A large part of the activities carried out within an organization are carried out through groups, since they are made up of individuals who themselves configure various social relationships, which, in some way, impact their behavior within the organization. organization. Therefore, there is no doubt that all these groups constitute the basic units of the organizations and configure their structure, both formal and informal.
Thus, a large part of the work carried out by the company is carried out by means of groups structured either according to the tasks, the competences of its members or other criteria aimed at achieving the objectives of the organization.
It is evident that groups represent an important source for enrichment and depth in obtaining positive and negative information about what is being done internally in the organization. They are also an important means of motivation for employees, since they are involved in the organization's participation systems and decision-making, since it fosters the intervention and cooperation of team members in matters of importance for achieving stipulated goals.
The importance of work groups and teams arises, then, from the fact that it is considered that the more people commit themselves to carrying out an activity, the better and more effective the results will be. Since groups usually tend to have points in common such as: group objectives, differentiation of functions, value systems, behavioral norms, levels of power, influence and degrees of cohesion. However, it is the purpose of teamwork, to integrate other capacities, ideas, abilities and skills at the service of a specific task or activity, so that the results are obtained more quickly, effectively and solidly.
In this sense, having a good multidisciplinary team within organizations is essential for high performance in their operations, since working under this model implies seeking synergy in which work is enriched, achieving more and better results.
Importance of groups and work teams in organizations
The current trend in companies is to incorporate more and more group structures in organizational designs, in order to promote the achievement of high levels of quality in management. However, the reality is that the integration of groups and work teams poses great challenges to channel the collective talent and energy of people. (Marín-García & Maheut, 2013)
But, on the other hand, by implementing cooperative work within the company, the synergy is created in which the result of the collective sum is greater than the individual, gives empowerment to each of its members, assigns responsibility and with it, it forces its members to be more proactive and creative in solving problems. It also promotes more flexible and less hierarchical work structures, in which members have the necessary confidence for joint decision-making and fosters greater capacity to respond to change. Finally, it promotes a sense of achievement and belonging, equity and friendship, in order to achieve more harmony and operational flow. (Importance: A Help Guide, 2016)
In this way, the work teams are one of the realities and challenges of the administration in the current global and dynamic environment, since teamwork does not only produce individual and organizational improvements, but also intervenes in the improvement of services and facilitates the management of information and knowledge. Being evident then, that the knowledge of the dynamics of the groups and work teams, especially of their behavior, is of utmost importance for their organization, use and multiplication of their results, as a consistent strategy of organizational development.
Thus, teamwork is part of the new consciousness of modern organizations, since it has been observed in success stories, which, when all its members share the goals of the organization, the results are highly satisfactory; since the conduct and the group values intervene directly in the fulfillment of the mission, vision and determined strategic objectives. (Gómez & Acosta, 2003)
Work teams
The social, economic and technological changes of recent years have generated the need for companies to do more with less, that is, with staff with fewer employees but who are substantially more qualified and with higher levels of responsibility. For this reason, having the best allies and knowing how to guide them towards achieving certain objectives are fundamental challenges that determine the success of an organization.
In such circumstances, teamwork has been one of the responses to the current challenge of productivity. However, the achievement of the cohesion of the work teams, the promotion of the cooperative spirit, and the communion of interests and efforts towards a common goal, are aspects that have observed great difficulty in their implementation and on which emphasis should be placed. to cement the desired success. (Teamwork.com, sf)
Work team concept
It is defined as the unlimited set of people with complementary talents and abilities directly related to each other, who work to achieve certain and common objectives, with a high degree of commitment, a set of performance goals and an agreed approach by which they are considered mutually responsible. Likewise, (Alteco Consultores, nd) states that a work team is a group of people who organize themselves in a certain way to achieve a common objective.
Given such definitions, three key elements are implicit in the significance of teamwork:
- Group of people: Work teams are made up of people who provide a series of differential characteristics such as: experience, training, personality, skills, among many others; that decisively influence the results obtained by the teams. Organization: There are several ways in which a team can organize itself to achieve a certain goal or objective, in which each team member performs a series of tasks independently, but without ruling out that they are responsible for the total team results. Common goal: As is known, people have a set of needs and objectives that they seek to satisfy in all areas of their lives, including work. So one of the keys to the proper functioning of a work team is that personal goals are compatible with the team's objectives. (Teamwork.com, sf)
Thus, when there is an incompatibility between personal and team goals, it happens that its members reduce cooperation and the achievement of group cohesion is not encouraged, as a fundamental basis in this regard.
Team cohesion: fundamental basis for integration
Cohesion is cited by (Guerrero, 2007) as the strength of the wishes of the members of the work team to remain in it and their commitment to the team's mission. That is, it is the degree of attraction that each team member feels towards him.
The components of a cohesive work unit, value their belonging and strive to maintain positive relationships with members of other teams and acquire a sense of loyalty, security and self-esteem for the group, which meets their individual needs. In cohesive teams, it is observed that members develop behaviors that maintain the team as a functioning social system, and that avoids emotional antagonisms and conflicts, favoring interpersonal relationships and providing skills to work together over time. (Teamwork.com, sf)
In the organizational field, high cohesion in work teams is a powerful weapon because powerful work teams that have this characteristic could be formed and thus ensure the performance and productivity that companies are always looking for. (Guerrero, 2007).
Cohesive and motivated towards a goal
Work team (Wuombo, sf)
In this way, the team that achieves a high level of cohesion and obtains results with high satisfaction and motivation from its member collaborators is considered a high-performance team. Therefore, organizations today must consider as a priority that, to compete as a solid and strong entity with the support of all its members, it must by any means achieve the formation of common teams.
Profile of a work team
A consolidated work team maintains a sufficient level of self-management to solve the fundamental problems and requirements of the job; Of course, achieving this is not an easy task. However, (ENTELS, sf) establishes the profile of a true work team:
- Shared mission: The members of the team have a common goal, so all its members know the mission, share it and commit to fulfill it. In high-performance teams, missions are shared because everyone has participated in their definition. Trust: True work teams have an environment where all their members are involved and trust in their abilities to continue advancing. Communication: Team members can speak and comment without fear of retaliation or shame for what they say. They express their opinions and the collaborators support or refute them, but always in an environment of trust in order to promote collective learning. Sense of belonging: The members of a true team are involved with the actions of the group and feel proud to belong to it. Different or extinct: The team's strength lies in diversity, since each of its members contributes different and complementary qualities and capacities, stimulating creativity. Take risks and make commitments: In a work team, people are valued who “dare”, who experiment, who seek different solutions to different problems.
In them, the biggest mistake is paralysis, and this is the mistake that a team should never fall into.
- Interdependence: In a work group people can and should work autonomously, but the sum of the capacities multiplies the power of the team. Continuous learning: This is one of the ways to promote teamwork. In which the results are measured, and after their analysis, decisions are made for improvement and constant change. Decisions: Decision -making is based on agreed positions, since, although there is a leader, he never makes decisions for himself; And if it does, it is to safeguard the common good of the team. Leadership: The leader is a facilitator, does not impose, agree and lead in a participatory way.
Work groups
A group is a social unit or a group of people who interact and who are interdependent, however, have similar characteristics and carry out similar activities, possess a set of similar values or norms that regulate their behavior, have frequent interactions and share interests and common goals.
Thus, a group has several characteristics:
- There is more than one person. A certain permanence is maintained in the relationships of its members. Some members are more influential than others. There is a set of norms and values that guide the behavior of their members. There are certain important goals that are pursued by the group.Its members note that they belong to a different entity or unit.It has means of communication. (Marín-García & Maheut, 2013)
In this case, the members of a group are selected, assigned or voluntarily entered, to subsequently designate the activities that the group will carry out and how they will be carried out. When a hierarchy is agreed, the group identifies the specific work or task that corresponds to each individual, and the dates by which the task for which they were integrated must be completed. In this way, when the project ends, the group disintegrates. (Franco, 2014)
Informal Working Groups
On the other hand, groups can be formal or informal: Formal, those defined by organizational structure, on the other hand, informal groups are alliances that lack formal structure and that have not been determined by a company or institution. Likewise, groups can be further subclassified into command, task, interest or friendship groups. (Virtual Campus, sf)
It is necessary to take into account that according to the type of group and its characteristics, the roles of the members will depend to a great extent, as well as the techniques and dynamics that are implemented, including the leadership modalities and even the way to resolve conflicts.. (National Apprenticeship Service, 2015)
Formal working groups
Formal groups have been deliberately created by the company to perform a certain task, with the aim of achieving organizational goals. Within formal groups, the most widely used are command or functional groups, which are composed of a command and its subordinates in the hierarchical chain. For example, accounting, human resources, finance, sales, and the like departments are command or functional groups.
