Learning Objectives:

1. understood what constitutes a group and a team;

2. differentiated social facilitation and social inhibition;
3. developed knowledge and skills in developing a team;
4. known the different types of teams.

LESSON 1: Group and Group Dynamics

Group is basically defined as a collection of two or more

people who meet regularly and influence one another over a
period of time, perceive themselves as a distinct entity
distinguishable from others, share common value and strive
for common objectives.

According to Gordon (2001) group is a collection of

people and meet the following four criteria’s:
1. The members of the group must see themselves as a unit.
2. The group must provide rewards to its members
3. Anything that happens to one member of the group affects
every other member
4. The members of the group must share a common goal.

Reasons for Joining Groups

1. Assignment. It is the most common reason for joining groups.

2. Physical Proximity. People tend to form a group with people who either live or work nearby.

3. Affiliation. A leadership style in which leads by caring about others and that is most effective in a climate of
anxiety. It involves our needs to be with other people, the reason people join groups is to be near and talk to
other people.

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4. Identification. The need to associate ourselves with the image projected by other people, groups, or
objects.
5. Emotional Support. People join in a group to obtain emotional support.

6. Assistance or Help. People often join groups to obtain help from others.

7. Common Interests. People join groups because they share common interest. For example, in school setting
students joining in the clubs they are interested.

8. Common Goals. These people may also share common interests but has different purpose or goals.

Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist and change management expert, is credited with coining the term
"group dynamics" in the early 1940s. He noted that people often take on distinct roles and behaviors when
they work in a group. "Group dynamics or Group Process" describes the effects of these roles and
behaviors on other group members, and on the group as a whole.

Factors Affecting Group Performance

1. Group Cohesiveness it is the extent to which group members
like and trust one another. They are committed to accomplish a
team goal, and share a feeling of group pride. The more
cohesive group, the greater its productivity and efficiency;
decision quality; member satisfaction; member interaction and
employee courtesy.

2. Group Ability and Confidence groups consisting of high-

ability members outperform those with low-ability members.
Furthermore, groups whose members believe that their team
can be successful both at specific task and general tasks
perform better.

3. Personality of the Group Members is an important factor

affecting group performance. Groups whose members have
task-related experience and score high in the dimensions of
openness to experience and emotional stability will perform
better.

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4. Communication Structure the manner in which members of a group communicate with one another. For a
group to perform successfully, good communication among members is essential.

5. Group Roles The extent to which its members assume different roles. Group members will often naturally
assume these roles on the basis of their individual personalities and experiences.

6. Presence of Others:
Social Facilitation involves the positive effects of the presence of others on an individual’s behaviour. While
Social Inhibition involves the negative effects of other’s presence.
Social Loafing is the effect on individual performance when people work together on a task
 Free-rider- when things are going well, a group member realizes that his effort is not necessary and thus
does not work as hard as he would if he were alone.
 Sucker Effect- hypothesizes that social loafing occurs when a group member notices that other group
members are not working hard and thus are “playing him for a sucker.”

7. Individual Dominance is when one member of a group dominates the group. For example, if a leader or
group member can create an accurate solution probably members will perform well.

8. Groupthink term coined by Janis (1972), it is defined as a state of mind which a group is so concerned
about its own cohesiveness that it ignores important information.

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 LESSON 2: Team in the Workplace

Work Team is defined by Devine, Clayton, Philips, Dunford, and Melner (1999) as a collection of three or
more individuals who interact intensively to provide an organizational product, pan, decision, or service.

Group VS Team
Basis Group Team
Meaning A group is made when independent A team is that group of interdependent
individuals, having something in common, individuals, who join hands for the
come together. realization of a specific goal.

Accountability Individual Individual and Mutual

Decision-Making Group Members Team Leader
Authority
Purpose Same as the broader organizational Specific team purpose that the team itself
mission delivers.

