Group Characteristics and Group Behaviour

Group has been defined as “an avenue through which group members experience mutual benefit” (Horn, 2011, p.214) and groups can be formal or informal. Teams can be specified as a specific form of group that aim to solve long-term problems and teams have a greater level of commitment to achieve common goals compared to groups. Therefore, it is important for managers to be transforming workforce groups into teams.

Belbin’s Team Roles Theory specifies a set of different roles to be present in successful teams as plants, resource investigators, co-ordinators, shapers, monitors/evaluators, team workers, implementers, completer/finishers and specialists.

Group behaviour can have positive, as well as, negative implications on the achievement of organisational goals. Positive implications of group behaviour on the achievement of organisational aims and objectives can be achieved through associating group identity with the achievement of those aims and objectives.

In simple terms, in order to generate desirable group behaviour team loyalty to the achievement of organisational goals need to be increased through promoting relevant shared beliefs and improving overall organisational culture.

Group behaviour can also have negative implications on a wide range of organisational processes. This can be expressed through resistance to change, lack of commitment to organisational aims and objectives and a range of other ways. It is critically important for organisational managers to adopt a proactive approach in terms of impacting group behaviour with positive implications on the achievement of organisational aims and objectives.

References 

Horn, T. (2011) “Advances in Sport Psychology” Human Kinetics