SBenegaL

Category: Groups

  • Work Teams and Groups 3

    In the last byte, we looked at the four aspects of behavior that are important in a group setting. In today’s byte we discuss group norms of behavior.

    Norms of Behavior: are lie standards that are used in looking at the behavior of its individual members. These could be written or unwritten, they could even be verbal or nor-verbal, and in some case they could even be implicit or explicit in other cases. In general this specifies what the group members should do and what the group members should not do.

    These norms could evolve informally (just by observation of other group members) or explicitly through training. It could even be unconscious within a group; these could have been developed in repose to a challenge that the group faces (think of fire-fighters here!).

    Norms could exist in any aspect of work-life. They play a curial role! – One such is the Performance Norms. Performance norms are the most important group norms from the organization’s perspective.

  • Work Teams and Groups 2

    In the last byte, we began our discussion on work teams and groups. In today’s byte, we continue this discussion and understand some of the aspects of group behavior further.

    There are 4 important topics that are extremely relevant to the functioning of the group. We shall define these in the current byte.

    1. Norms of Behavior: These refer to the standards that a work group uses to evaluate the behavior of its members
    2. Group Cohesion: Refers to the “interpersonal glue” that makes members of the group stick together
    3. Social Loafing: Refers to the failure of group members to contribute personal time, effort, thoughts or other resources to the group
    4. Loss of Individuality: Refers to the social process in which individual group members lose self-awareness and its accompanying sense of accountability, inhibition and responsibility for individual behavior.
    We shall discuss these in greater detail in the next few bytes.

  • Work Teams and Groups

    In the last byte, we looked at how communication technology is playing a role in work-place communication. In today’s byte, we begin our discussion on work teams and groups.

    Let’s begin with simple definitions of these two terms:

    1. Group – could be two or more people with common interests, objectives, and continuing interactions
    2. Work teams – could be 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


    From the above definition it would be interesting to note – all work teams are groups, but all groups are not work teams.

    It would also be good to understand an ideal benchmark – the following table highlights some characteristics: