The Nature and significance of

Groups in Organizations
Grace Abban - Ampiah

Learning Outcomes.
At the end of this lecture, students will be
able to :
o Understand the nature and characteristics
of effective teams
o Develop effective teams to ensure
organizational effectiveness

Lesson Structure
What is a group
Characteristics of group
Types of groups
Formal Group
Informal Group

Stages of group development (Tuckman)

Functions of Groups
Team roles and its effectiveness (Belbins eight

team roles)
Characteristics of effective and ineffective teams
How to ensure team effectiveness for
organizational effectiveness

group
made up
What
is isa group
A

of two or more
individuals who are aware of each other,
interact with one another as well as share
similar goals and values.

Characteristics of a Group
They engage in regular interaction.
They are aware of themselves (i.e. they

define themselves as a group).

They share common goals regarding
matters of mutual interest.
They are defined by others as a group.
They feel a shared sense of collective
responsibility.

Exercise
Divide yourselves into groups, write down

the various groups to which you belong.

Consider what you get out of the group
and how they influence you.

Functions of Work Groups

in the Organization
Analyzing and solving of Problems: The

organization use workgroups to solve

complex problems and make policy in order
to ensure organizational effectiveness.
Dissemination of Information:

Workgroups are used by the organization

to send information to people in the
organization. If few members in a group
know the information, they quickly pass it
on to the rest of the group members.

Functions of Work Groups

in the Organization
Uniting the organization in order to

achieve organizational goals: Most

Organizations uses workgroup as a way
of gaining support of employees for
achieving organizational goals.
Delegation of work: In order for
organizations to carry out several task,
authority needs to be given to leaders of
workgroups.

Functions of Work Groups

in the Organization
Conflict Resolution: Conflicts does not

exist at the individual level but on the

group level. Conflicts arises most in
organizations with large number of groups,
so they resolve issues to ensure a serene
atmosphere in the work place.
They satisfy individual needs for friendship
and social interaction.
Group protects and support individuals
against the interruptions by employers
and .

Types of Groups
There are two main classification of groups
namely:
Formal groups
Informal Groups

They
are
set
up
by
the
organization
to
Formal Groups
accomplish assigned tasks.

Characteristics of formal
Groups
They have official status bestowed

on them either by the organization

or society that created them.
They are led by a leader who is
appointed by management to
control members to achieve
assigned duties.
They are mostly tend to be
permanent groups.

Examples of Formal Groups

Project teams
Departmental workgroups
Committes
Parent-Teacher Association
Football supporters Club

These are groups developed out of

relationships at work in order to satisfy
individual needs rather than an
organizations needs.

Informal Groups

Characteristics of
Informal Groups

Informal groups are often created by

individuals within the formal groups.

They are less structured. They do not
have any formal rules binding them.
They may or not be permanent
depending on whether they continually
share a common interest or needs for
their members.

The Stages of Group

Development
According Tuckman (1965), there are
four main stages of group
development namely:
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing

Forming
This is the first stage of group development. It
is the stage members in the group gets to
know each other.
Groups set rules for accomplishing

assigned task.
Members analyze the attitudes and
behaviours to enable them get on well with
others.
Theres mistrust among members in the
group.

Storming
This is a stage of conflict and

disagreement among group members as a

result of different opinions, resistance to
demands of meeting task requirement or
challenges of leadership as well as
competition for authority.

Norming
Resistance and conflicts are overcome

by group.
They establish norms of attitudes and
behaviour which are mutually
accepted by all members in the group.
There is cooperation, mutual support
and individuals recognise the value
and different contributions of people in
the group.

Performing
Group is very effective in accomplishing its

assigned task.
Behaviours and attitudes of members in
the group are positive.
Members are united and supportive to each
other.

Team Roles and effectiveness

Belbins Eight team roles
According to Belbin, an effective group

should take into consideration personalities

are well mixed.
Do not have more than one personality in a

group.
He classified eight team roles pertaining in

the organization.

Belbins Eight Team Roles

Team Roles

Functions

Co-ordinator

Controls activities and

objectives
Monitors and organizes
resources for accomplishing
task.
Identifies strengths and
weaknesses of members to
help achieve roles

Implementer

Ensures that goals and

plans are adhered to or
achieved

Shaper

Influence the direction of

group by providing advise
on application of team

Belbins Eight Team Roles

Team roles

Functions

Plant

They generate new

strategies or ideas in the
group.

Resource Investigator

Finds out and update the

group on new
developments and ideas
that may improve on group
work. E.g. Making external
contacts and negotiations
for the group

Monitor/Evaluator

They facilitate the

decision-making process by
analyzing problems,
evaluating generated ideas
and controls suggested

Belbins Eight Team Roles

Team Roles

Functions

Team Worker

He/she maintains group

morale through listening,
building strong
relationships and
handling difficult people
in the team.

CompleterFinisher

Ensures attention to
details and the
completion of tasks
assigned by work
group/team.

Specialist Role
(New Role)

Specialist provide expert

(professional ) advice to

Factors that influence the

nature of Team Spirit
The size of the group: The size of the

group will affect how the group works

together and tasks are completed.
Leadership Style (E.g. Authoritative
or democratic leader).
Incentives offered for accomplishing of
task or schedule.
Common features of individuals in
the team (e.g. gender, qualifications and
experience.

Exercise
Discuss among yourselves the

characteristics of effective and ineffective

teams.

Characteristics of
effective and ineffective
Teams
Effective Teams

Ineffective Teams

Objectives of the team

is well understood and
accepted by the
members.

It is difficult for
members in the team
to understand their
objectives or task
outlined for them.

Participation: Almost
all members participate
in lot of discussions in
the team to achieve
goals.

Few people participate

in discussion and make
contributions towards
achieving goals and
targets in the team.

Characteristics of effective and

ineffective Teams
Effective Team

Ineffective Team

Listening: Members listen

and embrace each others
views or issues in the team

Listening: Members ignore

each others views or issues in
the team.

Conflict Resolution: There is Disagreement are not

disagreement the group is
normally dealt with effectively
comfortable with it because
in the group.
the resolve it amicably.
Decision-making: most
decisions are reached by
consensus and all members
are in agreement with
outcomes of discussions.

Decision-making: Decisions
are taken before issues are
analyzed or resolved.

Division of Labour: clear

standards are assigned and
accepted by each individual.

Division of Labour:
Standards are normally
unclear and members are

Conclusion
Groups or teams are needed in the
organization to help accomplish
laid goals and objectives to ensure
organizational effectiveness

Questions