Chapter 11

Intergroup Development

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Learning Objectives (part 1 of 2)
Identify problems of intergroup conflict
and suboptimization.
Experience negative effects of
competition on organization
effectiveness.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Learning Objectives (part 2 of 2)
Observe and develop strategies for
collaborative intergroup relations.
Diagnose causes of cooperative versus
competitive group relations.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Changing Relationships in
Todays Organizations
Managers concentrate on shared
responsibilities among teams.
Organizations create situations of team
interdependence.
OD interventions develop effective
working methods between teams.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Collaboration and Conflict
Organizations need cooperation to be
effective.
Differences in objectives and values
between groups.
Conflict is inevitable between groups.
Dysfunctional conflict reduced through
intergroup interventions.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Intergroup Operating
Problems
How incompatible goals are.
Extent to which resources are scarce
and shared.
Degree of interdependence of task
activities.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Figure 11.1
Factors Involved in Conflict

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Suboptimization
Suboptimization occurs:
When group optimizes its own goals,
But loses sight of larger organizational
goals.
Intergroup competition involves groups
with conflicting purposes or objectives.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Role Conflict and Role
Ambiguity
Role conflict occurs:
When individual belongs to 2 or more
groups,
Whose goals are in conflict.
Role ambiguity exists:
When individual not clear about his/her
functions and goals.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Cooperation Versus
Competition (part 1 of 2)
Mixed research results on competition
and cooperation between groups.
Members of competitive groups have
more self-esteem for their groups.
Groups competing with one another
highly oriented toward task.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Cooperation Versus
Competition (part 2 of 2)
Lack of evidence on benefits of
competition.
Cooperation promotes productivity
between groups when:
Task is complicated and requires
coordination.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Managing Conflict
Organizational conflict not needed to be
eliminated but managed.
Diagnosing conflict involves learning
conflict styles dealing with conflict:
Desire to satisfy self.
Desire to satisfy others.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Figure 11.2
Conflict Styles

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Five Conflict Styles (part 1 of 2)
1. Avoiding - low concern for self and
others.
2. Obliging - low concern for self, high
concern for others.
3. Dominating - high concern for self, low
concern for others.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Five Conflict Styles (part 2 of 2)
4. Compromising - moderate concern for
self and others.
5. Integrating - high concern for self and
others.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Techniques to Deal with
Intergroup Problems
Deal with conflicts openly to manage
tensions.
OD techniques include:
Third-party consultation.
Organization mirror.
Intergroup team building.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Third-Party Consultation
Uses third party, usually outside
practitioner.
Helps teams to open communications,
level power, and confront problems.
Provides diagnostic insight.
Source of emotional support and skills.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Organization Mirror
Gives feedback to teams on how other
teams view them.
Teams meet together to process data.
Objective is identifying problems and
formulating solutions.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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Intergroup Team Building (part 1 of 2)
Members work on issues of interface.
Meeting usually involves 5 steps:
Step 1. Working separately, the 2 teams
make 3 lists:
How we see ourselves.
How we think other team sees us.
How we see other team.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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Intergroup Team Building (part 2 of 2)
Step 2. Meeting with other team, person
from each team presents their lists.
Step 3. Teams meet separately to discuss.
Step 4. Subgroups formed by mixing
members of 2 teams. Develop action
plans.
Step 5. Follow-up evaluation meeting held.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Table 11.1
Sample Intergroup Meeting Listing

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 OD Application
Harley-Davidsons Plant Run
by Work Teams
HD manufactures motorcycles known
throughout the world.
In 2007 HD began to experience
significant challenges:
Changing demographics.
Recession.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11
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 HD developed new products to meet
customers needs.
HD not clear how to meet financial
challenges of recession.
Kansas City plant example of how it
builds on employee strengths.
Before plant opened, HD spent 2 years
with union on labor agreement.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 The result:
The 23 Elements of Shared Responsibility.
HDs Kansas City plant empowers
teams to:
Make their schedules and work rules.
Train new workers and evaluate workers.
Manage plants operating budget.
Approve plant strategies.
Plants structure centers around
employees.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11
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 Work teams of 8 to15 members.
Group sends member to operating
group.
Four operating groups oversee its
division.
Operating group elects representative to
Plant Leadership Group.
The plant is open and has no walls for
offices.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 New employees:
Rigorously screened.
Go through training lasting up to 6 months.
Production workers receive financial
rewards based on performance of plant.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Key Words and Concepts
Avoiding Style.
Manages conflict by withdrawing.
Boundaryless.
GE term that refers to reducing conflict
between divisions and departments.
Compromising style.
Manages conflict by seeking compromise
between parties.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Confrontation.
Parties directly engage each other and
focus on conflict.
Dominating style.
Manages conflict by obtaining personal
objectives and ignoring needs of others.
Integrating style.
Manages conflict demonstrating high
concern for self and others.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Interdependence.
Performance of one group contingent upon
another group.
Interfaces.
Meeting point between groups.
Intergroup competition.
Emerges when group pursues one goal
while opposing values that exist in another
group.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Intergroup interventions.
Increase cooperation among organization
subsystems.
Intergroup team building.
Key members of conflicting groups meet to
work on issues of interface.
Meta goals.
Superordinate organization goals.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Obliging style.
Manages conflict by showing concern for
peoples satisfactions and smoothing over
conflicts.
Open loop.
Elements of organization operating without
feedback.
Organization mirror.
Gives work units feedback on how other
elements of organization view them.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Suboptimization.
Group optimizes own goals but loses sight
of larger organization goals.
Team interdependence.
Performance of one team contingent upon
another team.
Third-party interventions.
Increases communication and intergroup
problem solving using outside practitioner.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 OD Skills Simulation 11.1
The Disarmament Game
Purpose.
To simulate intergroup conflict within an
organization.
To observe and experience competition.
To examine strategies for developing
collaboration between units.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 OD Skills Simulation 11.2
Intergroup Team Building
Purpose.
To provide opportunity for group members
to clarify and analyze their
interrelationships.
To work on improving intergroup
processes.

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11

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 Preparations for Next Chapter
Read Chapter 12.
Prepare for OD Skills Simulation 12.1.
Prior to class, form teams of seven and
assign roles.
Complete Step 1.
Complete Step 1 of OD Skills Simulation
12.2.
Read and analyze Case: Valley Wide
Utilities Company.
An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11
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 An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 8 th edition Chapter 11
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