Types of informal groups in the organization. Formal and informal groups, their characteristics and role in management
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"Management".
Topic 15. Formal and informal groups.
1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..page2
2. Formal groups…………………………………………………………………...page 2
3. Informal groups ………………………………………………………………..p4
4. Leadership of formal and informal groups………………………………..p7
5. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………… page 18
6. List of literature used…………………………………………………..page 19
Introduction
Organization is a social category and at the same time a means to achieve goals. It is a place where people build relationships and interact. Therefore, in every formal organization there is a complex interweaving of informal groups and organizations that have been formed without the intervention of management. These informal associations often have a strong impact on performance and organizational effectiveness.
Although informal organizations are not created by the will of management, they are a factor that every leader must reckon with, because such organizations and other groups can have a strong influence on the behavior of individuals and on the work behavior of employees. In addition, no matter how well the leader performs his functions, it is impossible to determine what actions and attitudes will be required to achieve the goals in an organization moving forward. The manager and subordinate often have to interact with people outside the organization and with units outside their subordination. People will not be able to carry out their tasks successfully if they do not achieve the official interaction of individuals and groups on which their activities depend. To cope with such situations, the manager must understand what role this or that group plays in a particular situation, and what place the leadership process occupies in it.
One of the prerequisites for effective management is the ability to work in small groups, such as committees or commissions created by the leaders themselves, and the ability to build relationships with their direct reports.
formal groups.
Based on the definition of Marvin Shaw: “a group is two or more persons that interact with each other in such a way that each person influences the others and is simultaneously influenced by other persons”, we can assume that an organization of any size consists of several groups. Management creates groups of its own accord when it divides labor horizontally (divisions) and vertically (management levels). In each of the numerous departments of a large organization, there may be a dozen levels of management. For example, production in a factory can be divided into smaller divisions - machining, painting, assembly. These productions, in turn, can be further divided. For example, production personnel involved in mechanical processing can be divided into 3 different teams of 10 - 16 people, including foremen. Thus, a large organization can literally consist of hundreds or even thousands of small groups.
These groups, created at the behest of management to organize the production process, are called formal groups. However small they may be, these are formal organizations whose primary function in relation to the organization as a whole is to perform specific tasks and achieve certain, specific goals.
There are three main types of formal groups in an organization: leadership groups; production groups; committees.
Command (subordinate) group The manager's team consists of the manager and his immediate subordinates, who, in turn, can also be managers. The company president and senior vice presidents are a typical team group. Another example of a command subordinate group is the captain of an airliner, co-pilot and flight engineer.
The second type of formal group is working (target) group . It usually consists of individuals working together on the same task. Although they have a common leader, these groups differ from the command group in that they have much more autonomy in planning and carrying out their work. Working (target) groups are included in such well-known companies as Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Texas Instruments and General Motors. More than two-thirds of Texas Instruments' total workforce (89,000+) are members of target groups. For improving the overall efficiency of the company, they can receive a 15 percent bonus to their budget. In this company, management believes that the target groups are breaking down barriers of distrust between managers and workers. In addition, by giving workers the opportunity to think about and solve their own production problems, they can meet the needs of workers more high level.
The third type of formal group is Committee . This is a group within an organization that has been delegated authority to perform a task or set of tasks. Committees are sometimes referred to as councils, task forces, commissions, or teams.
All team and working groups, as well as committees, must work effectively - as a single well-coordinated team. It is no longer necessary to argue that the effective management of every formal group within an organization is critical. These interdependent groups are the building blocks that make up the organization as a system. The organization as a whole will be able to effectively fulfill its global tasks only if the tasks of each of its structural units are defined in such a way as to support the activities of each other. In addition, the group as a whole influences the behavior of the individual. Thus, the better the manager understands what the group is and the factors of its effectiveness, and the better he knows the art of effective group management, the more likely he will be able to increase the productivity of this unit and the organization as a whole.
informal groups.
