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Groups and Teams

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Groups and Teams
Brittany Butler
MGT/307
June 20, 2011
John Anderson

Groups and teams are made up of individuals who come together for a specific objective or interest. They can do a variety of things including meeting for coffee, making products, listening to music, provide services, make choices, negotiate deals, or coordinate projects to reach a common goal or task. Some of the reasons for the joining of groups and teams are related to responsibility within an organization, and some are related only to personal interest. The makings of a group or team can be diverse, which may lead to conflict or creativity depending on the collaboration.

Groups
A group consists of two or more individuals who come together to work on a common goal. The different kinds of groups include informal groups, formal groups, command groups, task groups, interest groups, and friendship groups. Groups are either formal or informal and from there can be classified further into the other types. Formal groups are “defined by the organization’s structure, with designated work assignments establishing tasks” (Robbins & Judge, 2009, p. 284). In this type of group the actions of the individuals are directed toward achieving the goals of the organization. Informal groups “on the other hand” are not established or structured around an organization. These groups are naturally forming groups that form from individuals who meet socially in the work environment. It is said that members of informal groups are affected in behavior and performance from these social groups.
The sub-groups of the formal organization or formal groups are command groups and task groups. Command groups are determined directly by the organizational chart and are who reports to whom. An example of a command group would be a manager at a restaurant and the staff of employees. Task groups are composed of individuals in an organization working together on a specific task. Task groups differ from command groups in that they do not follow the organizational chart for hierarchy specifically. The difference between task groups and command groups allows for command groups to be task groups but not always the other way around. The sub-groups of the informal groups include the interest groups and friendship groups. Interest group members may or may not be individuals who are parts of command or task groups but they are individuals who associate with other members to achieve a certain objective of interest. Friendship groups are formed from individuals with common characteristics that include social meetings outside of work. Common characteristics may include but are not limited to age, ethnicity, school, sports interests, music interests and shared friends.

Teams
A team is a group of people who work together toward a common goal, task or objective and are flexible as they respond to change. The different types of teams include work groups, work teams, problem-solving teams, self-managed work teams, cross-functional teams, virtual teams, and creative effective teams. Work groups share information and help each other with their individual responsibilities. A work team is “a group whose individual efforts result in performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs” (Robbins, & Judge, 2009, p. 323). Problem-solving teams are “groups of 5 to 12 employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment” (Robbins, & Judge, 2009, p. 326). Self-managed work teams are “groups of 10 to 15 people who take on responsibilities of their former supervisors” (Robbins, & Judge, 2009, p. 326). Cross-functional teams are widely used to coordinate complex problems and include employees on the same level from different work areas who work together to achieve a goal or task. Virtual teams are made up of individuals who can be any distance apart and communicate through technology including computers for video conferencing and e-mail.

Diversity
Workplace diversity can have positive or negative results depending on how team members react to the differences of the team members. The differences can however be positive if the team members allow their creative potential to found. The amount of different ideas may lead to creativity and be effective if team members support each other. Team dynamics may be affected by diversity, but it is unlikely that the negative or positive results would be very strong. When individuals meet people with diverse backgrounds they sometimes assume that there will be other differences as well. This may lead to conflict but if the group members can endure it then things might get better over time, which might allow the team to be more creative and open-minded.

Summary
Individuals come together for a number of reasons. Some reasons are related to a common organization and some are related to common interests. Groups and teams both have individuals who work together towards a common goal because of responsibility or individual interest. Groups are formal or informal and can be sub classified into command groups, task groups, interest groups and friendship groups. Teams include work groups, work teams, problem-solving teams, self-managed work teams, cross-functional teams, virtual teams, and creative effective teams. Individuals in the different teams may be alike or from diverse backgrounds. The differences between individuals can be a negative set back if the difference are thought negatively but can also be a positive that leads to more creativity, effectiveness, and success.

Reference
Robbins, S. P. & Judge, T. A. (2009). Organizational Behavior. 13ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ; Pearson Prentice Hall

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