Currently, organizations to consolidate their goals and objectives of a task or project, require a collective effort to obtain satisfactory results. Today's organizations are transforming, they seek to be more participatory and put authoritarianism aside; It has been shown that if you have a good organization of the work groups and an adequate formation of work teams, the desired can be achieved more easily, quickly and efficiently.
If you know how to distinguish how they operate, what are their advantages and disadvantages, the importance of their being present and how they can affect the organization; there will be better and greater administration. Not only based on this knowledge, individual and organizational improvements will be produced, but also in the quality and productivity of the products and services offered, in addition to facilitating the management of information and knowledge. The following article will refer to understanding the existence of both groups that have a natural presence in an organization, as well as the formation of work teams; given that it is vitally important to know how to manage and identify work groups and teams.
Background.
Making a trip to history, since prehistoric times man had the need to group with other people, then groups are formed. Over the years the groups were consolidated and small societies formed, thus emerging in the middle of the seventeenth century in the plastic arts, the formal concept of Groups by Charles Fourier who gave the attribution in a psychosocial sense; He organized people or tides of collectives into groups, all with the aim of achieving a more organized, developed society, and mainly that it was happier.
Later Taylor, remembered and recognized as the father of the scientific organization, makes a structural relationship of different groups; stratifying them according to their level, specialty and productive unit. Already in the 20th century, a group is classified as an element that provides motivation to the members that make it up, promoting the formation of autonomous work groups. Years later, teamwork emerges as a strategy that organizations freely choose to facilitate their tasks.
Without leaving aside the study of work teams, in the 1920s, Elton Mayo carried out an investigation of the behavior of groups and the relationship in the formation of work teams.
Main concepts.
In order to easily understand the development of the article, it is essential to highlight how the "Work teams" and "Work groups" are conceptualized. Each one is described below.
Groups
These are naturally present in an organization, as Steers defines them as a "set of individuals who share common goals, who generally play different roles among them and who interact with each other, in order to achieve goals", (1991). In other words, and more specifically, it can be said that they are a group of people who interact with each other, with some particularity or something that identifies them; However, although they are naturally in the company, it is important to be well identified and organized in the right way to take advantage of them.
Teams.
These are groups for their composition, they require prior training. Work teams are a “set of people who interact directly, with a purpose pursued by all, for the achievement of which they establish operating standards agreed by all members” (Esther, 2010). From what is understood, that it is a group of previously organized people; either by someone else or selected from among the members themselves, in a certain way, to achieve a common goal.
In both concepts there are certain factors that are important to mention, such as:
- Set of people: They are the members or participants of both a group or team, who contribute to the same differential characteristics that particularly and decisively influence the desired results. Organization: It is the way in which both groups and teams work simultaneously, the way to organize to achieve a certain goal or objective. Objective: It is the reason that teams and work groups arise or exist. This must be shared by the members of each system, and it is what makes them move.
Taxonomy of the nature of the Working Groups.
As previously explained, from prehistoric times man with his instinct to socialize, formed groups; Over the years, scholars of the subject have studied and deduced what types of groups exist, and in turn, how they are classified. There are two types of working groups: primary or informal groups and secondary or formal groups.
Primary groups (Informal).
This type of group is based on alliances that lack formal structure or determination on the part of the organization. They occur naturally in response to the need to socialize. Informal groups “emerge without an official designation from the organization. They form spontaneously and are based on personal relationships or special interests, and without any specific organizational endorsement ”(Schermenhom, Hunny, & Osborn, 2005). They are given within various formal groups and teams in interpersonal relationships, so they favor to streamline work since it is given by the affinity of people and it is easier for them to help each other. Within this type, there is a sub-classification:
- Interest and class: In this category, individuals who do not belong to the same hierarchy but their tasks can be coordinated or managed together to achieve a common goal. They can be formed by professional training, intellectual level, search for individual benefits, etc. Personal and Friendship: The members have something in common, such as age, family, character, ideologies, religion, sympathy, etc. they are based and grounded in feelings. Their relationships and communications continue outside of their work environment. In the organization, it is necessary for bosses to try to positively influence them, because these types of groups tend to have very strong ties.
The main characteristics of informal groups is that they are grouped according to their own internal structure and relationship with the organization. Informal groups fulfill four basic functions: They perpetuate common social and cultural values; They provide social satisfaction, status and security; They help their members communicate; and They help solve problems (Garcia, nd).
