1. The nature of the working groups
How can administrators help groups function with maximum effectiveness? What factors help the team be as productive as possible? To answer this question we must first ask ourselves how work groups are formed, well they are for various reasons: common needs, common interests, common goals, physical proximity or cultural similarity.
Some groups are integrated because some members have common needs. Members of a group may seek the same type of personal growth. Perhaps they meet their most basic needs like eating, shelter, and security, or perhaps they just meet their needs for diversity, where each serving fulfills a series of tasks within an entire organism.
Another reason why people form groups is because they share common interests. Doctors join professional associations in order to share their interest in caring for heart patients, intensive operations or altruistic services in order to continue improving the image of their profession. Workers in any company can train a body of work to improve the working life of themselves.
Sometimes groups also share common goals. The objective of the human resources department of a company is that the workers are happier and more satisfied with the work they carry out, as well as complying with all the paperwork and paperwork that refers to their hiring.
Another very common reason is when workers form groups only because of physical proximity. Workers who are in the same department or in the same work area obviously have high social interaction. Waiters who work in a restaurant often form a group identity that can affect or benefit the image of an industry. Sometimes physical proximity can help reinforce some dysfunctional situations within the group. One way to solve problems related to lack of communication since it is very common for the chief area engineers not to be involved in the details, for this reason they often do not understand the demands of their workers, a solution may be to place them in the same department so that through physical proximity they can reach a greater understanding.
Finally, groups can also be formed by having cultural similarities between members. In this globalized world it is common to find emigrants from the same country who are in an organization. For example, Mexican workers who work in another country are very common to form a social group.
Other reasons why employees form groups are also:
- Security: There are extremely insecure people who need the comfort of a group that gives them more strength, less self-doubt and that helps them overcome threats when they are part of a group. Status: For some individuals it is important to belong to a A certain group that gives them recognition and exclusivity with respect to others. Self-esteem: Sometimes groups can provide people with feelings of self-love. This means that for some individuals, belonging to a group may represent a feeling of greater worth. Power: The union is strength and this is one of the motivations for which many form a group, a clear example is union leaders.
2. Types of working groups
A workgroup consists of two or more individuals within a work environment who collaborate to reach a common goal that benefits their group and the organization. A work group may face, among other activities, to explore alternatives in a creative way, as well as to solve problems with well-elaborated plans. In general, the groups are divided into: formal and informal.
We can find workers within a formal or informal group. For example, formal groups are those that are within the structure of an organization have certain assignments and fixed tasks in addition to their behavior is stipulated and directed towards the goals of the organization. The vast majority of large companies have formed senior managers within their organization chart, companies such as: New York Life insure, AT&T and Kodak, these groups work independently and intend to make changes in the corporate hierarchy.
Now let's talk about informal groups, these are the ones that arise spontaneously, they are alliances that do not have a formal structure or are defined within the organization chart of the company, in addition to often appearing within formal groups. These groups may arise due to the birth of a friendship between coworkers or due to some common interest that the same employees have. An example would be we have several system programmers who could form an informal group because they spend most of their time together or because studying for a master's degree at the same university. Most of the time people enter informal groups by their own decision, while in formal groups they do not have many options since this group was formed by the company.
2.1 Types of working groups based on how they are administered
The working groups are divided as to how to manage by the traditional way and the self-directed way, when a group is said to be managed in the traditional way, when there is an official leader or administrator and when it is said that a group is managed in a self-directed way, is when employees share all responsibility for managing the work group.
Self-directed teams carry the responsibility that carries the responsibility of completing a well-marked part of the work under their shoulders. Generally, an administrator does not supervise the daily work of the members of a self-directed team, but they can develop global strategies to generate resources or implement innovations.
3. Characteristics of effective working groups
What are the characteristics that work groups require to perform correctly? First of all the members of the group must have the same objective, a common goal. Teams that are formed by other circumstances such as common interests, physical proximity and cultural similarity have a greater chance of not achieving success.
Second, group members must be united and must have attractiveness. To which we refer with attractiveness, is what represents the doctor in which individuals want to be in the group, it increases as it is considered that the group gets more reputation, cooperates more, encourages coexistence among group members, is relatively small and even so others consider it as successful. The group's sense of belonging can be lost if the members feel that it imposes illogical things, if there is competition in bad faith or if someone frequently dominates them. In general, when a group ceases to satisfy the member's needs, the member loses its attractiveness, which directly affects the performance of the individuals, weakening the group's possibility of success.
