challenges of group work

Question 1

a group is

Answer 1

a collection of people who share the following characteristics: group consciousness, a sense of shared purpose, interdependence
- an essentinal feature of any organisation
- group pressure can have a +/- effective on behaviour

Question 2

group cohesion and performance. what must managers do

Answer 2

• ensure those groups remain cohesive and performance-orientated
• cooperating amongst group members = enhance morale and facilitates creativity

Question 3

upside of working in a group

Answer 3

• diverse perspective / mix of knowledge and skills = fosters creativity, decision-making and wider range of solutions

Question 4

downside of group work

Answer 4

it is difficult to change groups once they have developed cohesive bonds:
- group think: team members prioritize harmony over critical evaluation of ideas, leading to conformity = results in poor decision making and missed opportunities for innovation
- conflict and disagreements: differences of opinions, values or work style. unresolved conflicts = hinder collaboration, decrease productivity, and negatively impact team cohesion

Question 5

theorist who disagreed with group work

Answer 5

Fredrick W Taylor:
believed that group work = inefficiencies as he believed that workers may prioritize personal interest over group goals, and he believed that decisions should be made by management rather than workers.

Question 6

to ensure effective cohesion, managers can adopt these strategies:

Answer 6

1) define clear goals and objectives
- what is the groups purpose, mission and goals.
- lack of clarity could lead to confusion and conflicts.
do this by regular communication, reinforce organisational goals, ensuing everyone understands their goals organisational
2) promote open communication
- open and transparent communication = trust and collaboration.
- poor communication = misunderstandings
- do this by encouraging a culture of openness, active listening and constructive feedback.