The Characteristics of Effective Group - Essay Example

Effective Group There are many different types of groups. An effective group is one which is able to accomplish the set targets and goals effectively as well as efficiently. Group effectiveness is the degree to which the group achieves the set goals and succeeds in accomplishing what it tries to do. In the business world, it means providing products or services which give value to customers or something which satisfies the customers. In contrast, group efficiency is the amount of resources used to achieve the targeted goals which includes the raw materials, money, people etc. A group should be goal directed as well as structured properly. Goal directed means that the group should be designed to achieve some outcome and properly structured means the responsibility of the tasks and its related performance should be delegated to the members of the group. The ultimate responsibility of the group is to achieve high performance in an effective and efficient manner in order to achieve the set goals and targets. An effective group is built on several skills including ethical as well as practical skills. Ethical skills are extremely important for the group to perform effectively. Ethical skills involve honesty skills, giving respect to all the members of the group, listening skills as well as relationships built in trust. Honesty is an important factor for any group`s success. The group members should follow a code of being honest towards each other. It is true that honest is the best policy. Without honesty among the group members, no group can work effectively and accomplish its goals. Even greater than being honest with other group members, a person should, first and foremost, be honest to himself/herself. If a person is not honest to himself, he will not be able to work effectively in any group and as a result, the group will suffer and will not be able to accomplish its goals and targets. Therefore, honesty within and with other group members is extremely important for the group as a whole. Along with this, all group members must be honest with their work as well. Not being honest with the work can prove to be very costly for the group and the entire group will have to suffer and bear the consequences. In the past, there have been several cases where one group member used illegal ways to accomplish their task and as a result, the reputation of the entire group was affected. Therefore, honesty with the work itself is also highly important for the group as a whole. Another ethical skill necessary for group effectiveness is the ability of listening. Listening to others` opinion about you is important for the person as well as the group itself. As a result of this, you could find out your weaknesses and work on them for future success. A person should make good relationships with other group members and should always accept criticisms against their work and work towards improving the mistakes and other weaknesses. Listening to the rules and regulations is also extremely important for the success of the group. It is the responsibility of the leader of the group to make sure that all rules and regulations are passed on to each and every member of the group. Once the rules are passed, the responsibility lies with the group members to make sure that they follow these rules and regulations. If the rules are not followed then the leader can punish the employee in one or the other. The leader can also link rewards with it in order to motivate the members to work for the attainment of goals by following these rules and regulations. Along with the rules, listening to what is being asked is also important. Before starting any work, a group member should listen to the task properly and seek answers for any queries and leave no room for confusion. An effective group member will listen to all these components before working on the required tasks. If you want to gain respect in life, then you should always respect others. Respect is another ethical value, holding importance for group effectiveness. All group members should respect each other and hold no grudges against each other. Group members should also be respectful of the abilities of other group members. No one should underestimate any group member and the leader should not discriminate against anyone. All members should be given equal chance and opportunities of promote, depending on their degree of task efficiency. If a leader wants his subordinates to respect him, then he should make sure that he is respectful towards them as well. This respect for the subordinates can also work as a motivation itself. All members should also respect the goals and values of the group and work towards achieving it. No compromise should be accepted in relation to the goals and values of the group. Time management is also extremely important and the goals should be achieved on time by all the members. Therefore, the group members should also respect the time factor and work towards achieving their targets on time. All employees should respect the leader as well as other members of the group. This will enable them to build strong relationships with each other which will further motivate all the group members. Trust will also help the members of the group to achieve the set targets and goals on time. Building relationships based on trust will motivate the members and with the help of each other, they would be able to work quickly as well as efficiently. Ethical skills are a basic requirement for effective groups and all group members must possess these skills for the success of their groups. Another set of skills required for group effectiveness include practical skills which are extremely important for the attainment of goals as well as the reputation of the group as a whole. These skills include responsibility, creativity, co-operation and achievement. Responsibility is taking charge of the tasks delegated to a person and not just taking charge, but also making sure that the task is completed according to its specifications. An effective leader will not just fulfill the responsibility by completing the task but will also make sure that the result is effective. All group members should be responsible towards their tasks and should not waste any time and resources of the group. They should work hard towards achieving their goals and make no compromise in terms of quality. If there are any misunderstandings between the group members, they should act responsibly and work towards solving their issues and misunderstandings rather than prolonging it which will further delay their work. All responsible group members should make a timeline for themselves and should work towards achieving the goals before time so that the group is not affected in any manner. In several groups, the task of one member is dependant on that of another member and if one is delayed, then the entire process is affected which will have a negative effect on the tasks of the group as a whole. Therefore, all members should be responsible and fulfill their task requirements on time so that the group does not have to suffer because of any delays. In today`s world, managers and leaders are encouraging their employees and other group members to think creatively and come up with new and creative ideas. Group members should be encouraged to think out of the box in order to give a competitive advantage to the group as a whole. All the creative ideas of the group members should be allowed to compete and then the best among them should be chosen for the group. All members should be encouraged to take part in the decision making process and vote for the best and the most creative idea. In order to encourage new ideas, the group could introduce idea incubators. An idea incubator provides a safe and secure place for the group members to come up with and think of new ideas without the interference of company politics and other officials. These innovative ways will further encourage the members to think creatively for the success of the group. Creative groups should be loosely structured so that employees are given the opportunity of thinking creatively. Most leaders try to recruit creative individuals for the group and they are even responsible for creating such a work environment which allows group members to think creatively. Another practical skill required for group effectiveness is co-operation. It is the responsibility of the leaders to provide mechanisms for coordination and cooperation. These mechanisms should ne internal as well as external. The leader or the group members should divide the tasks in smaller units so that every member gets an equal opportunity and also so that no individual member is exploited. All members should work together in order to achieve the goals and should contribute equally towards the tasks. The mechanism of the group should be such that all the members should feel comfortable in sharing their ideas in the group. All members should contribute towards the decision making process and share any ideas and thoughts in favor of the group. The group members should also help each other and especially, help those with a lower ability. In all groups, there are some members who are highly competent and efficient while there are some who are unable to compete efficiently. The leader should encourage the group members to help those in need so that no employee feels isolated and can improve individually and contribute for the success of the group. The leader can also introduce the process of mentoring so that senior and experienced employees can share their knowledge with other members and help those with lower abilities. Through this process, all the group members can have a sense of belonging to the group and can associate themselves with the group. Another practical skill important for group effectiveness relates to achievement. All group members should work diligently towards their goals and task responsibilities. If members do not work hard for the achievement of their goals then the group will have to suffer as a whole and this might also affect the reputation of the group. Therefore, the leader should make sure that all members are working hard in order to achieve their task and responsibilities on time. A motivated workforce will make sure that the goals of the group are achieved on time and this will in turn affect the group effectively. Therefore, the leader should motivate all the members by linking their work to rewards and providing other fringe benefits. Positive reinforcement can also be used to motivate the group members. The leader should provide opportunities for motivation and should encourage competition between the group members for an effective group. The group members should also be encouraged to always be optimistic as this will affect their work behavior and motivate them to work efficiently and effectively. The behavior of the group members is also dependant on the behavior and efficiency of the leader of the group. Leadership is the ability to influence people towards the attainment of goals. The group members should follow the instructions provided by the leader so that the set goals and targets of the group are achieved in an effective and efficient manner. Therefore, an effective group is one which has the above characteristics and an excellent leadership. All the members of a group should have practical as well as ethical skills which will help them achieve effective as well as efficient results. Read More