Introduction
Through out their existence, organizations and businesses are considerably pressured to raise their levels of performance and productivity.
This is especially so in the modern day business environment which is characterized by aggression and excessive competition thereby constantly forcing businesses to exhibit innovation and enhanced performance so as to remain relevant and profitable in the ever increasingly competitive arena.
To achieve the organizational goals of increased productivity, the input of both the individual and groups in the organization remains invaluable. However, for these inputs to make optimal impact there must be a strong group mechanism to steer the individual and group effort in the right direction. This being the case, the development of group processes is indeed necessary for the survival and continued success of an organization.
This research paper sets out to explore various dimensions that contribute towards effective and efficient group processes in an organizational setting. This shall be achieved by going into a detailed discussion as to what effective group processes consists of. To this end, an analysis on what group process refers to shall be offered and its relevance to leadership and organizational development addressed.
How these processes affect the levels of commitment and performance exhibited by individuals working in groups shall also be outlined. In addition, a discussion regarding the various issues that may affect group processes shall also be presented.
On the same note, the impact each issue has on group processes as well as their purpose shall also be given. At the end, a personal reflection on how group processes may have impacted me while at work shall be discussed.
What is Group Process?
Group Process: Definition of Terms
To have a better understanding of the term ‘Group process’, it would be a worthwhile endeavor to shed some light on what each word means. As regarding to human resource in an organizational setting, a group can simply be defined as a given number of people who carryout various organizational tasks together in a bid to achieve predetermined goals and objectives.
A process on the other hand refers to a course of action characterized by a series of stages that is implemented to facilitate the achievement of particular goals and objectives. With these concepts and definitions in mind, we can therefore proceed to defining the term Group process as used in organizational development.
Webne-Behrman (2008) defines group process as the procedures implemented by member of an organization who are closely working together in a bid to come up with the best solutions to handle or solve a common problem.
This concept has been in existence for a long while and has proven to be an asset in numerous organizations when it comes to understanding how groups function in regard to problem-solving and decision-making processes.
In addition, Webne-Behrman (2008) asserts that group process enables group facilitators to come up with viable interventional measures that can be implemented to alter undesirable behavioral attributes that are inherent in a particular group.
In this regard, the author suggests that group process can be viewed as behavioral patterns exhibited by members of a group as they collectively try to perform various organizational tasks.
Importance of Group Process to Leaders
Leadership refers to a process through which one person uses the help and support of others towards achieving a particular goal or task. Strong leadership is not only desirable but also essential to the success of the business for it is through it that organizational goals are met.
As mentioned earlier, understanding group process enables leaders to support groups as they work towards achieving organizational goals.
As Webne-Behrman (2008) asserts, an expert in group process can be able to evaluate a group’s ability to work as a problem solving and decision-making entity, all the while designing measures to counter undesirable behavioral traits that seem to inhibit the group’s ability to perform as required.
Greene & Burleson (2003) further contend that the success of any organization depends mainly on the effectiveness and ability of the leader to inspire. Studies have it that the stock prices of well led companies increased by over 900% in a 10 year period as opposed to a bare 74% growth recorded by those companies that lacked good leadership.
This fact effectively underscores the importance of understanding group dynamics because a leader is deemed worthless if he lacks the backing and support of a team/group. It is therefore important that all leaders work towards cultivating and generating an intellectual capital for their firms.
By understanding group process, a leader is better placed to motivate group members towards working together as a team. This duly gives an organization a competitive advantage over other competitors in the market.
In most organization, only a fraction of the capability of the work force is utilized because leaders do not fully understand how best to motivate employees. Huszczo (2004) acknowledges that managers cannot gain much by coercing the employees to work harder.
Instead, an increase in productivity can be achieved if the leaders invest highly on retraining programs, ensure availability of essential resources, and provide motivational attributes like bonuses, promotions and even pay increments to act as incentives. Such interventions can only be discovered if leaders understand how groups behave and react to certain positive or negative stimuli.
An exemplary leader should ensure that his organization has a sense of purpose and is working towards the achievement of some organizational goals. He/she should also set out to generate and sustain trust between the administration, employees and clients. Malhotra (2000) asserts that this will result in the promotion of hope and confidence amongst the organizations worker force.
These qualities heighten the levels of optimism within the organization all the while boosting employee’s morale and guarantees future success in all organizational endeavors.
However, if a leader does not understand the needs and behaviors of different members of a group, there is a high likelihood that the leader’s efforts to reassure employees will fail because employees tend to follow leaders who understand them and their work needs.
As such, group process equips leaders with the necessary skills needed to pass as an exemplary and charismatic individual. These are traits that most employees desire and ape from influential figures.
Similarly, recent studies indicate that most successful managers attribute the success of their organization to the fact that they show genuine concern for their employees. This is because all employees regardless of their occupation or level of demographic group incur significant amounts of stress and de-motivation at work if there is a negative relationship which is characterized by a lack of concern with their leaders.
Group process enables a leader to identify and device countermeasures for various issues that affect a particular group or individual. This eliminates the chances of having dissatisfied employees who normally perform poorly and increases the efficiency levels of group members who not only work to achieve set goals, but also to show their commitment to their leader.
