Working in Teams: Theories of Group Dynamics and Information Resources

This report explores the critical role of teamwork in contemporary business environments. It emphasizes the significance of teamwork in enhancing individual and organizational performance, highlighting the need for clear roles and collaborative efforts. The report delves into various theories of group dynamics, including group formation theories (propinquity, social system, balance theory, exchange theory), theories of group membership and social identity, and group cohesion theory. Furthermore, it examines group influence on individual behavior, group structure (roles, norms, inter-member relations, values, communication patterns), group performance, intergroup conflict, and ethical requirements. The report also discusses the use of information resources such as the Tuckman model (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning) and Belbin's team roles to understand and improve team dynamics. The conclusion stresses the importance of teamwork, effective role distribution, and the application of relevant theories to achieve organizational goals. The report underscores the necessity of ethical conduct within teams to foster growth and accomplish desired tasks effectively.

WORKING
IN
TEAMS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK1.............................................................................................................................................1
Importance of team work in an organisational context..........................................................1
TASK2.............................................................................................................................................2
Main theories relating to group dynamics..............................................................................2
TASK3.............................................................................................................................................4
Use of range of information resources...................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
In present era of competitive business, it has become important for the companies and
employees to understand the importance of working in a team. It does not only mean working
with colleague or staffs in the same department rather it is a term used when all the business
activities are achieved by working together (Stocker, 2014). Working as a team increases the
performance of each individual and fastens the speed of growth of an organisation. Every
individual has different roles within a team and they need to have clear idea about those. Models
of Tuckman and Belbin helps an individual to understand the structure and group dynamics
theories. Working in collaboration helps each and every employee in the areas where they lag. In
this report, it is highlighted that working in team is important in today's business context and
everybody needs to inculcate team work in their companies working culture.
TASK1
Importance of team work in an organisational context.
From the era of industrialisation team work has become important aspect of working
culture prevalent in any organisation. Working in team increases the performance of each and
every individual. In order to diffuse the responsibilities in a project based approach that company
follows these days it is being given in a group (Belbin, 2012). Companies promote team work in
an organisation as it helps companies to reduce the chances of project failures.
Importance of team work in an organisation can be understood by following points.
 Team work helps individuals in increasing their work efficiency. Managers or technical
leads helps team members by over correcting their approaches.
 It reduces the chances of failure and hence increases the quality work within an
organisation.
 It shares the responsibility within the team members on the work assigned.
 It helps companies in increasing their problem-solving ability as the multiple minds are
working hand in hand which helps to pool various ideas and come out with a unique idea.
 It helps to increase the standards of communication that an organisation has established
as it helps employees in sharing their knowledge through conversation between
colleagues, officials, team leaders or other experienced workers.
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 Team work helps in achieving tasks on time as it helps to understand each other abilities
and divide work accordingly.
 It helps individual in their learning process as they learn from one another hence it helps
in increasing the morale of the employees.
 It helps in increasing mutual understanding, cohesion within the team mates and hence
increasing the chances of appreciating each other ideas. This can be perfectly illustrated
in any sports team where they do not have enough time to think about a strategy but have
a mutual understanding on what can be done in particular situations (Ellis and Bach,
2015). This helps them in performing well.
Many companies have inculcated this methodology in their working culture. Ford in the
20th century with their assembly line approach had set a perfect example of how working in team
can increase the production and profitability of the firm. Working alone can increase the chances
of implementing restricted approach towards solving a desired approach. Working
collaboratively promotes shared ownership, responsibility and issue related to confidentiality like
copying each other contents etc.
From my own experience of working in a college's event organising team, I saw how
team work helped us in managing events perfectly that too within the desired time frame. It
helped me in understanding the complexities that are associated with the event organisations like
communicate effectively, manage the resources that our college have, how to transfer
information at various levels regarding the status of task achieved.
In an Cultural event at my College, it was the head coordinator of that event. Using the
Tuckman and Belbin theories i have gone through several stages. First I formed a team of 50
members then divided them into small groups. They were then assigned different responsibilities
like some members are for managing food or accommodation of participants, some are for
transportation, few of them were assigned to give technical assistance to performance etc. Made
the rules regarding flow of information between several teams. I played a role of overall
coordinator, where I maintained the coordination between these teams. Fulfilling the requirement
of members where ever they needed. Some I took the role of leading a particular team whenever
they needed it. Clarified all doubts that arisen at the time of event like solving query about the
transportation timings.
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TASK2
Main theories relating to group dynamics.
Group dynamics refers to as system of behaviour and psychological process occurring in
a group. It helps to understand decision making behaviour of a team. It helps to understand the
relationship within group members in a social setting. It helps to understand how groups can be
organised, lead and promoted (Chambers and et. al., 2014). Groups develop number of Dynamic
processes such as roles, relations, development, norms, effect on behaviour etc. It helps them in
separating them from random collection of individuals. This can be understood by various
theories relating to group dynamics.
1) Group formation theory:
 Propinquity: This suggests that people gets associated with each other due to
geographical proximity.
