Topic 10. Groups and Teams.

1. Group – two or more people who interact with each other to accomplish certain goals or meet certain needs.

Team is a group whose members work intensely with each other to achieve a specific, common goal or objective.

Formal group is a group that managers establish to achieve organizational goals.

Informal group is a group that managers or non-managerial employees form to help achieve their own goals or meet their own needs.

Top – management team is a group composed of the CEO, the president, and the heads of the most important departments.

Research and development team is a team whose members have the expertise and experience needed to develop new products.

Command group is a group composed of subordinates who report to the same supervisor; also called a department or unit.

Task force is a committee of managers and non-managerial employees from various departments or divisions who meet to solve specific, mutual problems.

Self-managed work team is a group of employees who supervise their own activities and monitor the quality of the goods and services they provide.

Virtual team is a team whose members rarely or never meets face to face and interacts by using various forms of information technology such as e-mail, computer networks, telephone, fax, and video conferences.

Friendship group is an informal group composed of employees who enjoy each other’s company and socialize with each other.

Interest group is an informal group composed of employees seeking to achieve common goal related to their membership in an organization.

2.

Group role is a set of behaviors and tasks that a member of a group is expected to perform because of his or her position in the group.

Group norms – shared guidelines and rules for behavior that most group members follow.

Group cohesiveness is the degree to which members are attracted or loyal to a group.

Five stages of group development:

In the first stage, forming, members try to get to know each other and reach a common understanding of what the group is trying to accomplish and how group members should behave.

In the second stage, storming, group members experience conflict and disagreements because some members do not wish to submit to the demands of other group members.

During the third stage, norming, close ties between group members develop, and feelings of friendship emerge.

In the fourth stage, performing, the real work of the group gets accomplished.

The last stage, adjourning, applies only to groups that eventually are disbanded, such as task forces.

3.

Managers striving to have top performing groups and teams need to:

• Motivate group members to work toward the achievement of organizational goals;

• Reduce social loafing;

Social loafing is the tendency of individuals to put forth less effort when they work in groups than when they work alone.

• Help groups manage conflicts effectively.

Topic 11. Leadership.

1. Leadership is the process by which an individual exerts influence over other people and inspires, motivates and directs their activities to help achieve group or organizational goals.

Leader is an individual who is able to exert influence over other people to help achieve group or organizational goals.

There are 5 types of power:

• Legitimate power is the authority that a manager has through his or her position in an organization’s hierarchy;

• Reward power is the ability of a manager to give or withhold tangible and intangible rewards;

• Coercive power is the ability of a manager to punish others;

• Expert power is the power that is based in the special knowledge, skills, and expertise that a leader possesses;

• Referent power is the power that comes from subordinates’ and coworkers’ respect, admiration and loyalty.

2.

The trait model of leadership focused on identifying those personal characteristics that cause effective leadership. Researchers thought effective leaders must have certain personal qualities that set them apart from ineffective leaders and from people who never become leaders.

Trait	Description
Intelligence	Helps managers understand complex issues and solve problems
Knowledge and expertise	Helps managers make good decisions and discover ways to increase efficiency and effectiveness
Dominance	Helps managers influence their subordinates to achieve organizational goals
Self-confidence	Contributes to managers’ effectively influencing subordinates and persisting when faced with obstacles or difficulties
High energy	Helps managers deal with the many demands they face
Tolerance for stress	Helps managers deal with uncertainty and difficult decisions
Integrity and honesty	Helps managers behave ethically and earn their subordinates’ trust and confidence
Maturity	Helps managers avoid acting selfishly, control their feelings, and admit when they have made a mistake

The behavior model: assumptions about workers’ attitudes and behavior affect managers’ behavior/