Small Groups and How They Work
In today's business world it is essential to be able to work in teams or small groups.
Understanding the dynamic workings of a small group is essential for any employee in
today's business world to survive. Survival in a group means, still being able to function in a
group no matter what the various circumstances of the group are. There are six distinct relevant
background factors that each person brings with them that plays an important part on the group
dynamics. Group dynamics can also be affected not only by its members but also by the physical
environment in which the group is set, the structure of the group and what type of group it is.
Leadership and social influence processes can also play a major role in how the group works.
These influences are status power, leadership and group norms.
Each of us brings their own relevant background factors with them to the group, these are
values, sex, age, health, attitude, and personality. I like to refer to these as baggage. These six
relevant background factors influence the way in which we act, thus they have an effect on the group dynamics. Values, each of us has our own set. "Unlike water, values can clash, creating resentment and mistrust-the ebb and the flow." (1) We all bring our own values to the group, what each of us believes is right and wrong. Values can best be described as a persons own personal code of what he believes to be right or wrong from within their own inner self. At least in my experience values have not played too much of a role in the workings of the group. The company lays down the rules and you follow them whether you believe in them or not. If it comes t...
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...ducts and services." (14) Teams or small groups will not go away. They are entrenched into today's work force. The day of the individual contributor is almost gone. Knowing how small groups work today is knowing how to work.
Works Cited
(1) Tubbs, Stewart L., A Systems Approach To Small Group Interaction, 6th ed. (New York: McGraw- Hill Companies, Inc., 1998) 60.
(2) Tubbs 52.
(3) Tubbs 54.
(4) Tubbs 55.
(5) Tubbs 49.
(6) Tubbs 57.
(7) Tubbs 89.
(8) Tubbs 106.
(9) Blake, Robert B., Mouton, Jane S., Allen, Robert L., Spectacular Teamwork. (New York:
John Wiley & Sons, 1987.) 109.
(10) Tubbs 109.
(11) Tubbs 153.
(12) Tubbs 172.
(13) Blake, Mouton, & Allen 108.
(14) Parker, Glenn M., Team Players and Teamwork. (San Francisco: oxford, 1990.) 13.
For this project you will be placed in an assigned group with no more than four members, you will not be allowed to change your group.
Group cohesion is not caused by one single factor but by the contribution of many other factors (Tuckman, 1964) In order for a group to be fully cohesive a certain process occurs, a conceptual model created by Carron et al (1985) clearly outlines this procedure, this model says that there can be two routes towards group cohesion, one of which is group integration, this is how the group itself bonds together and is dependant on if the individuals within the group form a bond. Another is that of the individuals attraction towards the group which is dependant on there own motivation to stay in and contribute, alongside there own personal involvement in the overall group functionality.Thus the success of the theory is highly dependant on the need for co-operation from each individual within the
A team can be define as a group of people with distinct skills and different tasks, who work together on a goal, service or project, with a meshing of mutual and functions support. They are people that regularly contact and have close interaction and common feeling that able to work together (Team-Definition). A group is define as two or more figures forming a accomplish unit in a part. A group is also a number of individuals assembled together or facing some integration relationship (Merriam-webster 2014). A group do not necessarily constitute as a team because a team demands a coordinated effort. Characteristics of a group are synergy, common goals, interdependence, or cohesiveness. A group can be informal, like 3-12 people that are in a meeting to talk over a business problem. Teams are structured formally and sometimes are allocated. Teams have specific goals, purpose and allocate duties. Team need to have different members with particular roles in order to achieve a common goal (Boundless 2014). Without the goals and purpose, you will unable to build a team. The purpose must be worthwhile and create a sense of working something together. The goals must be specific and challenging in order each member can understand how they contribute to the success to the team. The power of a team appears from the sense of community that unleash strong influence on the behaviors and attitudes of the members. Peer pressure and wish to be an effective member helps to shape priorities and direct efforts which they will help the team goals (Sisson. J, 2013)
Leaders will often separate in-group and out-group members based on similarities of the group member and the leader. Other characteristics that can play into it are age, gender, or even a member’s personality. A member can be granted in-group status if the leader thinks the member is competent and is going above and beyond to perform the job functions. As mentioned the two groups that members can fall into are in-group and out-group. In-group members are those that share similarities with the leader. Those similarities can be personality, work ethic, common interests, or even alma maters. In-group members often go above and beyond their job description and the leader does more for these members. In-group members will have their opinions and work ideas looked at in higher regard than out-group members. In-group members typically have higher job satisfaction within the group and are less likely to experience turnover. In-group members are often promoted within the organization f...
