Groups and Teams Essay -- Groups Team Teamwork Essays Papers

Groups and Teams   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Groups or teams can evolve into high performing, extremely effective, useful tools in any organization if developed and managed correctly. Demographic characteristics and cultural diversity can impact the behavior of groups or teams in positive and some negative ways. Diversity may impede the initial progress of a group; however, the long range benefit to creating high performing teams is great. An effective group is one that achieves high levels of task performance, member satisfaction, and team viability (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborne, 2003, p. 2). A team or group is two or more people working together to achieve common goals. Members of a group are usually dependent on each other and have regular interactions in order to reach a goal. They actively work together as a unit in order to fulfill a purpose. Organizations rely on groups to accomplish specific tasks. An effective group is one that achieves high levels of task performance, member satisfactions and team viability (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborne, 2003, p. 2). Synergy, the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, is also part of an effective group. If a group has synergy then they are able to accomplish far more than they would working as individuals. Synergy is crucial in group organizations if they want to be competitive and productive. Groups within organizations improve creativity, implement better decision making processes, increase commitment to goals, offer control and help to offset the size of a large organization. There are many types of groups within organizations including formal, informal, task groups and virtual groups. Group size and dynamics can affect performance. The larger the group, the more help there is to accomplish tasks. Although, a larger group can bring problems with communication, coordination and management. Dynamics or how a group works together in order to deal with issues can also affect performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Groups and teams have several stages of development in order to be considered effective; forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Forming is the first stage and is primarily the initial entry into a group and getting to know each other stage. The storming stage of group development is a period of high emotionality and tension among the group members (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborne, 2003, p. 9). During t... ...ity within a high performing team is respected and embraced. Different opinions and ideas are welcomed and discussed. Team members are involved in clear problem solving procedures and they plans tasks completely before acting. Synergy is critical to team success. Management should reward team successes. High performance teams are high-energy, collaborative process groups. They are the playground and work center for capable people with strong, respectful voices who understand and appreciate the power of aligning diverse perspectives (Schutz, 1999, p 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, groups or teams that are high performing, and critical to the success of any organization, are rich in diversity, synergy, team work. More can be accomplished, greater achievements and productivity gained, when groups or teams are used in organizations. References Cummings, Jonathon. (2001). Work groups, structural diversity, and knowledge sharing in a global organization. Management Science. (pgs. 1 ? 13). Schutz, Susan. (1999). Building high performing teams: putting the "I" back in teamwork. Ezine. (pgs. 1-2) Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G. & Osborne, R. N. (2003). Organizational Behavior