Abstract
Members of the group share common beliefs, practices, goals, and perspectives which are called norms and show the unity and distinctive traits of a group. Group cohesiveness is the good and warm feeling we get from working in groups. Leadership plays a pivotal role in developing, maintaining, and changing the organization’s culture. Further, to prevent misunderstanding in groups, members resort to group thinking for the purpose of generalized agreement and deciding for the group’s welfare. In addition, planning the change in every organization is important before implementing a new procedure or process in the group’s system. It encompasses the assessment, feedback, and comments of the members of the group before implementing a new rule or policy in which the members should comply.
On the other hand, the two of the most important issues faced by team-based organizations are talent management and talent retention. Lack of communication is the reason for the prevalence of the common problems in most groups. In so doing, to improve communication levels in any group is therefore to call regular meetings for the members with the leaders. Moreover, the characteristics of an ideal organizational structure is that in which group cohesiveness is achieved through aligned individual and team goals, aspirations, directions, beliefs, and values. For the purpose of reinforcing positive performance of group members, organization rewards are provided by the leaders to compliment the positive attitude of contributing something for the group.
Interpersonal and Group Behavior and Communication in Organization
Introduction
This paper is all about the group dynamics and how psychological mechanisms work for groups. It also emphasizes the importance of effective and good leadership in every organization. The significance of communication in groups is also discussed together with the importance of planning before implementing a change in the organizational culture. Upon reading this paper then, one should learn the role of norms in influencing the thinking and cohesiveness of a group. Moreover, this paper should contribute to increase the awareness of members of groups that communication and active discourse allows the group to be united and solid in their shared goals, values, and objectives for the welfare of the common good.
Norms in Groups
Norms govern the behavior and attitude in groups. Members of the group share common practices, goals, and perspectives that show the unity and distinctive traits of the group. Norms serve as guidelines to choose what is right and wrong thing in favor of the majority members of the group. These norms are supposed to be observed most of the time if a group member does not want to experience ostracism in the group. For instance, a praising ministry group may intangibly enforce a norm which implies that a person who is to participate in the assembly or worship rituals should not wear inappropriate clothes like seductive and sexy clothes. On the other hand, a tangible norm for the ministry could be the participation of every member in all the praise and worship activities which include praying, dancing, and singing. Another instance of norms existing in a group is in the workplace: a research company for example may require that every writer must comply with the rules such as completing an assignment before or on the deadline. In addition, writers with a win-win attitude implicitly exceed the expectations of the company by making articles as many as they can with regard to the policies of the company which are anti-plagiarism and pro-productivity.
Group Cohesiveness created by Effective and Competent Leaders
Group cohesiveness is the good and warm feeling we get from working in groups. It is something that all group leaders should strive to develop in the groups they lead. Leaders in groups who are responsible for creating this cohesion and solidarity of the group are certainly considered as competent and effective leaders. These competent leaders should then prepare the members for the incoming challenges that the group may face. In addition, they should encourage all the group members to participate in brainstorming of ideas and to aid in the decision-making. Moreover, in order for the members to feel this warm feeling of “being in” or “being included in the group,” members should act accordingly and comply with the set of norms imposed (tangibly and intangibly) in the group. Thus, if the group has the unified win-win and positive or proactive attitude, the group is said to have cohesion and unity in shared goals and objectives.
Diversity in Groups
Consider an example of college block mate students interacting with non-block mate students in the same particular school. As an example, psychology block mates may differ in the behavior they project as compared to the mass communications students. Psychology students may appear refined in their manner of speaking and walking through the hallways, while the mass communication students may appear more loud, cheerful, and aggressive in their attitudes in school. When the two groups mentioned interact, they may appear at ease with each other and act as if there is no implied competition going on. However, these groups, when asked of their perception regarding the non-block mate students, it was reported that most students dislike non-block mate students for the two groups’ difference in attitudes and the intangible competition in prestige, popularity, and achievement.
Groupthink as a Mechanism in Groups
In order to prevent misconception or misunderstanding in groups, members resort to group thinking (groupthink) for the purpose of deciding for the group’s welfare. The group’s solidarity is measured through the extent of this group think in an attempt to create shared agreement. As a member of a group, groupthink is observable when the members’ minds are stimulated to contribute ideas and proposals to manage solutions in current problems faced by the group. They are expected to provide positive and negative feedback and comments to the leader regarding the new imposed policies for the group. As a target of a decision made by a group, groupthink serves as the reflection of the unified values, goals, and beliefs of the members before coming up with a creative and purposeful solution. Moreover, as a simple observer may wish to detect the presence of groupthink, one may observe its power to influence the cognition of individual members in the group. Although it may result in the suppression of one’s opinions regarding a specific issue, groupthink also has the positive outcome of instilling the sense of belongingness in groups.
Importance of Planning Change in the Implementation Process
Planning the change is important before implementing a new procedure or process in the group’s system. Planning should encompass the assessment, feedback, and comments of the members of the group before implementing a new rule or policy in which the members should comply. Assessment of the possible negative results should be weighed in order to amplify and prevent the possible flaws of a certain proposed procedure. Upon evaluating the possible flaws, the leader of the group should develop ways to prevent the possibility of failure and other negative, unproductive results. In planning the change in the group, members should participate by helping in the organization and execution of the change, so it can be implemented in a simplified, clear, and easy way.
