Organizational Behavioral Trends

Groups and Teams Paper

Sharon Dockery

MGT/331 Organizational Behavior

University of Phoenix

Donald Duvall

July 29,2006

Abstract

This group and team paper contains the essentials for the establishment of a high-performance team. First, the foundation of this paper consists of the explanation on how to become a high-performance team. Second, the definition and the impact of demographic characteristics and cultural diversity on group behavior are implemented in the paper. Description of how the affects of demographic characteristics and cultural diversity can enhance or divert high-performance. The five stages of group development such as forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning are explained in this group and team paper.

Groups and Teams Paper

A group of people can become a high-performance team by achieving accomplishments with self-gratification. These small groups of people may consist of diverse races, cultures, genders, ethics, religions, personality traits, and behaviors. Team members can successfully collaborate their skills to accomplish a common goal or task High-performance teams have core values; clear performance objectives; the right mix of skills; and diverse creativity (Hunt, J., Osborn, R., Schermerhorn, J., 2005).

Open systems, group input factors, group dynamics, and inter-group dynamics are some sources that can help a group to become a high-performance team. These high-performance teams can achieve a more effective and efficient productivity when they collaborate in an open system. This system allows all members to add their creativity to the team. Creativity generates unique and novel responses to problems and opportunities (Hunt, J., Osborn, R., Schermerhorn, J., 2005). The group input factors are the brainstorming ideas of the team members to accomplish and perfect the task. The group dynamics are the successful ways the members interact to get the task completed. Inter-group dynamics is the energy and skills within each individual that helps the team to function as a group.

There can be some weakness in working as a team such as inter-group competition; difficult interaction; diverse demographic; and lack of communication. When team members are competing with each other, productivity can decrease because they are not working together. Some of the members may have difficulties interacting or working together, which can cause conflict in the team setting. Confusion can hinder the progression of the teamwork. Diverse demographic can sometimes hinder a team from coming together but there are other ways such as communicating by telephone conference, Internet chat, and email. The lack of communication can cause interaction and conflict between team members, which can slow down the productivity of the assignments. Team building can help to improve group performance by evaluating the group performance and implementing suggestions of improvement. Team building can help team members to work together to manage team conflicts, problem solving, and difficult interaction. High value members have the tendency to be loyal to the group and conform to group norms.

The impact of demographic characteristics on group behavior can prevent team members from interacting, which can distract from high performance. Workforce diversity distinguishes individual characteristics from one another and people have the tendency to stereotype difference individual. Demographic characteristics such as ethnicity, gender, race, and age, help to develop an individual. These characteristics may serve as the basis of stereotypes that obscure individual differences; prevent people from getting to know others as individuals; and acutely assessing their performance potential (Hunt, J., Osborn, R., Schermerhorn, J., 2005). On the other hand, the impact of demographic characteristics can promote team members to interact, which can contribute to high performance. Some teams who are subjected to demographic characteristics can learn to respect each member's perspectives, and share the common organizational task.

The positive impact of cultural diversity on group behavior can contribute creativity to a high-performance team. Membership diversity offers a rich pool of