1. Introduction
When focusing on maintaining a workforce within the tourism and hospitality industry, it is essential to identify the key concepts that motivate workers. Division of labour is part of every organisation; therefore the formation of groups is important in increasing work performance. It is not always easy to manage the creative and innovative aspects of team work, where individuals ideally need to share the values, characteristic and interests of the other team members, to work with them in harmony and yet have something different to offer (Adair and Thomas, 2002 p.101). Every group needs a leader to direct and encourage their creativity, through the use of different leadership styles, since there is no “one best way” of leading.
2. Groups and Teams at Work
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Figure 1 Group and Individual performance
Groups and teams can be defined as, any number of individuals that interact together. When a group is maturing, the number of individuals decreases, when it gets to a stage where there is a high level of group cohesiveness due to commitment and trust among members, it then becomes a team. Cherrington (1994, p.356) identified that “the collective action of a group of individuals is much greater than the sum of individuals acting alone”. This is because workload is eased of individuals when working in a group, in addition an effective performance is achieved. However, some individuals find it difficult working in groups because of the inconveniences attached. Studies show that, most individuals in the UK would rather work alone than work in a group, this is as a result of the cultural diversity (see figure 1). It could be said that the reaction of such individuals could be as a result of them not recognizing the essential roles that groups play in every organisation. Since an organisation is a group of people with shared goals, it is important to ensure that the individuals within the