Best Workplace
Instructor Guidance
This week we delve into what attracts us to particular groups and then how we work together as a group to achieve our goals. It might surprise you to learn that many times individuals join groups because they are convenient (close to home), because a friend or acquaintance belongs to the group, or because we see it as a status thing. It appears from research on this subject that what he group does isn’t always as important as how we are perceived for being part of a group. Remember that popular group back in high school? Maybe you were a part of it, or maybe not. Either way, the perception of many individuals at that time was that the “in group” had more going for it than other less popular groups. Those who were actually part of this group sometimes learned that it more about the status of belonging than it actually was belonging.
As adults, our roles in life many times determine which groups we decide to join. Those who are the primary caretaker in the family, typically women, tend to join more informal social groups. Many men see their role as primary breadwinner and so they tend to join groups or organizations that may help them move up on the social/business ladder. Sorry about the stereotypes gang, but research doesn’t lie. For both men and women, finding individuals that are similar to ourselves also tends to be criteria for joining a group. Perhaps that is related to the comfort we feel with those things that seem familiar.
Another factor that comes into play when deciding which groups we want to join is the cost/benefit idea. Joining groups has a cost, either monetarily or emotionally. Some groups have required clothing (uniforms) or dues. In most cases the emotional cost of meeting and conforming to new individuals expectations can also take an emotional toll, so we tend to weigh the costs and the benefits before making a commitment. Exiting from a group also has the same considerations plus a few others, like loss of status or feelings of isolation.
The cohesiveness of a group relates to how well everyone gets along and functions as a unit. That is not to say that all encounters of a group are without conflict, because sometimes positive conflict can be healthy. If we like the individuals in a group this tends to foster cohesiveness, as does a belief in a common goal or cause. Sometimes it is just frequent association that drives us to get along better with some individuals than others, or a shared identity like attending the same college, for example. It is possible that we don’t like the individuals in a group very well, but we do like the larger context of association this group has with other organizations that may make us more cohesive as a group.
A natural progression from a group discussion involves teams. As we know now, a truly effective team is one that includes a small group of people who are committed to something much larger then what they themselves can accomplish. In order for an organization to improve the performance of each team must continually improve. Remember though, a group of people is not necessarily a team and a team is only one type of a group. In order to be classified as a team a group must have the same set of goals, must be aware of their common inter-dependence as they move toward their goal, they must interact regularly, they must see themselves as a team, they must have specific functions or roles to perform and have a limited life for membership.
There are several ways to classify teams. Three of the common ways this is done is: through the setting the team is used in, how they are used in an organization (Problem-solving, special purpose or self-managing), or based on what they do (recommend things, make or do things or teams that run things). Most teams exist within an organization and are used primarily to solve a production cost issue (mass-production organizational structure) or for continuous improvement.
To build a productive team you not only have to bring together individuals with unique and complimentary skills, you need to carefully structure the cooperation effort among team members. The team needs to be formed, structured, and nurtured in order to realize their potential. Some suggestions to accomplish this include keeping the teams small (no more than 10 members usually), selecting team members based on their skills and expertise, and bring together the physical resources (space, materials, information, time, support personnel).
Once these things are done you need to present the team with its mission, have frequent and regular meetings to provide time for interaction among members, establish clear rules of conduct, set up accountability criteria, check progress, provide training and celebrate successes...among other things. Developing commitment is the key for successful teams. Progress can be measured by means of a flowchart, a Pareto chart or using any number of other tools.
So what happens if a team develops problems? It could be in the area of team maturity, team history, motives of members or obstructive individual behaviors. When this happens rapid intervention needs to happen to keep the team from becoming dysfunctional. Coaching and counseling usually works well if approached early on. If problems are not addressed with the members, a dysfunctional group could quickly develop.
Here are this week’s deliverables:
Read Chapters 5 & 6 in Group Behavior in Organizations.
Check out the Toolkit relative to groups by following the link under the Week 3 tab.
Complete the Discussion Questions (by Thursday) on Group Cohesion and Productivity and Norms and Conformity.
Respond substantively to at least two of your peers Discussion Posts in each discussion thread by Monday.
Complete the Week 3 Quiz by Sunday. Why not just take this early and get it behind you?
Complete the Written Assignment no later than Monday. This one should be fun because you get to research the best places to work and what makes them that way. Who knows, maybe your own company is one of them?
