This article will delve into the subject of the management of formal and informal groups and work teams within an organization, as well as their main differences, advantages and disadvantages.
People have social needs and objectives that require the presence of other people to be able to carry them out, since this is important in daily life, it is also important in companies where not only personal goals are pursued; but also the goal of the company must always be taken into account.
Nowadays it is essential for organizations to have only the most qualified personnel for each of the tasks to be carried out, so that people who work together have a greater burden of responsibility, tasks and have a global objective, which will determine your success within the organization.
Within this topic, we can see as part of the fulfillment of the company's goal, which is productivity, one of the answers: teamwork.
Working groups: formal and informal
Groups can be formal and informal. By formal groups, we mean those that define the structure of the organization, with specific work assignments that set tasks. In formal groups, the behavior of individuals is stipulated and directed towards the goals of the organization.
In contrast, informal groups are alliances that do not have a formal structure or are defined by the organization, these groups arise in response to the need for social contact. (Robins, 2008)
There is no single reason for people to join in groups, but among the most important reasons to be part of one are:
- Safety Status Self-esteem Affiliation Power Goal Achievement
But in order to start working with the idea of a group, one can start by defining the term itself, taking as a reference (Merton, 1980) where he mentions: “… a group is made up of a number of people who interact with each other in different ways. according to established schemes ”.
The identity of a group
The identity of a group does not mean that all members necessarily have the same rank. What group identity requires is that there is a totality and that this totality has a peculiarity that allows it to be differentiated from other wholes. In other words, the identity of a group as such requires its otherness to other groups.
Some of the aspects that function as indicators of the identity of a certain group are:
- Organizational formalization Relationships with other groups Members' awareness of group membership
Group types
In the same way that there are different ways of defining what a group is, there are different classifications of them.
According to (Cartwright & Zander, 1985), the groups are classified as follows:
- Spontaneously formed groups: Those that are naturally integrated by affinity.
- Deliberate training groups: Those that are integrated with the specific purpose of achieving a certain objective.
- Groups by external designation: They are those externally designated by others, for sharing some common characteristic, giving them the same treatment, even if people do not know or agree.
- Functional groups: Also known as formal organizational groups, determined by the structure of the organization, with an indefinite period of existence.
- Work or project groups: Also considered formal groups, of a temporary nature, they are groups that are created to achieve a particular objective and dissolve when that purpose is achieved. They are generally used for troubleshooting and identification.
- Interest and friendship groups: Also known as informal groups, they are formed based on tastes or preferences, they do not necessarily coincide with the formal groups of which one is a member, but they could coincide, however in these groups, the status of their members and roles, although they can be very different from formal groups.
(Robins & Timothy, Organizational Behavior, 2009) They define group as “… two or more individuals who interact, who are interdependent and come together to achieve particular objectives”. And for them, the groups are divided into formal and informal.
Formal groups are understood as those that define the structure of an organization, with designated jobs that establish tasks, in these groups the behaviors that someone must have are stipulated by the organizational goals and are directed to the fulfillment of these.
Unlike these, informal groups are alliances that are not formally structured or determined by the organization.
It is possible to make more detailed classifications of the groups as command, task, interest and friendly. Command and task groups are imposed by the formal organization, while interest and friendly groups are non-formal alliances.
(Robbins & Timothy, Organizational Behavior, 2009) They classify the groups as follows:
- Command groups: It is determined by the organization chart of the company, made up of individuals who report directly to an assigned manager.
- Task groups: Also determined by the organization, they represent those who work together to carry out a task included in their duties. However, the boundaries of a task force are not limited to those of the immediate superior in hierarchy, but have cross-command relationships.
- Interest groups: Made up of people who or do not belong to common command or task groups, perhaps they coincide in achieving a common objective that interests them.
- Friendly groups: It happens when groups develop because their individual members have one or more common characteristics.
Stages of group development
(Robins & Timothy, Organizational Behavior, 2009) In their evolution, groups generally go through a standardized sequence, called the five-stage model of group development.
The five-stage development model states that groups go through five stages:
- Formation: First stage in the development of a group, characterized by uncertainty.
- Storm: Second stage of the development of a group, characterized by the conflict that arises in it.
- Normalization: Third stage, characterized by close relationships and cohesion. Performance: Fourth stage, when it is fully functional.
- Completion: Final stage, characterized by concern for completing activities instead of performance on the task.
Stages of group development
Another distinction is that of (Anzieu & Martin, 1968) where to raise the distinction that different groups may have, they established a series of criteria, specifically they established seven variables that determine and give rise to different ways of understanding a group.
The following table summarizes in a very concrete way the characteristics of this type of groups:
Characteristics of the typology of groups by their degree of structuring
The last of the typologies proposed in this article refers to the one proposed (Martín-Baró, 1991) and one of the main ideas reflected by its typology is that it interprets the group in relation to the social structure in which it is found and that in a certain way it determines it and in which the group as such also reflects it.
In this way, this author analyzes the groups under the following variables:
- Group identity Group power Group activity
Typology of groups according to Martín-Baró
Group structure
Shakespeare said that: "The world is a stage, and all men and women are mere actors." With this same metaphor we can say that all members of the group are actors and each one plays their role.
We can define the group structure as the result of that which arises once the evidence of the group concept has become clear, that is, once we have assumed that groups exist and that we belong to them and they will also accompany us for a long time. of our lives.