Despite the fact that informal organizations are not created by the will of the leadership, they are a powerful force that, under certain conditions, can actually become dominant in the organization and nullify the efforts of the leadership. Moreover, informal organizations tend to interpenetrate. Some leaders are often unaware that they themselves are affiliated with one or more of these informal organizations.
In production conditions, protection is often required, for example, from harmful production conditions, reduction wages, layoffs. This defense can be found in the informal organized group.
Often, informal organizations use informal information, the so-called rumors, which are the subject of satisfaction of the vanity of individuals. In the group, you can also express your sympathies and get satisfaction from communicating with other employees. Informal groups develop their own norms of behavior, and require their members to comply with these norms.
An informal organization is a spontaneously formed group of people who interact regularly to achieve a specific goal. Like a formal organization, these goals are the reason for the existence of such an informal organization. It is important to understand that in a large organization there is more than one informal organization. Most of them are freely networked. Therefore, some believe that an informal organization is, in essence, a network of formal organizations. The working environment is especially favorable for the formation of such groups. Due to the formal structure of the organization and its objectives, the same people usually come together every day, sometimes for many years. People who otherwise would hardly even meet are often forced to spend more time in the company of their colleagues than in their own family. Moreover, the nature of the tasks they perform in many cases forces them to communicate and interact with each other frequently. Members of the same organization depend on each other in many respects. natural result this intense social interaction is a spontaneous occurrence informal organizations.
Informal organizations have a lot in common with the formal ones, in which they are inscribed. They are in some ways organized in the same way as formal organizations - they have a hierarchy, leaders and tasks. Spontaneous (emergent) organizations also have written rules, called norms, which serve as standards of behavior for members of the organization. These norms are reinforced by a system of encouragement and sanctions. The specificity is that the formal organization was created according to a premeditated plan. Informal organization is rather a spontaneous response to unmet individual needs.
The difference in the mechanism of formation of formal and informal organizations is shown in the Figure:
Informal groups tend to resist industrial changes that may threaten the existence of the group. In the form of threatening factors may be the expansion of production, the introduction new technology, reorganization. The consequence of these factors is the arrival of new people who can encroach on established relationships in an informal organization.
Leadership of formal and informal groups.
Leadership has a great influence on management as a whole. A manager is a person who, as a leader, effectively manages his subordinates in order to fulfill their permanent tasks. A leader is a person who effectively exercises formal and informal leadership.
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So, there are two types of groups: formal and informal. These types of groups matter to the organization and provide big influence on the members of the organization.
Formal groups are groups created at the behest of management.
Allocate groups of leaders, working (target) groups and committees.
· The group of leaders consists of the leader and his immediate subordinates who are in the zone of his control (president and vice presidents).
· Working (target) group - employees working on the implementation of one task.
· Committee - a group within the organization, which is delegated authority to perform any task or set of tasks. Sometimes committees are called councils, commissions, task forces. Allocate permanent and special committees.
An informal group is a spontaneously formed group of people who interact regularly to achieve a specific goal. The reasons for joining are a sense of belonging, help, protection, communication.
Informal organizations exercise social control over their members. There are usually certain norms that each member of the group must comply with. In informal organizations, there is a tendency to resist change. Usually an informal organization is led by an informal leader. The informal leader should help the group achieve its goals and keep it alive.
The same factors affect the effectiveness of the work of formal and informal groups:
1. Group size. As the group grows, communication between members becomes more difficult. In addition, informal groups with their own goals may arise within the group. In small groups (of 2 - 3 people) people feel personally responsible for making a certain decision. It is believed that the optimal group size is 5 - 11 people.
2. Composition (or the degree of similarity of personalities, points of view, approaches). It is believed that the most optimal solution can accept groups consisting of people who are in different positions (i.e. dissimilar people).
3. Group norms. A person who wants to be accepted by a group must comply with certain group norms. (Positive norms are norms that support behavior aimed at achieving goals. Negative norms are norms that encourage behavior that is not conducive to achieving goals, such as stealing, being late, absenteeism, drinking in the workplace, etc.).
