Group Dynamics

Prof. Dr. Ted Sun

Final synthesis paper

Students: Jasmin Gabela, Sanela Burzi, Lejla Pamuk

1. Introduction
2. Foundation of the optimal team - determining core values and behaviours
3. Team complexity - cultural diversities, technological influence, inner-team, hierarchical
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

and intra-team relationships

Building a trust in the team and conflict in the team
Knowledge management - Knowledge creation and Communication
Reward system within the team
Team dynamics and development
Adizes Concept
References

1. Introduction
This final paper consists of assignments, postings and feedback that we exchanged in the past 11 week
working through group dynamics where we gained deeper understanding of the principals of group
dynamics and its complexity, as well as team skills to create desired dynamics with premiere focus on
strategic plan for creating the optimal team environment from a knowledge creation and learning
perspective. We have been reflecting this topic trough Adizes methodology like PAEI, CAPI, MT & R.
Keywords: team, dynamics, team environment, decision making, knowledge

2. Foundation of the optimal team-determining core values and behaviours

Small community groups in organizations are called teams. There are formal and informal connections
within the teams, and there are those teams where exist formal and informal organizations. Formal
teams or groups are formed by managers in the organization and they are an integral part of the formal
organizational culture. Their main function is to achieve organizational goals. For the success of the
teams, it is necessary to assemble a team consisting team members having complementary values,
knowledge and skills. A very strong influence on the formation of teams has personality traits and
values of future team members. Values represent part of individual personality that guide and
influence ones exhibited behaviour, thus shaping and differentiating individual character from another
person. While building/creating team or group we tend to seek people that differs somewhat.
Complementary team is term that we have been using much during our studying of Adizes
Methodology and states that team should consists of team members with different personalities, styles
and different values as well. We as individuals within the team complement each other in order to

achieve common goal. The main goal is to build teams consisting members that are expressing
different values.
3. Team complexity - cultural diversities, technological influence, iner-team, hierarchical
and intra-team relationships
When talking about a team, a group we are talking about is a combination of people with different
styles, different personalities and different skills. As leaders we are facing difficulties while trying to
make those differences cohesive and compact. Facing a globalization as a phenomenon wildly spread,
leaders are facing even more complex task then before. Organizations increasingly depend on virtual
teams, in which interaction and collaboration takes place among globally, geographically distributed
and culturally disparate individuals. In todays world of accelerated changes and globalization,
communication by technical means is something that we regard as normal. One of the issues that, as
Levi (1) points out, might interfere in communication by technology is the individual knowledge that
somebody possesses regarding the same. Levi also suggests strongly, when creating the virtual teams,
if possible, to meet in person, since it can break the ice among the team members. Working in virtual
teams has been made possible through the availability of suitable electronic media. Technology is
important as the enabler of virtual teaming and the virtual team needs to make choices regarding the
efficacy of different media according to the contextual requirements.
Generally speaking, culture can be described as the way in which we operate, how we behave as
individuals and in groups. We can also see it as a set of common assumptions, beliefs, values, norms
and actions. We shape it with our experience from different situations which affects the way we see
and understand the world we live in. Existence of different cultures within a team is inevitable.
Whether these differences are small or big, it is certain that they influence team composition,
relationships among different team members and, ultimately, the way that team functions. The reason
for that is the fact that each team member brings his/her own personal cultural values into the team,
and these are, mostly, compatible with values of the team. In the event that some of cultural values
significantly deviate from values of the team, it is necessary to first define them, and then to find the
way to reduce their influence to a minimum. These differences arise from the fact that we are at the
same time members of several teams, professionally and privately. In these other teams, we also
encounter different cultures and we adjust to them. Bearing that in mind, first of all, everybody has
their own values they hold on to and expect other people to accept and respect them, the value of
mutual respect and adjustment is very important. That ability to adjust is what gives the team
complexity and quality.

