Team and group effectiveness

One challenge that often faces managers is the variable performance of teams – why is it that some teams seem to work very effectively whereas others have huge conflicts and problems within them? This section will look at the way teams work and the behaviours that can contribute to their success or failure. An understanding of these areas can help you to evaluate your own team performance and identify any necessary changes.

A frequent challenge for managers is the tension between rational aspects of a task, such as planning and coordinating activities, and those aspects that go beyond the purely rational into more psychological, subjective and, therefore, emotive aspects, such as creative team spirit. This tension is particularly important in considering the development of groups and teams. A team will usually have been formed to undertake a specific task, but its success in this may depend on the interpersonal dynamics within the team. Therefore, the job of developing a team and managing its dynamics requires as much attention as managing the more overt and rational aspects of the task.

While groups and teams can be extremely effective ways of organising work, the same features that make them effective can sometimes result in ‘pathologies’ – ways in which they can be seriously ineffective. In Activity 5 you will look at some ways of making groups and teams more effective and also at some of the ways in which they can be ineffective. You will also look at some challenges for groups and teams, in particular working across organisational boundaries in virtual and international settings.