Group is an association of people who are constantly interacting, interdependent and mutually influencing each other, performing various duties, coordinating joint activities to achieve specific common goals and considering themselves as part of a single whole.

Group- a community of people limited in number, distinguished from the social whole on the basis of certain signs (joint activity, identity of circumstances, etc.).

In an organization, group forms of work can be used in various areas of its activity, to achieve different goals, and created for different periods of time (Table 11.1).

Table 11.1. Types of groups in an organization

Formal and informal groups in an organization

Every organization has formal groups, created by decision of management to perform tasks aimed at achieving the goals of the organization. They function in accordance with pre-established, officially approved regulations, instructions, charters. There are three types of formal groups: management teams (leader's group), working groups and committees.

group formal- a group created by the decision of the management in the structure of the organization to perform certain tasks.

management team, first of all, the top level, consists of the manager and his direct subordinates (deputies), who, in turn, can also be managers. Thus, the head of the organization and his deputies, who head various functional areas, represent a typical command group. At the shop level, the head of the shop and his deputy also form a command subordinate group. The commercial director and the heads of departments subordinate to him, for example, sales (sales) of finished products, marketing, advertising, also form a team group.

Working groups are formed and function as separate structural units created to perform specialized functions that emerged in the process of division of labor in production and management. These are functional working groups. Formal groups may also be formed to work on a specific project or problem. After the task is completed, they may be disbanded or assigned to work on another project, problem. These are task forces.

Both in the functional and in the target working groups, specialists are selected who have certain professional training, qualifications, experience and are ready to work in a joint labor system.

The committee- a formal group to which powers are delegated to perform a task or a series of tasks. Types of committees can be commissions, councils. The main thing that distinguishes committees from other formal groups is group decision making.

Thus, under the board of directors of any large company, committees for strategic planning, personnel and remuneration, and audit can be created.

Along with the formal in the organization arise and operate informal groups, created by members of the organization in accordance with their mutual sympathy, common interests, the same hobbies, habits to meet social needs and people's communication (Fig. 11.1).

Interest in informal groups was initiated by the famous Hawthorne experiments of Elton Mayo in the 1930s, when researchers found that informal groups arise spontaneously as a result of the interaction of employees and are not determined by formal organization. People know well who is in their informal group and who is not. Informal groups usually have their own unwritten rules and norms of behavior. There is a certain distribution of roles in them and the status of each member of the group is defined. In an informal group, as a rule, there is an explicit or implicit leader.

An informal group can manifest itself in two varieties. In the first, non-formalized service relations have a functional content and exist in parallel with the formal organization, supplementing it. An example is the system of business relations between employees, which has developed spontaneously in addition to the existing management structure in these cases, they speak of an informal structure.

In the second, interpersonal connections arise due to mutual attraction, sympathy, common views on life, habits, hobbies, etc. out of touch with the functional need. These can be partnerships, interest clubs, etc.

Interesting experience

Virtual Team

This is a group of people with common goals, performing their functional roles, who in the process of cooperation rarely meet in person or do not know each other by sight, united with the help of modern information and telecommunications.

Rice. 11.1.

technology. Virtual teams can be made up of people separated by large distances.

Virtual teams are highly flexible and dynamic. These can be both temporary cross-functional teams, as well as long-term and even permanent self-managed teams. Such teams are created to develop projects in the field of high technologies, however, if the company needs, the sales department may well be virtual.

• Highly evolved groups- groups that are distinguished by the unity of goals and common interests, the stability of relations between its members, high cohesion, etc. underdeveloped groups- groups characterized by insufficient development or lack of psychological community, established structure, clear distribution of responsibilities, low cohesion. These groups, which are at the initial stage of their existence, are also called diffuse.
• Elton Mayo - American psychologist, founder of the school of human relations in management.

Every organization has a complex intertwining of formal and informal groups. They have a strong impact on the quality of activities and the effectiveness of the organization. The manager must be able to interact with them. A group is two or more people who interact with each other to complete tasks, achieve a common goal. At the same time, each person influences others, and is himself under their influence.

