Assignment Overview
Group Dynamics and Teams
We
will continue our experiential approach to the study of Organizational
Behavior by engaging in a personal applied case on the topic of group
dynamics and teams. As in Module 1, use the following outline to
structure your 4- to 6-page paper. You may use the subtitles as headings
for your paper.
Introduction: Discuss the topic
of the paper and how you will approach it. It is best to write this
section after you have written the rest of the paper.
Concrete Experience:
Begin with a specific situation/event. Describe an experience with a
group or team that was meaningful to you. It may have been an
extraordinarily good experience – or it may have been an experience that
did not work out very well at all! The important point is that it
should be an experience which you would like to understand better. Be
objective and focus on just the facts: who, what, where, when, and how –
as if you were composing a newspaper article.
Reflective Observation:
Reflect upon that experience from multiple perspectives of persons
involved or affected in the experience. Step back from the situation,
look at the experience from your own viewpoint, and
from the perspective of all other parties involved or affected. You
want to look at the circumstances surrounding the experience from every
relevant point of view. Why did you behave the way that you did? Why did
others behave the way that they did? Did others have the same positive
(or negative) experience? Explain. (Note: your discussion of theories
and models from your module materials belongs in the following section.)
Abstract Conceptualization:
(This Abstract Conceptualization section is the “heart” of your paper.)
Use critical thinking skills to understand and interpret the experience
at a deeper, more generalizable level. Interpret and understand the
events you have described by drawing on the concepts, theories, and
models in the background material from this module. Explain how they
apply to your experience. For example, what behavior patterns can you
identify in yourself and others that are similar to the ones described
in the material on communication, teams, and conflict management? Does
the model of Force Field Analysis (home page) help you better understand
why people behaved the way they did? Be sure to apply at least
three concepts, theories, and/or models and cite all references to
concepts, ideas, and/or quotes that you use from any outside source.
Active Experimentation:
Identify ways to respond to the next occurrence of a similar
experience. What have you learned about the way groups work from this
analysis? What have you learned from your mistakes? How are you going to
put what you have learned to use? What actions will you take to build
more effective work teams in your job?
Conclusion: Sum up the main points of your analysis and the key learning you are taking from it.
Reference List:
List all references that you have cited in the paper using APA
formatting. References include materials from the required background
readings as well as any outside internet or library sources you used in
researching and writing your paper. If you have APA questions, refer to
the optional listings on the background page.
Module 2 – Background
MANAGING GROUPS AND TEAMS
Required Sources
Force Field Analysis
The
Force Field Analysis model is one that has been widely used to address
challenges in communicating with others, leading teams and managing
conflicts. Its goal is to move opposing groups or individuals toward
more effective cooperation. As its name suggests, this model analyzes
the factors (or forces) that influence situations in which
people are having trouble working together. By increasing the driving
forces for more effective communication and cooperation and weakening
the restraining forces against open communications and cooperation, one
can create a working situation that is more collaborative and
productive.
For a brief summary of the Force Field Analysis model, see:
Tutor2u. (2016, April 22). Lewin’s force field analysis model [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9ujAtYAfqU
Communication
We
begin this module by building a foundation of knowledge about
interpersonal communication. After all, communication is needed for
effective group activities. In gaining this foundation, we will refer to
Wikipedia for a “quick and dirty” overview of the topic. (Caution:
Wikipedia is an unacceptable source for academic papers because it is a
publicly edited site with information that can be incomplete, biased, or
incorrect. However, to get a quick introduction to a topic, it can be a
good place to start.)
Models of communication. (2016) Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Models_of_communication
Never
discount the value of trust in strengthening communication and
improving work relationships. One way to build trust is to maximize what
we know about ourselves and wish to share with others. Conversely, we
want to minimize aspects of ourselves we are not aware of but are
readily apparent to others (our “blind spots”). This is accomplished
through a combination of self-disclosure and feedback.
