Group Development And Roles Flashcards
1
Q
Group development 1
A
Group development (Tuckman, 1965)
- Tuckman’s stages of group development are well known.
- Proposal of a five stage group formation process has been applied to countless groups since its original proposal in 1965.
A. Forming
> Team acquaints and establishes ground rules.
> Formalities are preserved and members are treated as strangers.
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B. Storming
> Members start to communicate their feelings but still view themselves as individuals rather than part of a team.
> They resist control by group leaders and show hostility.
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C. Norming
> People feel part of the team and realise that they can achieve work if they accept other viewpoints.
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D. Performing
> The team works in an open and trusting atmosphere where flexibility is the key and hierarchy is of little importance.
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E. Adjourning
> The team conducts an assessment of the year and implements a plan for transitioning roles and recognising members’ contributions. - He proposes that all groups go through the same five stages during their formation.
1
Q
Group development 2
A
Belbin’s Theory of Team Roles (Belbin, 1981)
- Belbin proposes that an ideal team contains people who are prepared to take on different roles.
- A team role is defined as ‘a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way’.
- The value of Belbin team-role theory lies in enabling an individual or team to benefit from self-knowledge and adjust according to the demands being made by the external situation.
- Action-oriented roles
A. Shapers
> People who challenge the team to improve.
> They are dynamic and usually extroverted people who enjoy stimulating others, questioning established views and finding the best approaches for solving problems.
> Tend to see obstacles as exciting challenges, although they may also be argumentative and upset colleagues.
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B. Implementers
> People who get things done.
> They turn the team’s ideas and concepts into practical actions and plans.
> They tend to be people who work systematically and efficiently and are very well organised.
> They can be inflexible and resistant to change.
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C. Completer-finishers
> People who see that projects are completed thoroughly.
> They ensure there have been no mistakes and they pay attention to the smallest details.
> They are very concerned with deadlines and will push the team to make sure the job is completed on time (timely).
> They are described as perfectionists and may worry unnecessarily and find it hard to delegate. - People-oriented roles
A. Coordinators
> Ones who take on the traditional team-leader role and guide the team to the objectives (acts as a chairperson).
> They are often excellent listeners.
> They are naturally able to recognise the value that each team member brings to the table.
> They are calm and good-natured, and delegate tasks very effectively.
> Their potential weaknesses are that they may delegate too much personal responsibility, and may be manipulative.
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B. Team workers
> People who provide support and make sure that people within the team are working together effectively (encourages cooperation).
> These people are negotiators and are flexible, diplomatic and perceptive.
> These tend to be popular people who prioritise team cohesion and help people get along.
> They may be indecisive and struggle to commit to a position.
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C. Resource investigators
> Innovative and curious.
> They explore the available options, develop contacts and negotiate for resources on behalf of the team.
> They are enthusiastic team members, who identify and work with external stakeholders to help the team accomplish its objective.
> They are outgoing and people generally respond positively to them.
> However, they may lose enthusiasm quickly. - Thought-oriented roles
A. Plant
> The creative person who comes up with new ideas (present new ideas and approaches).
> They thrive on praise but struggle to take criticism.
> Often introverted and prefer to work on their own.
> Their ideas can sometimes be impractical and they may also be poor communicators.
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B. Monitor-evaluators
> Good at analysing and evaluating the ideas that other people propose.
> These people are shrewd, objective and strategic.
> They carefully weigh the pros and cons of all the options before coming to a decision.
> They can be seen as detached or unemotional.
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C. Specialists
> People who have specialised knowedge that is needed to get the job done.
> They pride themselves on their skills and expertise but may sometimes focus on technicalities at the expense of the bigger picture.
2
Q
Measuring team roles
A
- The Belbin Test is a test for assessing team roles that produces a very detailed report of the skills and abilities in relation to the team roles such as advice on where you may be most comfortable, roles you may be best (or least) suited to and strategies for playing to your strengths.
- The inventory is split into 8 sections, where a total of 10 points need to be allocated per section.
3
Q
Evaluation
A
- Tuckman’s model of group formation
> Extremely useful in providing guidance on how groups form and in allowing organisations to see that these stages are part of the normal developmental processes.
> However, this model was originally proposed as an explanation of small groups and may not be as useful in helping to understand the development of larger groups.
> Tuckman does not provide guidance on timescales for moving from one stage to another.
> Tuckman does not recognise that group formation is often cyclical rather than linear.
> Despite these and other criticisms, his work has been influential in understanding the stages that groups pass through.
> He does not take account of the differing team roles that group members might have to adopt, which is where Belbin steps in. - Belbin
> Rather than looking at the stages of group development, Belbin examines the type of people that are required in a group.
> This means that an important application of his work is to assess the preferred roles of each team member and to encourage all members to appreciate the characteristics and the strengths of the others.
> One problem when looking at Belbin’s team roles is that many groups may be smaller than nine (not very reductionist).
» Belbin recognised this himself and, in practice, group members in small groups will often take on more than one role.
> Unfortunately much of the research into Belbin’s team roles suggests that many management teams have too many implementers and shapers, and not enough plants and team workers.
» This is likely to mean that plans are formulated and given detail fairly quickly, but that they may lack creativity and may alienate some members (Arnold et al.).
» However, Belbin must be given credit for his focus on the need for diversity within teams and the value of different characteristics and skills. - Belbin’s inventory
> Has real life application as it can be used to identify the person best suited for a particular task based on his skills/role.
» This will increase work satisfaction and productivity.
> Can identify hiring needs of an organisation.
> As it is a self-report, there is risk of social desirability reducing validity.
