Impact of work groups or teams on effective and efficient performance

SYSTEMATIC METHOD OF ANALYSING TEAMS

i) Differentiate a group and a team

ii) Team working
iii) Theories of teams
iv) Managing team effectiveness

DIFFERENTIATE GROUPS AND TEAMS

The terms ‘team’ and ‘group’ are often used interchangeably.

However, these are the following differences.
Groups
•A group is a collection of individuals who share common characteristics.
Individuals will be members of numerous groups, both socially and professionally, and
each will have their own hierarchical form and leadership.
A group can also be defined as two or more individuals interacting and interdepending on each
other. Groups defined membership and have a sense of belonging Groups can be formal or
informal.

Differentiate formal and informal groups

Formal –they are included in the organisation chart to deliver certain tasks with defined roles
and responsibility

Informal-They come to be automatically e.g. through shared activity or specialism, they can be
cross functional
How to recognise a group (social networks)

 Spatial factors-close geographical proximity- People working in the same department

 Informal communication and interaction grapevines
 Shared technology –dependency on ICT system
 Organisation climate /culture encouraging collectivism, task culture
 Diversity
 People with same Perceptions and believes-ideology
 People protecting power –political groupings /cliques
 People desiring to be recognised
 People desiring companion and support
 Existence of an informal leader
 Hidden operating structure – informal process and procedure of working short cuts
 Specialism

Teams

A team is a group of people who will work together to achieve a common purpose.
A team, having been bought together to achieve a particular purpose, is likely to be smaller
than a group, made up of between four and six individual members.
They have complementary skills and committed to common purpose, work approach and goals
How to recognise a team

 A small group of carefully selected and approved by management

 Defined objectives and goals
 Formal way of working-tasks allocation
 Shared responsibility in carrying out tasks
 Focus of performance –targets
 Desire for accountability to management through established channels
 Shared leadership roles

Major differences between groups and teams

i) The way each is defined

ii) Membership groups are large

iii) Teams are bound shared purpose and performance goals

iv) Team members share cohesive characteristics

v) Groups are formed less formally

Weiss states that membership to groups or teams offer individuals social provisions or
opportunities to:

 Guidance
 Reassurance of worth –recognition
 Reliable alliance –get assistance
 Social interaction
 Emotional attachment

Conclusion: Therefore all teams are groups but not all groups are necessary teams

TEAMS IN PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY

i)Cross functional multi-skilled

ii)Hybrid teams-

 Clan: Centre Led Action Network. CLAN as a procurement strategy and organizational
structure for large organizations– the Centre Led Action Network.

It is a structure design approach for procurement based on a small procurement centre, setting
strategy and gathering information from the centre of the organisation.

But the main procurement operations are to be carried out in a devolved fashion around the
network of business units. Procurement staff report locally, but with a dotted line to a CPO.

Lead category management responsibility would be allocated out around the procurement staff
in the network, but with some guidance and lose control from the headquarters.
  Scan: Strategically Controlled Action SCAN looks at a structure with geographically
devolved loose networks of procurement professionals – but with those people reporting
to the CPO at home. More direct control could then be exerted over key activities
 Business partnering procurement professional is seconded to a major project to manage
expenditure
 Consortium – when organisations with the same needs collaborate for their
mutual benefit
 Interconnected groups-subcontracted workers who work from home

iii)VIRTUAL TEAMS (OR REMOTE WORKING GROUPS)

 A Virtual Team – also known as a Geographically Dispersed Team (GDT) – is a group

of individuals who work across time, space, and organizational boundaries with links
strengthened by webs of communication technology.
 This has increased as advances in technology, such as the cloud, e-sharing,
asynchronous messaging or synchronous online meetings have transformed the
workplace where the team members are
• Are able to work closely together on task objectives despite being separated by
geography and time zones.
• Are able to share expert knowledge, specialist skills and capability from across the
organization by using virtual systems.
• achieve greater levels of ‘satisfaction, idea generation and customer service’.
 The above Enables organisations to utilise their worldwide workforce to operate around
the clock, creating a capacity to respond to customers wherever they are.

