CHAPTER SUMMARY – CHAPTER 15
Understanding Groups
 Define the different types of groups.
 Describe the five stages of group development.
Formal groups are work groups defined by the organization’s structure that have
designated work assignments and specific tasks. (See Exhibit 15-1 for a list of formal
groups.) Informal groups are social in nature.
The five stages of group development (see Exhibit 15-2) are as follows: forming
(joining the group and defining the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership), storming
(intragroup conflict), norming (close relationships develop and the group becomes
cohesive), performing (performing the task at hand), and adjourning (group prepares to
disband).
Explaining Work Group Behavior
 Explain the major components that determine group performance and satisfaction.
 Discuss how roles, norms, conformity, status systems, group size, and group
cohesiveness influence group behavior.
 Explain how group norms can both help and hurt an organization.
 Define groupthink and social loafing.
 Describe the relationships between group cohesiveness and productivity.
 Discuss how conflict management influences group behavior.
 Tell the advantages and disadvantages of group decision making.
The major components that determine group performance and satisfaction (see
Exhibit 15-3) are: the external conditions imposed on the group, group member
resources, group structure, group processes, and group tasks.
People play different roles in groups. These roles tend to either be task-oriented or
member-oriented. Norms are standards or expectations that are accepted and shared by
group members and dictate factors such as work output levels, absenteeism, promptness,
and amount of socializing on the job. Conformity is the pressure felt by members to
behave according to the group. A group’s status system has to do with its grading,
position, or ranking of certain people or positions within the group. Smaller groups are
faster at completing tasks, but larger groups get better results. Group cohesiveness refers
to the degree to which members are attracted to a group and share the group’s goals.
Norms can help an organization because they can influence work expectations.
However, that’s also the reason that norms can hurt an organization.
Groupthink is when a group exerts extensive pressure on individuals to align their
opinions to conform to others’ opinions. Social loafing is the tendency for an individual
to expend less effort (loaf) when working in a group.
When a highly cohesive group’s goals are aligned with organizational goals, it
will experience a strong increase in productivity. However, if the group is not cohesive, it
will experience only a moderate increase in productivity. If a highly cohesive group’s
goals are not aligned with organizational goals, there’s a decrease in productivity. (See
Exhibit 15-5.)
Conflict is any perceived incompatible differences. Conflict and how it’s
managed can influence group behavior. Relationship conflicts almost always are
dysfunctional. Low levels of process conflict and low-to-moderate levels of task conflict
can be functional. (See Exhibit 15-8.)
When making decisions, groups tend to be more accurate and creative and have a
higher degree of acceptance of the decision. However, groups are not as fast or efficient
as individuals when making decisions. (See Exhibit 15-6.)
Creating Effective Teams
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Compare groups and teams.
Explain why teams have become so popular in organizations.
Describe the four most common types of teams.
List the characteristics of effective teams.
Work teams are different from work groups. (See Exhibit 15-10.) Work groups
interact primarily to share information and to make decisions that help each group
member individually do his or her job more efficiently and effectively. Work teams work
intensely on a specific, common goal using their positive synergy, individual and mutual
accountability, and complementary skills.
Teams have become popular because teams typically outperform individuals
when the tasks being done require multiple skills, judgment, and experience.
The four most common types of teams are problem-solving teams, self-managed
teams, cross-functional teams, and virtual teams.
Effective teams have the following characteristics: clear goals, relevant skills,
mutual trust, unified commitment, good communication, negotiating skills, appropriate
leadership, internal support, and external support. (See Exhibit 15-11.)
Current Challenges in Managing Teams
 Discuss the challenges of managing global teams.
 Explain the role of informal (social) networks in managing teams.
Global teams face challenges from: group member resources, group structure
(conformity, status, social loafing, and cohesiveness), group processes, and the manager’s
role. (See Exhibit 15-12.)
Social networks describe the patterns of informal connections among individuals
within teams. These informal social relationships can hinder or help the team’s
effectiveness.