In all organizations, there arise contentious issues which elicit different reactions from the group members at some point in time. How these issues are diffused may spell out the difference between success and failure of the organization. The role of a leader can play a crucial role in ensuring that the crises or contentious issues are managed in a diplomatic manner.
Diplomacy entails the using of power and authority carefully so as to achieve positive outcomes by being unanimous or arriving at a consensus (London, 2002). An effective leader will therefore be able to diplomatically handle contentious issues and arrive at a solution that is not only workable, but also acceptable to the various parties involved.
This calls for the leader to be equipped with the skills of a negotiator which will enable him/her to constructively resolve the conflict therefore leading to an agreement among all parties involved.
Key to being an effective negotiator is the ability of a leader to understand how various factors affect different members of a group. Understanding group process enables a leader to come up with fair solutions to different issues that affect group members.
Impacts of Group Process to commitment levels individuals working in groups
Commitment can be defined as the level of determination and loyalty exhibited by an individual towards achieving particular goals and objectives. According to Malhotra (2000), commitment in a group is promoted through the problem-solving mechanism being employed. As such, the author suggests that finding the problem and solving it increases the commitment levels exhibited by group members towards the solution.
For example, if group members are actively involved in the decision-making process, the solution found gives them a sense of ownership. This boosts an individual’s morale and heightens the level of commitment the individual has towards the tasks being executed by the group.
However, if the decisions are made by dominant members within the group, the undermined members may not be as committed to the solution as would be expected.
Similarly, if there is discrimination based on age, gender, race or status within a group process, the level of commitment exhibited by individual group members may decrease significantly. As Brown (2000) reiterates, discriminatory tendencies within a team leads to conflicts which, reduces the level of performance and commitment displayed by the group members.
For example, if a group member is discriminated upon on basis of her gender, she feels out of place and in most cases, avoids participating fully so as to steer clear of criticisms from group members. As such, such a member is less committed to the tasks being handled because she isolates herself from all group activities. The same case applies in other forms of discrimination.
On the other hand, if the group process is effective and efficient, the commitment levels exhibited by individuals are always high. This can be attributed to the fact that groups which work together assist each other in a bid to achieve the set goals. As such, each member has a sense of belonging which motivates him/her and boosts his/her commitment to the tasks at hand.
Gottlieb (2003) states that groups which exhibit cultural diversity competence, good interpersonal communication and social skills, adequate conflict resolution skills and correlative tendencies are more likely to show high levels of commitment to their jobs and organizations.
Impact of group process on individual performance
Huszczo (2004), states that group performance relies on the strength of the relationship that exists between members of a team. As such, this friendship can be deemed as a natural force which may affect individual performance either positively or negatively. For example, if members of a group have a strong friendship, this would mean that they communicate a lot amongst themselves.
This in turn may pull other group members into such discussions. As such, a social atmosphere is created within the group and this enables group members to enjoy being in a group. This type of job satisfaction ensures that the group members are motivated and committed to group tasks. These positive attributes further increases the level of performance exhibited by individual members of a group (Gottlieb, 2003).
On the other hand, strong friendships among group members can also have negative implications on a group’s performance. For example, it may lead to a situation where some of the group members feel excluded and less important as regarding to how the group functions. These feelings of exclusion lead to the creation of sub-groups within the main group.
As a result, effective communication is hampered because information flow is limited within the while group as compared to how it flows within the sub-groups. This reduces the performance level of individuals because great performance in a group setting depends on the member’s ability to communicate effectively as well as the group’s ability to work together as a unit.
Describe and define each group process issue and specifically the ways each issue impacts how a group functions?
In any group environment, there are issues that arise during group interaction. The five most common group process issues are outlined as follows.
A common issue in group process is dominating which is where a group member dominates the discussion or finds ways to make the discussion centered on their own issues or interests. Kolin (2009) rightful declares that the group process is about “sharing and responding to ides, not about taking over”.
When one member of the group dominates; the group process suffers since dominance is accompanied by aggressive and territorial behavior. Having a member dominate can easily derail the group from important issues as the issues of concern to the dominant member are addressed.
The second group process issue is that of sub-grouping. Sub-grouping is defined as the formation of subsets to the main group which may operate in or out of harmony with the objectives of the main group. Sometimes the members of a group can be encouraged to maintain out-of-group contact and socialization for the well being of the group.
While this may be beneficial, it can also have a harmful effect on the group since it can result in sub-grouping. Sub-grouping is there members of the group form cliques which sometimes take priority over the main group. This sub-grouping may prevent the group from attaining the desirable level of cohesion.
Issues arise as a result of differing ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds among the group members. Issues arise as attempts are made to facilitate culturally diverse groups. This is because each group member brings with them their values, beliefs, and prejudices, all of which become evident as the group operates. Failing to respect the cultural differences of the various individuals who make up the team may lead to issues.
Another common issue in group process is declining to participate by some individuals. This issue may arise from either a lack of confidence by the individual group member or in the case where the group member fails to see the significance or importance of the group to him/her. Declining to participate hurts the group since all members are deprived off the chance of hearing the viewpoint of the member who refuses to speak out.
