Psychology of Team Working - Assignment Example

Psychology of Team Working Basically, a group is defined as “Two or more individuals, interacting and independent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives” (Robbins, 1993). Groups have various impacts on organizational decision making. Collective decisions that are characterised by input of all members are made in the organization and these shape the goals and objectives of the company. There are likely chances of mutual understanding among all the group members if they are involved in the decision making process. In order for decision making to be effective, it is imperative for the leaders to involve all the members in the process. This helps to create a form of identity among the members involved and they can pull their efforts towards the attainment of the desired goals and objectives. Organizations create formal groups in order to be able to formally assign tasks to different members to perform. Formal groups also help to define the line of authority in the organization where the leaders are in a position to delegate tasks to different people. This also helps all the members involved to be responsible for their particular tasks and to be aware of what is expected of them. The advantages of group decision making often vary depending on the objectives of the group. The major advantage is that collective decisions are made and these help to create mutual understanding among all the members involved. The other advantage of group decision making is that it helps the managers to be able to control the group members since they would be in a position to understand what is expected of them. This helps them to share the same vision of the group which can also increase group performance and productivity. However, the major drawback is that there may be misunderstandings among the members of the group in as far as decision making is concerned. This can hinder progress in the organization. Group decision making is also time consuming which can affect the performance of the organization. Effective groups are characterised by improved performance as well as motivation of the members. When people are pulling their efforts towards the attainment of the desired goals, they are likely to achieve the desired goals. Effective groups are also characterised by responsiveness to the needs of the customers. The behaviour of the members of the group is shaped by the norms, roles and status in the organization. In each organization, there are norms that derive from the organizational values and these shape the behaviour of the people in a particular group. In terms of status, it can be observed that people who have positions of authority in the group are motivated since this helps them to regard themselves as important to the organization. This in turn helps to positively shape their behaviour which improves their performance and that of the organization as a whole. The roles in the organization depict the expected behaviour of the group members. This influence the way they behave in the organization. 2. Managing change Change can be described as altering the way of doing things in the organization (Rollins et al, 2008). Change is inevitable and it is caused by both external as well as internal factors in the company. However, change is often met with resistance by the members of the organization. People usually resist change because they do not want to change their usual way of doing things. In some cases, they fear losing their jobs and they may also lack trust in their leaders which may lead them to resist any change initiative. People are often comfortable with the status quo and in some cases, change may be ill timed. In order to deal with resistance to change, the managers should involve all the members in making decisions that are oriented towards change. They can also promote learning that can help to generate knowledge among the members which can help them to understand the need for change in the organization. The management can also request the group members to give their ideas which can be incorporated in the making of decisions that will result in the change of the status quo. ‘Within the organisation, the management of change has never been more important.’ The main reason is the fact that change is not a process that is usually carried out on regular basis. It often comes once in a while. In order for the management to counter employee resistance to change, it can be noted that communication, education and co-optation are essential. This helps to create mutual understanding among all members of the organization. Participation and involvement of the members of the group is also essential in as far as management of change is concerned. When there is need, coercion can also be used in order to manage change in the organization. The key drivers of change include the following: nature of the workforce, technology, economic shocks, competition, social trends as well as world politics. There may be need for the organizations to downsize in order to operate effectively which necessitates change in the organization. Change can also be caused by changing technology as well as increasing competition which can compel organizations to change their usual way of doing business in order for them to operate viably. Participation and involvement of the employees can play a pivotal role to the management in order for them to successfully implement change in the organization. 3. Negotiation Negotiation is a conflict resolution process by which people want to come to an agreement, but disagree about the way to resolve, try to work out a settlement (Deutsch, 1973). Negotiation situations are characterized by conflict of interest between the parties involved and it can be seen that there are two or more parties involved. It can be seen that the parties prefer to search an agreement. Two strategies of negotiation mainly include distributive bargaining and integrative negotiations. Distributive negotiation is conventional negotiations that mainly focus on winning while conceding stubbornly. The negotiator is mainly concerned about winning in the negotiation process. The other strategy is integrative negotiation which focuses on satisfying the needs of all involved in the. In this scenario, all members can bargain from the negotiation since it is designed to satisfy the needs of all parties involved. It is important to employ distributive negotiation strategy in a situation where the other party is selling something valuable and difficult to get. This gives the other party an upper hand in the negotiation process. However, the main weakness of this strategy is that the other party that remains adamant can lose out in the deal. The integrative strategy is ideal when there is a conflict of interest between the people involved. Each party needs something from the other party which makes the two to reach an agreement that is based on mutual understanding. Hard ball tactics of negotiation involve a scenario where the other party in the negotiation process refuses to compromise their position. This party would be mainly focussed on winning under whatever circumstance in the negotiation process. Bargaining strategies are concerned about fulfilling the interests of both parties involved in the negotiation situation. The main aim is to ensure that all parties involved benefit from the negotiation process at the end of the day. Each party is willing to concede something in order to bargain from the deal. 4. Motivation at the Workplace Motivation is a psychological process that causes the arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed (Robbins, 1993). Process theories show how workers select behavioural actions to meet their needs and determine their choices. For instance, the employees are motivated if they are aware that they will benefit from pursuing a certain course of action. This is known as expectancy. The managers can use these theories to influence the behaviour of the workers by promising them that they will benefit from performing certain tasks in the organization. Essentially, employees are more interested in getting something from carrying out certain type of work in the organization. To a larger extent, it can be seen that people work in order to earn money which in turn can improve their welfare. As such, it can be noted that money motivates us. Since money is the widely regarded value of exchange across the spectrum, it can be noted that employees are motivated if they are promised salary increments as well as other benefits. However, money alone cannot motivate the employees since there are other motivators such as the need for recognition as well as the need to achieve personal goals. As discussed above, the expectancy theory is a process theory of motivation and it can be used in several ways by the managers to motivate the employees. When there is expectation of getting something, there are likely chances that the employees would put optimum performance in their operations. This will lead to improved productivity in the company. References Deutsch, M. 1973. The resolution of conflict. New Haven: Yale.) Robbins, S.P. (1993). Organisational behaviour: Concepts, controversies and applications.6th Edition. NJ: Prentice Hall. Rollinson D. et al (2008). Organisational behaviour and analysis: An integrated approach. 4th Edition. Pearson Read More