Chapter 13 Flashcards
Group
two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals
Formal groups
work groups that are defined by the organization’s structure
have designated work assignments and specific tasks
Informal groups
social groups which naturally occur in the workplace
form around friendships and common interests
Stages of Group Development
Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning
Forming stage phase 1
joining the group
Forming stage phase 2
defining the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership
Storming stage
intragroup conflict
conflict over who will control and what the group needs to do
Norming stage
close relationships develop
Performing stage
group works on the group’s task
last stage of permanent work groups
Adjourning
final stage for temporary groups
disbanding
organization’s strategy, authority relationships, formal rules and regulations, availability of resources, employee selection criteria, performance management system and culture, and general physical layout of the group’s work space
External Conditions Imposed on the Group
knowledge, abilities, skills, and personality traits, interpersonal skills, collaborative problem solving, and communication of each individual in a group
Group Member Resources
Role
behavior patterns expected of someone occupying a given position in a social unit
Task Accomplishment Role
focusing on getting work done
Group Member Satisfaction Role
giving members the opportunity to offer ideas and satisfaction with their experience
Norms
standards or expectations accepted and shared by a group’s members
Conformity
individuals are pressured to conform
Groupthink
when a group exerts extensive pressure on an individual to align his or her opinion with that of others
Work Group Performance and Satisfaction
External conditions, Group Member resources, Group Structure, Group Processes, Group tasks
Group Structure
Role, Norms, Conformity, Status, Group Size, Group Cohesiveness, Group Process
Status
prestige grading, position within a group
Optimal group size
5 - 7
Social loafing
tendency to expend less effort when working collectively
Group cohesiveness
degree to which group members are attracted to one another and share the group’s goals
communication, decision making, conflict management affect group performance/satisfaction
Group Process
Nominal Group Technique
Group decision making technique in which members are presented with a problem and each member independently writes down his ideas on the problem
Group Process
Group Decision Making, Conflict Management
Conflict
perceived incompatible differences
Conflict Views
Traditional, Human Relations View, Interactionist view
the view that all conflict is bad and must be avoided.
Traditional
the view that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group
Human Relations
the view that some conflict is necessary for a group to perform effectively.
Interactionist view
Functional conflict
conflicts that support goals and improve group performance
Dysfunctional
conflicts that prevent a group from achieving goals
Task conflict
over content and goals
Relationship conflict
based on interpersonal relationships
process conflict
how work gets done
how much conflict is optimal for task, relationship, process conflict?
Relationship - minimal to none; often dysfunctional
Task conflict - low to moderate
Process- low
Group Tasks
complexity and interdependence of tasks influence group’s effectiveness
Conflict Management Techniques
Forcing, Compromising, Avoiding, Accommodating, Collaborating
Work Team
groups whose members work intensely on a specific, common goal
Team from the same department or functional area involved in improving work activities or solving problems
Problem-solving team
Type of work team that operates without a manager and is responsible for a complete work process or segment
Self-managed work team
a work team composed of individuals from various functional specialties.
Cross-functional
a type of work team that uses technology to link physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal
Virtual team
Effective work teams
Clear goals, relevant skills, mutual trust, unified commitment, good communication, negotiating skills, appropriate leadership, internal and external support