4. Cohesion. It is considered as a measure of the attraction of group members to each other and to the group. A high level of group cohesion can improve the performance of the entire organization.
5. Group consensus. This is the tendency of an individual to suppress his views on some phenomenon in order not to disturb the harmony of the group.
6. Conflict. Differences in opinion increase the likelihood of conflict. The consequences of the conflict can be positive, as they allow you to identify different points of view (this leads to an increase in the effectiveness of the group). The negative consequences are to reduce the effectiveness of the group: a bad state of mind, a low degree of cooperation, a shift in emphasis (giving more attention to one's "winning" in the conflict, rather than solving the real problem).
7. Status of group members. It is determined by seniority in the job hierarchy, job title, education, experience, awareness, etc. Usually, members of a group with a high status have a greater influence on other members of the group. It is desirable that the opinion of high-status group members is not dominant in the group.
Formal groups are usually distinguished as structural divisions in an organization. They have a formally appointed leader, a formally defined structure of roles, positions and positions within the company, as well as functions and tasks formally assigned to them.
A formal group has the following features:
1. it is rational, i.e. it is based on the principle of expediency, conscious movement towards a known goal;
2. it is impersonal, i.e. It is designed for individuals, relations between which are established according to a compiled program.
In a formal group, only official connections between individuals are provided, and it is subject only to functional goals.
The formal groups are:
· A vertical organization that unites a number of bodies and a subdivision in such a way that each of them is located between the other two - higher and lower, and the leadership of each of the bodies and subdivisions is concentrated in one person.
Functional organization, in accordance with which management is distributed among a number of persons specializing in the performance of certain functions and jobs.
· Staff organization, characterized by the presence of a staff of advisers, experts, assistants, not included in the vertical organization system.
Formal groups may be formed to perform a regular function, such as accounting, or they may be created to solve a specific task, such as a commission for the development of a project.
Informal groups are created not by orders of the organization's management and formal resolutions, but by members of this organization in accordance with their mutual sympathies, common interests, the same hobbies and habits. These groups exist in all companies, although they are not represented in the diagrams that reflect the structure of the organization, its structure.
Informal groups usually have their own unwritten rules and norms of behavior, people know well who is in their informal group and who is not. In informal groups, a certain distribution of roles and positions is formed. Usually these groups have an explicit or implicit leader. In many cases, informal groups can exert equal or even greater influence over their members than formal structures.
Informal groups are a spontaneously (spontaneously) established system of social ties, norms, actions that are the product of more or less long-term interpersonal communication.
Depending on the style of behavior, informal groups can be classified as follows:
Prosocial, i.e. socially positive groups. This socio-political clubs of international friendship, funds for social initiatives, groups for environmental protection and the rescue of cultural monuments, amateur club associations, etc. They, as a rule, have a positive orientation.
· Asocial, i.e. groups that are away from social problems.
· Antisocial. These groups are the most unfavorable part of society, causing him anxiety. On the one hand, moral deafness, inability to understand others, a different point of view, on the other hand, often their own pain and suffering that befell this category of people contribute to the development of extreme views among its individual representatives.
The life of the group, its functioning is influenced by three factors:
1. characteristics of group members;
2. structural characteristics of the group;
3. situational characteristics.
The characteristics of group members that affect its functioning include the personal characteristics of a person, as well as abilities, education and life experience.
Structural characteristics of the group include:
communication in the group and norms of behavior (who communicates with whom and how);
status and roles (who takes what position in the group and what they do);
Personal likes and dislikes between group members (who likes whom and who dislikes whom);
strength and conformism (who influences whom, who is ready to listen and obey whom).
The first two structural characteristics relate more to the analysis of formal organization, the rest - to the question of informal groups.
There are several factors that influence the establishment of friendly relations between people:
1. Personal characteristics of the interacting. People love those who like the same phenomena, things, processes that they like, i.e. people love those who are similar to them, who are close to them in spirit, taste and preferences. People are attracted to those who have the same or close race, nationality, education, system of views on life, and so on. Potentially, people with similar personality characteristics are more likely to form friendships than those with significantly different personality characteristics.
