Working group

Under Working Group (abbreviated AG , mainly in Switzerland and Task Force ) in the traditional sense refers to groups of working people , as team together tasks of labor done in functional and process-oriented way of working. In a classic group that belongs division of labor , the fine control of production, personnel and work scheduling of the tasks of the group leader , master or foreman . He checks whether the employees are working properly and is responsible for solving any problems that arise. The staff, however, are in the working system tasked primarily with purely producing activities. Each individual employee has their own task, which means that there is no group work in the classic working group in the current sense. The freedom of action of every employee, but also that of the master, is severely restricted by the Tayloristic division of labor and functions.

The working group in today's sense is characterized by an increased degree of coordination and self- coordination . The relationships within the group are very important, contrary to the traditional approach. The following illustration leaves the classic working group aside and concentrates on the modern working group.

Characteristics of the working group

The fundamental characteristic of working groups in organizations is the fact that their existence is based on a formal agreement between individual individuals and a company or association. Schulte defines it as follows: "A work group is a formal organizational unit in which several people work on a common task in the form of group work."

These groups usually consist of 3–7 people (both communication and group cohesion - cohesion - depend largely on the number of members) who come together over a longer period of time in order to achieve a certain goal. Within the working group, interaction and communication take place according to certain rules of the game . "Every member must be able to come into direct contact with every other member and not via a central contact person such as a joint manager ."

Despite complete equality, different roles emerge among the members, such as those of “Führer”, “Expert”, “Follower” or “Scapegoat”. Ideally, the division of roles also results in the division of labor.

Why do people now come together to form such working groups?

Reasons for group work are :

greater intrinsic motivation for employees,
a specific work requirement where work groups are advantageous ( synergy effects )
positive cost effects
positive quality effects
Compliance with a time frame

It is also believed that individuals cannot achieve the same results as a group. Synergy effects arise from the different contributions of the individual members: everyone knows something different; If this different knowledge and qualifications are complemented with one another, an optimal task solution can result. Wrong decisions can be minimized because "multiple eyes" consider a process. As mentioned above, group work can be motivating and encourage creativity in each individual. Since decisions are made on a group basis, their later implementation in the company is easier compared to those made by the superior alone.

Difficulties can arise, however, when group members are pursuing personal goals rather than group goals; group performance can also be affected by an authoritarian group leader or by communication difficulties that lead to misunderstandings. Another negative aspect is that in the absence of agreement, compromises are often made on decisions that do not offer a clear solution. In general, it can be said that wherever several people meet, tension can arise.

However, the group's performance advantage predominates when it comes to tasks that are suitable for group processes or when the group members complement each other efficiently.

Formation and development process of a working group

In order to find out how group work can be permanently integrated into organizations, one must be aware of the following questions, based on Hackman:

Preparation: what is the task? What are the central requirements that are derived from the specific task? What is the advantage of the group? Which group concept is most suitable? How should the competencies be regulated?
Creation of good working conditions : How should the group be composed? What resources are needed?
Development of the group: what start-up help is needed? How can the group be supported in the group development process?
Provision of funds for ongoing process support : What process support can be granted? How can self-learning processes in the group be promoted?

After these questions have been answered, the working group can be set up. According to Tuckman, however, this group will go through a certain scheme, they are largely independent of the preparation: Tuckman researched the phases of team building and established the following processes:

In the first phase, the formation phase, the group is characterized by uncertainty, the members are often not known to each other, and the task has not yet been defined. The storming phase , also called the conflict phase, is very emotional, the group leader's control behavior is rejected, and conflicts arise between the subgroups. In the course of the standardization phase, the waves are smoothed out, an exchange of opinions and feelings is allowed, and cooperation between the group members is created. The performing phase , the working phase, is the most efficient for solving tasks; once the working group has arrived here, problem solutions are sought efficiently; the clear group structure and non-conflicting conditions enable constructive, joint work.

Types of working groups

**Types of working groups according to Sundstrom, De Meuse and Futrell (1990)**
Group type	Internal differentiation	External integration	Typical outcomes
Advice & participation	low	low	Decision, proposal
Production & service	low	high	Product, advice
Project & development	high	low	Plans, investigation
Action & negotiation	high	high	Contracts, competition

Sundstrom et al. differentiate between working groups according to three criteria: the "internal differentiation" should represent the different qualifications, the "external integration", on the other hand, characterizes the possible duration of a working group. Different qualifications and a relatively short lifespan are required where creative and complex tasks have to be solved. In the case of routine activities, on the other hand, fast and efficient groups are required.

Special forms of working group

The informal working group

At the beginning we mentioned that the existence of the working group is based on a formal agreement between individual individuals and a company or association. However, unexpected groups can also form within or between official working groups. These informal groups do not arise from the task of fulfilling a common task, but from personal relationships, similarities or sympathies.

Project group

"A project is a goal and process-oriented, time-limited, novel, complex undertaking that requires the interdisciplinary cooperation of several specialists."

If the task is a project, it can be handled in a project group that works together for a limited time until the project is completed. A distinction must be made in terms of structure and task definition between business projects and educational projects that pursue a didactic objective. An important feature of the economically oriented project groups is that they can also be changed. If it is a long-term project, different configurations can arise in the group: Sub-groups can be formed, experts can be hired at short notice to cover partial aspects of the project, etc. For more difficult and expensive didactic projects, a so-called project contract is concluded in the project group, which the participants are mutually obliged to persevere until the common project goal is achieved. Projects can basically be viewed as difficult to solve, since these are not routine tasks, but complex tasks.

Semi-autonomous working group

“Ideal group work is usually linked to the idea of semi-autonomous group work.” Semi-autonomous working groups are characterized by the fact that they have decision-making powers (variability) within their areas and act largely autonomously, which in turn means that they are solely responsible for maintaining their systems, system regulation and system development. It can be seen as disadvantageous that this type of working group can easily become independent or only have “pseudo-autonomy”.

Web links

Wiktionary: Working group - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

The implementation advice as of November 22, 2004
TSE-Hamburg Status: November 22, 2004

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^ Sundstrom, E., De Meuse, KP, Futrell, D. (1990): Work Teams. Applications and Effectiveness . American Psychologist , 25.2, 120-133.
^ Siegbert Warwitz, Anita Rudolf: Characteristics of a project , In: Dies .: Projektunterricht. Didactic principles and models . Verlag Hofmann, Schorndorf 1977, p. 18.
^ Manfred Schulte-Zurhausen (2002) Organization, Munich, Franz Vahlen Verlag, 3rd edition, ISBN 3-800-628-25-2 .
↑ Kasper / Mayrhofer, (2002): Personnel Management - Leadership - Organization , Linde Verlag, 3rd edition ( ISBN 3-7073-0430-2 ).

[1] Sundstrom, E., De Meuse, KP, Futrell, D. (1990): Work Teams. Applications and Effectiveness . American Psychologist , 25.2, 120-133.

[2] Siegbert Warwitz, Anita Rudolf: Characteristics of a project , In: Dies .: Projektunterricht. Didactic principles and models . Verlag Hofmann, Schorndorf 1977, p. 18.

[3] Manfred Schulte-Zurhausen (2002) Organization, Munich, Franz Vahlen Verlag, 3rd edition, ISBN 3-800-628-25-2 .

[4] Kasper / Mayrhofer, (2002): Personnel Management - Leadership - Organization , Linde Verlag, 3rd edition ( ISBN 3-7073-0430-2 ).