Module 7

Managing as a Leader—Groups, Teams,

and Culture
As a leader, you are called upon to lead individuals, groups, and teams. In this module you will learn about the
different types of groups and teams, the stages of group formation, and how to improve a group or team
environment.

Learning Objectives
• Describe the different types of groups and the stages of a group’s formation and working process
• Identify needed practices to improve a group or team environment.
• Recognize the culture environment within an organization.

Required Readings
• Peter G. Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, Chapter 8 (pp. 177–207).
• Patrick Lencioni, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” Executive Agenda, April 27, 2021,
https://www.executiveagenda.com/resources/blog/five-dysfunctions-team.
• Amy Edmondson, “How to Turn a Group of Strangers into a Team,” TED Talks, October 2017,
https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_edmondson_how_to_turn_a_group_of_strangers_into_a_team.
• Unicorn Labs, “Six Steps to Engaging and Leading the Team You Inherited,” February 10, 2021,
https://www.unicornlabs.ca/blog/six-steps-to-engaging-and-leading-the-team-you-inherited.

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2 Module 7 Managing as a Leader—Groups, Teams, and Culture

Groups and Teams

The Northouse chapter talks about groups, but it does not go into a lot of detail about how to manage the
difference between groups and teams. Although groups are often defined as three or more individuals who are
dependent on one another, they can be more complex and either formal or informal. People belong in groups
for many reasons―group members may have similar traits or characteristics, which can be based on cultural
background, age, or interests, and of course, many people are required to belong to groups in a workplace
setting. Understanding how groups are made up is important because it can affect the power and influence of
leaders. Groups can come together with or without a unified purpose, and if you have worked within or led a
dysfunctional team, you will understand the importance of a well-functioning environment. When you bring
people together to work on a project, you have just created a team. They may not like each other, and they may
have very different points of view, which can be a recipe for innovation and creativity; however, that team also
needs to iron out how it will work together. The Unicorn Labs reading about leading a team that you inherit
suggests that leaders should start with understanding and assessing their team so that they can help develop
an environment that is conducive for everyone to contribute to the team’s success.

Managing is a process rather than an outcome for groups. 1 For example, people are more willing to support
and defend work they helped create; that means that relationships and communication are continuous
processes that help build group effectiveness. Leading groups includes the following:

• Inspiration or developing a shared vision

• Trust
• Influence
• Individual motivation
• Setting individual objectives collaboratively
• Communication
• Challenging or rewarding roles
• Systems, policies, and procedures
• Resources and support mechanisms
• Individual accountability, performance measurement, and recognition
• Conflict resolution
• Individual well-being

Teams are brought together for a common purpose―a project or a process improvement initiative, for
example, and they can be made up of people who are led by different leaders (such as multi-disciplinary or
multi-organizational teams) who have come together or been assigned to the team so that they can use their
collective skills and knowledge to achieve a goal. As a rule, the more uncertain a task, the more important it is
to create a team that can represent different perspectives and collectively find the most suitable solutions.
Team leaders are chosen by an administrator or from within the team. If you are responsible for the
development of a team but are not a regular member of the team, then your role is probably managing the
team in an oversight, monitoring, or evaluation capacity, or a governance role. You need to make sure that the
proper systems are in place so that the team can work efficiently:

• Specific goals, including a shared vision

• Roles and responsibilities
• Team motivation

1For additional information on teams versus group leadership, see the following university open text from
https://opentext.ku.edu/teams/chapter/teams-and-groups/.

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3 Module 7 Managing as a Leader—Groups, Teams, and Culture

• Decision-making and problem-solving processes

• Collaboration
• Team accountability and performance measurement
• Cohesion and trust
• Leadership structure
• Team and organizational trust
• Conflict resolution strategies
• Collective outcome orientation

There are fundamental differences and similarities between groups and teams; both require a healthy and
growth-minded environment, purpose, and good communication. If a leader can more quickly facilitate the
first three stages (“forming, storming, and norming”) of group development proposed by Tuckman, to allow
the group to reach the “performing” stage, the group or team is likely to experience better mutual support and
trust, increased self-esteem and recognition, better social affiliation, and goal achievement. Teams need
leaders that can get everyone to the performing stage as quickly as possible. The Lencioni reading talks about
the five dysfunctions of a team: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of
accountability, and inattention to results. These dysfunctions can lead to groupthink, to ongoing commitment
to unsustainable projects, and underperformance.