Similarly, formal groups can be permanent or temporary; and the set of hierarchical relationships, objectives and pre-established norms that define them make up a role structure to which individuals must adjust. Since, in formal groups, the goals of the organization stipulate the behaviors that the people who comprise them must observe. (Marín-García & Maheut, 2013)
In this regard, permanent working groups, or command groups in the vertical structure, appear in the organization charts as departments, divisions or teams, these groups are officially created in order to perform a specific continuous function. In contrast, temporary work groups are task groups created specifically to solve a problem or perform a defined activity; so they fall apart once the assigned purpose has been fulfilled.
Temporary group of projects: They are set up to deal with a specific task or project, of short duration and that is not repeated frequently. After the job is done, the group disappears and its members return to their previous positions or participate in a new group.
Committees: They are made up of people chosen based on their knowledge and experience, and have a more permanent character, since they have been created to work on projects or change with certain frequency.
Temporary Formal Teams
Suggestions groups consist of regular employee meetings to devise systems that improve productivity, product or service quality, or working conditions. Some of the most used are quality circles, improvement groups or Kaizen groups, among others. (Marín-García & Maheut, 2013)
Informal working groups
Informal groups emerge spontaneously and are observed at all levels of the organization. They are alliances that are not structured from a formal point of view or have not been determined by the organization. These groups are natural formations in the work environment that arise in response to the need for social contact, however, they are of great importance since they satisfy the social needs of their members. For example, lunch groups at work or soccer teams in the company. (UTCV, sf)
Of Interest: These are groups in which some employees join to achieve specific objectives that concern them. Example: Employees supporting an employee who has been fired.
Friendship: It is when its members have one characteristic or more in common.
The recognition of the role that groups play in organizations has antecedents that highlight the experiences in the Hawthorne workshops of the Western Electric Company in Chicago, through which the important influence that social factors exerted on the performance of the companies was observed. people in their jobs, and they began to become aware of the value of the «informal group».
Group formation
The groups develop in 5 stages:
- Formation stage: It is carried out through two phases; The first occurs when people join the group. The second phase is defining the group's purpose, structure, and leadership. Storm stage: In it, it is decided who will control the group and the roles that each member will carry out, forming a leadership hierarchy. Normalization stage: Stage in which close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesion. Performance stage: The group structure is defined and accepted by the group members. Their efforts have gone from knowing and understanding each one, to working on the joint task. Completion stage: At this stage, the group prepares to disintegrate, since the focus is on completing the tasks, rather than on the performance itself. (Mignone, 2015)
Characteristics of a group
Among the essential characteristics of a working group, they can refer to:
- Group composition: Groups can be homogeneous or heterogeneous. The former, when its members have very similar needs, motives, knowledge and personalities; heterogeneous ones do not present these similarities. Norms: They are the rules of behavior established by the members of the group. They provide each individual with a basis for predicting the behavior of others and repairing an appropriate response. Functions: It is the character of the contribution to the tasks and actions carried out by the members of the group, since each position in the structure implies an expected behavior of those who occupy a position. State:It refers to the hierarchical level that an individual has within the group or organization, where individuals try to obtain and maintain a certain desired level. Cohesion: It is the force that integrates the group, it is expressed in solidarity and the sense of belonging to the group. Thus, the more cohesion there is, the more likely it is that the group shares common values, attitudes and standards of conduct. (Gómez & Acosta, 2003)
Groups or teams?
There are multiple definitions related to work groups and teams, however, these terms are used analogously and interchangeably. When reference is made to groups and work teams, the existence of two models that serve for different organizational projects is expressed, where, through each of them, the achievement of certain purposes that the organization establishes to obtain benefits towards the scope of your goals. This is the importance of the correct management of both groups and work teams in an organization. (Gómez & Acosta, 2003)
In this way, when the decisions, the way of working and the processes are already clearly defined, working groups are formed with the intention of carrying out said established processes that do not require conviction, but compliance until achievement. of the given indication; contrary to what would happen with the members of a team.
Therefore, to form a working group, a leader must first be identified and assigned to formulate the main objective, the working methods and make appropriate decisions in this regard, since the results of the group are already previously defined.
