Improving Group Productivity in Crystal Production Group - Case Study Example

Running Head: GROUP PRODUCTIVITY Group Productivity in Crystal Media Group Student’s name Course name and number Instructor’s name Date submitted Improving Group Productivity in Crystal Production Group Introduction Crystal Production Group (CPG) is an audio visual production and entertainment group with over 10 years experience in the entertainment market. It provides services to a range of markets including, theatre, film, television, special events, tradeshows and corporate events. Its main areas of specialization are to supply entertainment and events technology. CPG provide integrated services as well as hiring and operating equipments for its different markets. CPG services include scenery and automation systems, staging, lighting, and audio and video production which are highly dependent on creativity and innovation. The production and entertainment industry requires the staff to work in groups for high productivity. One of the highest challenges in this company is to manage the people to work together cohesively since almost everyone is budding with ideas of what needs to be done. There has been a decline in the productivity of the group especially the audio-visual departments. There has been complains that projects take longer than expected and they do not follow production schedules. Staff members complain that their ideas are not being implemented and there is discrimination. Adding group members have not been able to solve the problem. There has been a problem of efficiency especially in covering events and several clients have reported that the way some of their events were covered is not effective. Adding more resources and improving the equipment used has not improved productivity. This calls for evaluation of group productivity in order to improve productivity with the team already in place. Any organization faces the continuous challenge of improving its productivity and profitability in order to maintain or increase its competitive advantage. Research on CPG’s groups has revealed that productivity has been inhibited by four major group problems. They include role conflicts within groups, communication problems among group members, lack of cohesiveness in groups with diverse members and excess intergroup conflict. Role Conflicts within groups Tang and Chang (2010) say that individuals working in organizations undergo role stress as a result of a disparity of the roles expected to be carried out and what is perceived differ. This definitely affects the productivity of the group since members carry out the roles they perceive rather than what is actually expected of them. This is attributed to role ambiguity which means that there is no clear indication of the exact roles a person is expected to play. Basically, for a group to realize optimum productivity, it has to exploit the expertise of every member in the group towards the production of the desired result. This means that if the members do not perform the roles they are expected to, productivity is inhibited. Each member’s creativity is required in a team and when people’s roles are taken by others, their creativity is inhibited and their motivation goes down. Role ambiguity and role conflict are the two major components of role stress (Tang and Chang, 2010). Role ambiguity means there is lack of specificity and predictability on the role (responsibility and functions) an employee is expected to play. This affects productivity in an organization since people are not accountable of what is expected on them. In addition, it is hard to hold people accountable for mistakes done and there is a lot of blame shifting among members of the group. Role theory attributes role conflict to different sets of conflicting demands. When a group member is expected to play different conflicting roles, his or her productivity is hindered. Specifying roles for each group member would obliterate these problems and members will feel responsible for their roles. Communication problem among group members Groups reach full potential if members have an environment to speak out what they think, they can be able to ask for help, bring new and unpopular ideas to table and even risk making mistakes. This environment is only achieved if team members are concerned about each other, are able to trust each other and they pay attention to solution rather than problems. If members only talk about what annoys them and what they do not like but never talk about what they want in a succinct manner, team members are decolorized and team energy is supped up. Zoglio (2001) says that communication problems among group members can be eliminated by embracing friendly, positive and open communications. According to her, friendly communication means being concerned and asking about each other’s lives even if it is not work related. It also requires respecting the differences and diversity among the group members. Joking now and then and creating light moments makes team members feel welcome in the team. Open communication in a group is indicated by honest feedback from group members, every group member is in a position to accept constructive criticism and the ability of group members to address issues in head-on. The existence of positive communication in a group allows team members to openly talk about what they want, like, need and what they would like to achieve. Team communication need to be enhanced and a group culture of friendly, open and positive communication cultivated. Leaders can facilitate this by providing skills training in “listening, responding, and the use of language as well as in meeting management, feedback and consensus building” (Zoglio, 2001, Online) Excess Intergroup Conflict Inter group conflict means a state of disagreements between different groups over something each group deems important to them. According to Azamosa (2004) this kind of conflict involves and opposition of behavior and attitudes between people in an organization. Nemeth et al (2004) note that, conflict between groups arises when goals are not specified. Intergroup conflict can affect the organization in different ways according to how it is handled. If intergroup conflicts are not resolved, group members become demotivated and group energies go