 Drawbacks of remote working can lead to the following.

• Poor performance management

• Information exchange insecurity

• Timeliness issues caused by operating across time zones.

Interpersonal issues such as group mistrust, miscommunication, lack of cohesiveness and

detachment from team goals.

iv)SELF-MANAGED TEAMS

This consist of individuals who are in depend and want freedom, with the following
characteristics

 Skills and knowledge

 Interdependence
 Consensus building
 Shared responsibility and accountability
 Shared leadership roles

Benefits of self-managed teams

 Utilise technical knowledge and skills

 Appreciate the role of everybody as leaders
 Speed in information flow

HOW TO APPLY VIRTUAL TEAM WORKING

 Utilise ICT to communicate

 Appreciate of diversity knowledge and skills
 Appreciate other culture
 Encourage trust, task dependency and social attraction

EFFECTIVE TEAM WORKING

BASIC ISSUES RELATED TO TEAM WORKING

  Team work
 Values norms and Social behaviour
 Productivity

i) Team working

How to identify Team working

 There is Right composition of team members

 The teams have norms
 Holist view of impact of tasks
 Sharing roles/tasks
 Absence of conflicts and disputes
 Assessment of what is done
 Positive outcomes or results
 Sharing of leadership roles
 Self-managing

Benefits of team working

 Avoidance of conflict
 Team cohesion
 Efficiency and effectiveness in performance
 Innovativeness and creativity
 Rewards from the management

ii)TEAM VALUES AND BEHAVIOR NORMS

Definition

Values are general guidelines, while norms are specific guidelines. Values are general
standards, which decide what is good and what is bad. As defined by the code.
Norms are rules and expectations that specify how people should and should not behave in
various social situations. Example,

 Respect for each other,

 Helping others
 Avoiding discrimination and promoting Equity
 Transparency
 Loyalty

Characteristics of group norms

 Guides group behaviour

 Easily acceptable by the group
 Important to every body
 Promotes tolerance
 Facilitate the group

PURPOSE OF GROUP NORMS

Define the nature of the group – by expressing the central values of the group,
group norms provide members with clarity about the nature of the group they are
part of.

• Make behaviour predictable – group norms simplify expectations in respect to the

behaviour of group members and therefore improve group functioning.

• Avoid embarrassing situations – by outlining rules of engagement, individual

members can avoid embarrassment by avoiding particular situations that could
upset other members of the group.
• Ensure group survival – the acceptance of agreed group rewards for compliance or
punishment for non-compliance, results in threats to group existence being
resolved and tolerance of deviant behaviour that is non-threatening.

They Influence social behaviour .e.g

 Expressly state required behvaiors-puntuality, personal conduct

  Emergency behaviour-changing with emerging situations

Ensure conformity to norms

 Compliance
 Personal commitment and acceptance

iii)Measure Productivity-

 Quantative factors
 Qualitative factors

THEORIES OF TEAMS WORKING

Team Development

 Tuckman and Jensen theory-stages in team development

 Katzenbach and Smith curve – development - performance and effectiveness
 Champoux 2006 theory-concept of group socialisation

Team Performance

 Belbin team roles -9 different team roles

 Maccan team management wheel -8 team roles

TUCKMAN AND JENSEN

Analyse stages of team development

Team development does not occur within a vacuum, and managers should be aware
of external influences, such as organisational change, that can disrupt the progress of
team development or affect the team’s performance. Tuckman and Jensen model recognises that
in contemporary organisations, teams and groups evolve in
their interaction and behaviours over a period of time.
Management’s aim is to get the team to the ‘performing’ stage as quickly as possible

Tuckman and Jensen developed the model of team development in 1977.

Identifies five key phases of group development
• Forming – members develop a structure and roles. Individuals are on their best
behaviour.
• Storming – period of potential conflict as a result of individual members testing
boundaries and determining preferred ways of working.
• Norming – codes of conduct and norms of accepted group behaviour have been
established and the team starts working together as a group.
• Performing – group members begin to work together effectively in purposeful
endeavour, with a focus on performance outcomes and goal achievement.
• Adjourning – the period in which a group disbands, due to the completion of a
project task, group members leaving voluntarily, team restructures, or
redundancy.