On the other hand, as already mentioned, team members have complementary skills and share common objectives, which are also defined by them. Thus, both groups and work teams have their own characteristics:
Groups and Work Teams
Table 1. Differences between group and work team (Gómez & Acosta, 2003)
| Workgroup | Work team |
| Strong and individualized leadership. | Shared leadership. |
| Individual responsibility | Individual and collective responsibility. |
| The formation of a working group occurs from its creation or installation. | The formation of a work team is a development process. |
| It frames its action within the overall objective of the organization. | Within the framework of the overall objective of the organization, specific purposes and goals are self-assigned. |
| Their results are seen as the sum of individual effort. | Its results are taken and evaluated as a product of a joint effort of its members. |
| Collective work is seen as something inevitable or even a necessary evil. | Collective work is seen as an opportunity and enjoyed. |
| Conflicts are resolved by imposition or evasion. | Conflicts are resolved through productive confrontation. |
| He is mainly focused on the task. | It focuses on the task and on the socio - emotional support of its members. |
| It does not recognize differences in values, judgments and incompetence among its members. | Differences are recognized and incorporated as an acquisition or capital of the equipment. |
Management of groups and work teams
When a team is formed, psychological forces intervene, ranging from fraternization to the open struggle between motivations, interests, attitudes, behaviors and ideas of the different personalities that comprise it. Such confrontations should promote change and adequate solutions, precisely because each individual contributes and exercises the function that best suits their personality, skills and knowledge. (Gómez & Acosta, 2003) Therefore, managing a work team implies the ability to use the skills of each collaborator to achieve all the objectives set. However, the personalities of each of its members can end up complicating and hindering collective work and weakening interpersonal relationships. Thus, between communication and conflict management,leaders use and take advantage of different ways to create a good work environment and maximize results.
In this sense, we must be persuasive, self-disciplined, tolerant of our own and others' mistakes, humble, and above all, have and show respect for our collaborators. Since the easiest way to improve group dynamics is through dialogue and discussion. Because learning about the typical types of behavior that arise and how to respond to them appropriately can improve the effectiveness of group discussions.
Furthermore, each of the participants will probably have a different expectation of what is going to happen and how it will take place; being this underlying expectation the one that provokes negative reactions in one or more people. (Castells, sf)
Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that some of the dynamics for group management are:
Directed debate: It is one of the techniques of easy and profitable application. It consists of an informal exchange of ideas and information on a topic, carried out by a group under the stimulating and dynamic leadership of a person in the role of guide and interrogator. It is important to emphasize that this is not a learning verification or achievement evaluation technique, but rather a learning technique through active participation in the exchange and elaboration of ideas. (UTCV, sf)
Focus Group: It is a technique used in marketing and social research, where a small number of people meet, guided by a moderator who facilitates discussions. This technique deals with qualitative aspects and its participants speak freely and spontaneously on topics considered to be of importance for research. Participants are generally chosen at random and interviewed beforehand to determine whether or not they qualify within the group. (UTCV, sf)
Groups T: They provide opportunities for self-knowledge and self-development, increase self-awareness and perception of the influence of one's behavior on others, in order to develop the ability to appreciate how others react to our behavior; calibrate relationships between third parties; and act skillfully in each situation. Thus, T groups help the individual to raise awareness and understand the various aspects of their own behavior, and then introduce changes in it. (UTCV, sf)
conclusion
In the last decades, organizations have faced innumerable technological and social changes that have demanded the collaborative and cooperative participation of all its members. Since the great complexity of the labor world has generated the requirement for a greater diversity of skills, high levels of knowledge, quick responses and adaptability.
Thus, today, it requires multidisciplinary teams that interact to achieve better results than a person alone, it would be more difficult to obtain. For this reason, the work teams that make up an organization are essential for its success, so the greater cohesion there is in them, the better the fulfillment of the established objectives will be.
In this sense, the formation of work teams offers multiple possibilities of change, because it allows a true process of participation in the organization, and the construction of leadership as a key element in modifying perspectives towards individual and collective success.
References
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Thanks
Special thanks to the research professor Fernando Aguirre y Hernández, professor of the master's degree in administrative engineering attached to the Orizaba Technological Institute, for the technical contribution to the construction of this article and its direction in the process of learning systemic thinking. Likewise, to the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) dedicated to promoting and stimulating the development of science and technology in Mexico, for financial support for postgraduate studies.
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