MANAGEMENT (7)

Groups and Teams

Ctlina RADU, MBA, PhD.

Bucharest University of Economic Studies

Groups and Teams

Proposed Quotes

G
Groups
917 & 918
918:: Coming
C i together
t
th is
i a beginning
b i i .
beginning.
Keeping together is progress
progress.. Working together is
success.. - Henry Ford
success
Group 919 & 922:
922: "Individual commitment to a
group effort - that is what makes a team work, a
company work,
work a society work,
work a civilization work
work.."
- Vince Lombardi
Group 920:
920: The strength of the team is each
individual member
member.. The strength of each member is
the team
team.. - Phil Jackson

Exercise

Which is the main difference between

GROUPS and TEAMS? Give some
examples.

Groups versus Teams (1)

Group = two or more people with common
interests, objectives, and continuing
interaction
Work Team = a group of people with
complementary skills who are committed to
a common mission, performance goals, and
approach for which they hold themselves
mutually accountable

Groups versus Teams (2)

Two main characteristics distinguish

teams from groups:
Intensity with which team members work
together;
Presence of a specific
specific, overriding team goal
or objective.

Work Teams versus

Work Groups

Group Size (1)

Advantage of small groups

Higher interaction with each other and
easier coordination of their efforts;
Group / team members are more motivated,
satisfied,
satisfied and committed;
Information is shared more easily;
The importance of members personal
contributions is more clear.

Group Size (2)

Advantages of large groups

There are more resources put at their
disposal to achieve group goals;
They enable managers to obtain division of
labor advantages.

Group Size (3)

Research shows that:

Smaller groups are faster at completing tasks.
When problem solving, larger groups do better.
Social Loafing
The tendency for individuals to show less effort
when working collectively than when working
individually.
To reduce social loafing, teams should not be
larger than necessary, and individuals should be
held accountable for their actions.

Three Ways to Reduce

Social Loafing

Exercise
Work in small teams to find a solution for the
following problem:

One of the members of your team

continually arrives late for meetings and
does not turn drafts of assignments in on
time. In general this group member is
engaging in social loafing. What can the
members of your group do to reduce social
loafing?

Stages of Group
Development
1 Forming - Group members get to know each
1.
other in order to reach common goals.
2. Storming - Group members disagree on
direction and leadership. Managers need to be
sure the conflict stays focused.
3. Norming
g - Close ties and consensus begin
g to
develop between group members.
4. Performing - The group begins to do its real
work.
5. Adjourning - Only for task forces that are
temporary.

Types of Work Teams

Multicultural Teams

Multicultural groups and teams represent

three or more ethnic backgrounds.
Diversity may increase uncertainty,
complexity and inherent confusion in group
p
processes.
However, culturally diverse groups may
generate more and better ideas and limit
groupthinking.

Diversity

Impact of diverse groups

Diversity in personality, age, gender, and experience
promotes conflict, which stimulates creativity and
idea generation, which leads to improved decision
making.
Cultural diversity in groups initially leads to more
difficulty in building cohesion, gaining satisfaction,
being productive.

Problems pass with time.

Culturally diverse groups bring more viewpoints out.

Advantages and Disadvatages

of Diversity
Ad
Advantages
t

Multiple perspectives
Greater openness to new
ideas
Multiple interpretations
Increased creativity
Increased flexibility
Increased problemsolving skills

Di d
Disadvantages
t

Ambiguity
Complexity
Confusion
Miscommunication
Difficultyy in reaching
ga
single agreement
Difficulty in agreeing
on specific actions

*** QUOTES ABOUT OUR COURSE ***

Lets look again!

Groups and Teams

Proposed Quotes

G
Groups
917 & 918:
918 Coming
C i together
t
th is
i a beginning.
b i i
Keeping together is progress. Working together is
success. - Henry Ford
Group 919 & 922: "Individual commitment to a
group effort - that is what makes a team work, a
company work,
work a society work,
work a civilization work
work.""
- Vince Lombardi
Group 920: The strength of the team is each
individual member. The strength of each member is
the team. - Phil Jackson

THANK YOU.
and
and

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