KATZENBACH AND SMITH

Link stage and performance

Provides information which can guide on identification of a team stage

Working group has no common purpose but there is information-sharing

• Pseudo team – operates as a team even if it does not perform as a team
• Potential team – moving towards a common purpose, and performance levels rise
• Real team – a shared purpose begins to emerge and, in groups where individual
team members’ skills are complementary, accountability for team results begins to
be shared
• High-performance teams – work together to achieve the shared goal, individual
members demonstrate commitment towards building healthy social relationships
with other group members and developing their skills to complement the team.
The effectiveness of the team falls as the team moves from working group to
pseudo-team stage, but then increases as it moves through the other phases

CHAMPOUX 2006 THEORY

Phases of work group socialisation

1. Anticipation-opinions about work roles and relationships, anxiety on conformity to

norms
2. Encounter-process of acceptance or rejection, learning roles and tasks
3. Adjustment-successfully fit into each other

BELBIN TEAM ROLES

Identified direct from the case study

 THE NINE BELBIN TEAM ROLES

Strengths/ how
Team Role Description Weaknesses
they operate

Uses their inquisitive nature to Might be over-

find ideas to bring back to the optimistic, and can lose
Outgoing, enthusiastic.
team Helps the team to gel, using interest once the initial
Resource Explores opportunities
their versatility to identify the enthusiasm has passed.
Investigator and develops contacts.
work required and complete it on
Nb:they might forget
behalf of the team.
to follow up

Can be indecisive in
crunch situations and
Helps the team to gel, using their Co-operative, tends to avoid
versatility to identify the work perceptive and confrontation.
Team worker
required and complete it on behalf diplomatic. Listens and
Nb:they might be
of the team. averts friction.
hesitant to make
unpopular decision

Co-ordinator Needed to focus on the team’s Mature, confident, Can be seen as

objectives, draw out team identifies talent. manipulative and might
members and delegate work offload their own share
 THE NINE BELBIN TEAM ROLES

Strengths/ how
Team Role Description Weaknesses
they operate

of the work-

Nb:they might over

appropriately. Clarifies goals. delegate finding
themselves with little
to do

Might ignore
incidentals, and may be
Creative, imaginative, too preoccupied to
Tends to be highly creative and free-thinking, communicate
Plant good as solving problems in generates ideas and effectively.
unconventional ways. solves difficult
problems. Nb:they could be
forgetful and absent
minded

Monitor Provides a logical eye, making Sober, strategic and Sometimes lacks the
Evaluator impartial judgements where discerning. Sees all drive and ability to
required and weighs up the team’s options and judges inspire others and can
options in a dispassionate way. accurately. be overly critical.
 THE NINE BELBIN TEAM ROLES

Strengths/ how
Team Role Description Weaknesses
they operate

Nb:They could be
slow to come to a
decision

Tends to contribute on
a narrow front and can
Single-minded, self- dwell on the
Brings in-depth knowledge of a starting and dedicated. technicalities.
Specialist
key area to the team. They provide specialist
knowledge and skills. Nb:they overload
themselves with
information

Can be prone to
Challenging, dynamic, provocation, and may
Provides the necessary drive to
thrives on pressure. sometimes offend
ensure that the team keeps moving
Shaper Has the drive and people’s feelings
and does not lose focus or
courage to overcome
momentum.
obstacles. Nb: they may be
overaggressive

Implementer Needed to plan a workable Practical, reliable, Can be a bit inflexible

 THE NINE BELBIN TEAM ROLES

Strengths/ how
Team Role Description Weaknesses
they operate

and slow to respond to

efficient. Turns ideas new possibilities
strategy and carry it out as into actions and
efficiently as possible. organizes work that Nb: .can abandon place

needs to be done. in place of positive

changes.