Formal groups are created by the management of the organization to perform specific tasks, to achieve certain goals. They are part of the formal structure of the organization. A formal organization is understood as a planned system of joint efforts, in which each participant has his own, clearly defined role, tasks, and responsibilities. They are distributed among the participants in the name of achieving the goals of the organization. There are three main types of formal groups: vertical, horizontal and ad hoc task forces.

A vertical group is created by a manager and his subordinates with a formal chain of command. This group is sometimes referred to as the functional group, leader group, or command group. It includes 3, 4 levels of hierarchy in the functional unit. For example, team groups will be departments: product quality control, human resource development, financial analysis, etc. Each of them is created to achieve certain goals by combining the efforts of the people in the group and their interaction.

A horizontal group is created from employees who are at the same hierarchical level of the organization, but work in different functional areas. Such a group is formed from employees of several departments. They are given a specific task, and when this task is solved, the group can be disbanded. There are two main types of horizontal groups: a working or task force and a committee.

A working group is sometimes called a cross-functional. It can be used to create a new product in a manufacturing organization or write a textbook at a university. An example of such groups are quality circles or groups in matrix management structures working on the implementation of a new project. Working groups also have a leader, but they differ from command groups in that they have more independence and the ability to solve their problems.

A committee is a group within an organization that has been delegated authority to carry out a task. Sometimes it is called a council, commission, team, task force. This form involves group decision making. There are two main types of committees: ad hoc and permanent.

An ad hoc committee is a temporary group formed for a specific purpose.

A standing committee is a group within an organization that has a specific goal, constantly emerging tasks. Most often, they advise the organization on important issues, such as the Board of Directors of the company, the audit commission, commissions for reviewing wages, reviewing complaints, reducing costs, etc. The committee has either staff or line powers.

Special task forces are created outside the formal organizational structure to develop a project of particular importance, complexity, risk, or involving the implementation of the creative potential of the performers. These groups have a lot of freedom of action.

An example of such groups are the so-called venture teams.

Within the framework of a formal organization created by management, an informal organization arises. This is due to the fact that people interact in groups and between groups not only according to the instructions of the leadership. They communicate during meetings, lunch, corporate holidays, after work. From such social interaction, many friendly, informal groups are born. Their unity forms an informal organization.

An informal organization is a spontaneously formed group of people who interact regularly to achieve a specific goal. In a large organization, there are many informal groups. Informal organizations, just like formal ones, have a hierarchy, leaders, tasks, and norms of behavior.

The main reasons for the emergence of informal groups are:

1) unsatisfied social needs for belonging, belonging;

2) the need for mutual assistance;

3) the need for mutual protection;

4) close communication and sympathy;

5) a similar way of thinking.

Affiliation. One of the highest human needs, which is satisfied through the establishment and maintenance of social contacts and interactions. But many formal organizations deprive people of social contacts. Therefore, workers turn to informal organizations.

Mutual assistance. Help, support, advice, advice, employees should receive from their immediate superiors. But this does not always happen, because the leader is not always able to create an atmosphere of openness and trust when the performers want to share their problems with him. Therefore, often people prefer to resort to the help of their colleagues. This interaction has a double benefit. The one who provided it acquires a reputation as an expert, prestige, self-respect. Who received - the necessary guidance for action, belonging to an informal organization.

Mutual protection. Members of informal organizations protect their interests and each other from superiors, other formal and informal groups. For example, they protect each other from unfair decisions, harmful rules, poor working conditions, invasion of their zone of influence by other departments, lower salaries, and dismissal.

Close communication. Thanks to the formal organization and its tasks, the same people come together every day, sometimes for many years. They are often forced to communicate and interact, as they solve the same tasks. People want to know what's going on around them, especially when it comes to their work. But sometimes leaders deliberately hide information from subordinates. Subordinates are forced to resort to an informal channel of communication - rumors. It satisfies the need for security, belonging. In addition, people want to be closer to those they sympathize with, with whom they have a lot in common, with whom they can discuss not only work, but also personal matters. Such relationships often arise with those who are nearby in the workspace.

Similar way of thinking. People are united by the same shared social and ideological values, common intellectual traditions, professed philosophy of life, common hobbies, etc.

It is necessary to know the main characteristics of informal groups that have a great influence on the effectiveness of a formal organization and which must be taken into account in management. These characteristics are:

1) exercising social control;

2) resistance to change;

3) the emergence of an informal leader;

4) spreading rumors.

social control. Informal groups establish and reinforce norms of acceptable and unacceptable behavior within the group. This may concern both clothing, manners, and acceptable types of work, attitudes towards it, and the intensity of work. Those who violate these norms are subject to alienation and other sanctions. These norms may or may not correspond to the norms and values ​​of the formal organization.

Resistance to change. This phenomenon is also characteristic of formal groups, since changes disrupt the usual, well-established rhythm of work, the distribution of roles, stability, and confidence in the future. Changes can pose a threat to the continued existence of an informal group. Reorganization, the introduction of new technology, the expansion of production, the elimination of traditional industries can lead to the disintegration of informal groups or a reduction in the ability to meet social needs and realize common interests.

Leadership must reduce resistance to change using a variety of methods, including participatory management.

informal leaders. Informal organizations, as well as formal ones, have their own leaders. To influence the members of the group, they apply to them the same methods as the formal leaders. The only difference between these two leaders is that the leader of the formal organization has the support of delegated official powers and usually operates in a specific functional area assigned to him. The support of the informal leader is the recognition of his group. In his actions, he relies on people and their relationships. The sphere of influence of the informal leader may go beyond the administrative framework of the formal organization.

The main factors determining the opportunity to become the leader of an informal organization are: age, official authority, professional competence, location of the workplace, freedom of movement in the work area, moral qualities (responsiveness, decency, etc.). The exact characteristics are determined by the value system adopted in the group.

Informal organizations interact with formal ones. This interaction can be represented as a Ho-mans model. The model demonstrates how an informal group arises from the process of interaction between people performing certain tasks.

In the organization, people perform the tasks assigned to them, in the process of performing these tasks, people interact, which in turn contributes to the emergence of emotions - positive and negative in relation to each other and superiors. These emotions influence how people will carry out their activities and interact in the future. Emotions, favorable or unfavorable, can lead to either an increase or decrease in efficiency, absenteeism, staff turnover, complaints and other phenomena that are important for assessing the performance of an organization. Therefore, even if an informal organization is not created by the will of the leadership and is not under its complete control, it must be managed so that it can achieve its goals.

To ensure effective communication between formal and informal groups, the following methods can be used:

1) recognize the existence of an informal organization, refuse to destroy it, realize the need to work with it;

2) identify leaders in each informal group, involve in the decision-making process and take into account their views, encourage those involved in solving production problems;

3) check all managerial actions for their possible negative impact on the informal group;

4) to reduce resistance to change, involve group members in making management decisions;

5) quickly provide accurate information to prevent the spread of false rumors.

In addition to organizational factors, the effectiveness of the work of groups is also influenced by specific factors. They can be divided into two groups:

1) characteristics of the group;

2) group processes.

The characteristics of the group include its size, composition, status, and the roles of the group members.

Group size. Many management theorists have devoted attention to determining the ideal group size. Summing them up, we can say that such a group will be a group of 5-12 people. The explanation for this is that in smaller groups there is less opportunity to realize the benefits of group decision making, to benefit from differences of opinion. In addition, group members may be concerned about too much personal responsibility for the results of the work, decisions made.

In larger groups, communication between members becomes more difficult, and it becomes more difficult to reach agreement on issues related to the activities of the group. There may be difficulty, timidity in expressing one's opinion in front of a large number of people. Participation of everyone in the discussion of the issues to be resolved is limited.

Composition of the group. The composition is understood as the degree of similarity of personalities, points of view, approaches in solving problems. The group should be composed of dissimilar personalities, with different knowledge, abilities, skills, ways of thinking, in order to work with greater efficiency.