 Social system: This theory suggests that they interact with each other so as to influence
each other’s behaviour because they are bounded with interrelated activities.
 Balance Theory: It suggests that people with same attitude towards achieving a similar
goal attracts each other to form a group (Makowsky and et. al., 2013).
 Exchange theory: Rewards serve as a basis of group formation.
2) Theory of Group membership and social identity:
Optimal distinctive theory: It suggests that individual have both the desires that is to be similar
and to be distinctive at the same time.
3) Theory of group cohesion: This theory suggests the importance and willingness of group to
stick together and believe that without cohesiveness any group can never exist.
4) Group influence on individual behaviour: Studies have found that individuals performance
can be increased if the group makes a positive impact on the other and performance gets reduced
when group creates a negative situation.
5) Group structure: Group Structure can be defined as a framework that helps to understands
the relationship between one another. Elements of group structure are as follows:
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 Roles: It can be understood as tendency to behave, contribute and work with each other in
a defined manner (Radford and et. al., 2014). Every group must have role differentiation.
Key roles in a group are leadership, task roles, relationship and individual roles.
 Norms: These are the informal rules that a group adopts so as to regulate members
behaviours. These are developed through interaction between group members. This
provides direction to the group members. These are of different types like prescriptive
(social way to respond to someone), proscriptive (actions that a member must not do),
descriptive (What people generally do) and injunctive (What people ought to do).
 Inter member relations: It can be simply understood as a connection between different
group members.
 Values: It is the idea that serves as guiding rules for the team.
 Communication pattern: It refers to as how information is flowing within a group.
6) Group performance:
 Distraction conflict theory: It suggests that when a person works with others a distraction
occurs in the task due to their presence.
 Social orientation theory: It gives the idea of how a person approaches to social
situations.
7) Inter group conflict: It starts with the process where people in one group comparing
themselves with people in another group.
8) Inter group conflict reduction:
 Contact hypothesis or inter group contact theory: This suggests that by promoting contact
between people of different group, prejudices can be reduced.
 Superordinate identities: By this people in different group can share a common social
identity.
 Interdependence: In this people in different group has to rely on each other for
accomplishing a task.
9) Ethical requirements: It suggests that there are certain group ethics that needs to be followed
in a team. This is necessary to uphold what is true and good. For example, if any member did not
complete his assigned task he must not make excuses and report to the team members regarding
what happened (West and Lyubovnikova, 2013). Other ethical issues may be like if a member of
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team is pressed for time so they should or not copy some one other contents. Being assertive and
behaving with good mind are some of the ethical requirements of a group.
TASK3
Use of range of information resources
There are various resources that can be used by an employee so as to gain knowledge
about working in team at various levels. Information resources includes books in which different
theories about groups have been discussed. Tuckman and Belbin theories helps to understand the
group dynamics and theories of team structure. Tuckman theory proposes five stages models for
ideal decision-making process like Forming, Storming, Norming, performing and adjourning. By
use of this employee can make decisions within a group in a most appropriate manner (Poulet,
Corruble and Seghrouchni, 2012).
Nine Belbins team role highlights the role of each employee within an organisation that
includes Resource investigators, team workers, Co-ordinators, Plant, Monitor evaluator,
Specialist, Shaper, Implementer, Complete finisher. Researches have showed that most
successful teams comprise of diverse mix of behaviours and having all these nine roles in it.
CONCLUSION
Working in team has become the demand of any industry. Many companies are applying
the working culture that has team work as an essential ingredient. Team members helps each
other in increasing their performance by helping them in their roles. Proper distribution of roles
within a group is important for increasing its efficiency. Applying various theories of team work
and group dynamics a team can manage its day to day working and hence can achieve task more
effectively. Ever team has ethical requirements and those needs to be fulfilled so as to grow as a
team and accomplish the desired tasks.
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REFERENCES
Belbin, R. M., 2012. Team roles at work. Routledge.
Chambers, J. and et. al., 2014. The infective endocarditis team: recommendations from an
international working group.
Ellis, P. and Bach, S., 2015. Leadership, management and team working in nursing. Learning
Matters.
Makowsky, M. J. and et. al., 2013. Physician perspectives on collaborative working relationships
with team‐based hospital pharmacists in the inpatient medicine setting. International
Journal of Pharmacy Practice. 21(2). pp. 123-127.
Poulet, C., Corruble, V. and Seghrouchni, A. E. F., 2012, November. Working as a team: using
social criteria in the timed patrolling problem. In Tools with Artificial Intelligence
(ICTAI). 2012 IEEE 24th International Conference on (Vol. 1. pp. 933-938). IEEE.
Radford, D. R. and et. al., 2014. The impact of integrated team care taught using a live NHS
contract on the educational experience of final year dental students. British dental
journal. 217(10). p. 581.
West, M. A. and Lyubovnikova, J., 2013. Illusions of team working in health care. Journal of
health organization and management. 27(1). pp. 134-142.
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