Can be inclined to
Most effectively used at the end worry unduly, and
Painstaking,
of tasks to polish and scrutinise
Completer conscientious, anxious. reluctant to delegate.
the work for errors, subjecting it
Finisher Searches out errors.
to the highest standards of quality Nb:can be accused of
Polishes and perfects.
control. taking performance to
extremes

MACCAN TEAM MANAGEMENT WHEEL

The Team Management Wheel describes the eight different roles that people like to adopt when
working in a team, the eight work functions teams must perform in order to be successful and the
Linking Skills required to coordinate and lead a team.

1. Report Adviser: Gathering, uses and reporting information-behaviour- controls

2. Creator Innovator- generates and Creates and experiments with ideas-behaviour-researches.

3. Explorer/ promoter -Exploring and presenting opportunities –behaviour researches

4. Assessor Developer -Assessing and testing the applicability of new approaches- behaviour
researches
5. Thruster –Organiser-Establishing and implementing ways of making things work-planning
and organising

6. Concluder Producer-Concluding and delivering outputs-production

7. Inspector controller -Controlling and auditing the working of systems-advisory

8. Upholder Maintaining-Upholding and safeguarding standards and processes-eye on details

MANGING TEAMS EFFECTIVENES

Type of questions

 Explain the characteristics of effective teams

Or

 Explain how the manager can improve effectiveness of the teams

Or

 Evaluate the effectiveness of the team

QUESTION :EXPLAIN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEAMS

This question can be answered in two ways depending on how it is asked

General Characteristics of effective teams

Look for general feature or quantative and qualitative factors

I) GENERAL FEATURES
A group of individuals will not naturally develop into an effective team without planning
and intervention from leadership. The characteristics of effective teams include the following.
• Relatively small size to enable cohesion
• Complementary roles that enable team members to share common objectives
• A common purpose that provides the team with the focus needed to achieve the
end goal
• Interdependency
• Collective responsibility
• Collective accountability
• A sense of membership and responsibility
• Accountability
• Effective conflict resolution

ii) QUANTITIVE AND QUALITATIVE FACTORS

QUANTATIVE

 High output
 Low labour turnover
 Low error rates and wastages
 Achievement of specific targets
 Infrequent disruptions

QUALITATIVE FACTORS

 Clear understanding of goals

 Clear understanding of work roles
 Involvement in decision making
 Willingness to take on challenges

High level of trust among members

EXPLAIN HOW A MANAGER CAN IMPROVE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TEAMS

From the information given identify symptoms of problems (signs of poor functioning teams)

 Poor group norms

 Conflicts within the group
 Unhealthy competition
 Low motivation
 Lateness
 High turnover
 High error rates
 Lack of commitment
 Low output

How to improve Team effectiveness

 Solving these problems and satisfaction of the team members

 Define goals clearly
 Agree on roles and responsibility
 Enhance open communication
 Create a cooperative atmosphere based on trust
 Create opportunities for learning and improving
 Manage conflicts
 Reward praise recognise
 Use leadership style suitable to situations-

EXPLAIN HOW TEAM EFFECTIVENESS CAN BE IMPROVE THROUGH

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

From the information given identify symptoms of problems (signs of poor functioning teams)

 Poor group norms

 Conflicts within the group
 Unhealthy competition
 Low motivation
 Lateness
  High turnover
 High error rates
 Lack of commitment
 Low output

PROPOSE USE OF KEY INTERPERSONAL SKILLS TO IMPROVE TEAM

EFFECTIVENESS

 Build good relations within the team to ensure collaboration and cooperation
 Improve communication to ensure information is shared
 Encourage use of negotiation through reasoned arguments to develop alternatives
 Encourage use of analyses and evaluation when solving problems
 Ensure factual decisions are made where team members collaborate in data collection and
critical thinking

EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVE TEAMS OF TEAMS IN A PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY

FUNCTION

ASSESS CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEAMS

a) Identify signs of problems

b) Identify signs of effective teams (quantative and qualitative factors)

c) Answer to A above..Propose an approach to improve the team effectiveness

Hackman and Morris inputs-processes-outcomes/output framework

The input–process–output (IPO) model of teams provides a framework for conceptualizing teams
that suggests that many factors influence a team's productivity and cohesiveness.

