OB CH 10 The Nature of Work Groups and Teams

-- A group is a set of two or more people who interact with each other to achieve certain goals or meet certain needs.
-- Groups are the basic building blocks of an organization

- complexity of operating and managing organizations
- increasing competition and globalization
- specialization of knowledge
- complexity of technology
- mass production

1. members of the group interact with one another so that one person's actions affect and affected by another person's
2. members of the group perceive that the is the potential for mutual goal accomplishment -- that is group members perceive that by belonging to the group they will be able to accomplish certain goals or meet certain needs.

Help the organization to achieve its goals. The goals of a formal work group are determined by the needs of the organization

Collection of subordinates who report to the same supervisor. They are frequently represented on organizational charts as departments.

A collection of people who come together to accomplish a specific goal. Once the goal is accomplished, the group is usually disbanded.

A formal work group in which there is a high level of interaction among group members who work intensely together to achieve a common group goal.

1. forming
2. storming
3. norming
4. performing
5. adjourning

try to understand the boundaries in the team and get a feel for what is expected of them.

Remain committed to ideas, triggers conflict that affects some relationships and harms the team’s progress

Realize that they need to work together to accomplish team goals

Members are comfortable working within their roles, and the team makes progress toward goals

Members experience anxiety and other emotions as they disengage and ultimately separate from the team

At the initial team meeting, members make assumptions and establish a pattern of behavior that lasts for the first half of its life

The work that a group contributes to the accomplishment of organizational goals; it provides a sense of meaning and purpose