Formal and Informal Groups in Organization - Coursework Example

Group Formation Formal organizational structures create formal groups that, according to Hawthorne studies, give members psychological attachment and help in motivating the members to develop a spirit of competition (Mullins, 1996). The members come together due to 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 organisation's goals (Slater, 2010).

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 agree on how to interact within the group to reduce 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 the 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 can 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. The members have a strong psychological attachment to the group, and they modify their behaviours to that of other group members. The members have common features which give them strong attachment like age, attitude and backgrounds.

The members also have good skills and abilities, making them 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 clash in their duties. Personality clashes may also exist, making some members 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 structure 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 to do their work better. Modern organizations have various information technology and other technological tools that organizations can use to make teams more effective (Hall, 2003).