2. The presence of territorial proximity in the location of these people. The closer the workplaces of group members are, the higher the likelihood that they will establish friendly relations. The same applies to the proximity of their places of residence.
3. The frequency of meetings, as well as the expectation that these meetings will occur often enough in the future.
4. How successful is the functioning of the group. In general, success leads to the development of positive attitudes among people towards each other to a greater extent than the unsuccessful functioning of the group.
5. The presence of one goal, which is subject to the actions of all members of the group. If group members are separated by solving individual problems, mutual sympathy and friendliness develop less often than if they work on solving a common problem for all.
6. Wide participation of all members of the group in decision making. The opportunity to influence group-wide processes stimulates the development of a positive perception of the team among group members.
The presence of sympathy in relations between people, the presence of friendly relations between members of the group has a huge impact on the mood of people, on their satisfaction with their work, their membership in the group. However, it cannot be unequivocally said that friendly relations between members of the group have only positive influence on the results of work and the functioning of the organization as a whole. If people who experience friendships with each other are highly motivated to labor activity, then the presence of mutual sympathy and friendship contributes to a significant increase in the results of their work and thus positively affects the functioning of the group as a whole. If people are poorly motivated to work, then the result will be completely opposite. They will spend a lot of time in useless conversations, smoke breaks, tea parties, etc., constantly distracted from work, sharply reducing the effectiveness of their work. At the same time, they can distract others from the work, creating an atmosphere of idleness and relaxation.
The situational characteristics of the group depend little on the behavior of the members of the group and the group as a whole. These characteristics are related to its size and its spatial arrangement.
In small groups, it is more difficult to reach agreement, and a lot of time is spent on clarifying relationships and points of view. Finding information is difficult in large groups, as group members tend to be more reserved.
The spatial arrangement of group members has a noticeable effect on their behavior. Three important characteristics the spatial arrangement of the individual, on which the relationship between the individual and the group depends. First, it is the presence of a permanent or definite place or territory. Lack of clarity in this matter gives rise to many problems and conflicts in interpersonal relationships. Secondly, this is personal space, that is, the space in which the body is only this person. Spatial proximity in the placement of people can give rise to many problems. Thirdly, this is the mutual arrangement of places. If a person takes workplace at the head of the table, then this in the eyes of the other members of the group automatically puts him in a leadership position. Management, knowing these and other questions of the location of group members, can achieve a significant effect only through the correct placement of jobs.
Working group concept
The working group has a great influence on the motivation of not only its members, but also the leader himself. Since ancient times, it has been noticed that a person behaves in many ways differently when he acts as a member of a group: family, work collective, crowd, etc.
With the development at the end of the XIX century. sociology and then social psychology the impact of the group on production efficiency has become the object of special scientific research. What is a Primary Working Group?
The primary working group is an association of people to achieve business goals, which in a certain, fairly long period of time, regularly directly interact with each other, and each one contacts with everyone else, and realizes that they are members of the group, identify themselves with it.
A group of 7 people (or 7 + 2) is usually considered optimal in terms of performance. However, depending on the nature of the activity and interests, the group can have from 2 to 15 members. On the basis of primary working groups, secondary working groups are also built - teams of a higher level, for example, departments, workshops, enterprises, associations, etc. There is no regular contact interaction between members of secondary groups. Employees of such teams may not know each other at all.
This chapter will deal only with primary working groups.
There are various classifications of working groups in the specialized literature. In particular, they are divided into command, consisting of the leader and his closest assistants; target (workers), uniting workers performing a common task; committees, which are relatively autonomous groups to which authority is delegated to carry out certain tasks, such as quality circles.
