chapter 7: groups and teamwork Flashcards
what are groups?
two or + people interacting interdependently to achieve a common goal
why is group membership important?
it exerts influence on us
provides a context where we can exert influence on others
what are formal groups?
why are they around?
manager and employees to report to the manager
established by organizations to facilitate the achievement of organizational goals
give two common type of group works
project teams
committees
what are informal groups
groups that e merge naturally in response to common interests
they can have a positive or negative impact on an organization
why are groups (for work) very complex?
They require a fair amount of negotiation & trial-and-error before individual members begin to function as a true group
what are the stages of group development
forming
storming
norming
performing
forming stage
Group members try to orient themselves by “testing the waters” (observing and listening)
situation is often ambiguous
members are aware of their dependency on each other
storming stage
confrontation and criticism occur
members determine wether they go along with way the group is developing
norming stage
Members resolve the issues that provoked the storming
they develop social consensus
Compromise is often necessary.
Norms are agreed on and the group becomes more cohesive.
Information and opinions flow freely
performing stage
group devotes its energies toward task accomplishment
adjourning stage
members celebrate completing the task and shiiid
I honestly don’t know why this should be relevant
mostly applicable to groups that haven’t met before
do all the groups go through all these stages?
nah boy
what is the punctuated equilibrium model?
describes how groups with deadlines are affected by their first meetings & crucial midpoint transitions
what is Phase 1 of the punctuated equilibrium model?
Sets agenda and tone for the phase until the midpoint
The group gathers info & holds meetings
makes little visible progress toward the goal
what are the stages according to the punctuated equilibrium model?
Phase 1
Midpoint
Project deadline (phase 2)
what is included in the group structure?
basic structural characteristics along which groups vary are size & member diversity
group norms, roles, status, & cohesiveness
satisfaction is higher in bigger or smaller groups?
why?
satisfaction is higher in smaller groups
The chance to work on and develop friendships decrease as size increases
Larger groups might cause conflict and disagreement
As size increases, the time available for verbal participation by each member decreases
what is the midpoint transition stage in the punctuated equilibrium model?
The transition marks a change in the group’s approach
crystallizes the group’s activities for Phase 2
this is where it decides wether you mess up or nah
what is the project deadline phase in the punctuated equilibrium model?
decisions and approaches from the midpoint are applied
concludes with a final meeting that reveals an eruption of activity & concern for how outsiders will evaluate the project
what does the groups size and performance depend on?
on the task to complete
how we define good performance
what are the types of group tasks?
additive tasks
disjunctive tasks
conjunctive tasks
additive tasks
group performance is dependent on the sum of the performance of individual group members
potential performance of the group increases with group size
disjunctive tasks
group performance is dependent on the performance of the best group member
potential performance also increases with group size
conjunctive tasks
group performance is limited by the performance of the poorest group member
Both the potential and actual performance will decrease as group size increases
building a house is what type of task?
additive task
you need electrician, architect, construction guys, drug dealers
basically everyone
what are process losses?
for conjunctive tasks
performance difficulties that arise from the problems of motivating & coordinating larger groups
the larger the group is, marginal process loss will increase, wh
what is the effect of larger groups on process loss, potential productivity, and actual performance?
(for conjunctive tasks)
the larger the group is, the more marginal process loss there will be
the larger the group, the less marginal potential productivity
all in all, the larger the group, the more the overall actual performance decreases
what is actual performance
for conjunctive tasks
potential performance - process losses
is actual performance always gonna decrease when a group increases?
(for conjunctive tasks)
nah
it hits peak at one point
but it dips massively
what is a problem with diversity in groups
more difficult time communicating
the group steps or processes take longer
what is an advantage of diversity in groups?
sometimes perform better on tasks that require creativity & innovation
what are social norms
collective expectations that members of social units have about what type of shit to do and not to do
normative influence is usually conscious or unconscious?
unconscious
when are we ware of normative influence?
only aware of it in special circumstances
ex: when we enter new social situations
why do norms develop?
