Groups and Teams

Essay by bhammockUniversity, Bachelor'sA, March 2010

download word file, 4 pages 5.0

Running head: GROUPS AND TEAMS 1 GROUPS AND TEAMS � PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT �5�

Groups and Teams

Brian Hammock

University of Phoenix

MGT 307

March 11, 2010

Carol Solinger

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Abstract

Groups/Teams are often times used interchangeable, there are some differences. According to Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn (2008, p. 170) "a group is a collection of two or more people who work with one another regularly to achieve common goals." On the contrary, Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn (2008, p. 192) define a team as "A small group of people with complementary skills who work actively together to achieve a common purpose for which they hold themselves collectively accountable." This paper, will discuss ways in how groups can become high-performance teams impact of demographic characteristics and cultural diversity on group behavior and how such diversity can contribute or detract from high-performance teams.

According to Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn (2008, p.

171) "An effective group is one that achieves high levels of task performance, member satisfaction, team viability, and offers a potential for synergy." Some benefits of effective groups include the ability to make better decisions, improved creativity and innovation, and ability increase commitments to action. According to University of Phoenix, Learning Team Toolkit (2009), "Groups typically pass through a series of stages as they grow and evolve into teams," These stages include forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

The first stage of group development is the forming stage. "Members are interested in getting to know each other and discovering what is considered acceptable behavior, in determining the real task of the group, and in defining group rules" (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2008, p. 175).

The next stage of group development is the storming stage. During this stage, group members may encounter feelings of frustration and tension leading to opposition.