The status of group members is the position, the position of a person in a group. It can be determined by a number of factors: position, office location, education, social talents, awareness, accumulated experience, moral qualities. These factors can either raise or lower status, depending on the values ​​and norms of the group. In order to make effective decisions, it is necessary to exclude the dominant influence of members with a higher status.

Roles of group members. A role is a set of rules of behavior expected of an individual in a particular situation. There are two main directions of roles for creating an effective group: target roles, which are aimed at the selection and setting of group tasks and their implementation, as well as supporting (social) roles, which contribute to the revitalization of the group. Most American managers perform targeted roles, while Japanese managers perform targeted and supportive ones.

Target roles:

1) initiation of activities, i.e. the proposal of new solutions, ideas, the search for new approaches to their solution;

2) search for information necessary to solve the tasks set, to clarify the proposals put forward;

3) collecting the opinions of group members, clarifying their attitude to the issues under discussion. Clarification of their ideas, values;

4) generalization, i.e., linking various ideas, proposals for solving the problem and generalizing them in the final solution;

5) elaboration - clarification of the decision, forecasting its fate, if it is made;

6) motivation - stimulating the actions of the group when the interests and motives of its members fade away. Supporting roles:

1) encouragement is praise for the ideas expressed, a positive assessment of their contribution to solving the problem, maintaining a friendly atmosphere;

2) harmonization, which consists in reducing emotional tension, resolving conflicts, reducing disagreement and reaching agreements;

3) ensuring participation - creating an atmosphere of trust, openness, freedom of communication, so that each member of the group can and wants to make their own ideas, suggestions;

4) loyalty, support is the ability to hear and agree with other ideas, to go along with the group;

5) willingness to compromise - the ability to change one's own mind in order to maintain harmony in the team. If the majority of group members fulfill social roles, the team becomes socially oriented. Its members do not conflict with each other, do not impose their opinions on others and do not really strive to fulfill the tasks of the team, because the main thing for them is to keep the team united and happy, to harmonize relationships. Members of such teams may experience high individual satisfaction, but usually at the expense of reduced productivity.

At the other extreme, a team consisting predominantly of "specialists". In it, everything is subordinated to one goal - the result. Such a team will be effective in the short term, but in the long term, the degree of satisfaction, and hence the motivation of its members, decreases, since the social and emotional needs of its members are ignored.

Some team members play a dual role. These people are focused on both the task and the emotional needs of the other participants. These people can become team leaders because all members of the group are equal to them, satisfying both types of needs. Finally, there is another role - the role of an outside observer who does not overwork either in solving team problems or in meeting social needs. Such team members do not enjoy the respect of its members.

It is important for managers to remember that effective teams must be well balanced, with people performing both roles: to achieve goals, solve production problems, and to create social cohesion.

Group processes include the stages of group development, cohesion, norms and conflict. Group development stages

Studies show that the group does not develop spontaneously, but passes through certain stages. There are several models of team development. They include five stages. In teams that work under time pressure or exist for only a few days, the transition of stages occurs very quickly. And each leader and team member has their own unique challenges.

Formation is the stage of orientation and familiarity. Group members evaluate each other's abilities, the ability to achieve goals, the possibility of establishing friendships, acceptable types of behavior for others. This is a stage of high uncertainty, and group members usually accept any authority offered by formal or informal leaders. At the formation stage, the team leader should give the participants time to get to know each other and encourage informal communication.

The stage of disagreements and contradictions reveals the individual characteristics of people. They are established in their roles and are aware of what the team expects from them. This stage is marked by conflict and disagreement. Members may disagree with the understanding of the goals of the group and how to achieve it, create coalitions with common interests. The team has not yet reached cohesion and unity. And until she overcomes the odds, her performance is at a low ebb. At this time, the team leader should encourage its members to participate in management, discuss goals, objectives, and put forward new ideas.

Achievement of a normal state. At this stage, conflicts are resolved, a state of mutual recognition is reached. The team is strengthened, there is agreement on the distribution of roles and power in the group. There is a sense of trust and unity. The leader must focus on unity, harmony in the team and help its members understand its norms and values.