Formal, informal and friendly groups
The working group includes formal and informal structures and their corresponding groups (there may be several informal structures and groups), which overlap each other. Formal groups are usually created on the initiative from above, as a rule, by higher management to perform certain organizational tasks, although sometimes they can be created on the initiative from below, for example, in the case when several acquaintances, friends, pool their capital efforts and create a joint venture, say , outlet. However, even in this very rare case, a formal group is formed as a result of the implementation of a consciously made decision.
The hallmarks of a formal group are: a clearly defined composition and structure, including organizational norms; tasks (goals) common to the group; rigid definition and distribution of roles; unambiguous establishment of the statuses, rights and obligations of the members of the group. Examples of formal groups in an enterprise are departments (sectors) of planning, production, marketing, supply, etc. Formal groups ensure the unity of action of all constituent parts organization, communication of various units with its common goals. The expediency of the social division of labor underlies the allocation of formal groups.
Informal groups in an organization are always created spontaneously, initiated from below, as a result of new forms of activity and communication that arise on the basis of formal interaction between employees.
The behavior of the members of an informal group is their peculiar reaction to the formal structures of the organization. Informal groups arise on the basis of goals that do not directly coincide with the goals of the organization, as a result of the common interests of the likes and dislikes of their members, manifested in mutual assistance relations, the exchange of knowledge, skills and information, as well as in some other specific activities, including those that are harmful organizations (for example, joint actions of a group of robbers).
Informal groups do not have a clear, stable structure and may be open to new members of the organization. The delimitation of statuses and roles in them is not rigid and pre-planned. It is not set from outside, from above, but is determined by intra-group relations. Informal groups are able to significantly modify the formal structure, and sometimes distort the results of its activities beyond recognition.
The study of informal groups developed especially widely around the 60s in connection with the spread of the influence of the theory of human relations.
Informal groups are divided into interested (or interest groups) and friendly. The former are formed to realize a certain common interest, for example, to present management with demands for the timely payment of salaries or its increase. Usually such groups cease to exist as soon as their interests are satisfied. However, the most cohesive of them often change the purpose of their association, the nature of their activities, and even take shape structurally. Thus, a group of activists defending the interests of workers can become the core of a created trade union organization, a group of innovators and inventors can be constituted in the sector of scientific developments, and so on.
Friendly groups are formed on the basis of personal likes and dispositions. Membership in such groups varies depending on the establishment or rupture of friendships.
Functions of informal groups
Informal groups perform a number of functions that are important to their members. The functions of informal groups include the following:
1) implementation of common material and social interests This may be an interest in innovation or the development and implementation of an invention, in obtaining additional income, in the joint construction of garages, in solving summer problems, in organizing hiking trips, etc.;
2) protection from excessive pressure from the administration, excessive intensification of labor, higher production rates, layoffs of workers, etc.;
3) receiving and transmitting necessary or interesting information;
4) facilitating communications and establishing mutual assistance in solving both organizational and personal problems;
5) preservation and cultivation of common cultural, social, national, religious and other values;
6) meeting the needs for group membership, recognition, respect and identification. This increases satisfaction with work and stay in the organization;
7) creating a favorable environment for activity and psychological comfort, overcoming alienation, fear, gaining confidence and calmness;
8) adaptation and integration of new and young employees. Their inclusion in the team helps them quickly adapt to the requirements of the organization, allows them to receive valuable advice and assistance, and facilitates various types of communication.
As can be seen from the above list of functions, informal groups can perform both constructive and destructive functions. Under certain conditions, they can conflict with the goals of the organization, divert the attention and energy of employees, give rise to sharp conflicts and reduce overall performance. However, with a rational formal organization and skillful leadership, informal groups, influencing the formal structure, help to humanize work, adapt the organization of work to the needs and wishes of a person. As a result, job satisfaction and performance increase, labor turnover decreases, absenteeism and other dysfunctional forms of behavior are reduced.