There are also united or cohesion groups, or in other words those that establish strong cohesion among its members, achieving greater satisfaction and therefore better performance as well as quality of interaction and consequently goals achieved. This union is easier to obtain in small, stable and homogeneous groups. Their biggest threat is that an excess of change in the limbs in a short period of time, damages the union. Human beings are often attracted to the groups that are united, so it is easier to be committed to the task and in turn offer a strong identity to the company. As the members work, they become more united, deriving most of the time in more production.
Third, an effective working group goes through a grouping process, that is how the members of the group share the same goal and use the resources that the group has to obtain them. The group has a mechanism to promote different points of view, however it is capable of conflicts that may arise between members. The group should treat mistakes not only as such, but as an opportunity to learn from the bad experience and improve, and therefore foster creativity and accept the risks.
Finally and fourthly, when a group is high performing, the company can place decision-making as well as responsibility for managing the group's work on its employees.
4. Factors that affect the working groups
It is said that there are seven factors that affect the behavior of the members of a working group, whether they are informal or formal, these are the following:
- Size. The size of a team can be from two members to large groups of dozens of employees. Theoretically the ideal number is twelve people, the size of the group can affect defragmenting leadership, patience among members and group processes. Roles. As we will see later in this investigation, the members of the work teams assume roles, this means the group of expected behaviors associated with a specific job. In this element, a lot of conflict can occur since not all workers will be satisfied with the same type of behavior. They are behaviors that have been accepted as their own by the members of the group, whether they have created them themselves or have imitated them from another team member.In general, the norms define the kind of behaviors that the members of the group believe necessary to achieve their goals.There is a classification that indicates that the rules have different importance for the functioning of the organization. Goals. Members of work teams should share goals that are based on performance and facilitate the achievement of company goals. Its classification is informal and formal. Cohesion. It is the force that keeps members in a group and helps maintain their commitment to it. It is influenced by the degree of compatibility between individual and group goals. In general, it is about keeping together the team, the similarity of interests, their communication, and their interpersonal needs for affection, inclusion and control. Leadership. Within every group there must be a leader someone who takes the baton of the group, it is impossible for a gang of workers to work without someone in charge.
5. Elements of a good performance of the working group
The elements that have a vital impact on work performance are:
- The goals The norms The roles Structural configuration.
If these characteristics are obtained within a work group, we will be very close to finding a common approach for the workers to carry out their activities, adopt shared expectations regarding the indicated behaviors, assume roles that are functional for the group and carry out effective communication.
5.1 Goals of the working group
Employees in a working group who perform well share goals that are based on performance and facilitate the achievement of the goals set. There is a classification of goals: formal and informal, the former are those that are specifically defined, in written or oral form and are almost always directly related to the mission and goals of the organization.
On the other hand, we have informal goals that are implicitly in the actions of the employees that are within the group, although they are not explicitly defined, they can contribute positively or negatively to the achievement of the goals set by the organization.. For this reason, it is convenient to reach an agreement with the group goals which increases the union of the group.
There is a company called Termo that is dedicated to manufacturing thermal bottles and lunch boxes, this company had employees and suppliers from various disciplines. The group's goal was to conduct market research and then design a new grill. The name of the group was lifestyle, which reflected the team's goal: to meet the lifestyle needs of customers and not just design a conventional grill.
It is a top priority that the agency has clear goals since these are directly related to performance, since it serves as a motivation and primary point of reach for workers. We cannot go on a trip if we do not have a destination. Unfortunately it is common for groups to not have clear goals. On the other hand, individual goals can serve as a springboard for individual achievement. Sometimes individual goals do not fit into the group and come to harm the group goal, for example a worker who wants to quickly finish their work without caring about quality happens to harm all the team's work.
Personal goals are known as hidden agendas, this means objectives or goals that people hide from other members. These hidden agendas can harm team performance. It is very important to detect the hidden agendas to ensure the good performance of the group. A well-segmented group will find a way to detect them. In general, the group must be aware that the best way to achieve their personal goal is to give everything for the group goal.
