Unit 4: Team dynamics

• Composition factors: abilities and skills mix, personality, diversity, size (often 5–9 members), member preferences.

A group is two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who come together to achieve particular objectives. Group dynamics studies the forces operating within groups.

• Formal groups: command groups (manager and subordinates) and task groups.
• Informal groups: interest groups and friendship groups.

Theories of group formation

• Propinquity theory: people form groups because of physical proximity.
• Homans' theory: activities, interactions and sentiments are interrelated.
• Balance theory (Newcomb): people with similar attitudes are attracted to each other.
• Exchange theory: people join groups when rewards exceed costs.

• Team effectiveness model: context (resources, leadership, trust, rewards), composition, process (common purpose, specific goals, team efficacy, conflict levels, low social loafing).
• Motivating teams: meaningful shared goals, mutual accountability, team-based rewards, recognition, autonomy, feedback.
• Social loafing: individuals exert less effort in groups — reduce by making contributions identifiable, keeping teams small, setting clear roles.

• Task conflict (about work content) can improve decisions; relationship conflict usually harms performance; process conflict is about how work is done.
• Team leader's role: surface issues early, separate people from problems, encourage constructive debate, mediate, keep focus on goals.

• Risks: groupthink and group shift (risky or cautious shift); remedies — diverse members, open leadership, encouraging dissent.

FIRO-B (Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation–Behaviour, William Schutz, 1958) measures interpersonal needs in three areas, each with expressed and wanted behaviour.

• Use: understanding interpersonal compatibility, team building, leadership coaching.

The Johari window (Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, 1955) maps self-awareness and mutual understanding.

• Enlarge the open area through self-disclosure (reduces the hidden area) and seeking feedback (reduces the blind area) — improving trust and communication.

• Principled negotiation (Fisher and Ury): separate people from the problem, focus on interests not positions, invent options for mutual gain, insist on objective criteria.

• Compromising lies in the middle — each side gives something.
• Building collaboration: shared goals, trust, open communication, joint problem solving, recognising team success.