MGMT1001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Mercy Corps, Group Cohesiveness, Conflict Management
Teams
1. Define different types of groups in organisations
• Formal groups: work group established by the organisation that have designated
work assignment and specific tasks directed at accomplishing organisational goals
Examples of formal groups:
✓ Command groups: basic traditional work group determined by formal
authority relationship and depicted on the organisational chart.
✓ Cross-functional groups: a group with knowledge and skill from various work
areas that comes together to come up with solutions to operational
problems
✓ Self-managed teams: independent groups that do their jobs not only in
operating, but also managing, such as hiring, planning, scheduling etc.
✓ Task forces: temporary group that is created to accomplish specific task,
after that the group will disband
• Informal groups: these group occur naturally in the work place in response to the
need of social contact. Tend to form around friendship and common interest.
2. Describe the five stages of group development
✓ Forming: the first stage of group development in which people join the group and
the defie the group’s purpose, struture, ad leadership. This stage is opleted
when people starts to think of themselves as part of the group
✓ Storming: characterised by intragroup conflict. Members accept the existence of the
group, but resist the control the group imposes on individuality. Furthermore, there
might be conflict on how controls the group. When this stage is complete, there will
be relatively clear hierarchy of leadership within a group and agreement on the
group’s diretio
✓ Norming: close relationship and cohesiveness develop. There is strong sense of
group and camaraderie. This stage is completed when the group structure solidifies.
✓ Performing: The group structure is accepted and the group is fully functional. Starts
to perform tasks. The last stage for a permanent group.
✓ Adjourning: Final stage of group for temporary group. Prepares to disband.
Wrapping up tasks and activities.
3. Explain the main component that determine group performance and satisfaction
✓ External conditions imposed on the group: a group is a part of a larger organisation.
These eteral oditios ilude orgaisatio’s strateg, authorit strutures,
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
formal rules and regulations, availability or absence of organisational resources,
eploee seletio riteria, the orgaisatio’s perforae aageet sste,
the orgaisatio’s ulture, et.
✓ Group eer resoures: depeds o eeroe’s resoures the rig to the group.
Can be knowledge, abilities, skills, experience, and personality characteristics. They
determine what members can do and how effectively they will perform in a group.
For example, interpersonal skills determine conflict management and resolution,
collaborative problem solving, and communication. Personality traits will impact on
how the individual interact with other group members.
✓ Group struture: shapes eers’ ehaiour. This iteral struture defies
member roles, norms, conformity, status system, group size, group cohesiveness,
and formal leadership positions.
▪ Roles: refer to behaviour patterns expected of someone who
occupies a given position in a social unit.
Task-related roles: roles that help group to focus on the task at hand.
You may be initiator, information seeker, opinion giver, elaborator,
and coordinator.
Maintenance-related roles: roles that help to maintain good
interpersonal relationship within the groups and enhance group
member satisfaction. You may be harmoniser, compromiser, gate
keeper, encourager, and follower.
Self-oriented/dysfunctional roles: roles that may hinder or even
uderie the tea’s progress. Soeoe ho perfors this role
has little concern for the group or its goals and are harmful for the
group’s futioig.
▪ Norms: standards or expectations that are accepted and shared by
group’s eers. For example: arrival ritual, dress norms. Norms,
especially if it is related to level of efforts and performance, are so
poerful that perforae preditio ased o idiidual’s ailit
and level of motivation often prove to be wrong. However, it can
irease idiidual’s atisoial atios. If the ors of the group are
such that it tolerates deviant behaviour, someone who normally
would not engage in such behaviour might be more likely to do so.
For instance, one study shows that those working in a group were
more likely to lie, cheat, and steal than were individuals working
alone. Why? Because groups provide anonymity, thus giving
individuals- who might otherwise be afraid of getting caught- a false
sense of security.
▪ Conformity: behaviour that is the same as the behaviour of most
other people in a society/group. Because they want to be accepted,
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
they are susceptible to conformity pressures. Can influence a
eer’s judgeet ad attitudes researh Soloo Ash. But
conformity a go too far, espeiall he a idiidual’s opiio is
significantly different than others. When this happen, the group
often exerts intensive pressures on the individual to align his or her
opinion to conform to others opinion. This is called groupthink.
▪ Status system: status is a prestige grading, position, or rank within a
group. Can be a significant motivator with behavioural
consequences especially when individuals see disparity between
what they perceive they status to be and what others perceive it to
be.
▪ Group size: affects performance and satisfaction, but effect
depends on what the group is supposed to accomplish (e.g. research
->better small number, problem solving-> better large
Social loafing: the tendency for people to expend less effort when
working collectively than working individually.
▪ Group cohesiveness: the degree to which group member are
attracted to a group and share its goals. Group with a lot of internal
disagreement and lack of cooperation are less effective in
completing their tasks than group in which members generally agree,
cooperate, and like each other. It is related to group’s produtiit.
If the goals are desirable, a cohesive group is more productive than
a less cohesive group. But if cohesiveness is high and attitudes are
unfavourable, productivity decreases. If cohesiveness is low and
goals are supported, productivity increases but not as much as when
both cohesiveness and support are high.
✓ Group processes: processes that go within the group, like decision-making,
communication, conflict management
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Define different types of groups in organisations. Teams: formal groups: work group established by the organisation that have designated work assignment and specific tasks directed at accomplishing organisational goals. Command groups: basic traditional work group determined by formal authority relationship and depicted on the organisational chart. Cross-functional groups: a group with knowledge and skill from various work areas that comes together to come up with solutions to operational problems. Self-managed teams: independent groups that do their jobs not only in operating, but also managing, such as hiring, planning, scheduling etc. Task forces: temporary group that is created to accomplish specific task, after that the group will disband. Informal groups: these group occur naturally in the work place in response to the need of social contact. Tend to form around friendship and common interest: describe the five stages of group development.
