Description:
The text thus far has been dealing with individual behavior. Another important component of OB is group behavior. This module will focus on how groups work and how to create effective teams.
Required Readings
Textbook, ch. 8-9
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Discussion Question
DQ 7: Why does social loafing occur?
Post your initial response (100 words minimum) and respond to two student postings. Initial responses should contain substantial content and incorporate concepts, terms, and theories from the learning material.
Due Date: Due on Wednesday November 27, 2013
DQ 8: What is the difference between a team and a group?
Post your initial response (100 words minimum) and respond to two student postings. Initial responses should contain substantial content and incorporate concepts, terms, and theories from the learning material.
Due Date: Due on Friday November 28, 2013
DQ 7. Why does social loafing occur?
ReplyDeleteSocial loafing is the phenomenon, which refers to the decreasing of individual efforts due to his or her belonging to a group. In other words, individual tends to express more efforts when he or she works alone in comparison with collective work. For example, person is able to finish detail’s painting in average for 10 minutes. If there is a group of 5 painters and there is a task for them to paint 10 details, they might not to finish their paining in 20 minutes (as they could spend in independent work). Some members of the group might expect others to work harder than them, so they would not put enough efforts on this task.
There are two main reasons why social loafing occurs. On of them is due to unequal distribution of work. In our example, a painter could notice that his co-worker is simply lazy, distracts from the job, or spends too much time on painting one detail. He could also reduce his efforts because (in his opinion) it is unfair to do the entire job by himself.
The other reason is due to dispersion of responsibility. In the case of individual work, there is a clear relationship between worker’s efforts and a result. In the case of a group, responsible roles might be unclear and doubtful. For instance, it would be hard to evaluate individual contribution to the task of detail’s painting. Some workers could finish 3 details, while other are working on the one.
Your reply should also include counter arguments such as depending on what type of jobs, the lack of supervision, lack of leadership, also encourage social loafing. And cite other examples of team work benefiting and enhancing the objectives set by management in contrast to individual work.
DeleteDQ 8
ReplyDeleteBy definition, group is two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives. Among examples of group are female group, who band together to practice a diet, or group of activists to combat public smoking. Groups do not always represent teams. For instance, staff of a physician department in university is a group of people, while a few scientists collaborating for the research is a team.
Group and team differ in following dimensions:
Goal:
For groups: Interacts to share information and make a decision in order to help each member to operate in his or her area of the responsibility. They do not join efforts for collective performance.
For teams: Do have a collective performance.
Synergy
For groups: There is no positive synergy. The output of the group activity is a sum of inputs of members or even less (in the case of social loafing).
For teams: Do generate positive synergy. The result of team’s activity represent more than just sum of efforts of each member. Due to coordinated efforts they add positive value to work output.
Accountability
For group: Only individual
For teams: Both individual and mutual
Skills
For groups: Members of group might have varied and random skills, not necessary complementing each other.
For teams: Members of team have complementary skills, which help to add positive value to their mutual efforts.
Example
Group: Pop stars who gather together for a charity performance.
Team: Orchestra musicians in the same charity performance.
Yes, I refer to your previous reply to the D.7. This is exactly what I mean. Very good, Daria.
DeleteDQ7
ReplyDeleteSocial loafing phenomenon occurs when one of the group members is delibertaely not putting enough effort, time and resources into team's work. Social loafing is connected to the term of free-riding, where a certain team member benefits of team's efforts and achievements without participating and contributing his part.
Reasons for social loafing may be numerous: it is not just the fact of inequity that one member of the group may experience and therefore, not contribute to the group's efforts. It is certainly necessary to recognize individual efforts in team tasks so free-riding does not occur.
It is crucial to supervise the team work and each individual, so all members feel monitored and no one can skip their contribution and responsinilities. If there is not enough supervision and leadership from managers or group leaders, certain members do not feel like doing their part since nobody will notice.
On the other hand, separating team work between the members is important: there are certain tasks that may be done by one member better than the other. Manager or group leader needs to notice talents in order to delegate work correctly. Goals need to be set clearly and correctly, taking into consideration that task will be executed by a number of employees and not one.
DQ8
A group is two or more several individuals who are working together interdependently. Team is definetely a form of group, it also represents two or more people working interdependently, but the main difference is that teams have a common goal, but groups can have objectives that vary, and therefore, and individual responsibility to perform.
Groups and teams vary on a number of factors, the most important of them being goal-setting. Goals for teams are common, each member is trying to achieve same objective. As for groups, efforts are not united in order to achive a joined perofrmance, they work more on individual convergence and separate goal-setting.
Due to above-mentioned factor of goal-setting, teams think of themselves as "we", therefore, they generate a positive enrgy that influences their output. As for groups, approach is individual, therefore, there is no united passion since every member care about their own outputs and ahivemens only.
Contribution and outputs count on mutual and individual basis for teams, while in groups are strictly individual.
Leaders of teams usually select members with regards to their skills and talents, so the team is fomred in a way that all member can work together to achieve a common goal. This is not required for groups because performance is individual
Example of a group may be football supporters at the stadium, while FC Barcelona playing at the same stadium is a team.
DQ7
ReplyDeleteSocial loafing is a phenomenon that occurs when a certain team member relies on group efforts and does not contribute his or her own time, effort and knowledge. This definetely creates a huge slow-down on group's results and achievements and overall serves as demotivation factor. The reasons for social loafing vary from feeling of inequity of one or several memebers participating in the task to the factor of group members having diffirent skills and ambitions.
If, for instance, one member feels that his or her ideas are not treated with enough acceptance, the only solution is simply is not contributing any longer. From other side, if one member tends to achieve project delivery in a timely manner and other one persists saying that quality is the most important, conflicts might take place and this eventually lead to social loafing of one of the members. To prevent this it is important to supervise and delegate tasks, therefore, if one member does not deliver their part, it will be noticed by others. In the same way it is important to define timing and priorities of the project, so no further diputes will not occur in due course.
DQ8
Group is a two or more people who freely interact and share norms, goals and identity. It is necessary to distinguish teams from groups. Teams are usually defined as a small group who share same goals, approach and common identity while holding themselves mutually accountable for a common purpose. Effective teams are usually quite small, up to 10 members. For a team to be qualified as a group, they firstly need to share their leadership. Secondly, comparing teams with groups, accountability goes from individual (groups) to individual and collective (teams). Team always has its own purpose or mission, so all the memebers feel united for a specific cause which they all share. Effectiveness of teamwork is measured by team's collective activities and outcomes, while in a group everyone has their own outputs and goals. Teams are usually quite good in conflict resolutions since they are united and perceive this process as a normal working environment; unlike groups, who usually have difficulties to rule out of disputes.
Teamwork is very effective when it has incorporated trust, ability to share leadership and to be able to self-assess themselves. However, management needs to make sure they set SMART objectives and provide necessary support in order for teams to work effectively and avoid frustration and unneeded pressure.