4 peer responses – due in 4 hours

THERE ARE 4 PEER RESPONSES NEEDED. THERE ARE TWO SETS OF TWO PEER RESPONSES WHICH TOTALS TO 4 PEER RESPONSES IN ALL. PLEASE DO NOT POST UNLESS ALL 4 RESPONSES ARE COMPLETED..

  
Guided Response: Provide examples to support your answer. In your responses to classmates, take the opposite position your classmates have presented and provide a convincing response designed to change their minds. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. Support your statement with the textbook (use and cite).

Qiana’s Post:

Take a position on the following statement: All organizations should use the group structure as the basic building block for designing and organizing jobs.
Group structure is the basis for the roles, and norms as well as the interchanges that take place within a group. (Coget & Losh, 2018). Within group structures the member so the group know what their roles are within the group, and this is to prevent a chaotic atmosphere. Many businesses large and small including large corporations use group structure to make their businesses run efficiently. Each group member has a function within the group and can work together to achieve a goal for their workplace. 
In my current workplace, we have a group leader which we call a fleet manager, but we all work as a group or team that have individual responsibilities. To get our daily projects done we have to come together and let each other know what we are doing and how that project is coming along. In Transportation for the school system things are constantly changing. Our fleet manager who is the head of the group has started a text message change to stay in contact with each other when we may be away from the office to still be functional as a group. Group structure is considered a team that works together to achieve a common goal but each individual person in that group knows what their role is and who to go to for assistance or direction. I do agree that working together or collaborating as a group works better for any organization. It is a coalition which consist of intertwined knowledge and resources and a collective responsibility. (Coget & Losh, 2018). When a group can put all their resources together even though each person may have skills or have different areas of knowledge it can work together for the good of the organization. 
 
References:
Coget, J. and Losh, S. (2018). Group behavior in organizations (2nd ed.). [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

David’s Post:

Take a position on the following statement: All organizations should use the group structure as the basic building block for designing and organizing jobs.
Groups by their nature lend toward collaboration.  Very few roles are truly independent.  A group is necessary for designing and organizing jobs because the group can be tasked with an objective and then the group can identify what is needed in a role to meet the primary objective.  Take the donut shop as an example.  It is a workplace so there will be a group of employees to run the place.  A husband and wife may start the business and that group decides that maybe the husband will make the donuts and the wife will deal with customers.  Then business takes off and the wife needs help stocking, cleaning or dealing with customers or the husband needs help with unloading supplies or making donuts.  New roles are formed and the group expands.  According to Coget and Losh, “Group structure defines member roles and directs patterns of interdependence and interaction within the group (Coget & Losh, 2018, p. 11).  The group structure initially started with the husband and wife and as the group expanded the roles and interactions were designed as the needs of the group became clearer.

Reference
Coget, J. and Losh, S. (2018). Group behavior in organizations (2nd ed.). [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.

Lyndsey’s Post:

Tuckman’s five stages of development is a great way to get all employees or group members well acquainted with each other and ready to accomplish goals together that will benefit the company they work for.
           The first stage of Tuckman’s five stages is the Forming stage. In this first stage, all the group members are coming together and recognizing their role in their group. It would be helpful in this stage if the manager had everyone come together in a morning meeting or a breakfast where everyone could meet and chat and get to know each other that way when it comes time for them to work together they will have an idea of who each member is and how they like to do things.
           The second stage of the five stages of development is the Storming stage. In this stage, “Members shift from I to we thinking; script clashes, status balancing, and role adjustment occur” (Coget & Losh, 2018). This part of the stage the group members recognize that they are a part of a group and each person is going to have their own individual strengths and weaknesses, but by working together, they will be able to accomplish the goals they have set. In this stage, a manager can give each member a specific role within the group if they notice certain members being stronger in certain areas.
           In the third stage, the Norming stage, group members are aware and accepting of the fact that they are all working together toward a common goal, and it will be best to have cooperation with each other. “Cooperation: Members accept the group and seek acceptance via observation and open exchange of information, feedback, and norms” (Cognet & Losh, 2018). This stage is where members see that things will go a lot smoother if everyone has open communication with each other, and managers in this stage can help by encouraging everyone to communicate with each other.
           The fourth stage is the Performing stage, and this is where “Members achieve positive interdependence and focus energies toward goal accomplishment” (Cognet & Losh, 2018). This is the stage where members really focus and set all of their energy into working together to accomplish all of the goals; they set out to accomplish. Managers can come in at this stage and see the progress that has been made and what still needs more work, and they can offer tips and encouragement to help all group members complete their tasks.
           The final stage is the Adjourning stage, and this is the stage where “Members assess their participation and personal development within the group, group process, and performance outcome” (Cognet & Losh, 2018). When the group has reached the end of their time together and completed what they set out to accomplish, they look back at all the work they have done and see how much was accomplished by working together and what can be done better for next time. At this point, the manager can acknowledge everyone’s performance and see how the group worked together and what they completed by following Tuckman’s stages. A manager will be able to see at this stage if these group members work well together and if they should be put together for future projects.
References
Coget, J., and Losh, S. (2018). Group behavior in organizations (2nd ed.). [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
David’s Post:
Tuckmans’s five stages of group development are forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (Coget & Losh, 2018, p.42).  Tuckman described what members experience as they participate in a group for the first time through the eventual end of their membership or the end of the group.
As a manager, introducing new members, having them discuss their background and otherwise aiding their socialization into the group could really benefit them and the group at the forming stage.
In the storming stage, I personally like to see my groups collaborate.  I give them an objective and they come back to me with their ideas and I provide redirecting as needed.  I sometimes settle differences of opinion they may have about roles or the direction.
As a manager I do much the same in the norming stage.  I make sure each person is delivering on their tasks and then socialize “wins” to the whole team.
In the performing stage, I focus on giving good feedback throughout the year with respect to annual objectives.  The feedback is individual to the roles of the group, but can be tied back to the primary objectives of the larger group.
All good things come to an end.  In the adjourning stage, groups have members leave or move on and I have I had that on my teams.  I try to recognize all the positive characteristics and efforts that the member gave to the group and sincerely wish them well.
In other scenarios, I have had work groups end because the company was sold.  The work group then turned into a social group of “we used to all work together, now we have dinner and catch up” group.
Reference
Coget, J. and Losh, S. (2018). Group behavior in organizations (2nd ed.). [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/