Formal groups.
This type of group is deliberately created by managers, members are responsible for carrying out specific tasks so that the organization they are part of achieves its goals. This group is officially “designated to serve a specific organizational purpose. The organization creates a group of this type to carry out a specific task, which normally involves the use of resources in order to create a product or service ”(Schermenhom, Hunny, & Osborn, 2005). Authors such as Gibson, Ivancevich and Donnely point out that the organizational processes of companies tend to form two categories of groups within this type (2001):
- Command: They are made up of subordinate workers who report their work to the boss or supervisor, the hierarchy is presented.Tasks: In this group the workers collaborate and work together to fulfill a project or complete a task.
Characteristics of the groups.
Both formal and informal groups can be permanent or temporary. Permanent work groups are defined by an open time loop in order to perform a specific and continuous function. In the case of formal work groups, they appear within the organization charts as departments, divisions or teams; in the informal ones, they are given by the force of what they share. On the other hand, temporary working groups are for a short period, in the case of formal ones they are created to solve a problem or carry out a defined task; in the informal ones, they are the most characteristic since they are usually sporadic and are together due to the circumstances of the moment.
Something that should be noted is that there are certain stages that any type of group goes through before settling down, the stages are (Gelabert, 2008):
- Training stage :In the case of informal groups, individuals discover themselves and know the attitudes of others, to know what role each one plays; Meanwhile, the formal groups are established by the management of the company and will determine what functions and tasks it will perform and how it should behave Conflict stage: This stage within the formal groups occurs when a new collaborator is introduced, being able to give that the group don't accept it but you have to get used to it; In informal groups, if the group rejects it, it can remove it or the individual himself leaves. Cohesion stage: This part is when the attribution of roles for each member is given, here everyone is motivated by what they become efficient in their roles; a way of working and acting has already been adopted. In this part already usually a leader or dominant position influencing others,or some others are part of the semi-dominant position because they do influence but not to the degree of a leader.
Group techniques.
To develop the effectiveness and realize its potentialities of the work groups it is necessary to use group techniques. This will allow them a more concrete and practical scope through means and procedures that will serve them to achieve a double objective: productivity and group gratification.
The choice of the appropriate technique in groups depends on the company or the objective, group techniques are suitable for certain circumstances. To select the correct one, it is suggested to do it based on either the objectives, the maturity of the group, size, the physical environment, characteristics of the context, characteristics of the members and characteristics of the person who will develop the technique. Applicable techniques can be:
- Initiation. Promotes mutual knowledge, integration and disinhibition in the group, creating a group of trust and good communication, rewarding for the members who are involved. Group production techniques. They facilitate the group's tasks and organize the forms of discussion, decision-making and responsibilities of the group members. Measurement and Evaluation. It seeks to periodically evaluate the processes that the group is experiencing, the results or achievements obtained, the methods and procedures used, the level of personal satisfaction and human relations. Cohesion. They promote development, reinforce and seek to maintain integrating forces.
Taxonomy of work team formation.
Work teams can be commonly classified by four forms in organizations, these can be (Human Capital Administration, 2010):
Functional Equipment.
This type of team is made up of a manager and the employees of a unit. Facilitates issues such as authority, decision-making, leadership, and interactions; they usually participate to improve work activities or to solve problems within their functional unit.
Team to solve problems.
They are made up of 5 to 12 employees from the same department or under contract, who meet for a few hours a week to find ways to improve quality, efficiency and the work environment. Members share ideas and submit suggestions. It is usually made up of experienced people, bosses and supervisors.
Self-managed team.
Also called self-management. It is a formal group of employees that operates without a manager and who constitute their own team for the proper execution of the work process. This team controls the pace of your work, determines assignments, and tells when to take breaks and inspect your work. They select their members and evaluate their performance.
Cross-functional teams.
It is made up of employees of the same hierarchical level, but they come from different fields of work and come together to perform a specific task. Cross-functional teams are effective in enabling employees in diverse areas to exchange information, innovate, and solve.
High performance work teams.
The members of high performance work teams are highly committed to meeting objectives and clearly understand the goal, but sometimes they do so because of the importance of those goals, taking care of personal interests. Members possess technical skills such as interpersonal relationships with good communication.
Characteristics of the work teams.
