13/07/2015. Course Title: Organization & Management. Eliane BACHA. Plenary Session 2: Chapter 3: Understanding groups. Outline

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1 Course Title: Organization & Management Eliane BACHA 1 Plenary Session 2: Chapter 3: Understanding groups 2 Outline I-What is Organizational Behavior II-What is a group? III-Stages of group development IV-Group structure V-Group Processes: Conflict Management VI-Types of work team VII-Current challenges in managing teams 3 1

2 Learning outcomes At the end if the session, you must be able to: Define groups and the stages of group development. Determine group structure. Discuss contemporary issues in managing teams. 4 I-What is Organizational Behavior (OB) Organizational Behavior is the study of the actions of people at work. 5 I-What is Organizational Behavior (OB) Goals of Organizational Behavior (OB): Employee productivity. Absenteeism. Turnover. Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). Job satisfaction. Workplace misbehavior. 6 2

3 I-What is Organizational Behavior (OB) Employee productivity: A performance measure of both efficiency and effectiveness. Absenteeism: The failure to show up for work. Turnover: The voluntary and involuntary permanent withdrawal from an organization. 7 I-What is Organizational Behavior (OB) Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB): Discretionary behavior that is not part of an employee s formal job requirements, but which promotes the effective functioning of the organization. Job satisfaction: An employee s general attitude toward his or her job. Workplace misbehavior: Any intentional employee behavior that is potentially damaging to the organization or to individuals within the organization. 8 I-What is Organizational Behavior (OB) Internal variables affecting group behavior: The individual abilities of the group s members. The size of the group. The level of conflict. The internal pressures on members to conform to the group s norms. 9 3

4 I-What is Organizational Behavior (OB) External variables affecting group behavior: Overall strategy. Authority structures. Formal regulations. Available organizational resources. Employee selection criteria. Performance management (appraisal) system. Organizational culture. 10 What is a Group? 11 II-What is a Group? A group: Two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals. Formal groups are work groups defined by the organization s structure and have designated work assignments and specific tasks directed at accomplishing organizational goals. Informal groups are social groups. These groups occur naturally in the workplace and tend to form around friendships and common interests. 12 4

5 II-What is a Group? Examples of Formal groups: Command groups: groups determined by the organizational chart and composed of individuals who report directly to a given manager. Tasks groups: groups composed of individuals brought together to complete a specific job task. 13 II-What is a Group? Examples of Formal groups: Cross functional teams: groups that bring together the knowledge and skills of individuals from various work areas or groups whose members have been trained to do each other s jobs. Self-managed teams: groups that are essentially independent and that, in addition to their own tasks, take on traditional managerial responsibilities such as hiring, planning, scheduling and evaluating performance. 14 III-Stages of group development There are five stages: Forming stage: the first stage of group development in which people join the group and then define the group s purpose, structure and leadership. Storming stage: the second stage of group development, characterized by intragroup conflict. Norming stage: the third stage of group development, characterized by close relationships and cohesiveness. Performing stage: the fourth stage of group development when the group is fully functional and works on group task. Adjourning: the final stage of group development for temporary groups during which group members are concerned with wrapping up activities rather than task performance. 15 5

6 III-Stages of Group Development Source: Robbins & Coulter (2015), Management, Chapter 14, Pearson: 12 th Edition. IV-Group structure Role: behavior patterns expected of someone occupying a given position in a social unit. 17 IV-Group structure Norms: standards or expectations that are accepted and shared by a group s members. 18 6

7 Norms Source: Robbins & Coulter (2015), Management, Chapter 14, Pearson: 12 th Edition. IV-Group structure Conformity: Because individuals want to be accepted by groups to which they belong, they are susceptible to pressures to conform. Groupthink: when a group exerts extensive pressure on an individual to align his or her opinion with others opinions. 20 IV-Group structure Status: a prestige grading, position or rank within a group. 21 7

8 IV-Group structure Group size: Small groups (5-7 members) are faster than larger ones at completing tasks. However, for groups engaged in problem solving, large groups get better results than smaller ones. Social loafing: the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually. Social loafing may occur because people believe others in the group are not doing their fare share. 22 IV-Group structure Group cohesiveness: is the degree to which group members are attracted to one another and share the group s goals. 23 Group Cohesiveness Source: Robbins & Coulter (2015), Management, Chapter 14, Pearson: 12 th Edition. 8