The
Johari Window is an excellent model for improving communication
effectiveness and therefore trust. Created in the 1950s by two guys
named Joe and Harry (no kidding!), this model is still widely used in
organizations to improve communication between coworkers, bosses,
subordinates, and teams. Watch the following videos:
Leader Logic. (2018, February 5). Johari Window example in 5 minutes [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TUTc3h01oA
Leader Logic. (2018, February 8). Johari Window for project scope development [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCw1wcSJ5V8
Then read:
Apricot Training Management Limited: Self Awareness. (2013) Understanding the Johari Window. Retrieved from http://www.selfawareness.org.uk/news/understanding-the-johari-window-model
Groups and Teams
The
structure of modern organizations is continually changing and work is
being done in teams more than ever. But teams are more than just a
collection of individuals working on a single project. Team workers need
a set of skills that exceeds those of individual workers to allow them
to collaborate effectively. Often, employers do not train employees in
these skills so it is a rare thing when teams live up to their
potential. This is particularly true of teams in the United States,
where the culture highly values individual effort and accomplishment.
In
this part of the module, we will increase our ability to manage teams
by learning what constitutes a team, how to handle conflict, and how to
build a high-performing team. To get an overview of this topic, view
this PowerPoint presentation on Group Dynamics and Conflict.
The
Tuckman model of group development is one of the most widely used tools
to understand the dynamics of team formation and development.
The
following reading offers a concise explanation of this model and as a
bonus, relates group development processes to the Johari Window (above)
and the Situational Leadership model to be presented in Module 3:
Chapman, A. (2016). Bruce Tuckman’s 1965 Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing team-development model. Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm
Most
of us think about trust in teams as growing over time and with
experience being with another team member. However, swift trust stems
from an initial assumption of trust which is confirmed, or disconfirmed,
over time. In this sense it is conditional and must be verified by the
actions of team members. Read this blog about the factors that
contribute to swift trust and how leaders can create it:
Swift trust—why some teams don’t storm (2011). In Management Pocketbooks. Retrieved from https://managementpocketbooks.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/swift-trustwhy-some-teams-dont-storm/
Here is an interesting example of organizational theory being used to
solve practical business problems. This report is designed to help its
analysts avoid group decision-making biases such as groupthink,
polarization or “risky shift,” overconfidence, or composition bias. The
practical application of theory demonstrated in this source may be
helpful to you in preparing your case.
Mottola, G. & Utkus,
S. (2009). Group decision-making: Implications for investment
committees. Vanguard Investment Counseling and Research. Retrieved from http://agb.org/sites/agb.org/files/u16/Vanguard%206.pdf
Conflict Management
When
working with groups, conflict is inevitable. Although conflict is often
viewed as negative, this is not always true. As we learned in the
earlier PowerPoint presentation, well-managed conflict can increase team
performance and result in better output. One trick is to learn the
differences between healthy and destructive types of conflict. Read the
following for more information:
Issues Teams Face: Managing Conflict (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/54195_Chapter_7.pdf
Now
that you can recognize the difference between good and bad conflict,
take a few minutes to read about some techniques that can help you
manage conflict between people at work (or even at home!) and keep
situations from spiraling out of control:
Segal, J & Smith,
M. (n.d.). Conflict resolution skills: Building the skills that can turn
conflicts into opportunities. Helpguide.org. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/conflict-resolution-skills.htm
Optional Sources
Communication
The
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is the
premier international knowledge network for professionals engaged in
strategic business communication management. Examine their website which
includes news, events, workshops, a book store, and a research
foundation. Find out how you can become an Accredited Business
Communicator:
International Association of Business Communicators. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.iabc.com/
Groups and Teams
This
site provides library links to numerous topics in the field, a basic
overview to group formation and stages of group development, and also
information on team building.
Group dynamics: Basic nature of groups and how they develop. (n.d.) In Free Management Library. Retrieved from http://www.managementhelp.org/grp_skll/theory/theory.htm
Conflict Management
The
following site includes library links, and various perspectives on
conflict (e.g., dealing with conflict, conflict in organizations, etc.):
How to manage group conflict (n.d.) In Free Management Library. Retrieved from http://managementhelp.org/groups/group-conflict.htm
Click
the link below for an extensive collection of conflict-related
material. There are many interesting links to articles both academic and
practical. You should spend some time browsing this site. Pay special
attention to links dealing with conflict styles, conflict resolution,
negotiation, integrative and/or distributive bargaining.
Bacal, R. (2016). Articles on communication and conflict management. The World of Work. Retrieved from http://work911.com/articles/indexcomcomm.htm
Interestingly,
some teams skip over the “storming” phase, particularly when they need
to come together quickly and produce output without having the time it
normally takes to build trust. See the following to continue your
learning about the phenomenon known as “swift trust”:
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