TEAM DYNAMICS - ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Notes 20 Pages

Bengaluru City University

Bachelor of Business Administration

Contributed by

Prajwal Hallale

MESIOM - GMP

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Unit 4:
TEAM DYNAMICS
Introduction :-
In an organisational setting, a departmental head or supervisor without the help
of his co-workers, cannot perform all tasks on his own. He needs the support as
well as guidance of other fellow-workers to be excellent in whatever he does.
Complex goals can easily accomplished, if individuals work together as a team.

Team-The meaning:
A team is a group of individuals, all work together for a common purpose. The
individuals comprising a team ideally should have common goals, common
objectives and more or less think on the same lines. Individuals who are not
compatible with each other cannot form a team. They should have similar
though/not same interest, attitude, perceptions and likings.

Meaning of Team dynamics

Team dynamics are the unconscious, psychological forces that influence the
direction of a team's behaviour and performance. They are like under currents in
the sea, which carry boats in a different direction to the one they intent to sail.
Team dynamics are created by the nature of the team's work, the personalities
with the team, their working relationships with other people and the
environment in which the team works.

Team vs Group

Team is a group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to
complete a task, job or projects, who through commitment create synergy to
generate performance greater than individual performance.
A team is small number of people with complementary tasks who are
committed to a common purpose, performance goals approach to which they are
mutually accountable.
Ex: Any game that is played. It is a team work.

Whereas "Group" is a collection of two or more members, who perform
independently with individual accountability, evaluation and rewards and
accepts rights and obligations as members. Example: People assembled near a
departmental store to purchase their needs. Thus, a group is not necessarily a
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team. A group can have individuals with varied interests, attitudes as well as
thought process.

Types of Teams
Teams can be classified on the basis of their objectives. The most common
types of teams which are generally found in the organisations are:
1. Problem solving teams
2. Self managed teams/self directed work teams (SDWT)
3. Cross functional teams
4. Virtual teams

These are explained in detail as follows:

1. Problem Solving Teams :-
The problem solving teams are the most traditional types of teams. In the initial
stages when the team work started gaining popularity almost all the teams were
of this form. Typically, these teams comprise of 5 to 12 employees of the same
department who meet a few hours every week to discuss the ways and means of
improving quality, efficiency and the work environment.
The purpose of problem solving teams is just to share the ideas or offer
suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved. These are
just suggestion giving teams. These are, generally, not given the authority to
unilaterally implement any of their suggestions.
One of the most common example of problem solving teams is the "Quality
Circles". This is the most widely practised application of these teams. Many
Indian companies are having quality circles nowadays. A quality circle is a
work group of employees who meet regularly to a investigate causes,
recommend solutions and take corrective actions.

The working of problem solving team is as shown in the below figure.

This figure explains how the team members pool their ideas and suggestions for
making various types of improvements in the processes and methods.
Problem solving teams started on the right track but were not successful in
getting the involvement of employees in work related decisions and processes.
Problem
Identification
Problem
Selection
Problem
Review

Solutions
Recommended
Decision

Solutions
Reviewed
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The main reasons of failure were lack of planning and top management
commitment. These teams could only give suggestions, but could not implement
solutions and take full responsibility for the outcomes. All these draw backs led
to the formation of self managed teams which were truly autonomous in nature.

2. Self Managed Teams

Self managed teams also known as self directed work teams (SDWT) are
composed of 10 to 15 people who take on responsibilities of their former
supervisors. Their
functions include the following:
i) Collective control over the pace of work
(ii) Determination of work assignments
(iii) Organisation of breaks
(iv) Collective choice of inspection procedures.
Fully self managed teams even select their own members and have the members
evaluate each other's performance. Supervisory positions Self Managed Team
take on decreased importance and in some cases, can even be eliminated.
The concept of self managed team is illustrated with the help of the above
figure.

Business periodicals all over the world are full of articles describing successful
operation of self managed teams. These teams help to increase the employee
satisfaction and the volume of business of the companies. These teams lead to
reduction in costs and increase in productivity.
In spite of the increasing importance of self managed teams, some organisations
have been disappointed with the results of these teams. The overall research on
the performance of these teams has also not been very positive. The employees
working in self managed teams seem to have higher absenteeism and turnover
rates than do employees working in traditional work structures. The specific
reasons for all this is not very clear and require some additional research.