5.2 Rules of the working group
They are the unwritten, informal expectations that affect the performance of the group and the members of the company. Currently there are companies that have as a rule that employees take responsibility for making decisions and then carry them out, instead in other cases it may be the null or little participation of the employee in decision-making in a formal work environment With formal communications and formal dress, in other words, the employee is subject to the decisions of managers.
Sometimes norms are carried out because of the interaction of group members, as they discourage behavior and reinforce others. An example would be if team members encourage the participation of the entire team in setting decision making and the agenda, then such participation becomes the norm. If an employee has a bad habit of almost always being late for work, and then someone else does, and if the group accepts the delays from these workers, then the delays can be considered a norm. Sometimes the initial pattern of behavior becomes the norm. In others, coworkers or supervisors may explicitly define certain expectations.In another situation the individuals in the group adopt the behavior of other group members or other groups after this behavior becomes the norm of their present group. An example: members of one group may have their work ethic from other groups they have been in, which they apply in their new job, causing other group members to follow suit. On the other hand, some events such as the appointment of a new boss can establish a new norm.On the other hand, some events such as the appointment of a new boss can establish a new norm.On the other hand, some events such as the appointment of a new boss can establish a new norm.
There is a classification for the standards, which have a different percentage of import for the development of the working group:
- Fundamental norms: They are the ones that carry the essential behavior, for the goal that the company has. They include expectations regarding production, attendance, acceptance of leadership, and participation in decision-making. Peripheral standards: Behaviors that are important but not essential to achieving the organization's mission or group goals are addressed. They also include expectations regarding social interaction inside and outside work and the employee's clothing. Achievable ideal standard: It has the motto of "more means better", that is, the more sales a seller has, the better. It refers to a behavior that is altered as its quantity increases until the desired goal is reached, deferring the goal-oriented behavior from there is no longer important.For example, an advertising employee will get the go-ahead for each idea they generate for a campaign, until the customer chooses one of the ideas. Preferred value standard: Describes that both the shortages and the excess of a behavior causes damage to the group. For example, the students of a master's degree can demonstrate their disagreement if one of the students has better grades in the entire subject and overshadows them, and if said student has poor grades and damages the image of the group.For example, the students of a master's degree can demonstrate their disagreement if one of the students has better grades in the entire subject and overshadows them, and if said student has poor grades and damages the image of the group.For example, the students of a master's degree can demonstrate their disagreement if one of the students has better grades in the entire subject and overshadows them, and if said student has poor grades and damages the image of the group.
In most cases, norms facilitate the way to achieving goals. The fundamental rules of openness, productivity and participation lead to improve the performance of the team, on the other hand if the employees do not comply with the peripheral rules, this will have a negative impact for the organization and for the employee.
5.3 Roles in the working groups
In profitable groups, members assume roles, that is, the set of behaviors that a worker is expected to carry out said behavior will be remembered with their functions, their non-work position and their work in particular. It should be added that the roles in the work groups can be divided into types: tasks, maintenance and individual.
- The roles of the tasks: It has to do with the accomplishment or fulfillment of the tasks or goals. For example there are industries where each team develops a product and then manufacturing. An employee can carry out the activities of activities coordinator, being in charge of searching for information, evaluating strategies, etc. Maintenance roles: Examples such as the job of doorman, entertainer or conciliator enter here, since they lead to maintaining and sometimes raising group performance. These roles focus more on the group process and not so much on the tasks, as these roles can alleviate the tension that may exist between group members, sift the information that enters or leaves the group, help the individual learning of members of the group group, encourage creativity and personal contributions of employees.The person who meets the group observer profile will contribute a lot to the smooth running because he will be attentive to the operations of the team and will offer feedback for the group's performance.Individual roles: Both the tasks and maintenance roles are usually Collectively, functionally, and constructively, individual roles tend to be selfish, destructive, and conflicting, simply because they place individual needs above those of the whole. There are other individual roles where the person only seeks recognition and resists the team's progress due to their passivity and lack of cooperation.Individual roles: Both task and maintenance roles are often collective, functional and constructive, individual roles tend to be selfish, destructive and conflicting, simply because they place individual needs above those of the whole. There are other individual roles where the person only seeks recognition and resists the team's progress due to their passivity and lack of cooperation.Individual roles: Both task and maintenance roles are often collective, functional and constructive, individual roles tend to be selfish, destructive and conflicting, simply because they place individual needs above those of the whole. There are other individual roles where the person only seeks recognition and resists the team's progress due to their passivity and their lack of cooperation.There are other individual roles where the person only seeks recognition and resists the team's progress due to their passivity and lack of cooperation.There are other individual roles where the person only seeks recognition and resists the team's progress due to their passivity and their lack of cooperation.