Team-based Type of Organization
If a specific organization prematurely starts building a team-based type of association by clarifying the mission and selecting site for the first work teams, it would be beneficial for both the employer and employees. First of all, upon creating a team-based type of organization, employees shall enjoy the pleasure of doing their jobs while having fun and completing their job tasks with the help of each team members with their designated job duties in a particular project. Second, the employees would be able to discuss issues or technical and financial problems related to their job with their co-workers, and hand in hand, they shall help each other discuss the issue and later on come up with their integrated and shared consensus on how to address and solve the issue.
Two of the Most Important Issues facing Team-based Organization
The most important issues faced by team-based organizations are talent management and talent retention. Talent management includes the empowering of the individual to maximize their full potential and contribute their knowledge and skills to their group members. On the other hand, talent retention refers to the decision of productive and efficient talents or employees to stay in the group due to their commitment, devotion, and loyalty to the group they belong. Talent management and talent retention seem to be important duties of the management in order to keep potential talents as assets of the group or the organization. As many groups, organizations, or companies are emerging in the world today, common goals and objectives are identical for most companies, organizations, or groups as well. In so doing, a group must have this common shared identity where the members could project their distinction from other groups.
Importance of Communication in Groups
Lack of communication is the reason for the prevalence of the common problems for most groups. Moreover, it is obvious that lack of communication leads to misunderstanding and misinterpretations in groups. Further, there are some business companies whose management is more focused on tactile results that measure the productivity of the workforce. Thus, the importance of communication is evident for proposing a room for improvement in the system, policies, and, practices of the members in a group. For instance, assessment of feedback among new policies implemented among employees promotes the active participation of the employees’ opinion regarding the resolution of issues concerning the group. In addition, communication could also serve as a medium for discussion of performance appraisals among improving and non-improving members of the group.
Methods used to Improve Communication in Groups
To improve communication levels in any group, regular meetings should always be put into account. Family members with harmonious relationship practice this regular conversation with one another. This results in prevention of family conflicts and cold wars. Another good method in facilitating the improvisation of communication is the frequent brainstorming of ideas even during leisure time. For companies facing a financial crisis for instance, cost cutting and retrenchment are the major strategic plans. However, the best method that has to be implemented is discussed and chosen through the brainstorming and sharing of ideas. During this brainstorming, the possible pros and cons of the proposed strategy or technique is discussed by members together with their opinions regarding the matter in an attempt to control the possible flaws of the strategic plan and to create solutions for the foreseen conflicts.
Role of Leadership in Changing the Organization’s Culture
Leadership plays a pivotal role in developing, maintaining, and changing the organization’s culture. Effective leadership is gauged upon the proper maintenance of the group’s values, norms, and beliefs in spite of the changes that the group has to undergo in their organization. Now, the leaders or management who are advocates of the change in the culture of the organization should execute their responsibilities of promoting the change without sacrificing the morale of the members of the group. Everyone in the group should be heard, for there could be no group if there were no members, and there shall also be no leaders if there are no followers.
Elements of Culture and Characteristics of the Organization
The characteristics of an ideal organizational structure are that in which group cohesiveness is achieved through aligned individual and team goals, beliefs, and values. Active participation among its members should be reinforced by the management so that there is equal dissemination of information, knowledge, and ideas. Organization should have the following characteristics for the purpose of maintaining order: distribution of job tasks and duties, and hierarchical ladder of those who are governing their designated areas. In contrast, the elements of culture described by Ouchi, Peters, and Waterman suggest that present organizations are similar from the culture of the ancestors’ groups. According to authors, ancestors classify themselves according to what they can do like: artisan, instructor, “ruler,” and the like; at present, there is still a hierarchy present to classify the people according to the roles they are going to play in the society they belong to (Gilsdorf, 2007). On the other hand, the differences of the culture of organizations among both different periods are that the present groups developed innovations to empower the group members and to facilitate change for the group’s growth, advancement, and development.
The Role of Organization Rewards
To reinforce desirable performance of group members or employees at work, organization rewards are provided by the leaders to compliment the positive attitude of contributing something for the group. In developing, maintaining, and changing the organization culture, provisions of rewards play a significant role in increasing the motivation of members to contribute whatever skills they have for the group to execute its tasks. By these organizational rewards, members would experience more cohesiveness and sense of belongingness and acceptance in their group in a way that their personal, individual needs are understood and met by the employer and the management. Furthermore, the culture of a cohesive and group thinking organization can also affect innovation. For instance, if the technical support teams are exchanging and sharing new ideas about technology, this would stimulate their imaginative and creative minds to explore more ways on how to initiate a new kind of technology from the existing information on the useful science and technology.
Conclusion
Norms govern the behavior and attitude in groups. Members of the group share common beliefs, practices, goals, and perspectives that show the unity and distinctive traits of the group. Moreover, group cohesiveness is an important component of felling good and warm upon working in groups. It is something that all group leaders should strive to develop in the groups they lead in order to be considered effective. Thus, leadership plays a pivotal role in changing the organization’s culture.
Reference
Gilsdorf, J. W. (2007). Organizational Culture. Reference for Business. Retrieved December 15,
2008, from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Ob-Or/Organizational-Culture.html
