DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING GROUPS
A group [within an organization’s structure] is defined here as two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives.
To begin, “Why do people join groups?”
- Security. By joining a group, individuals can reduce the insecurity of “standing alone.” People feel stronger, have fewer self-doubts, are more resistant to threats when they are part of a group.
- Status. Inclusion in a group that is viewed as important by others provides recognition and status for its members.
- Self-esteem. Groups can provide people with feelings of self-worth,. That is, in addition to conveying status to those outside the group, membership can also give increased feelings of worth to the group members themselves.
- Affiliation. Groups can fulfill social needs. People enjoy the regular interaction hat comes with group membership. For many people, these on-the-job interactions are their primary source for fulfilling their needs for affiliation.
- Power. What cannot be achieved individually often becomes possible through group action—i.e., there is power in numbers.
- Goal achievement. There are times when it takes more than one person to accomplish a particular task—there is a need to pool talents, knowledge, or power in order to accomplish a job. In such instances, management will rely on the use of a formal group …
Some common/classic group classes:
- command group
- task group
- interest group
- friendship group
GROUP DECISION MAKING
The belief—characterized by juries—that two heads are better than one has long been accepted as a basic component/tenet of the U.S. legal system and those of many other countries. Today, many decisions in organizations are made by groups, teams, or committees.
Groups versus the individual
Strengths
- groups generate more complete information and knowledge
- offer increased diversity of views
- increased acceptance of a solution
Weaknesses
- they’re time consuming
- there are conformity pressures
- can be dominated by one or a few members
- suffer from ambiguous responsibility i.e., who is accountable for the final outcome …
Group decisions are generally more accurate, while in terms of speed, individuals are superior. If creativity is important, groups tend to be more effective …