Human Relation in Nursing - Group dynamics& Team work

GROUP DYNAMICS AND TEAM
WORK IN NURSING EDUCATION

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Definition of group
A social group is a give aggregate of people,
playing inter-related roles &recognized by themselves
or others as a unit of interaction.-Williams

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GROUP
 Each group has its own identity & structure.
 A group includes at least two or more people.
 Group members have a shared purpose or goal.
 Group members have a conscious identification with each
other.
 Group members need each other’s help to accomplish the
purposes for which they have organize.
 Group members influence, interact with each other.
 Every group has its own rules & norms members are
supposed to follow.

INDIVIDUALAND GROUPS
 An individual is a single unit in a group & a group is a
collection of many individuals with a common
purpose.
 Individuals & groups are reciprocal to each other
because without individuals groups cannot be formed
& individuals have no existence or cannot meet their
physical, psychological, social & spiritual needs
without groups of other individuals.

Classification of groups
Dwight Sanderson classification of social groups by
structure.
 Involuntary group
 Voluntary group
 Delegate group
Charles Cooley classification
 Primary group
 Secondary group

Georgehasenclassificationofgroupsonthebasisoftheirrel
ationshipwithothergroups.
 Unsocialgroup
 Pseudosocialgroup
 Antisocialgroup
 Prosocialgroup

TASKS OR ROLES OF AN
INDIVIDUAL IN A GROUP
 Initiator
 Information seeker
 Information giver
 Opinion seeker
 Elaborator
 Coordinator
 Orienteer
 Evaluator
 Energizer
 Procedural technician
 Recorder
 Group-building & maintenance roles

GROUP DYNAMICS
 Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist at the University of
Lowa, USA, was the creator of the term group
dynamics.
 Group dynamics is the study of groups & also a
general term for a group process.
 In organizational development or group dynamics, the
phrase group process refers to an insight into the
behavior of group members & to incline their
behaviors towards the achievement of group goals.

MEANING OF GROUP DYNAMICS
 Group dynamics is the study of activities or processes
that are responsible for various group phenomena.
 The word dynamics means ‘force’. Group dynamics
means the study of forces within a group. In an
organization or in a society, we can see groups, small
or large, working for the well-being.
 The social process by which people interact with each
other in small groups can be called group dynamism. A
group has certain common objectives and goals and
members are bound together with certain values and
culture.

PROCESS/STAGES OF GROUP
DEVELOPMENT/EVOLUTION:
 Group Development is a dynamic process.
 Bruce Tuckman presented a model of five stages
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and
Adjourning in order to develop as a group.

STAGES
FORMING
STORMING
NORMING
PERFORMING
ADJOURNING

Orientation (Forming Stage)
 This stage presents a time where the group is just
starting to come together.
 Members are discreet with their behavior, which is
driven by their desire to be accepted by all members of
the group.
 Conflict, controversy, misunderstanding and personal
opinions are avoided
 At this stage, group members are learning what to do,
how the group is going to operate, what is expected,
and what is acceptable.

 Typical consequences of the forming stage include
achieving an understanding of the group's purpose,
determining how the team is going to be organized and
who will be responsible for what, discussion of major
milestones or phases of the group's goal, outlining
general group rules

Power Struggle (Storming Stage)
 The second stage of group development is the
storming stage. The storming stage is where dispute
and competition are at its greatest because now group
members have an understanding of the work and a
general feel of belongingness towards the group as
well as the group members.
 This is the stage where the dominating group members
emerge, while the less confrontational members stay in
their comfort zone.

 Questions around leadership, authority, rules, policies,
norms, responsibilities, structure, evaluation criteria
and reward systems tend to arise during the storming
stage.
 Such questions need to be answered so that the group
can move further on to the next stage.

Cooperation and Integration (Norming Stage)
 In this stage, the group becomes fun and enjoyable.
Group interaction are lot more easier, more
cooperative, and productive, with weighed give and
take, open communication, bonding, and mutual
respect.
 If there is a dispute or disruption, it’s comparatively
easy to be resolved and the group gets back on track.
 Group leadership is very important, but the facilitator
can step back a little and let group members take the
initiative and move forward together.

Synergy (Performing Stage)
 Once a group is clear about its needs, it can move
forward to the norming stage. This is the time where
the group becomes really united.
 At this stage, the morale is high as group members
actively acknowledge the talents, skills and experience
that each member brings to the group.
 A sense of belongingness is established and the group
remains focused on the group's purpose and goal.

 Members are flexible, interdependent, and trust each
other.
 Leadership is distributive and members are willing to
adapt according to the needs of the group.

Closure (Adjourning Stage)
 This stage of a group can be confusing and is usually
reached when the task is successfully completed.
 At this stage, the project is coming to an end and the
team members are moving off in different directions.
 This stage looks at the team from the perspective of the
well-being of the team instead of the perspective of
handling a team through the original four stages of
team growth.

