Working in Groups

Decision-making processes

Why work in a group?

• Working in groups is a vital part of every job

• Groups are more productive than individuals

• Effective groups are more accurate

• Groups develop more enthusiasm

Group vs. Individual Performance

Group superior to individuals

• Task requires brad range of talents and knowledge

• Complicated task (requires division & coordination)

• Time available for deliberation

• Members are motivated to succeed

• High standards of performance

Individuals superior to group

• Task requires limited knowledge

• Simple task (can be done by one person)

• Little time available

• Members don’t care too much about job

• Performance of groups is low

Characteristics of groups

• Size?– Two people are not a group– More than 20 people defeats the purpose– 10-person teams produce better results than

groups of hundred– Optimal group size 5-7

• Interaction– Collection of people doesn’t equal group– Without interaction, no group work

Characteristics of groups

• Shared purpose– Interaction alone doesn’t equal working group– A collective goal is needed to accomplish

anything collaboratively

• Interdependence– Group members don’t just interact; they

depend on one another

Telemarketers vs. Restaurant workers

Characteristics of groups

• Regular interaction– A group that interacts over a

period of time develops appropriate behavior patterns:

• shared standards• Punctuality• Expectations of quality of work

What makes a group a team?

• Team spirit

• Cooperation

• Hard work

8 shared characteristics of a successful team

• Clear & inspiring shared goals– Successful teams know why the team exists and

believe the purpose is important and worthwhile.

• Result-driven structure– Successful teams organize themselves in a manner

that ensures effective accomplishment of goals

• Competent team members– Successful teams have necessary skills to get the job

done

8 shared characteristics of a successful team

• Unified commitment– Successful team members are committed to each

other.– Groups’ goals are above their personal interests.

• Collaborative climate– Successful teams trust and support each other.

• Standards of excellence– Doing outstanding work is the norm in successful

teams.– Each member is expected to do his/her best

8 shared characteristics of a successful team

• External support & recognition– Successful teams need an audience that

shows appreciation for their dedication

• Principled leadership– Successful teams usually have leaders who

can create a vision– Leaders can identify talents of members

Functional roles of group members

• Task function– Information giver– Information seeker– Opinion giver– Opinion seeker– Starter (initiates tasks)– Direction giver– Summarizer– Diagnoser

• Relational Functions– Participation encourager– Harmonizer– Tension reliever– Praise giver– Emphatic listener

• Dysfunctional Roles– Blocker– Attacker– Joker– Recognition seeker

Systematic problem solving within a group

• Define the problem– Not understanding the problem leads to no solution

• Analyze the problem– Try to discover the causes

• Establish criteria for a solution– Identify characteristics of a good solution

• Consider possible solutions to the problem– Creative thinking needed to brainstorm possibilities

Systematic problem solving within a group

• Decide on a solution– Once all possibilities are

brainstormed, the best has to be chosen

• Implement the solution– Inventing a solution is not

enough– Tasks that need to be

completed must be identified– Resources must be identified

• Follow up on the solution– Check up on effectiveness

Decision-making methods

• Consensus– Collective group decision that all members support– Sometimes time costly

• Majority vote– Support of most members needed– Time efficient but can lead to resentment

• Minority decision– A few members make decisions affecting the whole group– Requires confidence of the larger group

• Expert opinion– Single person with specialized knowledge makes the decisions

• Authority rule– Designated leader makes all final decisions

Approaches to working in groups

• Leadership– Difference between an effective and

ineffective leader can be dramatic

Leadership

• Do you think great leaders are born with leadership “genes” or can you train anybody to become a great leader?

Theories of Leadership

• Trait theories:• Is there a set of characteristics

that determine a good leader?– Personality?– Dominance and personal presence?– Charisma?– Self confidence?– Achievement?– Ability to formulate a clear vision?

Theories of Leadership

• Trait theories:– Are such characteristics

inherently gender biased?– Do such characteristics

produce good leaders?– Is leadership more than

just bringing about change?– Does this imply that leaders are born not

made?

Theories of Leadership

• Behavioural:

• Imply that leaders can be trained – focus on the way of doing things

– Structure based behavioural theories – focus on the leader instituting structures – task orientated

– Relationship based behavioural theories – focus on the development and maintenance of relationships – process orientated

Theories of Leadership

• Contingency Theories:• Leadership as being more flexible –

different leadership styles used at different times depending on the circumstance.

• Suggests leadership is not a fixed series of characteristics that can be transposed into different contexts

Theories of Leadership

• May depend on:– Type of staff– History of the business– Culture of the business– Quality of the relationships– Nature of the changes needed– Accepted norms within the institution

Leadership styles• Authoritarian

– provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done.

– clear division between the leader and the followers.

– Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently with little or no input from rest of the group.

– best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group.

Leadership styles

• Democratic – leaders offer guidance to group members, but

they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members

– encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say over decision-making process

– Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative.

– generally the most effective leadership style

Leadership styles

• Laissez-faire– leaders offer little or no guidance to

group members and leave decision-making up to group members

– Can be very useful in businesses where creative ideas are important

– Can be highly motivational, as people have control over their working life

Change Leadership

• The most challenging aspect of business is leading and managing change

• The business environment is subject to fast-paced economic and social change

• Modern business must adapt and be flexible to survive

• Problems in leading change stem mainly from human resource management

Change Leadership

Self-esteem

Time

1. Immobilisation – as rumours of the change circulate, the individual feels some sense of shock and possible disbelief – so much so that they deem it worthy of doing nothing.

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2. Minimisation: As the change becomes clearer, people try to fit in the change with their own personal position and may try to believe that it will not affect them.

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3. Depression: as reality begins to dawn staff may feel alienated and angry, feelings of a lack of control of events overtake people and they feel depressed as they try to reconcile what is happening with their own personal situation.

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4. Acceptance/letting go: The lowest point in self-esteem finally sees people starting to accept the inevitable. Fear of the future is a feature of this stage.

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5. Testing out: Individuals begin to interact with the change, they start to ask questions to see how they might work with the change.

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6. Search for meaning: Individuals begin to work with the change and see how they might be able to make the change work for them – self esteem begins to rise.

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7. Internalisation: the change is understood and adopted within the individual’s own understanding – they now know how to work with it and feel a renewed sense of confidence and self esteem.

Transformational Leadership

“A Leadership approach that involves motivating followers to do more than expected, to continuously develop and grow, to increase self-confidence, and to place the interests of the unit or organization before their own.” (Hitt, Miller, Colella, 2009)

Questions

• Do you prefer working alone or in a group? Why?

• What is more important for you: working with people you socialize with, or people who have the necessary skills?

• Does your term project group have a leader or are decisions made with consensus of all group members?

• Which leadership style is best? Authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire?