One of the primary structural elements Essays

One of the primary structural elements Essays One of the primary structural elements Essay One of the primary structural elements Essay One of the primary structural elements of groups is the fact that members tend to play specific roles in group interaction. A role can be defined as the typical behaviours that characterize a person in a social context (R.Baron and J.Greenberg 1990). An understanding of roles can help to determine why group members will show a consistent preference for certain behaviours and not for others. As a group deals with its problems, individuals begin to behave in certain ways taking on different roles within the group. Some may contribute to the welfare and progress; others may add little or nothing to its success. Meredith Belbin developed a useful framework for understanding roles within a group or team.He produced a self-report questionnaire and distinguished nine team roles which people with certain characteristics will fit, limiting the likelihood that they will be successful in other roles. Belbins team-role theory is extensively used as a counselling and team development tool by organisations and management consultancies in the UK as stated in The Journal of Management Development. The study tested Belbins proposal that teams in which a wide range of team-roles are represented perform better than those when there is an imbalance of roles as certain roles are over-presented. Results showed that a mixed group consisting of one co-ordinator, one plant, a completer finisher and a team worker performed better than teams consisting of shapers alone.On the other hand, Belbins team-role theory is not without its critics. The Journal of Management development states that most teams have no set roles and that every member often takes the roles of others. Conflict is also an issue that needs to be considered as it can have dramatic effects on group behaviour. Due to the different roles that members play within groups, conflict can arise under certain conditions and can cause frustration and added pressure upon certain members. Conflict can be positive as constructive disagreements between members can lead to better group outcomes. However, conflict can also be destructive and dysfunctional.Group norms are acceptable standards of behaviour within a group that are shared by the groups members (Stephen.P.Robbins, 2001). Each group will establish its own set of norms. For example, group norms may determine who to communicate with, how hard to work etc. When agreed to and accepted by the group, norms act as a means of influencing the behaviour of group members, thus need to be taken into account when finding out why groups behave in a certain way.Today, groups make many of the decisions in organisations. An advantage to this is a greater amount of information and experience can be gathered than an individual alone can gather. However there are many disadvantages. Working in groups may lead to certain members thinking they can free ride and not contribute to decisions. Traits such as shyness can affect certain people from offering opinions, as can loud, dominant people, leading to a lack of group action.One of the major problems facing organisations today is groupthink, a process discovered by Irving Lester Janis (1941). This is when group members develop a strong spirit and become so concerned with not disrupting the like-mindedness of the group, they are reluctant to challenge the groups decisions. This process that occurs can be damaging to organisations. The International Journal of Corporate Communications states two cases of possible groupthink at British Airways and Marks Spencer causing blocked management communications and leading to the fall in reputation and stock market valuation of these two companies.In conclusion, all of the above factors are what I would consider when assessing the behaviour of groups within a commercial or industrial setting. Managers should note that groups existing within their organisation, whether formal or informal, can be utilised at all levels, despite downfalls that can occur such as conflict, stress etc. However, it is the consideration of these behaviour changing elements and the balancing of the positive and negative factors that can produce a great team in the long run, thus enabling them to be more productive within the work place.List of ReferencesA.Huczynski and D.Buchanan, 2001, Organisational Behaviour An Introductory Text, 4th Ed, UK, Prentice Hall R A Baron and J Greenberg, 1990, Behaviour in Organisations: Understanding and Managing the human side of work, 3rd Ed, USA S P Robbins, 2000, Essentials of Organisational Behaviour, 6th Ed, UK, Prentice Hall