Functioning. At this stage of the work, the main thing is to solve problems and achieve the intended goals. The members of the team coordinate their efforts, the arising disagreements are eliminated in civilized ways in the interests of the group and its goals. The leader must focus on achieving high results. This requires the fulfillment of both roles aimed at achieving goals and social interaction.

Disbandment takes place in groups such as committees, task forces and special task forces after they have completed their tasks. Attention is paid to curtailing and slowing down group processes.

Team members may experience emotional upsurge, feelings of attachment, depression, regret over the disbandment of the group. They may be satisfied with the achievement of planned goals and saddened by the upcoming parting with friends and colleagues. To mitigate the negative consequences, the leader can announce the termination of the team's activities at a solemn meeting, distribute awards, prizes or commemorative badges.

Team cohesion is a measure of the attraction of group members to each other and to the group. A highly cohesive group is a group whose members are strongly attracted to each other and consider themselves like-minded people. Such groups have a good moral climate, a friendly atmosphere, joint decision-making. These groups are more effective if their goals are aligned with those of the organization. Working in a group of friends and like-minded people is more satisfying. A group with a low level of cohesion does not have an interpersonal attraction for its members.

A potential negative consequence of a high degree of cohesion is groupthink. This is a tendency for an individual to suppress his real views, to refuse to express opposing points of view so as not to disturb the harmony in the group.

As a result, the problem is solved with less efficiency, since alternative proposals are not discussed and all available information is not evaluated.

Group norms are generally accepted standards of individual and group behavior that have developed over time as a result of the interaction of group members. These are stereotypes of behavior that are instilled in all members of the group through the approval or disapproval of its members. Only the fulfillment of these norms allows one to count on belonging to a group, its recognition and support. Group norms can be both positive and negative.

Positive norms support the goals of the organization and encourage behavior directed towards achieving these goals.

Positive group norms:

1) pride in the organization;

2) striving for the highest results;

3) profitability;

4) customer orientation;

5) collective work and mutual assistance;

6) continuous development of personnel;

7) professional training of personnel;

8) career management of employees;

9) encouragement of innovations;

10) respectful, kind attitude towards each other;

11) interest in the opinion of colleagues;

12) concern for people on the part of management.

When deciding on the possibility of using a group to perform certain tasks, the manager must weigh their advantages and disadvantages.

Team Benefits

The increase in individual labor efforts is associated with the objective emergence of competitiveness, the desire to excel, or at least keep up with other people. The presence of other people causes additional energy, enthusiasm, which leads to an increase in motivation, productivity and quality of work, and the disclosure of the creative potential of employees.

Satisfaction of group members. It is work in a group that allows you to satisfy the needs for belonging, belonging, social interaction. Cohesive groups reduce loneliness, contribute to the development of self-esteem, significance, as people are included in group work with special goals. Such work is more likely to bring pleasure.

Expansion of working skills and knowledge. People with extensive experience, skills and secrets of mastery pass them on to all members of the group, teach them the necessary operations, work to complete the tasks of the group. In addition, the teams are delegated the authority to solve production problems. This enriches the work and increases the motivation of employees.

Increasing organizational agility. Traditional organizations have a rigid structure, where each employee performs only one specific job, function. In teams, its members can perform each other's duties. If necessary, the task of the team can be changed, and employees are redeployed, which allows increasing the flexibility of production and quickly responding to changing customer needs.

Team weaknesses.

Redistribution of power. When a company creates self-managed work teams, the main losers are the lower and middle managers. It is difficult for them to adapt to a new situation: they do not want to share their powers, they are afraid of losing their status or even their job. Some of them are unable to learn the new skills they need to survive.

The free rider problem. This term refers to a team member who enjoys all the benefits of being a member of a team, but does not contribute proportionately to the work of the team, hiding behind other people's backs. Sometimes this phenomenon is called social dependency. In large groups, some people work with less output than when working individually or in a small group.