4. Building a trust in the team and conflict in the team

We have to trust, respect and understand each other in order to effectively achieve common goal.
There are many reasons why virtual teams fail to succeed and fail to deliver results and it doesn't
depend on technology that they are using or misunderstanding of different cultures within the virtual
team. The reason for failure is ineffective communication. If a virtual team don't have proper
communication collaboration a lot of time will be wasted on long and useless discussions, endless
mails correspondence and extremely frustrating back and forth communication, which can be
confusing to team members and can create destructive conflicts. In the end team will lose its
cohesiveness, trust and respect.
5. Knowledge management-knowledge creation and Communication
Communication is the process by which a person or group sends some type of information to another
person or group. This definition highlights the three basic parts of a communication: sender, receiver
(or audience), and message. When it comes to virtual team importance of knowledge management is
increasing rapidly. As more and more companies use virtual teams to tackle projects it has become
crucial for employees to avoid reinventing the wheel every time a new problem arises. Accordingly,
gathering and sharing organization's knowledge for easy access has become big business: In 2007,
U.S. companies spent about US$73 billions on knowledge system initiatives. Knowledge management
is not only about storing documents, it is about increasing people skills and expertise thanks to
sharing. Knowledge is power and it makes individual grow mentally and emotionally. Knowledge
management plays a vital role in the upbrings of an organization, it is the capture of knowledge in
systematic way and organization is using it for progress. Knowledge can provide many competitive
advantages to the employee, team and organization. Knowledge management is a difficult task since
knowledge isn't measurable. Even small piece of knowledge will be helpful if used in the right way. In
order for organization and teams working within it, knowledge management is crucial.

6. Reward system within the team

Organizations would structure their reward system depending on how they perceive what motivates
their employees, which would include a combination of both content and process theories. For
example, management can introduce a bonus scheme which is related to individual performance. In
practice the employees would receive monetary compensation as a result for reaching their objectives
which will allow them to recognize that they have been rewarded for their high performance.
Combining both theories will ensure that employees are motivated and will create a sense of loyalty to
the organization with continuous feeling of engagement. Engagement is defined as an individuals
psychological bond to the organization including a sense of job involvement, loyalty and a belief in
the value of the organization. In addition, effective communication between the management and the

workforce, allows the employees to become more motivated to work hard and participate in helping
the organization reach organizational goals.

7. Team dynamics and development

Some workplaces take a team-based approach to development of a performance plan in circumstances
where there is a large team with a low staff to manager ratio. Alternatively, other workplaces may use
team plans in addition to their individual performance plans. In these cases, meaningful discussion
amongst the team, led by the manager or supervisor is still very important. If you are a manager or
supervisor and would like further guidance regarding performance planning with teams it is important
that everyone in the team knows what is expected of them, that they have a sense of ownership and
that they commit to achieving what has been agreed to in the team plan. Through training, team
members create a charter, improve their work processes, define roles and responsibilities, set goals,
learn how to work together, etc. Team development planning is taking a step back and creating the
conditions in which teams will thrive.
Development of a performance plan happens at the beginning of the performance cycle or on
commencement in a new role. Its an opportunity to set the scene and plan by discussing and agreeing:
outputs, projects and deliverables what you are going to do
conduct and behaviour how you are going to do it
knowledge and skills that you need to do on the job.

The more activities persons share, the more numerous will be their interactions and the stronger will
be their sentiments (how much the other persons are liked or disliked); the more interactions among
persons, the more will be their shared activities and sentiments; and the more sentiments persons have
for one another, the more will be their shared activities and interactions.This theory lends a great deal
to the understanding of group formation and process.The major element is interaction. Tapping the
intelligence, positive motivation and commitment of employees is the goal of employee
empowerment. A big part of this is implementing teams. It includes such actions as the following:
An effective and meaningful performance planning discussion should lead to a shared and agreed
understanding between a Manager/ Supervisor and the staff member or team about:
what needs to be done and achieved (main tasks, projects or deliverables)
how work will be done (what behaviour the staff member or team will use or develop while
they are at work i.e.: collaboration)
what support is required (skills and knowledge that need to be developed further so that the
staff member can achieve what they have agreed to in the plan and how these will be addressed)

 what good performance looks like (specific things we will see when its all going well i.e.:
consulting fully with colleagues and experts when writing a policy, an important deadline met,
fewer customer/ service user complaints on avoidable matters)
clarity on how and when further discussion about performance will happen (i.e.: we will
discuss what is going well or not going well at work as and when it happens and we will meet
again in six months to formally review the plan.
When developing a performance plan it is important that your description of what good performance
looks like is clear and specific. Doing this will provide a solid basis for feedback and assessing
performance.
8. Adizes Concept
Managing by results is mechanistic. It should be management for results and by the right process.
Managing by results is only focusing on the organizational output. No primary attention is given to the
means of achieving the goals. Marksmanship is a good example of paying attention to the means of
achieving a goal, which is to hit the bull's-eye. To hit the bull's-eye you must align the sights of your
gun with the target. The sights are the means by which you hit the target. You must focus on the sights
and accept the relative haziness of the target. Train your mind to focus on the means, in the direction
of the goal or the results you want to achieve. In the long run, we should focus on how to contribute to
the bigger system the organization belongs to. And that means we must focus on how to accomplish
the purpose for which the organization.
Roles: The (P)erforming role focuses on what to do now and is derived from why we do what we do.
The (E)ntrepreneuring role focuses on why we do something - the reason for our actions. It focuses on
satisfying our long-term need. But both in the short and long run whatever we do is a to manage
change and a decision has to be made and implemented. What are good decisions? Good decisions
make the organization effective and efficient in the short and long run. They make the organization
functional, systematized, proactive and organic in consciousness.
To be effective in the short run, the organization has to (P)rovide for clients' needs. The (P) role can
be measured by repeat sales. Efficiency in the short run means using the least amount of resources,
including managerial time, to accomplish something. For that the organization needs to be
(A)dministered, systematized, and organized. In order to do that, the organization needs discipline. For
effectiveness in the long run, the organization has to be (E)ntrepreneural, organization has to be
proactive. It has to imagine the future clients' needs and position itself to be able to satisfy those needs.
In order to do that, it has to be creative and willing to take risks. For efficiency in the long run, the
organization needs to be (I)ntegrated by creating a climate of cooperation between and among all
stakeholders to satisfy the needs of the clients. If all stakeholders cooperate and no one is

indispensable, the organization can be efficient in the long run. For that the organization has to identify
and be sensitive to the needs of all the stakeholders and clients, and design a system, a climate that
mutually satisfies those needs.
9. References
1. Adizes K. I., (2008) Upravljanje promjenama, Novi Sad, ASEE
2. Adizes K.I. (2008), Stilovi menadmenta, Novi Sad, ASEE
3. www.deloitte.com/view/en_LU/lu/services/consulting/knowledge-management
4. Levi, D. J. (2010). Group Dynamics for Teams (3rd edition), Thousand Oaks, California:
SAGE publications, Inc.
5. Nonaka I.(1991), The knowledge-creating company, Harvard business review
6. Nonaka, The knowledge-creating company, Harvard business review,
1991 http://www3.uma.pt/filipejmsousa/ge/Nonaka,%201991.pdf
7. Shoo A., Leaders and Their Teams, Learning to Improve Performance with Emotionall
Intelligence and Using Choice Theory, 2008
8. 2007.http://campus.adizesgraduateschool.org/ssf/s/readFile/folderEntry/20455/2c9086a34534
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9. Symons, J., & Stenzel, C. (2007). Virtually borderless: an examination of culture in virtual
teaming. Journal Of General Management
10. Sun, T. (2009). Performance To Learning Systems for Executives. Capella University
11. Sun, T., (2007), Knowledge Creation Spiral
12. Sun, T., Knowledge Creation Spiral, Susman, G. I., Gray, B. L., Perry, J., & Blair, C.
E. (2003). Recognition and reconciliation of differences in interpretation of misalignments
when collaborative technologies are introduced into new product development teams. Journal
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13. www.strategy-business.com/article/re00137?gko=e607e
14. Tanghe, J., Wisse, B., & van der Flier, H. (2010). The Formation of Group Affect and Team
Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Identification. British Journal Of Management, 21(2),
340-358. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2009.00656.x
15. Weimann, P., Hinz, C., Scott, E., & Pollock, M. (2010). Changing the Communication Culture
of Distributed Teams in a World Where Communication is Neither Perfect nor Complete.
Electronic Journal Of Information Systems Evaluation
16. Virtual Teams and Group Collaboration Technologies:Challenges in Supporting Distributes
Groups, C. Steinfield Michigan State University