Group and Team Formation

What about group and team formation? Corritore et al. 2 talk about the tendency to hire for cultural fit, values,
norms, and behaviours as the group or team currently exists but outlines that this practice often fails to
consider adaptability―the ability of the group or team to quickly learn and conform to organizational cultures.
This can create tension and constrain an individual’s ability to be promoted and access other incentives. The
process of alignment with the group or team does not end at hiring; it is a continuous process in need of
tending. There are benefits and trade-offs in cultural fit versus promoting diversity. Whereas cultural fit is
associated with collaboration and efficiency, it is less innovative. Diversity incites diversity in thoughts and
ideas, but this can also lead people to talk past one another, bringing more conflict and a failure to coordinate.
Diversity is considered more helpful during ideation but less so when trying to complete a project. Different
strategies in leading groups and teams may be needed at various stages of organizational development.

Organizational Culture
Research has identified that organizations that are able to nurture intrapersonal heterogeneity (differences),
or individuals with a multiplicity of cultural beliefs about the organization, are more successful. 3 We tend to
describe people using defined characteristics, but diversity exists within individuals who hold multiple cultural
beliefs, according to Corritore et al. Demographic diversity will reinforce an organization, but leaders can also
encourage the variety of values, beliefs, and norms that individuals hold rather than attempt to form a
homogenous culture. Individuals learn to recognize organizational culture through the process of socialization
and enculturation, and this will influence how people work to accomplish tasks―whether they will be
rewarded for certain behaviours, the sense of urgency in accomplishing tasks, etc. As such, homogeneity is
seen to unify, bring about a shared culture, and create a more efficient and collaborative environment.

2 Matthew Corritore, Amir Goldberg, and Sameer B. Srivastava, “The New Analytics of Culture,” Harvard Business
Review, January–February 2020, pp. 77–83, https://hbr.org/2020/01/the-new-analytics-of-culture (accessed
November 5, 2024).
3 Matthew Corritore, Amir Goldberg, and Sameer B. Srivastava, “Duality in Diversity: How Intrapersonal and

Interpersonal Cultural Heterogeneity Relate to Firm Performance,” Administrative Science Quarterly (February
2019), https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publication-pdf/heterogeneity.pdf (accessed November 5,
2024).

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4 Module 7 Managing as a Leader—Groups, Teams, and Culture

However, when cultural heterogeneity is perceived through the lens of a cognitive resource that better allows
members to adapt to external changes with its capacity for creative problem solving and exploration of broader
solutions, it becomes an advantage rather than an obstacle. The challenge then becomes how to lead in a
diverse environment that requires a more flexible and supportive form of leadership.

This outlines the importance of organizational culture to the formation and development of teams and the
ability of the leader to provide the supportive structure needed. Organizational cultures are defined along the
following dimensions:

1. Individual autonomy: the amount of responsibility given to individuals (or empowerment)

2. Structure: whether the organization is flat and has significant rules, policies, and established procedures
3. Support: whether a high level of support is provided by managers
4. Identification: whether employees are proud to be part of the organization
5. Performance reward: whether rewards are provided in a fair manner that is based on seniority, loyalty, or
performance
6. Conflict tolerance: whether conflict is encouraged for creativity and managed appropriately
7. Risk tolerance: whether taking risk is encouraged

There are many ways to describe dimensions of organizational culture. Exhibit—Organizational Culture
Dimensions outlines similar descriptions. 4

Exhibit
Organizational Culture Dimensions

4“Organizational Culture,” Business Jargons, https://businessjargons.com/organizational-culture.html (accessed

November 5, 2024).

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