In order to evaluate my role within the group it is important to identify what makes a group. A group must firstly consist of more than three members, “Two members have personal relationships; with three or more there is a change in quality” of the personal relationship. (Bion 1961, p26) The group must have a common purpose or a goal in order to succeed.
Groups are defined as two or more people who work regularly with one another to achieve common goals (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2005, Chapter 9). For a group to become a high-performance team, the team needs to be able to use their collective skills and behaviors to become an efficient model working towards a common goal. Having a common goal will make each team member accountable for the success and failure of the team. Since each team member is accountable to the team, each member's behavior will have an effect on the team. Cultural diversity and demographic characteristics affect an individual's behavior. Behavior caused by diversity and demographic characteristics will be a determining factor whether or not a group can be a high-performance team.
At the Group level, individuals share similar characteristics with their counterparts in the same group. Different groups are identified by race, gender, class among others. Individuals within a collective group share similar beliefs, values, social practices, and rules.
Engleberg, I., Wynn, D., & Schuttler, R., (2003). Working in Groups: Communication Principles and Strategies (3rd ed.) Boston: Houghton- Mifflin. pp. 146- 170.
A group can be define as ‘any number of people who (1) interact with one another; (2) are psychologically aware of one another and (3) perceive themselves to be a group’ (Mullins, L, 2007, p.299). Certain task can only be performed by combined effort of a group. Organisation can use groups to carry out projects, which will help to achieve its overall aim. However, for the group to be successful they must understand what is expected of them and have the right skill to complete the task. . (Mullins, L, 2006)
Toseland, R.W. & Rivas, R.F. (2005). An Introduction to Group Work Practice, 5/e. Chapter 3. Understanding Group Dynamics. Retrieved from http://centreofthepsyclone.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/group-work-practice.pdf
A work team will be defined for the purposes of this paper by a definition borrowed from Bateman and Snell (2004). A team is formed of people (usually a small number) with complementary skills who trust one another and are committed to a common purpose, common performance goals, and a common approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. Teams generally see themselves and are seen by others as a social entity, which is interdependent because of the tasks performed as members of a group.
Choosing group members should be based on indicators of competence. People depend on indicators that give information about competence in the person’s specific area of expertise that is vital for the success of the task at hand. According to Hinds, Carley, Krackhardt, and Wholey (2000), effort is not a measure of ability but of willingness to put in the hours on a project. This suggest...
Organizations use teamwork because it increases productivity. This concept was used in corporations as early as the 1920s, but it has become increasingly important in recent years as employ...
The group wants the individual to conform to their ideals and normative values and actions (Smelser, 1963). The group influence stresses conformity, or the adhering to the standards of the group, as a way to create a structural level of dominance and submission in a way. The group wants cohesiveness so that everyone in the group is following the same set of standards and will all act the same way (Smelser, 1963). Group influence can at times be beneficial, there are times when the individual should participate in actions that have been influenced by the group. These actions could include such things as: being polite, having table manners, using a proper greeting, doing homework, not being disrespectful in places of worship, and so forth. Group influence can
Realizing that a group can become a high performance team is important. Accomplishing this goal is invaluable, advantageous and profitable. Once able to operate from a group to the high performing team is a great step into preparation into the big business world. Leaders and members must also realize not only how to accomplish this but that some problems will and can arise from different demographic characteristics and cultural diversity. That is if one is in such a group, which the probability would be quite high.