The variety of functions of informal groups must be taken into account in practical management work. The leader must be able to make the correct diagnosis in each specific case, i.e. determine the functional purpose of an informal group, as well as develop adequate actions aimed at eliminating or changing the nature of dysfunctional associations, at encouraging and strengthening functional groups. Favorable conditions should be created for the formation and rallying of groups that contribute to the achievement of the goals of the organization.
Influence on informal groups
The process of formation and functioning of informal groups is largely manageable, amenable to purposeful regulation. At the same time, it is important to take into account that the management of informal groups should be comprehensive, i.e. include formal groups as well, since real life the formal and informal structures of the working group are closely interconnected and are inseparably united. Management of the dynamics of informal groups is facilitated by: 1) overcoming the widespread negative, dismissive attitude towards informal groups, recognition of the informal organization and work with it without threatening its existence. At the same time, it is important to remember that the liquidation of an informal organization and, as a result, the destruction of an informal group can make the formal organization unviable and harm the working group as a whole;
2) careful consideration of the opinions of members and especially the leaders of informal groups, encouragement of those who help achieve the goals of the organization. It is necessary to avoid confrontation between formal and informal leaders in every possible way;
3) constant consideration of the impact of decisions made on informal groups and prevention negative consequences such influence;
4) mandatory inclusion in the adoption process important decisions members of an informal group, and especially its leader. This eliminates or weakens the resistance of such groups to the decisions made;
5) systematic provision of participants of informal groups with reliable information. This minimizes the possibility of spreading various kinds of rumors and the appearance of behavior that is destructive for the organization as a whole.
A developed, efficient working group cannot be just formal or informal. Some authors, reflecting the dynamics of the formation of work groups, distinguish between a plan item and a work group. The first becomes a working group only as a result of the inclusion of people in the processes of fulfilling production tasks and developing communications, thanks to the acquisition of a certain degree of cohesion (solidity).
The concept of groups and their significance
Formal groups
informal groups
Characteristics
Interactions
Management methods
Consultations
The concept of the team
social relations a team
List of used literature
A person needs to communicate with his own kind and, apparently, receives joy from such communication. Most of us actively seek interaction with other people. In many cases, our contacts with other people are short and insignificant. However, if two or more people spend enough time in close proximity to each other, they gradually become psychologically aware of each other's existence. The time required for such awareness, and the degree of awareness, depends very much on the situation and on the nature of the relationship of people. However, the result of such awareness is almost always the same. The realization that others think of them and expect something from them causes people to change their behavior in some way, thereby confirming the existence of social relationships. When such a process occurs, a random gathering of people becomes a group.
The characteristic features of the group are the following:
1. Members of the group identify themselves and their actions with the group as a whole, and thus act as if on behalf of the group in external interactions. A person speaks not about himself, but about the group as a whole, using pronouns: we, ours, ours, us, etc. ;
2. Interaction between members of the group is in the nature of direct contacts, personal conversation, observation of each other's behavior, etc. In a group, people communicate directly with each other, giving formal interactions a “human” form;
3. In a group, along with the formal distribution of roles, if any, there is necessarily an informal distribution of roles, usually recognized by the group. Individual members of the group take on the role of generators of ideas, others tend to coordinate the efforts of group members, others take care of relationships in the group, of maintaining good climate in the team, the fourth ones make sure that there is order in the work, everything is done on time and brought to the end. There are people who act as structurizers - they set goals for the group, monitor the influence of the environment on the tasks solved by the group.
Formal groups
Formal groups are "institutionalized" groups usually distinguished as structural units in an organization. They have a formally appointed leader, a formally defined structure of roles, positions and positions within the group, as well as formally assigned functions and tasks.
In everyday speech, the word “formal” has a negative connotation, meaning not interested in the results, indifferent to the implementation official duties. Indeed, the abuse of formalities leads to various kinds of bureaucratic perversions. However, the formal has a number of advantages:
Makes the acquired knowledge and, based on it, advanced technologies and methods of work, common property;
Establishes uniform norms and rules for everyone, which excludes arbitrariness and contributes to the objectification of activities;
Provides "transparency" of the case for control and publicity for interaction with the public, which, of course, is important for the democratization of management.