3. Cross Functional Teams

The concept of cross functional teams is as illustrated in the following figure :

E
E
E
E
E
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Cross functional teams are the latest innovation to the concept of teams. These
teams are made up of employees from about the same hierarchical level, but
from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task. The
examples of cross functional teams can be task forces and committees. A task
force is a temporary cross functional team and committees are groups made up
of members from across departmental lines.
Cross functional teams are an effective means for allowing people from diverse
areas within an organisation (or even between organisations) to exchange
information, develop new ideas and solve problems and co-ordinate complex
projects.
Despite the usefulness of cross functional teams, these teams are quite difficult
to manage. Particularly, the initial stages of development are very time
consuming as in these stages members team to work with diversity and
complexity. When people from different back grounds, experiences
with different perspectives come together, it takes time to build trust and team
work. It will depend upon the capabilities of managers to facilitate and build
trust among team members.

4. Virtual Teams
With the growing usage of computers and information technology, companies,
whether large or small are seeing the emergence of virtual teams. These teams
are cross functional groups that operate across space, time and organisational
boundaries with members who communicate mainly through electronic
technologies. These teams make use of electronic technology to bring together
physically and geographically dispersed members in order to achieve a common
goal. Technology and knowledge based work has made the virtual teams
possible but globalisation and the benefits of knowledge sharing and team work
has made them necessary, E-mails, video conferences, electronic chat rooms,
internets and networked computers let virtual teams co-ordinate work and make
decisions fairly effectively.

Nowadays, corporate leaders are emphasising on virtual teams as these teams
potentially make better decisions on complex issues. To summarise, production
based work activities require collection of team members whereas knowledge
based work can be done with the help of virtual teams through information
technology.

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Conflict Management and Interpersonal Relationships
INTRODUCTION
Conflict is an integral part of everyday life of an individual or of an
organisation. We often hear people saying "There is conflict in his mind" or
"They have conflicting views" or "They are in conflict". Whenever there is
interaction there is conflict. According to W.Wrigley Jr "When two people
in business always agree, one of them is unnecessary." Conflict has
considerable influence on the behaviour, performance and satisfaction of
employees. A manager often faces his most uncomfortable events when he has
to deal with conflicts or differences among people or groups of people at work.
Presence of conflicts complicates his job in so many ways. Therefore, it is very
important that the manager should understand the concept of conflict fully and
try to handle it effectively.

MEANING AND DEFINITION OF CONFLICT

Conflict can be defined in many ways and can be considered as an expression of
hostility, negative attitudes, antagonism, aggression, rivalry and is
understanding. It is also associated with situations that involve contradictory or
irreconcilable interests between two opposing groups.
"A simple definition of conflict is that it is any tension which is experienced
when one person perceives that one's needs or desires are or are likely to be
thwarted or frustrated."

Follett simply defines conflict as, the appearance of difference, difference of
opinions, of interests."

Chung and Megginson define conflict as, the struggle between incompatible or
struggling needs, wishes, ideas, interests or people. Conflict arises when
individuals or groups encounter goals that both parties cannot obtain
satisfactorily."

According to David L. Austin, "It can be defined as a disagreement between
two or more individuals or groups, with each individual or group trying to gain
acceptance of its view or objectives over others."

Louis R. Pondy has given a very comprehensive definition of conflict.
According to him the term conflict is used in four ways in the literature to
describe :
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i) antecedent conditions of conflictful behaviour such as scarcity of resources or
policy differences ;
(ii) affective states of individuals involved such as stress, tension, hostility,
anxiety etc.;
(iii) cognitive state of individuals, that is their perception or awareness of
conflictual situation; and
(iv) conflictual behaviour ranging from passive resistance to over aggression

Thus, we can say that fighting, hostility and controversy, all of which can be
called conflict, are nearly everyday fare for individuals and groups, although
they are not always evident. It is an absolutely predictable social phenomenon
and it should be channeled to useful purposes.
Types of Conflicts
I. Functional Conflict
II. Dysfunctional Conflict

