Business organisations

Task Introduction A group is collections of individuals who have a common goal are whose members know each other. Modern organizations depend on groups because individuals do not have all the skills and knowledge needed to accomplish any goal. The two main types of groups that may be found within an organization are formal and informal groups. Formal organizations are those formed for official purposes and mostly within the organization structure. Conversely, the informal groups comprise of individuals who come together as acquaintances or friends. The members come together due their common goals and it may not serve the organization if their goals are not integrated with the organizational goals. For any organization to achieve its goals, the formal and informal groups should be integrated to achieve the goals of the organization (Slater, 2010). Group Formation Formal organizational structures create formal groups that according to Hawthorne studies give members psychological attachment and help in motivation the members to develop a spirit of competition (Mullins, 1996). Organizations may become very effective when the goals of the sub-groups are integrated with those goals of the organizations so that group member may achieve their individual and group goals as they work towards the organizational goals. The formation stages include forming stage in which individuals meet for the first time, and each person’s personality may try to dominate others (Robbins, 2001). The members then get information about each other and then agree on how to interact within the group to reduced conflict. The group then goes through the stage of storming in which they brainstorm on what the group should achieve as objectives, select leaders and it may have some conflicts. They then move to norming stage in which procedures are agreed upon for running group activities. The group then moves to the performing stage in which performance of the group functions begins and members experience agreement, understanding and respect. A group may cease to exist at any stage depending on the goal for which it was formed (Drucker & Maciallero, 2008). Effective Teams A team is a formal group created authoritatively to achieve a specific goal. Successful groups are those that age able to achieve the purpose for which they were formed (Porter, 2004). Their characteristics include a clear sense of purpose shared by all members and members have a sentimental feeling. They members have strong psychological attachment to the group and they modify their behaviors to that of other group members. The members have common features which gives them strong attachment like age, attitude and backgrounds. The members also have good skills and abilities making them to complement each other, leading to respect. They also depend on each other for moral and functional support, which leads to group efficiency (Stimpson & Foden, 2008). A team may become less effective when factors prevailing include role conflict between members that make them to clash in the course of their duties. Personality clash may also exist making some members to hate each other. Poor leadership within the team may also lead to poor distribution of resources. To make teams more effective may require creating a reward structures that is fair to all team members so that mutual support is provided to all the members. The team spirit between members may lead to increased motivation by individuals to become effective in their roles and have effective communication and awareness about their activities (Ott, 1989). Technology and Organizations Large organizations may use technology to empower team members do their work better. The modern organizations have a variety of information technology and other technological tools that can be used by organization to make teams more effective (Hall, 2003). Technology may be used to improve information sharing between members of the ream so that their communication is more effective and their understanding of each other is better. Technology may also be used to make the work of team members easier by replacing manual with automated systems that are less labor intensive. The technology can also be used to increase the learning of the members and to make the multi-tuskers so that a small team is able to perform many roles at the same time (Cole, 2005). Drawbacks of technology to modern organizations The new technology may isolate member, and make supervision difficult. Members may resist the proposed technology if it does not accommodate their needs at work. This requires considering the prevailing attitude of employees before management introduces new ones. The technology may also fail when employees are not consulted before the new technology is adopted. This may create a sense of alienation and employees may resist the new technology regardless of its cost or benefit (Blau & Scott, 1962). Conclusion Modern business organizations cannot do without groups and teams and should recognize the formal and informal groups. The informal groups will form naturally based on the criteria that only members know. Formal organization will also exist within any organization therefore a good understanding of the processes that teams undergo during their formation are important. Management should therefore more from using groups, create effective teams, and create the conditions that may lead to the achievement of individual goals as they achieve the organizational goals. Management should also use modern technology to the advantage of the team that has been created to achieve organizational goal. List of references Blau, P. M., & Scott, W. R. 1962. Formal organizations: a comparative approach. San Francisco: Chandler Pub. Co. Business essentials (supporting HND/HNC and foundation degrees): management: leading people and professional development. 2010. London: BPP Learning Media. Cole, K. 2005. Management: theory and practice (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N. S. W.: Pearson. Drucker, P. F., & Maciariello, J. A. 2008. Management (Rev. ed.). New York, NY: Collins. Hall, A. 2003. Managing people. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Hicks, M. J. 2007. The local economic impact of Wal-Mart. Youngstown, N. Y.: Cambria Press. Management: communications and achieving results : course book : business essentials supporting HNC/HND and Foundation degrees.. 2010. S. l.: BPP Learning Media. Mullins, L. J. 1996. Management and organizational behaviour (4th ed.). London: Pitman. Ott, J. S. 1989. Classic readings in organizational behavior. Pacific Grove, Ca: Brooks-Cole. Porter, M. E. 2004. Competitive advantage. New York: Free. Robbins, S. P. 2001. Organizational behavior (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice Hall. Slater, R. 2010. Managing teams. London: Collins. Stimpson, P., & Foden, S. 2008. AQA A2 business studies. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.