Norms provide regularity & predictability to behaviour
provides psychological security
permits us to carry out our daily business with minimal disruption
what allows for the development of norms?
behaviors that are generally accepted by everyone
if it benefits the vast majority as a whole or an organization, then it will be encouraged, hence turned into a norm
what are the typical norms in organizations that affect behavior?
dress
performance
reward allocation
why do individuals respect norms?
Norms correspond to private attitudes
often save time & prevent social confusion
groups have a range of rewards and punishments available to induce conformity to norms
what are roles?
positions in a group that have a set of expected behaviours attached to them
what are the cone¡sequences of role conflict?
job dissatisfaction
stress reactions
lowered organizational commitment
turnover intentions
assigned roles?
formally prescribed by an organization
divide labour & responsibility to facilitate task achievement
Indicate “who does what” & “who can tell others what to do.”
emergent roles
roles develop naturally
meet the social-emotional needs of group members
assists in formal job accomplishment
when does role ambiguity arise?
when the goals of one’s job or the methods of performing it are unclear
what ar elements that can lead to role ambiguity?
Organizational factors
the role sender
the focal person
what are the consequences of status differences?
affects the ways in which people communicate with each other
Most people like to communicate with others at their own status or higher
they often vag on those who are below them
what is group cohesiveness?
Degree to which a group is especially attractive to its members
degree to which members want to stay in the group
degree to which they describe the group in favourable terms
what are the facts affecting group cohesiveness?
member diversity
success
size
threat and competition
toughness of initiation
member diversity
Groups that are diverse in terms of gender, age, & race can have a harder time becoming cohesive
how can we make sure that dissimilarities are not as apparent when a group is heavily diversified?
make sure the group is in agreement to how to complete a task
its success will often outweigh surface dissimilarity
what is the effect of success on group cohesiveness?
When a group accomplishes a goal, members feel pride and tend to become more cooperative with each other
group is more attractive to its members
how can treat and competition affect group cohesiveness?
it can force members to work together when group goals are in danger
external threats to survive have often resulted in greater cohesiveness
how can the size of a group affect group cohesiveness
Larger groups have a more difficult time in becoming and staying cohesive
more difficult time in agreeing on goals
more problems communicating and coordinating efforts
how can toughness of initiation affect group cohesiveness?
Groups that are tough to get into are more attractive than those that are easy to join
what are the consequences of cohesiveness?
more participation (less turnover and less absenteeism)
more conformity (respect of group norms)
more success (achieving goals, and higher performance)
Why are cohesive groups effective at goal accomplishment?
Participation and communication + conformity → agreement → goals
Should managers attempt to increase the cohesiveness of work groups?
if goals to achieve by a group correspond with those of the organization, increased cohesiveness should have
benefits for group performance
if the goals don’t correspond with the organization’s goals, organizational effectiveness might be threatened
why are highly cohesive groups sometimes less productive then less productive groups?
In highly cohesive groups, the productivity of individual group members is similar to other
members
in less cohesive groups, there is more variation in productivity
when is cohesiveness more likely to pay off?
when the task requires more interdependence
what can make groups pursue goals that result in low productivity?
If the climate is marked by tension & disagreement
what is social loafing?
tendency to refuse to give physical or intellectual effort when performing group tasks
Social loafing → low motivation
where is social loafing usually more present?
in individualistic countries like in North America
can social loafing create process losses?
yeeee
what are the two forms that social loafing takes when creating process losses?
free rider effect
sucker effect
free rider effect
people lower their effort to get a free ride at the expense of other group members
sucker effect
people lower their effort because of the feeling that others are free riding
goal is to restore equity
how to counteract social loafing
keep group size small to make individual performance seem more visible
Make sure that the work is interesting (intrinsic motivation should counteract social loafing)
Increase feelings of indispensability
Increase performance feedback
Reward group performance for effectiveness (members will monitor their peers)
what are virtual teams
work groups that use technology to communicate and collaborate across time, space, and organizational boundaries
the primary feature of virtual teams is the lack of face-to-face contact between team members
what are the advantages of virtual teams’
round-the-clock work
reduced travel time and cost
larger talent pool
what are the challenged to virtual teams
trust is difficult to develop between virtual team members