The interactionist view does not propose that all conflicts are good. There are
both positive and negative aspects of conflicts. Boulding recognises that some
optimum level of conflict and associated personal stress and tension are
necessary for progress and productivity, but he portrays conflict primarily as a
potential and social cost. Similarly, Kahn views that "one might as well make a
case for interpreting some conflict as essential for the continued development of
mature and competent human beings, but they feel that conflict has a social
cost.
I. Functional conflict
If we look at conflict from functional point of view, conflicts are supposed to
serve the following functions:
1. Release of tension
2. Analytical thinking
3.Group cohesiveness
4.Competition
5.Challenge
6.Stimulation for change
7.Identification of weaknesses
8.Awareness
9.High quality decisions
10. Employment
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1. Release of Tension: Conflict when expressed can clear the air and reduce the
tension which might otherwise remain suppressed. Suppression of tension can
lead to imaginative distortion of truth, sense of frustration and tension, high
mental exaggerations and biased opinions resulting in fear and distrust. When
members express themselves, they get some psychological satisfaction. This
also leads to reduction of stress among the involved members.
2. Analytical Thinking: When a group is faced with a conflict, the members
display analytical thinking in identifying various alternatives. In absence of
conflict, they might not have been creative or even might have been lethargic.
The conflicts may induce challenge to such views, opinions, rules, policies,
goals and plans which would require a critical analysis in order to justify these
as they are or make such changes that may be required.
3. Group Cohesiveness: Inter group conflict brings about closeness and
solidarity among the group members. It develops group loyalty and greater
sense of group identity in order to compete with the outsiders. This increases the
degree of group cohesiveness which can be utilised by the management for the
attainment of organisational goals in an effective manner. As cohesiveness
increases, differences are forgotten.
4. Competition. Conflicts promote competition and hence it results in increased
efforts. Some persons are highly motivated by conflict and severe competition.
Such conflict and competition, thus, lead to high level of effort and output.
5. Challenge: Conflicts test the abilities and capacities of the individuals and
groups. It creates challenges for them for which they have to be dynamic and
creative. If they are able to overcome the challenge, it will lead to search for
alternatives to existing patterns which leads to organisational change and
development.
6. Stimulation for Change: Sometimes, conflict stimulates change among the
people. When they are faced with a conflict, they might change their attitudes
and be ready to change themselves to meet the requirements of the situation.
7. Identification of Weaknesses: When a conflict arises, it may help in
identifying the weaknesses in the system. Once the management comes to know
about the weakness, if can always take the steps to remove them.
8. Awareness: Conflict creates awareness of what problems exist, who is
involved and how to solve the problem. Taking cue from this, management can
take the necessary action.
9. High Quality Decisions: When conflicting, persons express their opposing
views and perspectives, high quality decisions result. The people share their
information and check each others reasoning to develop new decisions.
10. Enjoyment: Conflict adds to the fun of working with others when not taken
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seriously. Many people find conflict enjoyable to competitive sports, games,
movies, plays and books

II. Dysfunctional Conflicts

The dysfunctional aspects of the conflicts can be visualised in the following
ways:
1. High employee turnover
2.Tensions
3. Dissatisfaction
4. Climate of distrust
5. Personal vs organizational goals
6. Conflict as a cost