Types of Team
Teams come in many shapes and sizes based on the factors.
1. Work Teams
It is consists of groups of employees who manage themselves, assign jobs, plan and schedule work, make work-
related decisions and solve work-related problems. They are typically formed to produce goods, provide service, or
increase quality and cost-effectiveness of a product or system.

2. Parallel Teams
It is also called Cross-functional teams. It is consists of representatives from various departments (functions) within
an organization. For example, a team formed to reduce the time to ship a product may include members from the
sales, shipping, production, and customer service departments.

3. Project Teams
It is formed to produce one-time outputs; once the team’s goal has been accomplished the team is dismantled. For
example, creating a new product, installing new software system or hiring a new employee.

4. Management Teams
Coordinates, manage, advice and direct employees and teams. It is responsible for providing

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general direction and assistance to those teams.
 Developing a Team by Tuckman

Tuckman (19650 proposed that teams typically go through four developmental phases: Forming, Storming,
Norming Performing and Adjourning.
1. Forming
Team members get to know each other and decide what roles each member will play. During the early part of
this stage, team members are on their best behaviour as they try to impress and get along with other team
members. The team clarifies its missions, determine the goals wants to accomplish and decide tasks to be done.

2. Storming
The good behaviors disappears and team members begin to disagree with one another and to challenge each
other’s ideas. Team members often become frustrated with their roles, show stress of balancing their previous
duties with their new team responsibilities. This stage’s tension and conflicts that the team often gets the energy
to perform well in later stages.

3. Norming
Team members begin to acknowledge the reality of the team by accepting the team leader and working directly
with other team members to solve difficulties. The team members have either accepted their initial roles or made
adjustments to roles for which they are being suited.

4. Performing
Team begins to accomplish its goals. Group members make innovative suggestions, challenge one another
without defensive responses and participate at high levels.

5. Adjourning
Involves termination of activities and applicable to temporary groups. For example, Committees, project groups,
task force.

Why Teams Don’t Always Work?

Given that the scientific literature suggests that teams are seldom more effective than individuals (Allen & Hecht,
2004), here has been an abundance of advice in the literature about how to create successful teams:

1. The Team Is Not a Team

Teams often aren’t successful because they are teams in name only.

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2. Excessive Meeting Requirements
A common problem with teams is that they either meet too infrequently or meet so often that they waste time
when they do meet. The key to successful team meetings is to limit the topics to be discussed and to meet only
when the entire team is needed to contribute. Furthermore, teams often feel the need to meet for the entire time
for which a meeting is scheduled, even though the necessary business could be conducted in much less time.
This tendency to “stretch” a meeting can reduce the motivation and enthusiasm of a team.

3. Lack of Empowerment
According to Moran et al. (1996), teams aren’t empowered because managers worry that the job won’t be done
correctly, the teams are moving too fast, and the teams will overstep their boundaries such that other parts of
the organization will be affected. Though empowerment is essential for the success of most teams, it is not
uncommon for team members to reject their empowered status. After all, with the advantages of empowerment
come the risks of making mistakes and getting others angry.

4. Lack of Skill
Team begins to accomplish its goals. Group members make innovative suggestions, challenge one another
without defensive responses and participate at high levels.

5. Distrust of the Team Process

Team members must also be receptive to the team process. Research indicates that job satisfaction and
organizational commitment are reduced when members are not receptive to the team process (Kirkman &
Shapiro, 2001). Another source of team distrust is that not all work is appropriate for teams (Drexler & Forrester,
1998). That is, some tasks (e.g., typing) are better done individually, and others, such as kissing, are performed
better with the help of others.

6. Unclear Objectives

Teams work best when they know why they were formed, what they are expected to accomplish (what the
team’s “charge” is), and when they are supposed to be finished. Though this would all seem obvious, you would
be surprised at how many teams aren’t sure what they are supposed to do.

References:

Aamodt, M.G. (203). Industrial and Organization Psychology Second Edition. Pasig ity. Cengage Learning Asia
Pte Ltd.

Zarate, C. A. (2017). Fundamentals of Industrial Psychology. Quezon City: C & E. Publilshing Inc.

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