Managing Teams and Groups

It is vital for a manager to consider various ways of managing groups and teams because of diversity in the organization (Kozlowski & Bell, 2003). This report gives a detailed discussion of various approaches for managing groups and teams in an organization, the difference between teams and groups, team-thinking and group thinking as well as the process of evolving a group into a team. Methods of Managing Groups and Teams According to Thompson and Thompson (2008), an open door policy is among the best approaches that managers can put in place to attend to the diverse needs of groups and team in the organization. It implies the availability of a manager to freely interact with the teams and groups to discuss the issues affecting the members of the team or group.

It is essential for the managers to maintain an effective communication allowing the team and group leaders to share the grievances and opinions from team or group members. Another important approach for managers to consider equality among the members of the team and groups. As such, it is essential to avoid picking out some members as the favorites. It is critical to show neutrality when dealing with team members. It is stimulating to treat all individuals in the organization in the same manner and make everyone feel special in some way. Taking some team/group members as favorites may lead to negative perception which may be associated with biases. Ideally, group members focus on individual goals while team members focus on collective goals.

A team has more advantages over groups including more frequent communication, high synergy and collaboration and also the similarity of objectives among the team members. The manager also needs to understand the difference between teamthink and groupthink. Teamthink is described as collective thinking resulting from individuals who care about each other and focus on making the best decision for each team member and their leaders. On the other hand, groupthink is a thinking approach that individuals engage in when concurrence-seeking is dominant in a cohesive group to an extent it overrides realistic appraisal of an alternative course of action (Wilcox, 2010). It is vital because it allows the manager to take corrective measures to ensure every group activities happens as expected. Additionally, it is important for the manager to encourage the team members to organize the team and distribute roles between the team members to practice performing duties with minimal supervision of the manager.

It is imperative to note; teams exist with the aim of making work easier for both the team member and the manager through collaboration (Franz, 2010). The final step involves celebrating the success of the team activities to motivate the team members to continue working in unison. It is important to incorporate organizational culture in forming the teams because culture defines can help define how individuals will interact in the organization. In executing the leadership roles, it is also critical for the manager to consider involving the team members to promote collaborative operations between different members of a team. References Eagly, A. H. , & Chin, J. L. Work groups and teams in organizations. Handbook of psychology, 333-375. Rosenthal, C. The Differences Between Groups and Teams.