Valencia S. Ward
Concordia University, December 3, 2013.
Author Note OMP 4000 Group & Organization Dynamics Professor Wendy Balman
Module 5 Paper
The three questions I choose to analyze Department 8101 Case Study are; is laissez-faire supervision innately bad? Did the group develop norms? Did this group of people form an effective group? My objective is to answer each question and provide examples from the case.
Did this group of people form an effective group? Yes, department 8101 formed and effective group. The atmosphere amongst an effective group tends to be comfortable, relaxed, and informal. Department 8101 created a work environment where everyone was comfortable enough to be involved and interested with no obvious tension among them. It is stated in the case that department 8101 was a tight-knitted group who took time and care in training the new workers. This shows interest and involvement within the group. Another characteristic of an effective group is that each member carries their own weight. One of the department standards is that each member performs the utmost of his or her capabilities when it comes to their job. In an effective group the members usually set a performance goal in which they continuously measures themselves by. The department members showed high attention to quality and was known as the top producing and money-making department within the company, this was the goal the group measured themselves by.
Did the group develop norms? Yes, department 8101 did in fact developed norms. The two norms I identified within the group were explicit norms and implicit norms. An explicit norm outlines the standards for attendance, task requirements as well as workplace demeanor. One of the group standards were that horseplay, slacking off, abusive tardiness, and absenteeism were a violation of the group’s norm. The case stated that these violations brought censure from the group. An implicit norm in this case
References: Harrison, T. E. and Sherblom, J. C. (2011). Small Group & Team Communication 5th ed. Boston: Pearson Department 8101 Case Study