11.3 Group development
A work group will develop and mature over time. However, this process is affected by several factors. Factors external to the group include resource constraints such as time or money; the type of task given to the group (for example, whether it is simple or difficult); and the culture of the organisation (for example, whether the organisation supports group or individual performance). Internal factors include the degree to which members know each other; interpersonal trust; commitment to the group; and personalities.
The process of group development is not smooth and continuous because members may be affected by external or internal factors during group development. Group members may change or issues may arise during the group process such as a conflict in interests between members. Nevertheless, Tuckman (1965) as cited in Dwyer (2005) proposed that groups do go through various stages of development, although there is no conclusive evidence that there is a smooth transition between each stage or that all groups go through every stage.
Activity 11b
- Read through the Development of a Group or Team on pages 289-292 of the textbook.
- Based on your experiences in groups, have you experienced the stages of group development?
- Some suggest that there is a final stage of group development: mourning. This stage involves group members feeling a sense of loss when the group has finished their task and is disbanded. Have you experienced this? What effect might this have on future employee performance? How could it be managed?
Group roles
As a group develops, members will take on particular roles. A role is a set of behaviours enacted or expected by people within a specific context. An individual may perform more than one role and may play different roles in different groups, and several members may perform the same role. However, a more effective group is one in which there is an even distribution of task and maintenance (or relationship) roles. No role is universally present in all groups
The two main types of roles are the task-related and maintenance-related roles as outlined in the textbook. Two other types of roles provided in the textbook are the defensive and dysfunctional (or individual-centred) roles.
It is sometimes difficult to create a group or team in which there is a balanced mix of roles since most people will have a tendency towards a particular type of role and this should be considered when forming the group or team. The problem with many low performing teams is that they are unbalanced: for example, too many task-related members will over-emphasise the task focus and not pay enough attention to the relationships between members. The result may be a group that is unable to communicate with each other.
Activity 11c
- Which role(s) do you tend to play in groups?
- Are you able play both task-related and maintenance related roles? What are the advantages of being able to switch roles?
- Consider the interdependent behaviours and interpersonal concerns within a group or team on pages 294-296 of the textbook.
- Have you experienced groups in which the interpersonal concerns: inclusion, control and acceptance have not been developed? What happened? If you haven't, what are the problems that might occur if these concerns are not developed in a workplace group?
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