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TEAM BUILDING The nature of groups Groups are a major feature of human behavior and of organizational performance. Members of a group must co-operate with one another for work to be carried out. Groups help shape the work pattern of organizations, and the attitudes and the behavior of members regarding their jobs. Groups develop their own values and norms of behavior. Organizations function best when members act not as individuals, but as members of highly effective work groups. Groups are formed as a consequence of the pattern of organizational structure and arrangements for the division of work. There are two main types for the division of work, formal and informal. Formal groups:  are deliberately planned and created by managements  part of organizational structure  aim is to achieve specific organizational objectives Informal groups:  Based on personal relationships  Develop irrespective of the formal structure  Serve to satisfy members’ psychological and social

needs Factors, which affect group cohesiveness:  Membership  Work environment  Organizational and group development and maturity  Membership of a strong and cohesive group can be a rewarding experience for the individual and have beneficial effects for the organization. There are, however, potential disadvantages and the manager should try to attempt to prevent unconstructive inter-group conflicts. On the other hand, inter-group rivalry may be deliberately encouraging as a mean of building stronger within group cohesiveness. The effective management of work groups requires an understanding of the psychological and social influence on behaviors with its organization. The nature of technology and the work flow system of the organizations is a major influence on the operation of groups, and the manner in which they conduct themselves. There may also be differences in behavior between social groupings. The nature of technology can be unfavorable for the creation of work groups

and the source of alienation, especially for manual workers. The impact of the information technology is likely to lead to new patterns of work organization, and affect the formation and structure of groups. The concept of ’role’ is important to the functioning of groups, and for an understanding of group processes and behavior. It is through role differentiation that the structure of work groups and relationships among members is established. Role expectations may be established formally, they may be informal, or they may be self-established. Inadequate or inappropriate role definition can result in role conflict including role incompatibility, role ambiguity, and role overload. Role conflict can result in role stress. It is important that the manager makes every effort to minimize role conflict and the causes of role stress.                   What to look for in a group? WHAT a group is doing THE TASK HOW a

group is doing  THE PROCESS Task related behaviors:  Setting objectives  Seeking and giving information  Proposing  Problem definition  Making decisions  Allocation tasks and responsibilities  Implementation  Monitoring and evaluation Relationships in a group:  Participation  Composition  Structure  Group roles  Influence  Impact  Communication  Norms  Atmosphere  Cohesion  Conflicts Individual’s group-related needs, motives and behaviors:      Need for acknowledgement  Need for autonomy  Need for support  Belonging  Conformity                         If teamwork is established people are ready: To mobilize everyone’s energy towards developing t  he company  To implement necessary changes quickly and effectively  To learn to live with constant changes  To meet demands from people and

organizations  To develop quality  To defend oneself against attacks  To ensure productivity  To have fun to consider others beside themselves  To create a ‘we’ culture in the sense of ‘us’ against ‘them’ The characteristics of a good football team:  Each player does his best  The success criteria are clearly defined  The team and the players decide on success criteria  The players can play different roles  The players possess complementary skills  The players are ready and able to change  The excellent performance is appreciated  The coach is present at the matches and is respected  The Players are proud to be in the team and are loyal to the team  Everyone feels responsible for the success and failure and takes initiatives. Understanding the service worker:  Strategically the contact personal can be the source of differentiation  The management should know what influences employees to behave as they do Management has

a strong role in creating a climate where good service is the norm  The service provider’s role and expertise are decisive in reaching customer satisfaction.  Role is defined: a set of behavior patterns to be performed by an individual in a certain social interaction to attain maximum effectiveness in goal accomplishment  In service encounters customers perform roles too. The transaction between the customer and the contact personal is the key element in marketing activity.  Role expectations can be defined as ‘privileges, duties, obligations of any occupant of a social position’  Commitment Attitudial commitment - loyalty and support for the organisation, strength of identification with the organisation, a belief in its values and goals and a readyness to put effort for the organisation. Behavioral commitment - actually aremaining eith the company and continuinf ti prursue its objectives Commitment is effected by:  personal characteristics  experiences in

job role  work experiences  structural factors  personnel policies Empowerment The way that empowerment is faciliated is seen as realising employee organisationn expectations. Not only it is essential fot appropriate training, education and resources to be provided for employeesm but responsibility for decision making is pushed dow nthe hierarchy so that those who do the task make the decisions about the task. In this way the emploxees qill have a highe level of ownershio of what they do and bureocratic control is not necesarry as employees will manage themselves. Empowerment is involving greater individual accountability for results with enhanced authority of work teams. Culture The culture of hte organisation is not in the hands of management and therefore it is not a matter of handing down a culture to passive employees. Culture is nor necesarry static, and management do have control over some things that will effect the culture, such as the logo or the mission statement of

the organisation. Strong cultures are not neceserraly associated with a more effecticve organisation, their relationship is much more comley. Strong culture may stand against fleyibility and adaptability. Culture awerness is importatn in faciliating strategic decision. Learning ‘For business to survive the extent of learninf has to be greater than or equal to change which it faces.’ /Garratt/ ‘Learning is an almost priceless competitive advantage.’ /De Gaus/