Group dynamics:How to create the team

Defining the team

• What is a team and what is a group?
• What makes it a group
• What makes it a team
• The team has a goal

The group is alive

• A group is a living being, a living system
• A group learns, the results of the learning are habits of working
• How the learning occurs
• The group is motivated by reaching the goal but also by growing as a group
• The group grows by creating trust and by giving members a space to express themselves

The group has defense mechanisms

• Chris Argyris about inefficiency in Organisations
• Group think and stagnation
• Just as an individual has defense mechanisms the group also has defense mechanisms

Types of groups
Bion

• Fight/Flight
• Winning
• Family

Stages in group formation

• 50 % of the time for creating the team and 50% to do the job. Regardless of size of the team
• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
• Adjourning

Relationships in the team

• The three most important relationships
• The one to your boss
• The one to your subordinate
• The one to your colleague

Finding out what motivates the members

• The storming will go on for ever unless the roles are found
• Win-win situation
• Everybody must profit

Cultural factors that affects human behavior in organizations

• People have difficulties in understanding the culture they live in. The basic reason for this is a socialization process that prevents them from seeing the patterns they learn
• A person who change culture usually do not run into any culture chock the first 4 months since s/he does not see any differences between this and the previous culture

Halo effect

• First the person becomes a Hero
• Then the person becomes a villain

Contrast effect

• If other are bad then I must be good
• If you feel good then I feel bad

Motivations needs and hygiene factors

• Hygiene factors are those that must be satisfied but you do not care about them once they are satisfied
• Motivation creates satisfaction while hygiene factors remove dissatisfaction
• Motivation is often associated with will while needs are often associated with desire
• Abstract psychological theories cannot be proven
• All different type of motivations can be reduced to one single type. Growth
• The opposite of growth is decline or death, which is the same as entropy

Work tasks can be adjusted to fit the needs of the employees

• They may be rotated
• The number of work processes that are carried out may be expanded
• The work can be continuously modified to make it more interesting
• The employee can be allowed to modify the work so it fits the situation in a better way
• Self regulating work groups

Groups can be of various types

• Formal
• Informal
• Project groups
• Groups of shared values and/or objectives

The components of a role

• What identity you have
• How you perceive other peoples roles
• What expectations you have
• A role is a psychological contract
• Anyone who must play two roles in one environment runs into a role conflict

Zimbardos simulated prison

• Students were told to be prisoners and guardians
• After one week they started to behave exactly as prisoners and guardians
• Their attitudes and values were modified so finally they started to perceive anyone from the other group in a similar way as such groups usually percieve each other

Norms

• The definition of a norm: Commonly accepted standards for how to behave

Group size and social passivity

• In large groups members tend to become passive
• The group member who is most different from the others is the one who is most likely to quit

Groups are based on synergy

• The output from 2 working together is more than the sum of the individual performance
• The motivator for organizations is to decrease the transaction costs

Conformity

• Conformity increases the productivity among highly motivated persons
• Conformity decreases the productivity among persons with a low motivation

A conventional model describing how communication between people is carried out

• The source converts the message to an explicit formal/abstract message that can be sent
• The source sends the message
• The receiver interprets the message and transforms it into various possible translations
• The receiver selects one of the possible translations
• If anything is not clear then there are several feedback loops

Groups can be of various types

• Formal
• Informal
• Project groups
• Groups of shared values and/or objectives

Stages in a groups life-cycle

• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
• Adjourning

Equilibrium in groups

• A group spends half the time discussing how it will work and the rest of the time doing the work
• This principle is valid regardless of how much time is available

The components of a role

• What identity you have
• How you perceive other peoples roles
• What expectations you have
• A role is a psychological contract
• Anyone who must play two roles in one environment runs into a role conflict

Zimbardos simulated prison

• Students were told to be prisoners and guardians
• After one week they started to behave exactly as prisoners and guardians
• Their attitudes and values were modified so finally they started to perceive anyone from the other group in a similar way as such groups usually percieve each other

Norms

• The definition of a norm: Commonly accepted standards for how to behave

Group size and social passivity

• In large groups members tend to become passive
• The group member who is most different from the others is the one who is most likely to quit

Groups are based on synergy

• The output from 2 working together is more than the sum of the individual performance
• The motivator for organizations is to decrease the transaction costs

Conformity

• Conformity increases the productivity among highly motivated persons
• Conformity decreases the productivity among persons with a low motivation

A conventional model describing how communication between people is carried out

• The source converts the message to an explicit formal/abstract message that can be sent
• The source sends the message
• The receiver interprets the message and transforms it into various possible translations
• The receiver selects one of the possible translations
• If anything is not clear then there are several feedback loops

Communication theory and Meta communication

• Nothing can be understood if there are no points of reference
• People will not communicate if they do not feel trust
• Much communication is creating territory and status

In all communication there is also a game

• Gossip is a hidden game
• Among friends the game is to satisfy each others needs of information
• Among enemies the game is to make the other one lose his/her status

The art of listening

• There must be a clearly visible interest. This could for instance be described as some kind of empathy
• There should be some kind of mutual acceptance
• Ask only questions that are slightly positive or slightly negative. Preferably they should be neutral
• Never ask any question that is not directly related to what the person is saying
• Never ask about anything the person has not said
• Paraphrase
• Describe your feelings about it but never your thoughts about it
• Avoid any breaks in the presentation
• Make a summary of what was told

The feedback should be

• Specific
• Neutral
• Goal oriented
• Come in the right time
• Formulated to increase understanding and not to drive the dialogue
• Negative feedback should only be presented as specific emotional and personal reactions
• Positive feedback can be mental and general
• To much positive feedback decreases the respect

Advantages with group formation

• More information is shared
• It increases the flexibility. Persons may concentrate on what they like to do
• Increased acceptance for what you do
• Increased certification of role and identity

Drawbacks with groups

• Meetings takes time
• An unhealthy conformity may be created
• Groups may become authoritarian
• Nobody needs to assume responsibility

Structured group thinking

• Every participant writes down ideas
• Everyone reads the ides of the others
• Ideas are only discussed if they are not understood
• The best ideas are selected