ABSTRACT
Most of the people deal with work in groups or teams. Membership of a team can exert quite remarkable influences over people’s behaviour. Managers must, therefore, be acutely aware of the nature of groups, of the impact that they can have on individuals and of how to manage working groups so as to get the best out of them. There is another reason why an understanding of groups is essential for managers. As John Adair has emphasised through his Three Circles Model’ all managers have three interlocking functions: to get the task done, take care of the needs of individuals who are working on the task and to maintain the cohesion, morale and effectiveness of the working group. Membership of groups satisfies important needs in individuals. Informal groups are those that are not part of the formal organisation structure, and they may be led or dominated by people who have little or no formal authority within the organisation’s structure.