Thus, a formal group has the following features:
1. It is rational, i.e. it is based on the principle of expediency, conscious movement towards a known goal;
2. She is impersonal, i.e. It is designed for individuals, relations between which are established according to a compiled program.
In a formal group, only official connections between individuals are provided, and it is subject only to functional goals. The formal groups are:
A vertical (linear) organization that unites a number of bodies and departments in such a way that each of them is located between two others - higher and lower, and the leadership of each of the bodies and departments is concentrated in one person;
Functional organization, in accordance with which, management is distributed among a number of persons specializing in the performance of certain functions and works;
Staff organization, characterized by the presence of a staff of advisers, experts, assistants, not included in the vertical organization system.
Formal groups may be formed to perform a regular function, such as accounting, or they may be created to solve a specific task, such as a commission to develop a project.
informal groups
Informal groups arise as a result of the fundamental incompleteness of formal groups, since job descriptions it is simply impossible to foresee all possible situations that can happen, and formalizing all subjective ideas as norms for regulating social relations is possible only under totalitarian political regimes.
Informal groups are created not by executive orders and formal resolutions, but by members of the organization in accordance with their mutual sympathies, common interests, similar hobbies, habits, etc. These groups exist in all organizations, although they are not represented in the diagrams that reflect the structure of the organization, its structure.
Informal groups usually have their own unwritten rules and norms of behavior, people know well who is in their informal group and who is not. In informal groups, a certain distribution of roles and positions is formed. Usually these groups have an explicit or implicit leader. In many cases, informal groups can exert equal or even greater influence over their members than formal structures.
Informal groups are a spontaneously (spontaneously) established system of social ties, norms, actions that are the product of more or less long-term interpersonal communication.
An informal group manifests itself in two varieties:
1. It is a non-formal organization in which non-formalized service relations have a functional (production) content, and exist in parallel with the formal organization. For example, the optimal system of business connections that spontaneously develops between employees, some forms of rationalization and invention, methods of decision making, etc.
2. Represents a socio-psychological organization, acting in the form of interpersonal relationships that arise on the basis of the mutual interest of individuals in each other, without regard to functional needs, i.e. a direct, spontaneous community of people based on a personal choice of connections and associations between them, for example, companionship, amateur groups, relations of prestige, leadership, sympathy, etc.
The picture of an informal group is extremely varied and variable in the direction of interests, the nature of activity, and in terms of age and social composition. Depending on the ideological and moral orientation, style of behavior, informal organizations can be classified into three groups:
1. Prosocial, i.e. socially positive groups. These are socio-political clubs of international friendship, funds for social initiatives, groups for environmental protection and the rescue of cultural monuments, club amateur associations, etc. They, as a rule, have a positive orientation;
2. Asocial, i.e. groups standing apart from social problems;
3. Antisocial. These groups are the most disadvantaged part of society, which causes anxiety in him. On the one hand, moral deafness, inability to understand others, a different point of view, on the other hand, often their own pain and suffering, which befell this category of people, contribute to the development of extreme views among its individual representatives.
4. Synthesis of formal and informal in the organization
Any real-life organization as a social system is always a combination of formal and informal elements, it seems to consist of two “halves”, the relationship between which is very mobile and depends on the degree of formalization or legal regulation in environment, the age of the organization itself, its culture and the style of business behavior followed by its management.
The role of groups in the process of functioning of the organization
The formal organization is created by the will of the leadership. But once it is created, it also becomes social environment, where people interact by no means according to the instructions of the leadership. People from different subgroups socialize over coffee, during meetings, at lunch, and after work. From social relationships, many friendly groups, informal groups, are born, which together constitute an informal organization.
