CHAPTER THREE

FOUNDATION OF
GROUP BEHAVIOR
• 3.1 Defining Teams and/or Groups
• Group: is a collection of two or more individuals, working for
a common goal and may not interdependent.
• Team: Are “a small number of people with complementary
skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance
goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually
accountable.
• Not all groups are teams, all teams can be considered
groups.
• Similarities and Differences between Work
Teams and Work Groups
• Similarities
Stages of group formation apply to the development of
teams.
Teams start out as groups.
Teams, like groups, have norms.
Members of teams, like those of groups, have roles.
Role ambiguity, role conflict and social loafing are
evident in both groups and teams.
Cohesiveness is important for both groups and teams.
• Difference
3.2. Classifying teams and/or groups
• 3.2. 1Types of Groups
• In general, groups within organizations fall in two major
categories:
 Formal groups
 informal groups
1. Formal Groups
• A designated work group defined by the organization’s
structure is formal group.
• Formal groups are groups brought into existence by the
structure of an organization.
• In formal groups, the behaviors that one should engage in
are stipulated by and directed toward organizational goals.
2. Informal Groups
• Informal group is a group that is neither formally structured
nor organizationally determined; appears in response to the
need for social contact.
• Two specific types of informal groups are interest and
friendship.
1. Interest Groups: consist of persons who share
common interests.
2. Friendship Groups: Those brought together because
they share one or more common characteristics.
• Reference groups are the groups, with which individuals
identify and compare themselves.
• 3.2. 2 Types of teams
• Teams are a special type of task group, consisting of two or
more individuals responsible for the achievement of a goal or
objective. All teams exist to solve problems. Teams can be
classified in a number of ways based on their duration and
objectives:
 problem-solving,
virtual,
cross-functional, and
self-directed work teams.
• 1. Problem-solving: teams are formed on a temporary basis to
address a specific problem that is confronting the organization.
• 2. Virtual Teams: Defined as “a team that relies on interactive
technology to work together when separated by physical
distance,” they can draw on a variety of interactive technology
that includes traditional e-mail, instant messaging,
teleconferencing, videoconferencing etc.
• 3. Cross-Functional Teams: Cross-functional teams bring
together individuals from different functional areas or
departments to collaborate on a specific project or objective.
These teams leverage diverse perspectives and expertise to
solve complex problems or drive innovation..
• 4. Self-Managed Work Teams: Self-managed work teams
bring together separate tasks, once performed by individuals
led by a supervisor, giving team member’s responsibility for
task accomplishment.
• 3.3 Why do people form and join groups?
• Some reasons involve:
 needs,
 proximity,
 attractions,
 power,
 goals.
• 1. The Satisfaction of Needs
• Security: By joining a group, individuals can reduce the
insecurity of standing alone.
• Status: a person’s relative rank, prestige, or standing in a
group.
• Self-Esteem: Self-esteem is a belief about one’s own worth
based on an overall self-evaluation.
• Group membership may nurture self-esteem.
• 2. Proximity and Attraction
• Interpersonal interaction can result in group
formation. Two important facets of interpersonal
interaction are
proximity
attraction
• 3. Power: What cannot be achieved individually
often becomes possible through group action. There is
power in numbers.
• 4. Goal Achievement: There are times when it takes
more than one person to accomplish a particular task
there is a need to pool talents, knowledge, or power in
order to get a job completed.
• 3.4 Group Development (GD Stages)
• The group development stages according to five-stage model
are
forming,
storming,
norming,
performing,
adjourning.
• 1,FORMING
• a primary concern is the initial entry of members to a group.
• It is characterized by much uncertainty about the group’s
purpose, structure, and leadership.
• This stage is complete when members have begun to think of
themselves as part of a group.
• 2.STORMING
• is a period of high emotionality and tension among the group
members.
• During this stage, hostility and infighting may occur, and the
group typically experiences many changes.
• It is characterized by intra-group conflict.
• It is marked by interpersonal conflict as members compete for
leadership and other roles.
• 3.NORMING
• sometimes called initial integration,
• is the point at which the group really begins to come together as
a coordinated unit.
• It is characterized by close relationship and cohesiveness. There
is now a strong sense of group identity and friendship.
• 4. PERFORMING
• sometimes called total integration,
• marks the emergence of a mature, organized,
and well-functioning group.
• The group structure at this point is fully
functional and accepted.
• 5. ADJOURNING:
• The group prepares for its disbandment.
• Members shift their attention from task
attention to socio-emotional focus as they
realize that this relationship is ending.
• Figure 3.1the five-stage model of group development
• 3. 5 Obstacles to group productivity
• every workgroup is influenced by:
 external conditions
 Group Member Resources
Group Structure
type of task
• A. External conditions imposed on the group
• These are factors which are in and around the work
group’s environment influencing the group’s performance.
• It includes:
Organization strategy
Authority structures
Formal Regulations
Organizational resources
Personnel selection process
Performance evaluation and reward system
Organizational culture
Physical work setting
• B. Group Member Resources
• The resources that have received the greatest amount of
attention are:
 Abilities and
Personality characteristics.
• C. Group Structure
• The structural variables include:
 formal leadership,
roles,
norms,
group size,
status, and
composition of the group.
• D. Group Tasks
• Tasks can be generalized as either simple or
complex.
• Complex tasks are ones that tend to be novel or non-
routine.
• Simple ones are routine and standardized.
• We would hypothesize that the more complex the
task, the more the group will benefit from discussion
among members on alternative work methods.
• If the task is simple, group members don't need to
discuss such alternatives. They can rely on
standardized operating procedures for doing the job.
• 3.6 Group Behavior
• Group Dynamics: . The interaction that exists
among group members and between groups
that involves both intra-group and inter-group
behavior.
• Intra-group: is the interaction that occurs
between group members.
• Inter-group: occurs between two or more
work groups, social groups work together in
an organization.
Thanks