Factors Affecting Groups and Teams
Many factors can affect how well groups and teams perform. Among these are the cohesiveness of the
group, the degree to which individual members conform to group standards, the roles and norms the group
agrees to adopt and function by, the level and intensity of competition and conflict, and - finally – the style
and competence of group leadership.
COHESIVENESS
Cohesiveness may by defined as “sticking together.” Groups or teams are cohesive when their participants
identify with their membership. Identification means that the participants feel proud to be members, inform
outsiders that they are members, and perceive the purposes and goals that the group or team stands for as
their own.
Cohesive groups or teams have very little turnover in membership. The longer that the group or team
maintains its core membership, the more cohesive it becomes. When participants retain their membership,
they are demonstrating that:
1. They value their association with the team or group.
2. They receive benefits from participating in the group which they could not receive elsewhere.
3. They have made such significant investments (time or money) in the group or team, that they cannot
forsake their membership
Significant advantages can be realized when cohesiveness is high:

Member satisfaction with the group or team is high

Group or team goals are achieved more effectively

The quantity and quality of communication is high

The group or team exerts more influence over its participants 1
CONFORMITY
Conformity means “going along.” Group conformity is realized when participants abandon a particular
position contrary to other group or team members in favor of a majority view. This abandonment, called
conforming, happens for many reasons including: pressure to compromise, logical or emotional persuasion,
coercion, time constraints, personal frustration, or perceiving the futility of continued argument.
Many pressures exist in groups and teams for individuals to conform. Even so, participants should
always advocate their positions, politely and articulately, until those positions are disproved by others 9or
overruled by higher authority). No idea should be dismissed until tests of evidence, analysis, or reason
dictate that the group or team would be better served by finding another alternative.
Several years ago, members of a corporate training department were working on a major team-building
program for the company’s fields sales force. There were many different ideas about where to hold the
program. One employee thought the building’s training center was sufficient, another argued for a hotel.,
another for an outdoor-type camping facility, and still another for a resort facility. The advantages and
disadvantages of each proposition were argued. After the discussion, most members agreed that the resort
facility was the best choice. Two members, however, maintained that a hotel was the better choice. The
original advocate of the resort offered additional arguments for his position, and finally persuaded the
dissenting members. Conformity through persuasion ensured an effective decision.
1
Cougar , J.D. Creative Problem Solving and Opportunity Finding (Danvers, MA: Boyd & Fraser, 1995)
pp242-246.
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ROLES AND NORMS
Every member in a group or team plays a role. These roles are defined by the quantity and quality of
communication that participants engage in with the other members. It is not unusual for some clear roles to
develop for each participant within the first few minutes of group or team interaction.
Each role has a label or title. They usually end in “er” or “or.” Can you recognize yourself in any of
these roles listed in Table 1?
Table 1
Role
Socializer
Inquisitor
Organizer
Harmonizer
Facilitator
Digressor
Description
Emphasizes personal or relationship issues (“When
we finish this project, we’ll have to celebrate with a
party.”).
Asks an abundance of questions to every member
on every issue; likes to probe for the answer until
satisfied (“I’d like to know how often we can expect
to get results like you’re projecting.”).
The member who brings order to chaos, emphasizes
structure, organization, logic, and the agenda for the
future (“What are we doing next?”).
Settles the tension in the group or team; smoothes
over differences (“We can disagree with one
another without being disagreeable.”).
Sees that everyone gets a fair chance to address a
problem or an issue (“Nichole, do you have an
opinion about Task Force A’s recommendation?”).
Talks about everything except the actual task (“I
wish I knew how bonuses will be calculated this
year; my car may not make it ‘till spring.”).
In some groups or teams, you hear complaints about how well or how poorly a member is fulfilling a
role. For example, one member mutters under her breath about her leader, “If he’d only think about what
we’re going to discuss before we all get here, we’d get finished in half the time.” Comments such as this
view roles not from observed behaviors, but from expectations we have for the person who is ascribed by
the group to fulfill a particular role.
This member obviously believes that the person filling the role of “leader” has the responsibility to
plan a meeting by preparing an agenda, deciding upon pre-established topics for discussion, and setting
time limits for how long the group or team should devote to each topic. Interestingly, a leader may have
expectations for individuals who play the role of “members.” He or she may believe that members have an
obligation to read certain material, consider certain topics, and develop positions or arguments to present to
the group.
COMPETITION AND CONFLICT
Productive conflict is also crucial to effective decision making in groups or teams. Without debating and
questioning key issues through productive conflict, groups or teams may make decisions that have not been
thoroughly tested or evaluated.
Cooperation and conflict can often go hand-in-hand. Productive conflict is one of many means by
which teams or groups cooperate. By agreeing to debate, question, test ideas, and evaluate proposals,
members engaged in conflict can form a cooperative enterprise.
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On the other hand, competition within and between groups and teams is often counter-productive.
Although in the short-term, competition may be invigorating, motivating, or serve as a spark plug for
improved performance, it is not healthy for groups or teams to use this strategy in the long-term.
A store manager initiated a contest by which every member of the department with the highest sales
would qualify for an all-expense paid weekend at a beach condominium. In addition, within every
department, the salesperson with the highest sales would qualify for a $500 gift certificate. Results were
posted each Friday for six weeks. Notice that the store manager induced both within-group and betweengroup competition.
Sales skyrocketed in departments across the store. Unfortunately, there were complaints that some
customers would be approached numerous times by different salespeople in the same department who were
all hawking the same sale. Some customers complained that they felt rushed to make their decisions and
get to the register to cash out. In addition, since everyone was concentrating on sales, the stock was
virtually ignored. New merchandise was piled up in the stockroom, shelves of existing merchandise were
in shambles, and returns lay on the counter waiting to be processed and restocked on the shelves.
Employee morale also suffered. As the differences between contest leaders, middle-runners, and
laggards intensified, resentment grew. The store was no longer perceived as friendly. Even long-time
customers stopped patronizing the company. Competition does have its merit, but when compared with
cooperation, including the use of productive conflict, effective groups and teams are those which avoid
internal competition when possible.
LEADERSHIP
Strong groups and teams are supported by strong leadership. Leadership is a process of influence.
Whenever one individual attempts to influence the behavior of another, he or she engages in leadership.
Shared leadership
There are many approaches and directions to leadership. Shared leadership is the most important and
powerful approach that a grope or team can undertake. Effective groups and teams share the leadership
function among several members. You may see many leadership behaviors exhibited in a group or team
that reflect shared leadership. Leadership, in turn, depends on effective communication skills. When you
see participants contribute frequently and openly, with different members introducing various topics for
discussion, different ideas being challenged and debated, you are witnessing shared leadership.
Being in charge does not necessarily make someone a leader; conversely, you can be a leader without
being the designated “chief.” The leadership that a group needs most is often determined by situations that
confront it. Often, one person, regardless of status, cannot provide all the leadership a group needs.
Let’s say that a group you’re involved with is working on budgets and has been inundated with
spreadsheets, figures, and revenue and cost projections. The group certainly doesn’t need someone to lead
by providing more information. What the group needs is someone who can help you and your members
organize and understand the information that has been assembled. After a period of working through the
information, your group may need an emotional leader – someone who can offer an inspirational line, such
as “We’re all tired, so let’s do the best we can, and we’ll all get out of here faster.” In essence, every group,
different participants can contribute different leadership functions. Shared leadership, when played to its
fullest,, often results in an all-around effective team.
Intellectual stimulation
Leaders can provide intellectual stimulation by encouraging followers to think about old problems in new
ways. Leaders show more interest in creative ideas than in routine processes. They are no longer the
crutch for the employee to lean on. When asked a question, leaders in turn ask more questions and give
fewer answers, which encourages an employee’s development.
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Inspiration
Leaders can also inspire employees by broadening and elevating their interests through excitement for work
processes and heightened expectations for group and team members. Frequently, they serve as the spark
for the group’s work on a task. By doing so, they generate awareness, acceptance, and commitment among
their followers to the tasks, purposes, and mission of the group
All too often, managers create self-fulfilling prophecies for their employees on the job. Most
employees work toward the level of their manager’s expectations. If leaders don’t think a task is important,
their employees won’t either. Employees will not embrace a challenge if they think their leader sees a job
as too difficult. A leader who reveals that a meeting will be boring, will have bored employees at the
meeting. The opposite is also true. If leaders communicate that a task is exciting, challenging, achievable,
and important, employees will likely respond positively.
Charisma
Leaders develop charisma when their followers sense strong feelings of identity and faith in the leader. 2
Charisma is an exciting and powerful component for developing shared leadership in work units. It is
though charisma that non-active followers are transformed into active leaders. And it is through charisma
that followers become motivated and energized.
Many people view their group or team leader as having charisma. They will admire their group or
team leader so much that they want to be like him or her in many aspects of their lives. Group or team
leaders often exhibit behaviors such as:

Emotional expressiveness

Self-confidence

Self-determination

Freedom from visible internal conflicts

Strong conviction of beliefs
What characteristics do you see in followers that might indicate their leader exhibits charisma?
Followers of charismatic leaders often display these characteristics:

Loyalty

Trust in the leader’s beliefs

Similarity between leader and follower opinions and beliefs

Affection and admiration for the leader

Emotional involvement in the mission believed in by the leader

Perception that the leader takes risks and makes sacrifices to achieve his or her vision

Perception that the leader uses unconventional strategies to achieve goals
No group or team can survive without dedicated leadership. Although many successful groups and
teams have been led by one individual dominating that role, involving many members in the leadership role
produces the highest level of team effectiveness.
2
Shaw, M.E. Group Dynamics: The Psychology of Small Group Behavior 2e (New York: McGraw-Hill).
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Needs and goals
Leaders convince followers that long-term needs are more important than needs of the moment. A leader
knows the distinction between short-term needs (“I want more overtime”) and short-term investments (“I
need a few days off”). Leaders recognize that some short-term investments result in long-term payoffs.
Allowing more overtime (short-term need) may affect team creativity, worker fatigue, and profit levels.
Short-term investments (vacation time), however, may increase employee morale, resulting in long-term,
increased production.
Leaders also align the goals among their followers. When do you know you have a team? You have a
team when the goals and interests of the group are consistent with and more important than the individuals’
goals and self-interests. When you have more people asking, “What can I do to help?” and fewer asking
“What’s in it for me?” you’ve got a team.
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