9 Team Exercise (10-15mn) Fanny is the manager of a retail store that s part of a large national chain. Many of her employees are going to school and working. But she also has some full-time employees. A conflict over vacation and holiday work schedules has been building for some time now and it s creating a very tense atmosphere, which isn t good for customer service. She s got to resolve it NOW. What suggestions would you give Fanny for managing this conflict? 25 V-Group Processes: Conflict Management Conflict: The perceived incompatible differences in a group resulting in some form of interference with or opposition to its assigned tasks. 26 V-Group Processes: Conflict Management Categories of Conflict: Functional conflicts are constructive. Dysfunctional conflicts are destructive. Types of Conflict: Task conflict: content and goals of the work Relationship conflict: interpersonal relationships Process conflict: how the work gets done 27 9

10 V-Group Processes: Conflict Management Techniques to Reduce Conflict: Avoidance: Resolving conflicts by withdrawing from or suppressing them. Accommodation: Resolving conflicts by placing another s needs and concerns above your own. 28 V-Group Processes: Conflict Management Techniques to Reduce Conflict: Forcing: Resolving conflicts by satisfying one s own needs at the expense of another s. Compromise: Resolving conflicts by each party giving up something of value. Collaboration: Resolving conflicts by seeking an advantageous solution for all parties. 29 VI-Types of work team What is a Team? A group whose members work intensely on a specific common goal using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and complementary skills

11 VI-Types of work team Problem solving teams Self-managed work teams Cross-functional teams Virtual teams 31 VI-Types of work team 1-Problem solving team: a team from the same department or functional area involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems. 32 VI-Types of work team 2-Self-managed work team: a type of work team that operates without a manager and that is responsible for a complete work process or segment

12 VI-Types of work team 3-Cross-functional team: A work team composed of individuals from various functional specialties. Virtual teams 34 VI-Types of work team 4-Virtual teams: A type of work team that uses technology to link physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal. 35 Current challenges in managing teams 36 12

13 VII-Current challenges in managing teams Two characteristics of today s organizations: They are global. Work is increasingly done by teams. 37 Current challenges in managing teams Source: Robbins & Coulter (2015), Management, Chapter 14, Pearson: 12 th Edition. The four contextual factors that appear to be most significantly related to team performance are: The presence of adequate resources. Effective leadership. Climate of trust. Performance evaluation and reward systems

14 1-The presence of adequate resources: A scarcity of resources directly reduces the ability of a team to perform job effectively. One of the most important characteristics of an effective work group is the support the group receives from the organization. This support includes timely information, adequate staffing, encouragement and administrative assistance Effective leadership: Teams can t function if they can t agree on who is to do what and ensure that all members contribute equally in sharing the work load. Agreeing on the specifics of work and how they fit together to integrate individual skills requires team leadership Climate of trust: Members of effective teams trust each other. And they also exhibit trust in their leaders. Interpersonal trust among team members facilitates cooperation and reduces the need to monitor each others behavior

15 4-Performance evaluation and reward systems: In addition to evaluating and rewarding employees for their individual contributions, management should consider group-based appraisals, profit-sharing and group incentives that reinforce team effort and commitment. 43 That s why the team Leader skills are: Coaching. Help define, analyze, and solve problems. Encourage participation by others. Serve as a facilitator. 44 And, the Team Leader Values are: Respecting team members. Trusting team members. Putting the team first

16 How to improve team performance? Establish challenging performance standards. Emphasize the task s importance. Encourage social support. Make sure there are unambiguous team rules. Challenge the group regularly with facts and information. Train your team. Provide the necessary tools and material support. 46 Team Exercise (10-15mn) In many organizations, some groups of employees typically have higher status than others. And sometimes the groups with the lower status feel they are not appreciated and are second-class citizens. For example, in hospitals, physicians generally have higher status than nurses; in universities, faculty typically have higher status than staff; and in law firms, partners have higher status than attorneys. 47 Team Exercise (10-15mn) Questions: 1-Think about the ethical implications of these kinds of status differences in organizations. 2-To what extend should groups with different status in an organization be treated differently, and to what extent should they receive equal treatment? Why? 48 16

17 Questions?? 49 End of Session Thank you for your attention 50 Bibliography Robbins, S.P. and Coulter, M. (2014), Management, Pearson, 12th Edition, Chapter 14. Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A. and Campbell, T. T. (2010), Organizational Behavior, 1 st European Edition, Chapter