Working on a Project in a Group - Essay Example

Question (01 What are the likely advantages of working on a project in a group Answer (01 A group is formed when many individuals pool in their efforts together to complete a task or achieve a goal. 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.) Most of the groups are classified as formal or informal groups. Formal groups are formed by organizations to achieve the goals of the organization. Some of the forms of formal groups are command groups, task groups and functional groups. (Group Dynamics, n.d.) Informal groups on the other hand are formed on their own. They do not have a time frame and are generally not formed by the organizations. 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.) 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. 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.) Question (02): Review the main considerations that have been identified as important for contributing towards the effective working of a team. Answer (02): Various factors are responsible for a team to be effective. A team can be effective only if the socialization of all the members of the team are at par with each other. Socialization is nothing but a process of learning. It is regardless of the surroundings or age of the individual. In every group the members of the group have to learn the rules, regulations and expectations of that group for the group to be effective. (Socialization, 2006) In order to understand all the factors responsible for the team to be effective one has to understand the group dynamics. Group dynamics not only tries to understand why the group is formed but also how it is formed. Bruce Tuckman in the 1960's provided a framework to study the reasons of group formation. According to Tuckman, when a group is initially formed it is not very effective. The group has to undergo various stages of development before it becomes productive and efficient. Most of the groups go through similar developmental stages with comparable conflicts and resolutions. (Group Dynamics, n.d.) According to Tuckman's theory there are five stages of group development. The five stages are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. It is during these stages that the members of the group have to deal with several issues or problems and depending upon how these are dealt with determines whether or not the group will be successful in attaining its goals. Question (03): Review the main findings on the nature of behavior in groups. Answer (03): 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.) 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 Role Description Behaviour PLANT A source of good ideas for the group. Intellectually dominant & imaginative but introverted. Contributing ideas RESOURCE INVESTIGATOR Popular, sociable, extrovert & relaxed. A source of new contacts but not an originator Introduces ideas from outside. Negotiator SHAPER Extrovert & passionate about the task. Highly strung & dominant Shaping roles/ objectives. Pushing group towards agreement. MONITOR EVALUATOR Analytically intelligent. Dissects ideas/ spots flaws. Possibly aloof Analyses situations & contributions of others COORDINATOR Balanced, disciplined& good at working through others. Presides/ coordinates States objectives, establishes roles, sums up achievements IMPLEMENTER Practical organizer, schedules/ plans ideas into tasks. Strong administrator Transforms discussion into practical steps TEAM WORKER Supportive, diplomatic & understanding. Popular but non competitive. Concerned with team maintenance Support others. Seconding ideas of others. Including quieter people in discussions COMPLETER FINISHER Encourages team to meet deadlines, attends to detail. Not always popular Look for errors & oversights. Gets others to take necessary actions Adapted from Belbin's team roles, West Burnham, 1992 Question (04): Individual versus team performance. Answer (03): Working in groups is considered to be an efficient way of carrying out work in most places, whether it is a school, a social setup or a company. When a person works individually then boredom can creep in or the individual may completely loose the motivation to complete the task at hand. All this can be avoided while working in a team. By working in groups one is exposed to multiple ideas, a range of experiences and last but not the least teaches a person to get along with others. A cohesive group has high worker satisfaction, low turnover and absenteeism, and higher productivity. But highly cohesive group are more prone to the malady of group think. Groupthink happens when members of a group exert pressure on each other to come to a consensus in decision making. Due to groupthink there are slipshod assessments, impractical estimates of alternative courses of action, and a lack of reality testing. (Group Dynamics, n.d.) One of the ways in which group think can be avoided is by placing responsibility and authority for a decision in the hands of a single person who can turn to others for advice. Anonymous feedback through suggestion boxes or online chat has also been found to be effective in countering group think.Group think a dysfunctional conduct in groups is a well-known social process, and all groups should automatically take steps to avoid it.( Group think, 2006) Reference List 1. Group Dynamics. n.d. Retrieved May 4,2006 from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Gr-Int/Group-Dynamics.html 2. Socialization. 2006. Retrieved May 4,2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialization 3. Working in groups. n.d Retrieved May 4,2006 from http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/study_support/working_in_groups.html 4. Group think. 2006. 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