An informal organization is a spontaneously formed group of people who interact regularly to achieve a specific goal. As with formal organizations, these goals are the reason for the existence of such an informal organization. It is important to understand that in a large organization there is more than one informal organization. Most of them are loosely connected in a kind of network. Therefore, some authors believe that an informal organization is, in essence, a network of informal organizations. The working environment is especially favorable for the formation of such groups. Due to the formal structure of the organization and its objectives, the same people usually come together every day, sometimes for many years. People who otherwise would hardly even meet are often forced to spend more time in the company of their colleagues than in their own family. Moreover, the nature of the tasks they perform in many cases causes them to communicate and interact with each other frequently. Members of the same organization depend on each other in many respects. The natural result of this intense social interaction is the spontaneous emergence of informal organizations.
A person performs work in an environment of people, in interaction with them. He is not only a performer, but also a member of the group. The group has a huge impact on him.
There is no standard definition of a small group as it is a very flexible phenomenon. But one can describe this phenomenon by considering characteristics small group.
A small group (hereinafter referred to as a group) is a relatively isolated association of people who
- often interact with each other;
- identify themselves as members of the same group;
- share common norms about what interests them;
- participate in unified system separation of roles;
- identify themselves with the same objects and ideals;
- perceive the group as a source of satisfaction;
- are in cooperative interdependence;
- feel themselves as a kind of unity;
- coordinate actions in relation to the environment;
- are able to develop an individualized idea of all the others and be similarly perceived by each of them.
A group is a relatively isolated association of several people (no more than 10) who are in fairly stable interaction and carry out joint actions for a sufficiently long period of time.
So, people unite in groups not only to perform certain work, to obtain a result and reward for it. The group is an environment of self-affirmation and self-knowledge, it is an objective human need for communication.
Depending on the purpose of the association, two types of groups are distinguished:
- formal;
- informal.
Formal groups are created to carry out production activities in accordance with the chosen strategy at the behest of the leaders of the organization. They have a formally appointed leader, a formal structure, a position within the group, their tasks and functions are described and formally fixed in the relevant documents. These groups can be created on a permanent or temporary basis.
There are three main types of groups in an organization: leadership groups, work groups, and community organizations.
Informal groups are formed by members of the organization, often spontaneously, in accordance with their mutual sympathies, common interests, hobbies, habits, etc. In most enterprises, there are many informal groups. There can be as many of them as there are basics for communication. Due to the formal structure, people interact with each other for many years.
The natural result of communication is the spontaneous emergence of informal groups.
Usually these groups have an explicit or implicit leader. In many cases, informal groups have a significant influence on the behavior of group members, sometimes even more than formal ones.
The main reasons for joining an informal group.
1. Belonging.
The social need, the need to belong to a particular group, is one of the strongest. It is in the group that self-knowledge, self-determination, self-assertion takes place. Group dynamics activates existing human needs, creates new ones and at the same time is a source (environment) of their satisfaction.
2. Help.
Subordinates are more willing to turn to colleagues for help than to their immediate supervisor, even if difficulties arose in solving production problems. An atmosphere of trust and mutual assistance is the basis for the synergistic effect of group interaction.
3. Protection.
Association occurs quite often in the event of any threat, danger, for the joint protection of personal or group interests. For example, to protest harmful working conditions, unfair wages, etc. A conflict in a formal group, attempts by a formal leader to destroy existing informal relationships - all this contributes to the consolidation of existing informal groups or leads to the creation of new ones.
4. Communication.
Informal communication is based on interests, values, hobbies, etc. It is for this reason that an enterprise can have as many informal groups as there are common topics for communication. Also, informal communication in a group is an additional informal channel for the receipt of important information for a person, concerning both the situation at the enterprise and outside it.
5. Sympathy, friendly communication.
The group provides a person with the opportunity to spend time in a pleasant environment, to avoid loneliness, a state of loss, uselessness.
The manager cannot but be interested in the state of interaction in the group, because the effectiveness of management depends on it. Since informal relationships often play a greater role than formal ones, the manager must know the laws of group dynamics and how to influence the development of informal interactions. This influence must be targeted.
An effective group is a group in which interactions are characterized by cohesion, mutual respect, mutual understanding.