Coordination costs are the time and effort required to coordinate the activities of the members of a group to ensure that its objectives are met. In addition, teams need to spend time preparing for collaboration to decide who will perform certain work tasks and when.

So, an effective group is a group whose size corresponds to its tasks, which includes people with dissimilar traits of character and way of thinking, whose norms correspond to the achievement of the goals of the organization and the creation of high morale, where both target and social roles are well performed. and where the high status of group members does not dominate.

High morale is a psychological state of a person that encourages him to actively participate in the work of the group and direct all his energy to the fulfillment of its tasks.

There are two types of groups: formal and informal. Both of these types of groups are important to the organization and have a great impact on the members of the organization.

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 group, as well as formally assigned functions and tasks.

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, the same hobbies, habits, etc.

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 manager 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 perform their tasks successfully if they do not achieve the proper 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 takes in it.

One of the prerequisites for effective management is also the ability to work in small groups, such as various committees or commissions created by the leaders themselves, and the ability to build relationships with their direct reports.

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.

Each of us belongs to many groups at the same time. Some groups prove short-lived and their mission is simple. When the mission is completed, or when the members of the group lose interest in it, the group breaks up. An example of such a group would be several students who come together to study for an upcoming exam. Other groups may exist for several years and have a significant impact on their members or even on the external environment. An example of such groups can be associations of teenage schoolchildren.

According to Marvin Shaw, "a group is two or more persons who interact with each other in such a way that each person influences the others and is simultaneously influenced by other persons."

formal groups. Based on Shaw's definition, an organization of any size can be considered to consist 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.

The command (subordinate) group of the leader consists of the leader and his direct subordinates, who, in turn, can also be leaders. 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 the 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. In such companies, 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 higher-level workers.

The third type of formal group, the committee, will be discussed below.

All command 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.

Long before Maslow's theoretical explorations of human needs, the Hawthorne Experiment provided evidence for the need to take into account the social relationships between employees. The Hawthorne Study systematically applied the sciences of human behavior to organizational effectiveness for the first time. It demonstrated the fact that in addition to the economic needs of the earlier authors, workers also have social needs. The organization came to be seen as more than a logical arrangement of workers performing interrelated tasks. Theorists and practitioners of management have realized that the organization is also a social system where individuals, formal and informal groups interact. Referring to the Hawthorne study, management theorists Scott and Mitchell wrote: “These scholars have made a compelling case that, according to classical theory, even in well-designed organizations small groups and individuals can appear whose behavior does not fit within the rational from the point of view of an economist. framework".

Of course, one can criticize the methodology of the Hawthorne Study, but still, thanks mainly to research in the behavioral sciences, we now have a much clearer understanding of the nature and dynamics of formal and informal groups in the work collective.

Development of informal organizations and their characteristics. The formal organization is created by the will of the leadership. But once it is created, it also becomes a social environment where people interact in ways that are not dictated by management. 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.

Informal organizations have much in common with the formal organizations in which they are included. They are in some way organized in the same way as formal organizations - they have a hierarchy, leaders and tasks. Spontaneous (emergent) organizations also have unwritten rules called norms that serve as standards of behavior for members of the organization. These norms are supported by a system of rewards 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 structure and type of a formal organization are built by management consciously through design, while the structure and type of an informal organization arise as a result of social interaction. Describing the development of informal organizations, Leonard Seilis and George Strauss say: “Employees form friendly groups based on their contacts and common interests, and these groups arise from the very life of this organization. However, once these groups have formed, they take on a life of their own, almost completely divorced from the labor process from which they arose. It is a dynamic, self-generating process. Employees, united by the framework of a formal organization, interact with each other. Increasing interaction contributes to the emergence of friendly feelings in relation to other members of the group. In turn, these feelings form the basis for an ever-increasing variety of activities, many of which are missing from job descriptions: dining out together, doing work for a buddy, fighting non-group members, gambling with check numbers. etc. These enhanced interactions contribute to building stronger interpersonal bonds. Then the group begins to represent something more than a simple collection of people. It creates traditional ways of performing certain actions - a set of stable characteristics that are difficult to change. The group becomes an organization."