It is worth mentioning that a member of the group can perform in several roles and also several members can play the same role.
5.4 Structural configuration
Also known as a communication network, it describes the interactions that occur between group roles. These arrangements address the character of communication between those who carry out the roles and this helps the group to be united. There are 5 communication or network patterns:
- The first is a network that is symbolized in the form of a rudder that refers to members who, of course or for simple pleasure, interact and communicate with all members of the work team. The second symbol is an inverted Y and the third It looks like a chain, in these symbols all communication flows from the top down through the entire hierarchy with little level jump and little communication in the external environment of the hierarchy. The fourth symbol is the circle, it is very similar to the chain unless the ends of the communication join. For example, a lower-level worker may have the highest-level axial manager as an advisor communicate directly with his superior superior. There are more symbologies such as the star or the circle with rays that are nothing more than variations of the previous symbols.
How important is the speed of communication in a work group? The speed with which information is given in the final part of problem solving is slower in Y, circle and chain networks and faster in fully connected networks, but for faster information, more reliable It is the rudder-shaped network, since the exchange of information is direct and only reaches one receiver and it is in charge of supplying the information to others, although obviously the information takes a little longer to reach the tips.
How important is the accuracy of the information? In the problem-solving part, the number of errors and the frequency with which they are made depend directly on the type of task. The most recommended network for precision tasks are those that are connected to each other since information can be obtained from all members of the group. On the contrary, in a simple task it can be harmful since the exchange of information can be distorted by having to go through several receivers.
Now the saturation of the network refers to an excess of information that passes through the segments of the network, now the saturation is lower in the rudder or Y networks occurs in greater quantity in the networks in the form of a circle because they are entirely connected. Low saturated networks tend to have a central axis that regulates the amount of information that is going to be spread throughout the network, while widely saturated networks pass the information to all segments in equal parts.
The networks that present the highest overall satisfaction among their members are circle networks since they are fully connected and there is greater interaction between their components, in addition to the fact that the responsibility of leadership is shared and decision-making does not depend entirely on an individual.
Where in the networks can we find leadership? Obviously in the central part of the rudder chain and the chain, in this case the people who interact with more positions tend to have more information and therefore more control. Leadership is found mostly in chains that have a central axis, either assigned by the company or by the worker himself.
As can be seen, there is not a single network that describes all the elements of the communication of the working groups, however having identified the structural configuration helps us to know or to forecast the performance of each of the elements of the group as well as to know the level of satisfaction they have when carrying out their work, therefore these types of networks offer us a tool to diagnose possible behavioral problems. Efficiency is achieved when the characteristics of the networks match the group members and their tasks.
6. Development of the working groups
The work groups change as time goes by, giving priority to new goals, roles, norms and structural configuration as they are developed. In group development, priority is given only to those elements that affect group behavior. In this part of the investigation we will analyze both the progressive and the discontinuous model, both models only consider the interactions within the group and not the external elements of the company.