down (Kehinde, 2011). In addition, the groups start competing among themselves, not to meet the company goal but to prove they are better than the other group. In essence, this means that the groups stop concentrating on productivity as they should be. Productivity is measured in the way the organization is able to meet its goals in the stipulated time with the available resources. To deal with intergroup conflict, it is important for the CPG management to specify the organizational goals and the role of each group toward achieving that goal. This means that each group should also have goals which contribute to the ultimate organizational goal. Cohesiveness in Groups Stachevsky and Koslowsky (2006) posit that “group cohesion motivates, as well as allows, for coordinating activities” (p. 65). This alludes to the fact that lack of cohesion has a bearing on performance and the overall group productivity. In particular, issues of cohesion like task commitment, interpersonal attraction and group pride play a big role in productivity. The entertainment industry does not rely on individuals outperforming others so that they can shine. It is not a one-man-business. Regardless of how well the camera person is apt at what he does, he relies on the sound technician to capture good footage. The director should be able to work with all persons in the different departments for a good production. Therefore, without cohesion in the team, productivity is inhibited. Having a transformational group leader who focuses on stimulation and motivation contribute to improved group cohesion (Stachevsky & Koslowsky, 2006). Shirts (2009) describes cultural competency as a way to improve team cohesion. He describes it as the ability of persons within the groups to work effectively, to communicate with and to understand people from other cultures. Other culture in this case refers to different orientations. Good communication as well as understanding roles is important to team cohesion. Best Practices for group productivity Group productivity should be maximized at all levels and groups in the company. This will mean training in group dynamics not only to deal with the problems that are being experienced currently but also to encourage other practices that maximizes group productivity and ultimately company productivity. Benne and Sheats (2010) opine that this leadership should prioritize group leadership. If the leaders are trained, they will be able to transfer practices that enhance group performance. The best leadership training should include all the members as the members take different team leadership roles at different times. Training should also concentrate on ways to carry out collaborative peer evaluation. This will enhance group member assessment. This will necessitate training in interpersonal communication so that members are able to critique each other constructively. When a good communication environment is provided, the group members will be able to speak freely about what they want. Evaluation is one of the best ways to ensure that team members play their roles as expected. Training on regular evaluation ensures that every member of the group sticks to the company goals. Goal and strategy formulation is another area of training. The company should train all departments on how to hold brain storming sessions where ideas are generated and goals are formulated. It is in such meetings the roles and responsibilities are clarified and each member contributes towards the group. Finally, training on team building and bonding activities is very important. Team building and bonding activities carried out outside the job environment enhances interpersonal attractiveness, bonding, communication. It also builds personal commitment to the group as well as boost motivation as an environment of belonging is created. Ultimately this will increase group productivity and in turn company productivity. Conclusion Group productivity is germane to organizational productivity and profitability. Groups consist of people with diverse experiences and backgrounds. Every member in the group has roles and responsibilities which contribute to overall group productivity. Groups go through different phases before full productivity is realized. Problems may emerge within the groups and they could in a great way hinder the group’s productivity. Some of the problems include group members having role conflicts within the group, intergroup conflicts, lack of cohesiveness in groups with diverse members, communication problems among others. How the conflicts are resolved greatly affect the overall group productivity. This calls for regular training in the organization on group dynamics on best practices of group productivity. Training should center on communication, group evaluation, group leadership and goal and strategy setting. Azamosa O. (2004) Industrial Conflict in Nigerian Universities: The case of the Academic Staff Union of the University Teacher's Strike of December2002 - June 2003. Dept. of Sociology, Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences, Bristol University. Benne, K. B. & Sheats P. (2010), Functional Roles of Group Members, Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 41-49. Kehinde, O. (2011) Impact of Conflict Management on Corporate Productivity: An evaluative Study, Australian Journal Of Business and Management Research, Vol. 1, No. 5, pp. 44-49. Nemeth, C. J., Perdonnaz, B., Personnaz, M. & Goncalo J. A (2004), The Liberating Role of Conflict in Group Creativity: A Study in Two Countries, European Journal of Social Psychology, Vol, 34, pp. 365-374. Shirts, R. G. (2009) Cohesion through Diversity, Presentation before the Indiana State Office of Minority Health, Minority Health, Minority Health Conference, August 21, 2009. Available online at: Accessed on 25 January, 2013. Stashevsky, S. & Koslowsky, M. (2006), Leadership team cohesiveness and team performance, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp. 63 – 74 Tang, Y. & Chang, C. (2010) Impact of Role Ambiguity and Role Conflict on Employee Creativity, African Journal of Business Management Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 869-881. Zoglio, S. W. (2001), & Keys to Building Great Work Teams, Team Building.com, Available online at Accessed on 25 January, 2013. Read More