Groups and Teams - Essay Example

The study of groups and group dynamics plays a very important part in the study of organizational behavior. Groups are a common feature in most organizational settings. (Group Dynamics, n.d.) It has been observed that groups are most productive when an assignment entails the requirement of multiple skills, experiences and decision making abilities. They are able to assemble quickly, take decisions and if the need arises then they can disperse and move on to another task. As compared to individuals, groups have a lot of enthusiasm to complete the job.

Groups are responsible for completing most of the work in an organization. Thus it would not be incorrect to say that the success of an organization depends largely on the effectiveness of its groups. (Group Dynamics, n.d.) Group work helps to explore and express varied ideas and suggestions of the group members in a cooperative way. Working in groups involves mutual support. A group can be successful only if all the members believe in the culture of shared commitment. Group work is not about competing with the peers.

It involves using the range of resources available in the group to deepen their understanding and extending their knowledge to their collective advantage. (Working in groups,n.d.) Groups are generally classified as formal or informal groups. . Anybody can become a part of the informal group. Friendship groups, reference groups and interest groups are all informal groups. Even though the informal groups are not formed to achieve organizational goals they can have a strong positive or negative influence on the working of an organization.

For example, they can either talk about how to develop a production method or how to create shortcuts that would eventually endanger quality. (Group Dynamics, n.d.)Good team behavior requires development and supervising. It is imperative to ascertain the appropriate role of each member within a group. Meredith Belbin from the Industrial Training Research Unit at Cambridge developed a model of how teams work. Beblin identified a number of roles for each member of a group. The chart below displays all the team roles and the corresponding behaviors.

In order to use the chart effectively one has to identify his/her current role and use this awareness to make his/her behavior efficient and effective. (Working in groups,n.d.)The RoleDescriptionBehaviourPLANTA source of good ideas for the group.Intellectually dominant & imaginative but introverted.Contributing ideasRESOURCE INVESTIGATORPopular, sociable, extrovert & relaxed. A source of new contacts but not an originatorIntroduces ideas from outside. NegotiatorSHAPERExtrovert & passionate about the task.

Highly strung & dominantShaping roles/ objectives. Pushing group towards agreement.MONITOR EVALUATORAnalytically intelligent. Dissects ideas/ spots flaws. Possibly aloof Analyses situations & contributions of othersCOORDINATORBalanced, disciplined& good at working through others. Presides/ coordinatesStates objectives, establishes roles, sums up achievementsIMPLEMENTERPractical organizer, schedules/ plans