(Shaw, 1976) “But in reality, the structure of the group is not only a mere set of patterns between different units, patterns that are separated from each other, although they maintain some type of reciprocal link. The group structure also consists of an integrated organizational pattern, which reflects the totality of the separate parts that lie in each individual member of the group ”.
From the idea of position of each person, the following concepts appear:
Social role: It is related to the set or pattern of behaviors that are expected of someone who is linked to a certain position within the group.
- Status: It has more to do with a type of evaluation, or with the prestige or importance or value that can be associated with the different positions within a group Cohesion: It is usually explained by the force or feeling that compels not to leave the group.
Group decision making
Organizations use group decision making a lot, but does that imply that this is preferable to one person making them? The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, including:
- Strengths of group decision making: Many decisions fail once the final choice is made because people do not accept the solution. Group members involved in decision making are likely to enthusiastically support the decision and encourage others to accept it.
- Weaknesses of group decision-making: Group discussions can be dominated by one or some members, group decisions suffer from ambiguous responsibility.
- Effectiveness and efficiency: Generally speaking, group decisions are better than the average individual in the group, but less than the criteria of the most successful member.
Techniques for group decision making
Some ways have been proposed to reduce many of the problems inherent in groups that interact in the traditional way, among which are: brainstorming, nominal group technique and electronic conferences.
- Brainstorming: Aims to overcome pressures for conformity in interacting groups that delay the development of creative alternatives.
- Nominal group technique: It restricts discussion or interpersonal communication during the decision-making process from which the nominal term is derived; group members are all physically present but operate independently.
- Electronic conference: It is the fusion of the nominal group with advanced computer technology and is also called as computer-assisted group.
Conflict management
The concept of conflict is often viewed as something negative and something that should be avoided.
Conflict is the situation in which some people pursue different goals, or defend contradictory values, or have opposite or different interests.
Although with different intensity and at different times, different attitudes are usually adopted when faced with conflicts. The five attitudes are:
- Competition (win-lose) Accommodation (lose-win) Evasion (lose-lose) Cooperation or collaboration (win-win) Compromise or negotiation.
Types of conflict
They can be grouped as follows:
- Interpersonal: They arise between two or more people. Intergroup: They occur between two or more groups and are characterized by the fact that each group aims to reduce the strength of the other.
In the case of organizations, the typology of the conflict is given as follows:
- Individual conflict: It arises when the needs of the individual are opposite to those of the organization and is reflected in: frustration, conflict of interest and roles. Organizational conflict: It originates in the company's attempts to organize its structure.
The work teams
(Robins & Timothy, Organizational Behavior, 2009) A work team generates positive synergy through coordinated effort. The efforts of its individuals result in a level of performance greater than the sum of individual contributions.
Comparison between work groups and teams
Types of equipment
According to (Robins & Timothy, Organizational Behavior, 2009) there are four types of team:
- Problem-solving teams: Members share ideas or offer suggestions on how to improve work processes and methods, although they do not always have the authority to implement them.
- Self-directed work teams: These are groups of employees (typically 10-15 members) who carry out related jobs and who take on many responsibilities from their supervisors. Cross-functional teams: Employees of the same hierarchical level coming from different work areas and who meet to carry out a task.
- Virtual teams: Those that use computer technology to bring together physically dispersed members, in order to achieve a common goal.
Four types of equipment
Factors that determine that teams are successful
The four factors for the performance of a team are: availability of adequate resources, effective leadership, a climate of trust, an evaluation and a reward system that reflects contributions from the team.
Team composition
This category includes variables that are related to the way in which personnel are assigned to work teams.
- Member Skills Member Personality Role Assignment Member Diversity Team Size Member Preferences
Team process
The last category is related to the process variables, which include according to (Robins & Timothy, Organizational Behavior, 2009):
- Common purpose and plan Specific goals Team effectiveness Mental models Conflict levels Social laziness
conclusion
Working in groups or work teams is one of the work techniques that are most required in the professional field since they allow us to reach, among other things, the search for solutions that perhaps personally could not have been reached or achieved..
In addition, as seen previously, teamwork allows establishing specific goals in which all team members can and must participate in order to achieve them.
On the other hand, it is essential to assume the roles that are assigned within the formation of groups and work teams, since this allows taking some responsibility for the tasks or activities assigned, in addition to allowing them to be clear about the overall objective of the team or group.
However, it is worth mentioning that each of the members contributes certain abilities and skills, which make a multidisciplinary team possible, allowing it to reach higher levels of professionalism and knowledge. Besides that it is also necessary and important to alert the other members to give their opinions and ask questions if they think it is necessary.
References
- Anzieu, D., & Martin, J. (1968). La dynamique des groupes restreints. Paris: PUF Cartwright, D., & Zander, A. (1985). Group dynamics, research and theory. Mexico: Editorial Trillas.Martín-Baró, I. (1991). System, Group and Power. Psychology from Central America II. San Salvador: UCA Editorials. Merton, R. (1980). Theory and social structures. Mexico: FCE.Robins, S. (March 2008). Human Resources. Obtained from http://www.losrecursoshumanos.com/definicion-y-clasificacion-de-grupos/Robins, S., & Timothy, J. (2009). Organizational behavior. San Diego State University: Pearson Prentice Hall Shaw, M. (1976). Group dynamic. Small Group Behavioral Psychology. Barcelona: Herder.
