a small group of employees in the same work area or doing similar type of work that voluntarily meets regularly for about an hour every week to identify, analyze and resolve work-related problem.
Objective of a Quality Circle: Bringing the change in the attitude of employees by improving the quality work of life. Teaching additional skills and exploring the latent potential of the employees. Developing the team sprit and resolving the organizational conflict. Involving people in different levels to solve a problem Improving the motivation level of the employees. Providing employees a conductive work environment.

Group Decision-Making Techniques

Interacting Groups Typical groups, in which the members interact with each other face-to-face. Nominal Group Technique A group decision-making method in which individual members meet face-to-face to pool their judgments in a systematic but independent fashion.

Group Decision-Making Techniques

Brainstorming An idea-generation process that specifically encourages any and all alternatives, while withholding any criticism of those alternatives.

Electronic Meeting
A meeting in which members interact on computers, allowing for anonymity of comments and aggregation of votes.