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As we all know, the heard instinct
is very strong in the animal world. It is just as powerful among
humans in the worlds of work. Managers who are not alert to its
influence, both in formally structured and informal work
groups, will not succeed.
Groups are brought together
purposely by management. And groups also come together
spontaneously among individuals who share common goals and
interests. The entire process of management is based on the
assumption of creation of a common basis of interests among
employees, managers, owners, vendors, and even customers.
Management tries to harmonize these interests in a way that is
profitable for all concerned.
Pervasiveness of informal
groups
Each employee instinctively,
humanly, gravitates toward a number of reference groups. There
is the formal group and informal groups with which he or she is
casually associated. These include a group of three or four
employees who commute with the individual to work, or share the
lunch break, or work in his or her portion of the work space, or
belong to his or her place of worship or athletic club, etc.
Unfortunately for management,
informal groups tend to have their own identities and their own
hierarchies of leaders and followers. More importantly, each
group establishes its own standards of behavior, or norms. These
norms may differ from those established by management.
Group standards or norms
Each group develops its own
attitudes (or norms) toward such factors as company loyalty,
respect for the company’s rules and regulations, the work space,
work output and quality, attendance, and discipline.
Some peer groups exert strong
influences, or pressures, on their members to conform to the
group’s norms. This does not mean that every member receives
the same kind of pressure or responds in the same manner. A
person’s motivations and goals play a great part. Most
individuals, especially in productive work groups, find a way to
accommodate both the company’s standards, the group’s norms, and
their own motivations. They learn to compromise.
Three conclusions seem
evident:
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Managers must be aware of and
accept the presence and influence of informal groups.
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Managers should not demand an
individual’s affirmation of company objectives at the expense
of loyalty to the group. Managers should not set themselves up
as opponents to group existence and activities. Management
should continually seek ways to harmonize the company’s
objectives with those of individual employees. When the common
basis of these objectives is effectively communicated and
demonstrated, employee will generally adhere to company
standards while displaying the appropriate degree of
conformity demanded by the groups to which they belong.
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Management’s decisions and
actions must give recognition to the common denominators of
individual employee motivation rather than make an effort to
manipulate or do battle with the informal groups that coalesce
and then disperse, often unpredictably.
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