Organizational Behaviors Analysis (1 -2 pages double space)
dhzl114
5._groups__teams.pptx
Groups & Teams
What are groups?
Two or more people interacting interdependently to achieve a common goal
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Speed
Clear Accountability
Efficient use of time
Less conflict
Knowledge & Diversity
Pooling of resources
Specialization of labor
Functional conflict
Individuals
Groups
Individuals vs. groups
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What are groups?
Different types of work groups:
Formal: Established by organizations to facilitate the achievement of organizational goals; defined by organization’s structure
Informal: A group that emerges naturally in response to the common interests of members
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Groups vs. teams
In general, teams are a kind of group
At work:
Groups primarily share information
Teams are responsible for a collective product
Teams have synergy: Final product is greater than sum of individual contributions
Groups vs. teams
Work group tasks are typically additive
Group performance is just the sum of individual contributions
Performance typically increases with group size
Groups vs. teams
Team tasks are sometimes disjunctive
Where one member’s solution is chosen to represent the whole team
Performance typically increases with group size
But typically conjunctive
Require all group members to contribute to common product
Performance typically decreases with group size
Why the difference?
Larger groups help when people are working in parallel
Too-large groups hurt when people are working together
How large is too large?
Most work teams have 3-20 members
Larger teams introduce problems:
Harder to communicate
Harder to coordinate
Optimal size depends on task
Generally, avoid double digits
Group cohesiveness
Degree to which group members are attracted to the group and are motivated to stay in the group
Increasing group cohesiveness:
Make the group smaller.
Increase time members spend together.
Increase group status and admission difficulty.
Stimulate competition with other groups.
Give rewards to the group.
Physically isolate the group.
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Group cohesiveness
Cohesiveness is not always good!
Cautions:
Can be problematic if group’s goals are contrary to the parent organization’s goals
Can blind a group to outside influences
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Why use groups to make decisions?
Higher decision quality
Higher decision acceptance and commitment
Group decision more acceptable to those involved
Especially important in getting a decision implemented
Diffusion of responsibility
Ability of group members to share the burden of the negative consequences of a poor decision
Groups and decision making
More complete info
Sharing of expertise, experience, diversity
Pooling of resources
Increased quality (accuracy)
Increased acceptance of the decision
Ambiguous responsibility- bystander effect
Slow
Likelihood of intra-group conflict
Pressure to conform to norms and leaders
Likelihood of extreme decisions
Costly
Advantages
Disadvantages
Groups vs. individuals
When are groups better than individuals?
Very complex tasks
Division of labor
Very simple tasks
Take the best or the fastest
When are individuals better than groups?
Certain creative tasks (esp. if poorly structured)
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Groups sometimes perform better than individuals
Can we measure this collective intelligence?
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Individual Intelligence
Spearman’s g
Charles Spearman
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The “g-factor”
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Collective Intelligence
Is there evidence of a general collective intelligence (a “c” factor) in groups?
Does c have predictive validity beyond individual intelligence of group members?
How can we use this information to build a better science of groups?
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Task 1
Task 2
Task 3
Task 4
Task 5
Collective Intelligence
.32*
.36*
.72**
.57*
.69*
Video Game Score
.51**
Average IQ
.08
Woolley, Chabris, Pentland, Hashmi & Malone, Science, 2010
Study 1
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Task 1
Task 2
Task 3
Task 4
Task 5
Collective Intelligence
Architectural Design Task
Average IQ
Woolley, Chabris, Pentland, Hashmi & Malone, Science, 2010
Study 2
.72**
.79**
.10
.48*
.61*
.36**
.05
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Predictive value of c and g factors
Woolley, Chabris, Pentland, Hashmi & Malone, 2010
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What predicted it?
Not group satisfaction, cohesion, or motivation
Not personality
Proportion of females in group!
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Woolley & Malone, 2011, Harvard Business Review
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Why?
Communication Patterns
Sociometric Badge
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Communication Patterns
Taking turns speaking:
Uneven distribution of speaking is bad for c
Even distribution of speaking turns (i.e., everyone gets to speak) is good for c
Groups with higher proportion of women had more even speaking distribution
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Group decision making biases
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1. Groupthink
The capacity for group pressure to damage the mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment of decision-making in groups
Unanimous acceptance of decisions is stressed over quality of decisions
Examples?
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What can prevent groupthink?
Leaders must avoid exerting undue pressure for a particular decision outcome.
Leaders should establish norms that encourage and reward responsible dissent.
Outside experts should be brought in from time to time to challenge the group’s views.
2. Group shift
A change in decision riskiness between the group’s decision and the individual decision that a member within the group would make
Can be either toward conservatism or greater risk
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Why do risk shifts occur?
Two main factors explain the occurrence of risky and conservative shifts:
Group discussion generates ideas and arguments that individual members have not considered before.
Group members try to present themselves as basically similar to other members but “even better.”
6 Common Misperceptions
#1: Harmony = Better Performance
Actually: Opposite is true when conflict is functional.
#2: Mix it up = Good to bring in new members
Actually: Longer team members together = Better performance.
#3: Bigger the better
Actually: Size biggest impediment to effective collaboration.
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6 Common Misperceptions
#4: Face to face = Passé.
Actually: Teams working remotely at disadvantage.
#5: All depends on team leader.
Actually: Leaders matter, but mostly for team launch and to create effective conditions.
#6: Teamwork is magical = Gather talented people and let them work it out.
Actually: Need careful thought and preparation to facilitate effective teams.
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Group members are heterogeneous
Members have complementary skills
Ideas may be freely communicated
Good ideas are accepted
Groups are superior
to even the best
individuals
When are groups better?
For complex problem-solving, if…..
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