Unit V Case Study

BBA 3651, Leadership 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

7. Analyze organizational change and methods to appropriately manage groups and teams. 7.1 Outline the differences between an individual, group, and team. 7.2 Describe the developmental stages of groups. 7.3 Identify effective team characteristics. 7.4 Describe effective team building strategies.

Reading Assignment Chapter 10: Groups, Teams, and Their Leadership

Unit Lesson In Unit V, we will cover groups, teams, and their leadership. To start, we need to look at the differences between an individual, group, and team. The individual can be identified as me, myself, or I. However, group and team have similar definitions in the dictionary, but, in business, the terms are very different. These terms are often used interchangeably. In business, they are distinguished from one another. The three sections below provide definitions and examples of individual, group, and team in the business setting. Individual Business Dictionary (2014) defines an individual as “(a) a person, (b) a distinct, indivisible entity, often one among many others of a similar kind” (para. 1). In the workplace, an individual is synonymous with employee or a single employee. An individual is usually responsible for his or her own actions and contributions. The individual achieves organizational objectives or goals in relative isolation of others. Individuals do not worry about what other members of the group achieve. When an individual joins a group or team, the role can change. Group In the workplace, a group consists of at least three or more employees who work together in a department or unit. The members of the group work independently of each other to achieve the organization goals or objectives. An example of a group would be an accounts payable department of an organization. There may be four employees belonging to this department. One employee is the supervisor and the other three employees are assigned their own clients by alphabet. One employee might have A-J, another K-O, and the third P-Z. Each employee is responsible for their letters of the alphabet and work independently. Groups found in the workplace also tend to be permanent fixtures in the organization. There are many reasons why we form groups. As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one. That is a primary reason why we form groups. In groups, individuals have a shared knowledge of the objectives, but work individually on their own tasks or responsibilities. Groups allow organizations to maximize expertise on a long-term basis. Team A team is three or more employees who collaborate together to achieve the same organizational goals or objectives. These employees often come together from different departments within the organization. A safety team is a prime example of the team definition. The employees of a safety team usually consist of one

UNIT V STUDY GUIDE

Groups, Teams, and

Their Leadership

BBA 3651, Leadership 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

employee from each department. These employees meet regularly, outline and address safety issues, and communicate their effort with the organization. These team members are chosen based on the employee’s expertise. The team assignment is often a temporary assignment. Team members are rotated as organizational changes are made. Some organizations limit team membership to a given length of time. There are many reasons why we form teams. Teams are mostly formed to work on specific goals and projects using a collective of expertise. These teams are usually based on a temporary or short-term basis. The members of teams come from various departments. Due to the varying expertise within teams, many issues can be resolved early in the program or objective. Many safety and value analysis teams have a representative from every department of the organization. This allows multi-talent teams to work more efficiently.

Reference Business Dictionary. (2014). Individual. Retrieved from

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/individual.html