It "provides a way to understand how teams perform, and how to maximize their performance"

This can by comparing team present circumstances, the process they are using and the results

a) Team inputs – how the present team looks like in terms of

 Team size,
  Skills
 Knowledge,
 Team composition,
 Availability of resources.
 Physical working condition
 Personality traits,
 Relationships
 b)Team processes – the different ways that the team operates in order to achieve its
outcomes.
 Planning
 Procedures
 Controls
 Enhancing commitment
 Communication
 Conflict management
 Information sharing

c) Team outcomes or output identify how the team is presently performing

 Measured by achievement of
 Quantity
 Quality
 Targets
 Team satisfaction

NB:

Managing team conflict

ANALYSE NATURE OF ROLE OF RELATIONSHIPS IN WORK GROUPS AND TEAMS

The context in which relationships aspects in team and individual is explained in this learning
outcome is in three ways
  ROLE
 STAKEHOLDER
 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

ROLE CONGRUENCE

EXPLAIN THE CONCEPTS OF ROLE INCONGRUENCE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND

TEAMS

The aim of this section is to analyse conflicts arising when teams work together and how it can
be managed .one of the key management approaches is to develop and maintain cooperative
working ,

What is a work role?

This is the part one plays by the virtual of occupying a particular position

What is role congruence?

The word congruence means two things are similar or fit together well or are compatibility. In
organisations this can be explained in three ways

 Role congruence is the perception of the individual ’s roles and responsibilities as

compared with the position held within an organisation

 Role congruence is the perception of Team roles and responsibilities compared to their
expectations from the organisation

 Role congruence is comparison between the Position of a manager and the expectations
of different stakeholders regarding that position.

What is a role relationship?

Role relationships
This is explained in terms of relations within groups carrying out certain tasks together. Or the
relationships among functions working together .This is determined by management when
assigning roles

What are social relationships?

Social relationships: These exist informally among individuals working together as a group.
They impact each other positively by defining what is acceptable and not acceptable .This
automatically comes into existence when individuals work together.

What is the influence of work and role relationships?

 The self-concept and roles

This is defined as ideas we have about who we are—physically, emotionally, socially, it is the
totality of individual’s thoughts and feelings having reference to [Link] consist of
our beliefs our personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values, goals, and roles. It
enables Individuals understand their roles and if they match with their totality of thoughts or
perceptions. Self-concept can be explained in three ways

Ideal self or how you wish you could be in ideal state

Self-image or how you see yourself.

Self-esteem or how much you value yourself

Nb: if there is inconsistency between individual self-image and ideal self then then self-esteem is
affected .This affects the way individuals do their roles and relate with each other.

If there is a mismatch then there is a situation of role incongruence.

HOW A MANAGER ISSUES ARISING FROM ROLE INCONGRUENCE FOR

INDIVIDUALS AND TEAMS

a) Find out the cause of role incongruence by focusing on

i) Individuals factors

 Focus on specific individuals –roles are not matched properly by the manager
  is it due to poor individual poor self-concept

ii) Teams team factors

 Imbalance between responsivity and authority

 Inability of individual to comply with defined team norms
 Lack of communication of the expectations
 Low expectations in terms of reward
 Is It role overload

iii) The Manager and stakeholders factors

 The inability of the manager to understand different stakeholders needs

 Inability of the manager to manage perceptions and expectations of different stakeholders
 Inability of the manager to understand the nature of their authority in a given situation-
line direct flow authority, staff specialised authority

Proposal suitable intervention by the manager

i) Apply Belbin /MCcan roles theory –refer previous notes

ii) Apply implicit self-theory

ii) Creating suitable group environment

Application of implicit self-theory

Implicit or self-theories categorises individuals based on

STABILITY AND CHANGEABILITY of personal attributes.

It is divided into two:

  Entity theory-states that individuals believe there intelligence is fixed and
unchangeable .individual with this type of theory believe that assigned roles are difficult
and beyond their control. The manager can guided and control through instructions
 Incremental theory –individual believe there level of intelligence can changed and
improved. Such people are changeable .The manager can encourage them to recognise
their strengths by exposing them to challenges. They should also be encouraged to rotate
roles with other team members

Conclusion

Rogers states as follows in regard to role congruence and self-theory

• Individuals are motivated to self-actualise and will seek out personal development
and growth opportunities to achieve their potential if conditions are right.
• If the organisation or group environment is destructive, negative or constraining
then individuals will experience a poor self-concept and feel devalued, leading to a
state of incongruence.
• Self-actualisation occurs when an individual is in a state of congruence.
• If there is an inconsistency between an individual’s self-image and their ideal self,
then their self-esteem will be affected
• However, if there is consistency between the self and role experience, then an
individual will be in a state of congruence.

Creating suitable group environment

Factors that determine group environment

The group environment can be improved as follows:

 Encourage openness and self-disclosure with the group –GENUINESS

 Encourage team member to accept each other-ACCEPTANCE
 Encourage team members to understand and listen to each other-EMPATHY

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
Stakeholders-anyone or any group that has an interest in the operations of the organisation or the
outcome of its activity. They can have a significant impact on the performance and sustainability
of the strategic plans of the procurement and supply function.
The development of the procurement and supply function will be shaped by the level of
understanding that a manager has regarding key stakeholders.
Managers of the procurement and supply function need to build collaborative
relationships in order to enhance stakeholder engagement, and this requires an
integrated and proactive approach to ensure that stakeholder support is gained and
sustained
Factors contributing to the importance of stakeholder management in procurement and supply

Procurement staff have power to through position, specialist knowledge and skills

Increasing focus on procurement and organisation customers

Some stakeholders have strategic resources

Projects such as product development, process design, are implemented by teams

Laws and regulations keep on changing

Supply chain integrations with very long supply chains

Some stakeholders have the ability to influence quality, value addition, cost and pricing

The need to align procurement function with organisation objectives

Procurement managers have role culture with the structure with the ability to provide leadership
in the supply chain and influence colleagues

How to answer a question on stakeholder management

 Identify a procurement and supply chain operation,plan,project,strategy

 Identify particular groups of stakeholder-four directions
 Identify stakeholder interests and influence –depending on who they are ,what they do
and their contributions to the procurement function operation,plan,project and strategy
 Use stakeholder management tools to engage them (Lewis +(Mendelow JSW)
Identify Procurement or organisation operation

Designing an e-procurement system, outsourcing

Identify different procurement stake holder Groups

 Participating staff and groups

 Users of purchased inputs
 Suppliers and contractors
 Supply chain partners
 The top management
 Heads of other department

Factors considered in Stakeholder influence and interest:

With the information provided try to find out the following:

 Who is affected directly and indirectly by the organisation’s actions?

• Who has power to influence the organisation’s decisions?
• Who would be concerned if the project or organisation succeeded or failed?
• Who has a personal interest in the project or organisation?
• Who will benefit through success of the project or organisation?
• Who could help solve problems?
• Who sets the regulations that must be adhered to?
• Who carries out related actions?

Propose a method of engaging stake holders

  Lewis 2011 stakeholder roles
 Mendelow stakeholder mapping
 Johnson and scholes –relationship strategies

LEWIS 2011 STAKEHOLDER ROLES

The success of procurement activity will be influenced by procurement manager’s level of

understanding of the interdependency of procurement and other function in the delivery of
procurement projects .To this extent Lewis identifies four key stakeholder roles

Connectors-providing support- tangible resources, knowledge and skills –suppliers and team
members

Opinion leader-influencing others-strategic groups such as technical manager, finance manager

Journalists-gathering information and reporting-project manager who report on project

progression

Counsellors-providing psychological support-where there i

MENDELOW STAKEHOLDER MAPPING

Minimum effort: in the context the information provided those levels of resistance to
procurement plans, and strategies low power low interest groups

Keep informed: in the context of the information provided those look forward to the success of
procurement plans or strategies for their own survivor although they can influence anything
unless they form coalitions to put a case for their interests

