What is a group or a team?

Although different authors may have a different definition of group from one another, a more basic and general definition as per the Oxford Dictionary could be as follows: A group may be defined as a number of people gathered or classed together. A team may be defined as two or more people working together to achieve a common goal. Since, there is but a very slight difference between the meanings of the two terms, we will be using them interchangeably. Marion Hampton (1999, p.

113) informs about the symbolic and practical aspects of groups:

"Groups embody many important cultural values of Western society: teamwork, co-operation, a collective that is greater than the sum of its parts, informality, egalitarianism and even the indispensability of the individual member. Groups are seen as having a motivating, inspiring influence on the individual, drawing the best out of him or herself as a detached individual. Groups can have a healing effect on individuals, bolstering their self-esteem and filling their lives with meaning.

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" Groups also play a very vital role in every ones life.

Similarly, most of the work in an organization is also performed in teams. This, in turn, results in either the success or failure of the whole organization. Companies have now started to emphasize that their employees are good 'team players' in order to work productively and comfortably with each other. Due to this, many organizations have benefited from teamwork. Companies also invest in team building exercises to develop the teamworking skills of their employees.

Research by Proctor and Mueller (2000b, p.

7) show that teamworking has increased significantly in all types of industries globally. The behaviour of teams and groups in an organization can be organized either formally or informally. In order to achieve the collective purpose within an organization, teams behave formally. For this, the organization has to use whatever resources it has as effectively and efficiently as possible. This is done or achieved by creating a formal organization. In a formal organization, the actual task is broken down into sub-tasks, which are assigned to smaller units, known as sub-units.

This sub-division of task continues until a smaller group takes the ownership of the sub-task and the work of the sub-task is divided among the members of the group. The process of identifying of the purpose and dividing the tasks among the members is known as the formation of formal organization and the groups thus formed are known as formal groups. We can say that a formal group is a group which has been formed so that a defined work of an organization's collective purpose is done. The members of a formal group are directly and officially responsible for the tasks assigned to them.

Just like formal groups, we have informal groups. These groups are formed by the members of the formal groups. Informal groups exist in an organization but are not anticipated by the management. The informal groups are formed by the members of the formal groups due to their interactions with each other. These groups are totally unplanned and not decided but they share similar characteristics of smaller groups. We might say that informal groups are developed or formed when members of formal groups interact and associate with one another.

How to Build a Good Team George Caspar Homans has offered a theory known as 'Homans' Theory of Group Formation'. This theory explains how groups are formed. He wrote a book, The Human Group (Homans, 1951), in which he has told us that there are certain conditions that affect the groups. As a result, the groups try to influence the conditions in which they exist. Bruce Tuckman and Mary Ann Jensen suggested that there are five stages of group development - forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (Tuckman, 1965; Tuckman and Jensen, 1977).

It might not be necessary that all groups are developed through all the five stages and it is possible that some groups may get stuck at some earlier stage making them inefficient. Forming (First Stage): During this stage, the members are more self-oriented. They are still in the nascent stages of finding about one another. Everyone is trying to create an impression about the other person. The members are dependent on some leader to tell them what to do and lay down the norms. Storming (Second Stage): This may also be known as the 'conflict stage'.

The members try to sort out what each one wants out of the group and individually. Each individual reveals his/her personal goals and there could be some interpersonal hostility. Any kinship formed during Forming, might get strained during Storming. Norming (Third Stage): This may also be known as the 'cohesion stage'. The members of the group come closer to each other. They start dividing the task and become more group oriented. Norms may be created for the group and individual roles are divided. The members have a feeling of belonging to the group and as a result, become more task oriented.

Performing (Fourth Stage): When a group reaches this stage, it is above its differences and starts delivering to the task. The group is now more focussed on getting the task done. Members do not mind working alone or in sub-groups or as one single group. The members are highly committed to the task and the jobs of each member are defined and members help each other in task done. Adjourning (Final Stage): This stage signifies the completion of the task and disbanding of the group. Woking in International Teams International teams are may also be known as multi-cultural teams.

This is because in an international team, the members belong to different countries having different cultures, traditions and work environment. In today's world, most of the organizations are multinationals. A multinational company (MNC) is one which has its operations spanning two or more countries. So it is important for MNCs to be working with people of various backgrounds and cultures. For these people to work together, they are put in teams with members from different countries thereby creating international teams. Overall, I would say that working in an international environment has both pros and cons.

There may be some aspects of it which might prove to be beneficial for the organizations but at the same time, there will be some factors affecting the progress of the organization. The diversity in such organizations is also good for the employees. The employees will get international exposure. Also, according to me, employees of such organizations will have the knowledge about different cultures. They would learn new things and would gather new ideas and thoughts. They would get to know about working in various cultures.

They would also get to know about the work ethics and work cultures of different nations, as the work culture of one country could be very different from the work culture if another country. This is a very vital quality that most employers look for in their employees these days. As most organizations are now trying to target the international markets, they require employees who can go to various countries and work there representing the organization. Someone who is a good team player and also has the quality of being easily adaptable to an international environment will prove to be a valuable asset to the organization.