Diagnosing Teams in Organizational Settings

Work groups in organizations are differentiated from the research groups and literary examples of teams that frequently are used to guide analyses of groups in their natural settings. Actual organizational groups are influenced by outside expectations and membership changes that make their functioning different from model groups. A framework for diagnos-ing real groups focuses on group origins and membership differences. This perspective is offered as an aid to interpreting communication be-havior of groups in organizational settings. Team building or team management is an important current con-cept in organization development. Team building, which focuses on small groups of people who share in making and carrying out organiza-tional decisions, is based on social-science literature that shows that (1) groups reach more creative decisions than do individuals (Collins & Guetzkow, 1964) and (2) members are more motivated to carry out decisions made in groups than those made by individuals (Vroom, 1969). From the social-science literature on groups, one is likely to con-jure up a vivid image of what a team is like: a group of five to seven people working around a table, sharing equally in a discussion about a problem that is laid out in front of them. The members are of both sexes, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and each participant brings a unique point of view to the problem. The work is satisfying, and the problems are solved. This image of teams is easy to acquire. In a New York Times book review, Anatole Broyard (1976) says: Teamwork is one of the purest forms of romance. In an age marked by egocentrism and interpersonal distrust, teamwork is one of the few surviv-ing rituals of togetherness. The idea of a team is rich in associations; i