TYPES OF GROUP
GROUP
FORMAL INFORMAL
Command Task Functional
Friendship Interest Reference

FORMAL GROUP
 Formal groups are established by an organization to
achieve its goals
 Formal groups may take the form of command groups,
task groups, and functional groups.
1. Command Groups:
 Command groups are specified by the organizational
chart and often consist of a supervisor and the
subordinates that report to that supervisor.
 An example of a command group is a market research
firm CEO and the research associates under him.

2. Task Groups:
 Task groups consist of people who work together to achieve
a common task.
 Members are brought together to accomplish a narrow
range of goals within a specified time period.
 Task groups are also commonly referred to as task forces.
 The organization appoints members and assigns the goals
and tasks to be accomplished.

3. Functional Groups:
 A functional group is created by the organization to
accomplish specific goals within an unspecified time
frame. Functional groups remain in existence after
achievement of current goals and objectives.

INFORMAL GROUP
Informal groups can take the form of interest groups,
friendship groups, or reference groups.
1. Interest Group:
 Interest groups usually continue over time and may
last longer than general informal groups. Members of
interest groups may not be part of the same
organizational department but they are bound together
by some other common interest.

2. Friendship Groups:
 Friendship groups are formed by members who enjoy
similar social activities, political beliefs, religious
values, or other common bonds. Members enjoy each
other’s company and often meet after work to
participate in these activities.

3. Reference Groups:
 A reference group is a type of group that people use to
evaluate themselves. The main objectives of reference
groups are to seek social validation and social
comparison. Social validation allows individuals to
justify their attitudes and values while social
comparison helps individuals evaluate their own
actions by comparing themselves to others. Reference
groups have a strong influence on members’ behavior.

FACTORS AFFECTING GROUP
BEHAVIOUR
The success or failure of a group depends upon so many
factors.
 Group member resources
 structure (group size, group roles, group norms, and
group cohesiveness)
 group processes (the communication, group decision
making processes, power dynamics, conflicting
interactions, etc.)
 group tasks (complexity and interdependence).

TURNING GROUPS INTO
EFFECTIVE TEAMS:
All teams are groups but not all groups are
teams. Teams often are difficult to form because it
takes time for members to learn how to work together.
People in every workplace talk about building the
team, working as a team, and my team, but few
understand how to create the experience of team work
or how to develop an effective team.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUP
AND TEAM
GROUP TEAM
No opportunity to engage in
collective work
Members work intensely with
individual and mutual
accountability
No positive synergy to create Generates positive synergy
Performance not greater than
sum of inputs.
Generates greater outputs
with no increase in inputs.
Less responsive to dynamic
environment
More flexible and more
responsive to dynamic
environment.

TYPES OF TEAM
Teams can be of four types :–
 problem-solving teams (only making suggestion)
 self-managed, teams (operate without a manager)
 cross-functional teams (a group of experts from
different specialities)
 virtual team (members collaborate online).

In terms of size, teams may be
 institutional (comprising of hundreds of members)
 operational (a small, cooperative group, in regular
contact and contributes responsibly to achieve task at
hand).

EIGHT CS FOR TEAM BUILDING:
Clear
Expectation
Commitment
Coordination
Creativity
Communication
Collaboration
Competence
Control
TEAM
BUILDING

BENEFITS OF TEAM WORK IN
NURSING
 Improved patient satisfaction and outcome
 Higher job satisfaction
 Increased professional accountability
 Lower rates of job turn over
 Improved engagement in the workplace

ADVANTAGES
 Each member of the team is able to participate in decision
making and problem solving.
 Each team member is able to contribute his or her own
special expertise or skills in caring for the patient.
 Improved patient satisfaction.
 Organizational decision making occurring at the lower
level.
 Team nursing is an effective method of patient care
delivery
 Feeling of participation and belonging are facilitated with
team members.

 Work load can be balanced and shared and allows
members the opportunity to develop leadership skills.
 Every team member has the opportunity to learn from
and teach colleagues
 Interest in client’s care is shared by several people,
reliability of decisions is increased.
 Continuity of care is facilitated, especially if teams are
constant.
 Barriers between professional and non-professional
workers can be minimized, the group efforts prevail.

DISADVANTAGES
 Establishing a team concept takes time, effort and
constancy of personnel.
 Unstable staffing pattern make team nursing difficult.
 There is less individual responsibility regarding
nursing functions.
 Continuity of care may suffer if the daily team
assignments vary
 Insufficient time for care planning and communication
may lead to unclear goals.
 Therefore, responsibilities and care may become
fragmented.

Human Relation in Nursing - Group dynamics& Team work

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