Why do people join organizations? People usually know why they join formal organizations. As a rule, they either want to fulfill the goals of the organization, or they need to be rewarded in the form of income, or they are guided by considerations of prestige associated with belonging to this organization. People also have reasons for joining groups and informal organizations, but they are often unaware of them. As the Hawthorne Experiment showed, belonging to informal groups can provide people with psychological benefits no less important to them than the salary they receive. The most important reasons for joining a group are: a sense of belonging, mutual assistance, mutual protection, close communication and interest.

Affiliation. The very first reason for joining an informal group is to satisfy the need for a sense of belonging, one of our strongest emotional needs. Even before the Hawthorne Experiment, Elton Mayo discovered that people whose jobs prevent them from making and maintaining social contacts tend to be dissatisfied. Other studies have shown that group membership and group support are strongly associated with employee satisfaction. And yet, despite the fact that the need for belonging is widely recognized, most formal organizations deliberately deprive people of opportunities for social contact. Therefore, workers are often forced to turn to informal organizations in order to gain these contacts.

Help. Ideally, subordinates should be able to feel free to turn to their direct superiors for advice or to discuss their problems. If this does not happen, then the boss should carefully examine his relationship with his subordinates. In any case, right or wrong, many people believe that their boss in a formal organization will think badly of them if they ask him how they can do a certain job. Others are afraid of criticism. Moreover, every organization has many unwritten rules that deal with minor procedural issues and protocol, such as how long the coffee break should be, how the boss should treat chatter and jokes, how to dress to earn everyone's approval, and to what extent these rules are mandatory. It is clear that the employee will still think about whether it is worth asking for help from the authorities on all these issues. In these and other situations, people often prefer to resort to the help of their colleagues. For example, a new worker in production is more likely to ask another worker to explain to him how to perform this or that operation. This leads to the fact that new workers also tend to participate in an already formed social group, where there are experienced workers. Receiving help from a colleague is beneficial to both: the one who received it and the one who provided it. As a result of helping, the one who gives it acquires prestige and self-respect, and the one who receives it acquires the necessary guidance for action. Thus, the need for help leads to the emergence of an informal organization.

Protection. People have always known that strength is in unity. One of the primary reasons that prompted prehistoric people to unite in tribes was additional protection from the hostile manifestations of their external environment. The perceived need for protection continues to be an important reason for people to join certain groups. Although it is very rare these days to talk about the existence of real physical danger in the workplace, the very first trade unions originated in social groups that met in pubs and discussed their grievances with superiors. Even today, members of informal grassroots organizations protect each other from harmful rules. They may, for example, join forces to protest harmful working conditions. Not surprisingly, this protective function becomes even more important when superiors are not trusted.

Sometimes managers also form informal organizations to protect their colleagues. Their goal is usually to protect their zone from intrusion by other parts of the organization.

The problem of informal organizations also indicates the need to integrate the goals of departments and direct efforts for the benefit of the organization as a whole.

Communication. People want to know what's going on around them, especially if it affects their work. And yet, in many formal organizations, the system of internal contacts is rather weak, and sometimes management deliberately hides certain information from their subordinates. Therefore, one of the important reasons for belonging to an informal organization is access to an informal channel for receiving information - rumors, gossip and other information that either does not come from official sources at all, or goes through formal channels too slowly. This can satisfy the individual's needs for psychological protection and belonging, and provide him with faster access to the information he needs to work.

Close communication and sympathy. People often join informal groups simply to be closer to those they like. For example, department clerks or engineers often work in large rooms where there are no partitions between desks. These people have a lot in common and like each other partly because they do similar jobs. So, they can go out to lunch together, discuss their work and personal affairs during coffee breaks, or ask their superiors for a pay raise and better working conditions. At work, people tend to interact with those around them. People are generally drawn to those who they think can satisfy their needs for belonging, competence, protection, respect, and so on.

LECTURE #11