1. High Employee Turnover.: In case of intra-individual and inter-individual
conflicts particularly, some dynamic personnel may leave the organisation, if
they fail to resolve the conflict in their favour. In this case, organisation will be
the sufferer in the long run due to the loss of key people.
2. Tensions.: Sometimes, conflict can cause high level of tensions among the
individuals and groups and a stage may come when it becomes difficult for the
management to resolve the conflicts. This will result in anxiety, frustration,
uncertainty and hostility among the members.
3. Dissatisfaction: Conflict will result in discontentment to the losing party, who
will wait for an opportunity to settle the score with the winning party. All this
tussle will result in less concentration on the job and as a result, the productivity
will suffer.
4. Climate of Distrust: Conflict often create a climate of distrust and suspicion
among the members of the group as well the organisation. The degree of
cohesiveness will be less as the discords will be more. The concerned people
will have negative feelings towards each other and try to avoid interaction with
each other.
5. Personal Vs Organisational Goals: Conflicts may distract the attention of the
members of the organisation from organisational goals. They may waste their
time and energy in finding ways and tactics to come out as winners in the
conflict. Personal victory becomes more important than the organisational
goals.
6. Conflict as a Cost: Conflict is not necessarily a cost for the individuals. But
the conflicts may weaken the organisation as a whole, if the management is not
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able to handle them properly. If the management tries to suppress conflicts, they
may acquire gigantic proportions in the later stages. And if the management
does not interfere in the earlier stages, unnecessary troubles may be invited at
the later stages. It is a cost to the organisation, because resignations of personnel
weaken the organisation, feeling of distrust
among members have negative impact on productivity and so on.
SOURCES/CAUSES OF CONFLICT

The various types of conflicts explained earlier, explain the causes of conflict.
These causes can be restructured and placed into three distinct categories.
These categories deal with the following aspects

1. Communicational aspect of conflict
2. Behavioural aspect of conflict
3. Structural aspect of conflict
4. Policies and pressure
5. Conflict goals
6. Conflict perception
7. Resource Conflict
8. Conflict roles
9. Conflicting Styles
10. Conflicting Values
11. Other Causes

1. Communicational Aspect of Conflict.
Lack of proper communication can be a cause of conflict. f due to the poor
communication, partial or misunderstood information is passed from the
sender to the receiver of communication, it can make a difference between the
success and failure of the task. For such failure, it will be very difficult to fix the
responsibility and it will cause conflict between the sender and the receiver of
the information. The problems of communication process may be due to
(i) Too much or too little communication
(ii) Filtering of communication which means that information is passed through
many levels or through many members. The amount of information is functional
upto a point, after that it becomes a source of conflict.
(iii) Semantic problems arise due to differences in background, training
selection perception and inadequate information about others.
(iv) Problem of noise.
All these problems may tend to stimulate misunderstanding among members,
which if not resolved will result in conflict. Accordingly, adequate, complete
and correctly understood communication is very important in orderly
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completion of tasks, thus, reducing the chances of conflict
2. Behavioural Aspect of Conflict.
The behavioural aspect of conflict arises out of human thoughts and feelings,
emotions and attitudes, values and perceptions and personality traits.

Some of the important causes of this aspect of conflict are
i) Some people’s values or perceptions of situations are particularly likely to
generate conflict with others.
(ii) This conflict may also be based on personal biases regarding religion, race
or sex.
(iii) Some of these conflicts are not about issues but about persons. Some
families carry on enmity for generations.
(iv) This conflict may also arise due to differing view points about various
issues.
(v) The widening gap between haves' and have nots also causes considerable
conflict, because the unrealised expectations of under privileged causes
frustration in their mina which leads to conflict.
(vi) From an organisational point of view, there is conflict between the goals of
the formal organisations and the psychological needs of the individual, because
both of these are inconsistent with each other.
3. Structural Aspect of Conflict.
These conflicts arise due to the structural design of the organisations.
Some of these factors are:
(i) The larger the size of the organisation, more will be the chances of conflict.
(ii) One of the frequently mentioned and continuous source of conflict is the
distinction between line and staff units within the organisation.
(iii) Participation of the subordinates in the decision making process is a cause
of conflict. If subordinates are not allowed to participate, they will show
resentment, which will cause conflict. On the other hand, if greater participation
opportunities are provided to the subordinates, the level of conflict will be even
higher, because participation will create awareness about the individual
differences. This conflict is further enhanced when individuals try to enforce
their view points on others.
(iv) Role ambiguity is also a cause of conflict. When the role of an individual is
not clearly defined, it will cause conflict especially between this individual and
other people who depend on his activities.
(v) The primary causes of inter group problems and conflicts are poorly
designed work flow structure and poorly planned coordination requirements
specially where tasks are interdependent.
4. Policies and Pressures:
Conflicting policies can create unrest in the work when employees are unaware
that they have enacted - or sometimes worse -don't have a clue as to why
policies have been adopted. Even ordinary policies and proliferations of rules
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