6.1 Progressive development model
The conventional definition of group development manages that development is nothing more than 5-step processes. Each of the steps talks about carrying out activities whose main purpose is to carry out the tasks of the group, as well as managing the group interactions that are required to carry out the work. The steps are:
- Orientation: Also known as the formative stage, the path to the task to be performed is presented. The group analyzes the task and chooses the information it needs to complete it. Here group processes consist of testing and dependency helps team members determine which behavior is best for the group's tasks. Redefinition The group redefines its task in a brainstorming stage. This redefinition is based on the information acquired during the orientation, as well as on the abilities and preferences of the group members. The task activities for this stage focus on making team members provide emotional responses to the demands of the task. They determine if they like the task,as well as the degree of commitment they will acquire with it. Group members' disagreements about their reactions to the demands of the task often lead to a process of conflict within the group. Coordination: This is the normative phase in which a change of relevant information occurs. Team members recognize that different emotional responses to the task are legitimate. This is often the longest stage, given the time it takes to gather and translate information, as well as to resolve discussions about the nature of the task, the meaning of the data, and alternative tactics. On an ideal plane,workers in the group resolve their differences after an open exchange of consistent information and opinions and begin to act as a united group. The union of the group usually develops at this stage, when the group refocuses on the execution of the task. Then members can voice their disagreements. The boss sows the team members with the idea that they express their concerns. It also assigns challenging problems for the group to push through by consensus and begins to spread responsibility among team members. It should be noted that some groups due to weak or weak members do not pass this stage and the union never ends. Formalization The team ends its performance task with this stage of execution.Perhaps a final decision is made or a solution appears. At this stage, the team must effectively solve the problems that have appeared in the previous steps of group development, including their various emotional responses to the task, their diverse ideas regarding relevant information and deferred opinions, as well as their proposals. to carry out the tasks. At this point in the process, functional roles emerge as a way to solve problems. At this time, role assignment is performed, which associates the expertise of the group and the need for a leader with the capacities and attitudes of the members. Productivity is often the result of differentiation and role play appropriate to team tasks. Termination: Some groups repeat cycles of development stages,particularly if there are changes in the members of the group, in their tasks or in their context. For example, as a team of WL Gore & Associates includes new members, the team begins its development of a new account and usually go through each stage with greater speed. Some groups, on the other hand, go through a fifth stage, that of suspension, and dissolve because they met their goals or were unable to do so. Suspension can mean the dissolution of the group or its reorientation towards other tasks and responsibilities.Some groups, on the other hand, go through a fifth stage, that of suspension, and dissolve because they met their goals or were unable to do so. Suspension can mean the dissolution of the group or its reorientation towards other tasks and responsibilities.Some groups, on the other hand, go through a fifth stage, that of suspension, and dissolve because they met their goals or were unable to do so. Suspension can mean the dissolution of the group or its reorientation towards other tasks and responsibilities.
7. Techniques to improve the performance of the working group
Administrators constantly seek and implement strategies with the purpose of raising the performance of the work group. Companies may form the wrong type of groups, use groups for the wrong purposes, or experience problems motivating or rewarding groups. US WEST VERSUS NVNEX. At US West in Duluth, Minnesota, members of a billing team offered important strategies to modernize the job, and then lost their jobs as a result of the organization's downsizing, completely wiping out any confidence in the commitment. of the upper management with the groups of the organization. »? In a similar situation,Nynex signed a contract that prevents unintentional staff cuts Assuming organizations form the right types of teams for the right purposes, strategies to improve group performance often include consolidating the team, improving the group process, harnessing forces of a diverse worker population and reduce dysfunctional conflict.
Proposal for a thesis for the subject
"Development of a system of self-directed teams in a software development company"
Objective: Form work groups that carry out their activities autonomously with the purpose of developing the individual but that meet group goals over personal ones.
conclusion
Formal groups are key pieces in the organization's structure in the arduous task of achieving success as a company, however , the vital part that informal groups play in the development of the company is left aside, since informal groups are the that benefit, motivate and help the employee to cope with their work activities and continue to function socially even at work.
It is important to use tools that help the employer understand the worker, and to diagnose and detect present or future problems, currently the idea of a system with a boss who is only dedicated to giving orders and an employee who only carries them out does not end than being the most productive thing for a company, it is necessary to give importance to the work groups so that the employee feels that they have growth as a worker and as a person, it is necessary to change the idea of corporate hierarchy and that all the elements that form a working group feel comfortable with their environment and with their activities this will bring greater benefits to the company.
Bibliography
- Stephen P. Robins Organizational Conflict, Power and Policy Specialist, "Organizational Behavior» Pearson. México 2004. - 03/29/2008. Mintzberg Henry, Design of intelligent organizations, Mc Gil University, Second edition. Cordon, JA (1997). Organizational behavior. Prentice Hall. Administration study. Formal and informal groups. Pedagogy. Definition and classification of groups. SOLANA, Ricardo, Administration of Organizations in the Threshold of the Third Millennium, Ediciones Interoceánica SA, Buenos Aires, 1983.