Resisting constructive criticism can bring about issues in the group. Constructive criticism is vital both to the individual and to the group effort. This is because this kind of criticism causes a person to reevaluate their former stance or way of doing things and make positive changes.
When the individual views all kinds of criticism as a person attack on them, issues will arise. The individual will become resistance, or even angry and the group progress will be greatly hampered by this.
Another issue that brings about group process issues is ineffective communication and coordination. Effective communication is deemed as the corner stone on which any successful relationship, be it business or personal, is built.
Clarify from research why EACH group process exists and what purpose they serve in a group?
Each participant brings into the group their own unique perspective on life. Interpersonal conflicts are bound to occur as these heterogeneous people converge in the group setting. While different perspectives may result in conflicts, they also result in new insights being gained by the members of the group as well as a possibility for coming up with new solutions to problems.
This varied views results in an enriched groups and the effective resolution of the conflicts may assist in strengthening group cohesion. Conflicts occur in all aspects of society life. These conflicts are normal and may in fact contribute to the health of the community.
However, the positive contribution of conflicts greatly hinges on the conflict resolution schemes which are employed. As such, it is imperative that the people involved in the conflict resolve the issues constructively.
Communication issues are complex and dynamic and therefore no one way can be proposed as solving all the problems involving communication in an organizational context. In order to ensure that communication is effective, it is important to consider the relevant channel of communication as settling for the correct channel ensures the message is relayed in the most appropriate manner.
Having communication issues within a group ensures that group members evaluate how they communicate in order to avoid conflicts. As such, it would also be vital to develop a relevant message and this ensures that the correct information is passed on. This entails understanding the audience and once accomplished it will then be easier to appropriately develop message (Adair, 2009).
Setting objectives that one hopes to achieve through the message can also help ensure the message is not only effective but well understood. This can be finally evaluated through an identified method for instance by reviewing feedback received from the audience.
Despite the challenges there are benefits that can be accrued from cultural diversity. For starters, cultural diversity presents employees with a chance to learn various facts about other cultures (Gottlieb, 2003). The knowledge acquired from this can then be applied while dealing with both international and local clients.
In addition to this, it eases the marketing process when it comes to launching new products, discussing merges with foreign clients and other aspects of international business. Brown (2000) contends that diversity offers great understanding to how different people perceive thing leading to a better understanding of the human race.
Describe for each issue how MINDSETS set the process in play? What are the specific mindsets that can be associated with each issue? What are the behaviors?
Issues that arise from group diversity are normally as a result of beliefs, attitudes and stereotypes that may exist. Schneider et al. (2008) states that the group’s effectiveness is greatly hampered by stereotypes and preconceived notions that individual group members may have concerning other racial and ethnic groups.
Group members may be reluctant to talk with people outside their race abut certain topics and confronting these silent issues can serve as a catalyst for meaningful group interaction. Group process issues are an inherent part of the group and then emerge naturally while the group is developing. These concerns should be dealt with if the group is to accomplish its purpose effectively.
As regarding resistance to constructive criticism, people often believe that the critic is trying to prove that he/she is better than everyone else. As such, in a group situation, members may start viewing the opinions of others as ill-motivated.
This mind set therefore forces group members to resist to criticisms even if they are logical. This is mainly done to protect oneself from being perceived as a looser or a person with no valuable input in a group.
Whereas the individual can be seen to be a potent force acting for the good of the organization, there may be instances whereby this individual can lead to the failure of the organization. Cyert and March (1992) present the organization as a coalition of individuals who have goals. There therefore exists the potential for internal goal conflict due to the diverse individuals that make up the organization.
An individual may be tempted to project the goals that reflect on his/her personal values. Solo (2000) asserts that the economy in place favors the collective goals and those values that reflect the needs of groups rather than personal groups. This being the case, any emphasis on the individuals’ values may negatively impact the organization.
Ambition and an achievement-oriented nature are some of the traits that are inherent in a person who set out to make a difference in the organization (Webne-Behrman, 2008). Whereas these traits are desirable and necessary for this task, they may have detrimental effects if they are exhibited in an exaggerated form.
If an individual is overly ambitious, he may be tempted to act in ways that are beneficial to him/her at the expense of other members of the organization. This may alienate him/her to the other members of the organization who may then proceed to sabotage his activities thus negatively impacting the organization.
Conclusion
From the discussion presented herein, it is evident that establishing a strong interpersonal bond amongst members of a group is of great importance if an organization is to remain successful. In this report, a definition and description of group process has been provided.
Similarly, issues such as discrimination, conflict and miscommunication have been cited as being among the most prevalent factors that can influence the effectiveness of a group. In addition, the impact of group process on individual’s performance and commitment levels has also been discussed and how group process affects the behaviors and thought processes of individual members addressed.
Arguably, understanding group process gives leaders a chance to avert most of the common shortcomings that lead to organizational failures. As such, business leaders should ensure that they take time to understand various group dynamics because the future of their businesses may rely on such knowledge and understanding.
References
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