MGMT 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Group Dynamics, Job Satisfaction, Group Conflict
Mgnt 201 Week 4 Notes
Why join a group?
• Security- you get a sense of security by people around you.
• Status- if the group that you perceive important or valued when you are
part of that group, boosts your feelings of self worth and the status you
feel as a human, its by having this team around you.
• Self esteem- having this group around you, boosts your self-esteem.
• Affiliation- Being part of a group can fulfill a basic human need which is
social connection and interaction
• Power- so just like security, you might not feel powerful as an individual.
But with a group you start to feel more powerful
• Goal achievement- you might join a group because you are wanting to
achieve a certain goal. As an individual you might not have a chance of
achieving it but as a group you have higher chances of achieving that goal.
For example- finding a cure for cancer or any kind of medical research is
usually done in research teams and not in isolation. It brings together the
talents of lots of people which would make achieving the goal easier and
would have been impossible to achieve alone.
Difference between a Team and a Group
Team- people are working together and each team member has a
responsibility which affects the other memebers.
Group- eg: a group of people standing in line waiting for a bus. So they are
not working together, don’t seem to have complimentary skills.
Groups in the Workplace:
• 2 or more people who are :
Psychologically aware of each other and
Who interact to fulfill a common goal.
There can be formal and informal groups in the workplace.
informal groups are not based around work tasks, they are
based more around friendships.
Teams in the Workplace:
• All teams can be thought of as a group but not all groups can be
teams.
• Teams are special kind of groups that have values and
characteristics that groups don’t have.
• People in a group interact dynamically, interdependently,
adaptively.
• They work toward a common goal and valued goal
• Each have specific, usually complementary, roles or functions to
perform.
• Are held mutually accountable for expected deliverables. (In a
team environment you are accountable not just to your supervisor
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but to your other team members as well, for tasks, outcomes,
meeting targets etc.)
Another definition for teams:
Work teams are nonhierarchical groups designed to provide a supportive,
egalitarian environment that encourages and facilitates sharing information and
ideas among members
Characteristics of effective teams:
• Clear understanding of their goals
• Relevant/ technical skills
• Mutual trust amongst the members/ high integrity
• Unified commitment
• Good communication skills within the team
• Negotiating skills
• Appropriate leadership
• Internal support/ resources(enough man power, office equipment)
• External support( enough funding)
(1)Mutual Accountability
(2) Complementary
(3) Common Purpose
The Difference
• Accountability- Work groups (individual accountability)
Teams (individual and team accountability)
• Leadership – Work group (assigned to a single person)
Teams ( often share the leadership role, delegate the leadership role)
• Meetings- Work groups (meetings are often used to discuss, decide and
delegate) Teams (they do real time work in meetings so its more
dynamic)
Group Properties:
Roles: A set of expected behavior patterns attributed to someone occupying a
given position in a social unit.
For Example: A lecturer, her role is to be on time, well researched, helpful to the
students.
Role Identity
When a person takes up a role and demonstrates the particular attitudes and
behaviours of that role, they have taken up that role’s identity.
Role Expectations
How others believe a person should act in a given situation
Role Perception
An individual’s view of how he or she is supposed to act in a given situation.
There can be disparity between those things and that’s when issues arise.
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Role Conflict:
When a person has multiple roles.
For example- you are a student and you are also working part-time and are a
son/daughter. During day you are asked to study for exam, bit you have been
asked to come in for an emergency at work and your mom is in hospital.
Role Strain
Is within the single role. For example the role of the mother, she is expected to
feed the kid and also iron at the same time)
For example – you’re a student, you want to do well, but they don’t want to make
others look bad to there is role strain.
Psychological Contract:
An unwritten agreement that sets out what management expects from the
employee and vice versa.
The employer would expect that you be on time, you be respectful, be committed
to the organization.
The employee provide safe working conditions, clear delegation of task, treat
them with respect and dignity at work.
It is an unwritten agreement but if that is violated, then it will have negative
outcomes like staff turnover, lower morale, lower job satisfaction.
Norms of a group- Norms are the acceptable standards of behavior that is
expected of the group. (acceptable standers of behavior within a group that are
shared by the group’s members)
In terms of groups you have:
• Performance Norms( how hard you are expected to work in the group)
• Appearance Norms( what you have to wear)
• Social Arrangement Norms
• Allocation of resources Norms
Conformity- Adjusting one’s behavior to align with the norms of the group. But
usually we are part of many groups , so you are not going to conform your
behavior to all groups.( helps give us structure, predictability, helpful
conventions) (loss of authentic self)
Reference Groups- Important groups to which individuals belong or hope to
belong and with whose norms individual are likely to conform.
Deviant Work Behaviour- when these norms are violated.
Group norms can influence the presence of deviant behavior
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Document Summary
But with a group you start to feel more powerful: goal achievement- you might join a group because you are wanting to achieve a certain goal. As an individual you might not have a chance of achieving it but as a group you have higher chances of achieving that goal. For example- finding a cure for cancer or any kind of medical research is usually done in research teams and not in isolation. It brings together the talents of lots of people which would make achieving the goal easier and would have been impossible to achieve alone. Team- people are working together and each team member has a responsibility which affects the other memebers. Group- eg: a group of people standing in line waiting for a bus. So they are not working together, don"t seem to have complimentary skills. Groups in the workplace: 2 or more people who are : Who interact to fulfill a common goal.
