Chapter 3 On the Working of Groups Flashcards
On the working of groups:
CoDePrSeSi
- Common objectives
- Defined membership criteria
- Predetermined hierarchies
- Self-perception by the members
- Size:
Group identity through signs:
GPRA
- Group name
- Private or territorial sign
- Ritual
- Absence of these signs suggests that membership is not important
Organisational purposes of groups (a):
1) The distribution of work: allocation of responsibilities
2) The control (management) of work
3) For decision-taking, matching problems with capabilities
4) Information processing, chain of command
5) For idea collection, e.g. in research, product, development
6) For testing or rather ratifying decision, e.g. focus groups
7) For coordinating, e.g. project management
8) For increased commitment and involvement
9) For dispute resolution, such as a jury
10) For enquiry into the past
The individual’s purposes for working in groups:
Af Pe Sh Cr
1) affiliation needs. Provision of a “psychological home”
3) Gaining support to pursue personal objectives – which may not be the group’s objectives
4) Sharing and caring
5) Creating something
- The individual’s purposes for working in groups may overlap
- Note that one individual’s purposes may also conflict between themselves
- The optimum is that individual and group objectives coincide. Self-evident but rate
Stereotypes about groups do not hold true:
- Groups actually produce less ideas than the individuals separately
- Groups do not tend to produce better ideas (building on the strongest member’s input)
- Groups take riskier decisions (!) maybe because responsibility is shared
What determines group effectiveness?
- The “givens”: group, task, environment
- Interviewing factors: leadership style, processes, procedures
- The outcomes: productivity, satisfaction
Group size is a trade-off:
- The larger the group, the greater the diversity of talent, skills and knowledge
- The larger the group, the less the probability of an individual participating
- Size tends to be related to cohesiveness
- Ideal sizes do exist, beware of the “neglected resource”
Member characteristics
Co Homo Hetero
- If members share values, beliefs, attitudes, then groups tend to be stable and enduring
- Homogeneity does produce satisfaction
- Heterogeneous groups tend to exhibit more conflict, but also higher productivity
- Note however that variety in sensitivity, suspiciousness and aggressiveness does not increase productivity
The issue of compatibility:
- The compatibility between members becomes more crucial as the bas becomes more complex
- An assertive leader with dependent followers constitutes a compatible group
- When members all rate high on “warmth” this will contribute to compatibility
- Two potential leaders do not make for compatibility in a group
Group effectiveness:
- Depends on compatibility, and by the same token, group composition
- Framework for group composition: Belbin’s “team inventory” defines necessary roles, dividing them into 9 archetypes
Team roles: the chairman – m/f (not same as team leader)
The chairman (coordinator) ensures that all members of the team are able to contribute to discussions and decisions
- Is concerned with fairness and equity among team members
Caveat: those who want to make decisions quickly, or unilaterally, may feel frustrated by her insistence on consulting with all members
Team roles: the shaper
- The shaper is task-focused and energetic
- The shaper is committed to reach goals and will “shape” others into attaining the aims of the team
- He or she will challenge, argue or disagree and will display aggression in the pursuit of goal achievement
Caveat: two or more shapers in a team can lead to conflict, aggravation and in-fighting
Team roles: the plant
- Bright and free-thinking: creative, unorthodox, a generator of innovative ideas
- Plants often have a hard time communicating ideas to others
Caveat: multiple plants in a team can lead to misunderstandings, insufficient discernment, and low follow-through
Team roles: the monitor-evaluator
- Fair observers of what is going on in the team, good at detaching themselves from bias, they consider all available options with the greatest clarity and impartiality
- taking a broad view when problem-solving, and moving slowly and analytically, they are good at identifying the best option available to a team.
Caveat: Monitors can become very critical, and often have a hard time inspiring themselves or others to be passionate about their work.
Team Roles: The Resource Investigator
- The resource investigator is network oriented and focused outside the team, and has a finger firmly on the pulse of the outside world.
- Where a plant creates new ideas, a resource investigator will appropriate them from other people or organizations.
Caveat: Resource investigators show a tendency to lose momentum towards the end of a project and to forget small details.
