Cooperation.

Lecture 9: Cooperation.

1. Cooperation and Group Characteristics
2. Roles and Relationships within Groups
3. Working in Groups
4. Supervision and Leadership: Styles and Functions
5. Conflict Management
6. Motivation
7. Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures
1. Cooperation and Group Characteristics. Teamwork, cooperation is the heart and
soul of an organization. All the aspects of effective communication (verbal and
nonverbal) that we have looked at in the past weeks are crucial in creating and
maintaining the team spirit within an organization. Now it is time for us to consider
the personal inter-relationships and attitudes in an organization, which form the
context for communication.
What is a group? Is it just a random gathering of individuals? Would you call
passengers in a PMV, or shoppers at Andersons a group? Neither would you call all
the people queuing at the Telikom a group. However, when you go to the Botanical
Garden over a weekend, you are likely to see many groups of people picnicking there.
So what makes a group special?
A group has certain attributes that a random collection of people does not possess.
These group characteristics include:
 A sense of identity. Whether the group is formal or informal, its members
have a sense of belonging to it. There are generally acknowledged boundaries
to the group which define who is „in‟ and who is „out,‟ who is „us‟ and who is
„them.‟ The PNG society is very conscious of the „one-tok‟ system, which
represents ethnic groups. People generally need to feel that they „belong‟ and
are accepted by others. Organizations try to establish a sense of corporate
identity among their employees and create an appealing company image for
the general public through advertising and public relations. This sense of
group identity finds expression in
 Conformity, or acceptance of the „norms‟ of behavior and attitude that bind
the group together. Think of the traditions and norms of behavior in your
„one-tok‟ group, for example. Or the Bank of South Pacific – most of their
employees wear a green uniform that identifies them and creates a sense of
identity and solidarity.
 Purpose and Leadership. Most groups have an expressed purpose, or set of
objectives, and most will spontaneously or formally choose individuals or
sub-groups to lead them. Leadership helps coordinate and direct group
members and their activities.
Most groups and organizations like to project the image of coherence and integrity.
However, often they will in fact be composed of many sub-groups with attributes and

characteristics of their own. This is a natural phenomenon, dictated by human nature
(personal likes or dislikes), shared experiences, and similar circumstances (i.e., common
rank, clubs, unions, etc.)