When setting up a work team, it is important to take the following into account:
- They should be formed, preferably, by people with different experiences, ages, attitudes, etc. The interaction between the different members must be with communication and they must relate to each other. All members must pursue and have the same purpose or objective and respect the norms established by all. Each member must feel with a feeling of belonging to the team and each member must play different roles, that is, each person must represent a role and a function in the team; But above all, a team must have a representative or a leader, who will be the one who coordinates the activities and can solve differences.
Work teams usually have different stages in their formation, and several authors contribute their conclusions. The stages that work teams commonly go through are roughly shown below (Esther, 2010).
- Creation and orientation: It is the first phase when team members do not know each other or have not worked together. Knowledge takes center stage, the coordinator or leader must dispel all doubts, the objectives of the group and the way of working are set. Establishment of rules: Taking into account aspects of conduct and shared and consensual responsibility, for the proper development of the work. Conflict resolution: It is common for conflicts to arise between members, after they already know each other and work, for this it is very important for the leader or coordinator to maintain order, a good work environment and propose alternatives Efficiency and performance: When the goals are exceeded conflicts, the team reaches a maturity that strengthens it and allows it to overcome challenges creatively and effectively.
Techniques of work teams.
For teams to work, it is important to use techniques to form teams capable of identifying the problem, looking for solutions, optimizing and deciding which solution is the most appropriate. They also allow to guide the team, some general techniques used are (Galeon, s / f):
- Explanatory techniques. Here the leader or coordinator, or where appropriate specialists, present the topic or issue to be discussed. Minimal intervention by team members Interrogative or questioning technique. It seeks to establish communication in three directions (Driver - Team; Team - Driver and Within the Team). Try to know the experiences of individuals and explore their knowledge. It encourages the exchange of opinions and helps to detect the understanding that is taking place. Round table. In this technique the members learn to express their own ideas, defend their point of view, induce the individual to investigate. You need a selected group of people of 3-6 people, a moderator and an audience. The atmosphere can be formal or informal. Seek to teach to systematize the observed facts and to reflect on them.Exchange opinions between the research with the specialist on the subject. Above all, it encourages and helps to analyze the facts, to reflect on the problems before exposing them, and to original thinking. Case studies. It seeks to apply theoretical knowledge of the discipline studied in real situations. In addition, it is conducive to fixing and integrating learning tasks and leading to the experience of facts. It consists of the report of a problem or a case including sufficient details to facilitate the analysis to the teams. The case must be something that requires diagnosis, prescription and adequate treatment. It allows the free expression of ideas of all team members and encourages integration, a critical and participatory spirit. The forum is almost always held after an activity (film, theater, symposium, etc.) with a moderator who starts it by precisely explaining the topic or problem to be discussed, indicates the formalities to which they will have to comply and formulates a specific and stimulating question regarding the topic.
Differences between teams and work groups.
You can start by mentioning that a work team responds jointly to the work done; while in the work group, each person responds individually. In the work group its members have similar training and knowledge since they carry out the same type of work, and in a team each member is in a certain activity and performs a specific part. Some more specific characteristics are the following:
Differences between group and team. Source: (Losrecursoshumanos.com, 2008).
In the working group, each member has a particular and specific way of functioning, in addition to being directed by other hierarchical levels such as bosses. In a team coordination is necessary, so there are common standards of action, cohesion is essential, generating strong collaboration between members. There are no hierarchies but there is the presence of a team leader with collaborators, chosen for their knowledge, functioning equally even though their categories are different.
Disadvantages and advantages.
Below are some advantages and disadvantages of work groups and teams.
Advantage
For individuals who work in teams and groups have less stress by sharing the toughest and most difficult jobs; they share responsibility and seek solutions for their different points of view. If there are financial incentives and professional recognition, they share them. A decision made as a team or a group is better than one made by a single person, since more information is available from each member and opinions are exchanged.
Disadvantages .
Being in a team or group can make decisions prematurely, the dominance of the leader over others can also prevail. When there are teams and groups, a lot of time is spent in meetings discussing solutions and actions, delaying them. There can be pressure among the members themselves to accept solutions. Responsibility can dissipate in the group.
Conclusion.
Organizations by nature undoubtedly have groups in their systems, but of course to function more efficiently they need to form work teams, where they must consider the intellectual capacities of their possible members and their socio-psychological and personality characteristics. In this sense, the company must try to gather a group of individuals capable of carrying out their functions and meeting the objectives, consolidating the creation of a work team.
Thesis proposal.
"Analysis of the different work groups that make up a company, based on a team segmentation, for potential performance"
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