Keep satisfied: not active in day to day procurement activities but a key influencers because their
control of resources and decision making

Manage closely: They oppose or enforce changes e.g. the technical managerial and specialists
JOHNSON AND SCHOLES STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES

Johnson and Scholes adapted Mendelow matrix and tried to explain types of relationships to
engage with different stakeholders

Keep satisfied-high power high interest –keep updating on the project and reassure them, can
provide project reports regularly

Manage closely-hold regular meetings and ensure the project objectives are met on time

Keep informed –keep them close, show consideration when decisions are being made

Minimum effort: spend little effort and time

EXPLAIN AN APPROACH TO MANAGING CONFLICTS AMONG TEAMS

Identify types of conflict behaviour from the information provided

Categorise conflict behaviour into intra and inter

Propose conflict management approach

What are group conflicts?

Conflict can be defined as antagonistic interactions in which one party tries to block the actions
or decisions of another party. Team conflict may arise from work related activities or from
relationships among the team members

What is conflict behaviour?

These are observable symptoms of conflict with a team .Conflict behaviour must be identified
from the information provided in two ways:

 General symptoms
 Robbin specific sources of conflict
 Pinkely conflict frames

GENERAL SYMPTOMS

 Interpersonal issues such as Rivalry, jealousy personality clashes,

 Inflexible attitude by some group members towards change towards adopting new ways
 Hostility and unhealthy competition for scarce resources
 Lack of hygiene factors
 Disagreement over of goals
 Misunderstandings due to poor communication
 Disagreement Trade union representatives and management
 Status and prestige some managers are more important than others –procurement and
finance
 Formal and informal conflicts-employees want to use short cuts management want forma
channels to be followed.
 Political conflict some departmental heads exercise power to influence things

ROBBIN SPECIFIC SOURCES OF CONFLICT

1. Structure of the team-size, the team may be too large and conflicts may happen because
of ambiguity of responsibilities and accountabilities
2. Personal factors-incompatibility of personality types, values and believes
 3. Poor communication-information overload, under load and use of poor channels

CLASSIFICATION OF CONFLICT

Intra

Inter

INTRA –GROUP CONFLICT (WRITTEN IN RED)

Intragroup conflict (or infighting) refers to conflict between two or more members of the same
group or team.

INTERGROUP CONFLICTS (WRITTEN IN BLUE)

Intergroup conflict refers to disagreements that occur between two or more different groups.

OUTCOME OF CONFLICTS (NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE)

 Negative
 Positive
 Pinkly dimensions

Negative

This means that conflicts are destructive and non-value adding negative conflicts lead to the
following outcomes

 Stress and anxiety

 Decreased productivity
 Decreased morale
 Mistrusts
 Reduced cooperation
 Work disruptions

Positive

This means conflicts part of social relationships and may lead to better performance when they
occur. Manager can encourage positive conflicts in order increase self-evaluation and creativity
and avoidance of too much harmony leading to complacency .Positive conflicts will lead to the
following outcomes

 Better decisions because of ideas generated through arguments

 Creativity of new ideas and new solutions
 Transparency of information given by individual
 Team learning
 Avoidance of assumptions

PINKELY THREE DIMENSIONS

There three ways which can be used to examine conflict situations?

1. Conflict and its effect on relationships and output

2. Conflicts as express through behavior of people e.g. anger

3. Conflict benefiting a situation

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT APPROACHES

 Thomas Kilman five styles of conflict management

 Stein theory of internal cohesion

THOMAS KILMAN FIVE STYLES OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Competition-use of power, authority or threat

Collaboration –encourage joint problem solving

Avoidance-withdraw or suppress a situation, take a break for some time before visiting the issues
to cool off

Compromise-parties together find a way out

Accommodation: self-sacrificing
STEIN THEORY OF INTERNAL COHESION

Improving team cohesion can be done by creating awareness to the team members regarding the
following;

If conflicts arise they affect everybody

That the team leader can use authority reduce conflicts

That team cohesion will enable the team achieve its goals