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Unit 10: Informal Organization

solution of the problems facing the group in connection with its purposes. Examples of Notes
roles of this kind are the “energizer” who prods the groups to greater activity and the
“orienteer” who tries to define the position of the group with respect to the achievement
of its goals.
Building and maintenance roles are related to the regulation and perpetuation of the group.
These roles save the group from disintegration. Examples of these roles are the “encourager”
who praises the contributions of others and the “compromiser” who seeks to obtain
concessions from disputing members of the group, so that its existence is not endangered.

Individual roles are those which are directed towards satisfaction of the individual’s needs.
Their object is to facilitate the achievement of some individual goal that has no particular
relevance either for the group task or for the functioning of the group, as a group. They are
manifest in group behaviour merely because the group is a means for facilitating or
impeding the achievement of personal goals by the individual.

Social psychologist Kurt Lewin is who coined the term group dynamics to
describe the positive and negative forces within groups of people.

Products of the milk company

ilk Products Limited is engaged in collecting, processing and distributing milk
and milk products in a large city in South India. Most of the products of the
Mcompany are such that these have to be distributed on daily basis. The company
has a crew of distributors who approach the fixed customers, both bulk buyers and
individuals. Mr K. Ramesh joined the crew of distributors after graduating in commerce.
The distribution manager was quite impressed by Mr Ramesh but initially could not offer
him a better job than that of a distributor. However, he promised to give him better
opportunity whenever available. Mr Ramesh joined gladly.
The distributors are employed on monthly salary basis. In order to ensure distribution
of the products, the company has a provision of overtime pay. Normally, crew members
work slowly in the beginning just to accumulate overtime pay. The pace becomes hectic
towards the end of the day with some overtime to meet the distribution schedule. There
is no group leader but there are several old-timers who influence newcomers regarding
the work rules. Mr Ramesh did not like this method of working but had to follow the
group to be a good teammate. He gathered that over the years, the company had paid
around sixty per cent overtime unnecessarily.
After a year, impressed by the work of Mr Ramesh and his overall suitability, the
distribution manager offered him the position of distribution supervisor. The basic duty
of supervisor was to look after the distribution system and to develop new customers
in a given area. Besides Mr Ramesh, there were four other supervisors also. Ramesh was
sure of making distribution system effective as he was aware about the delaying tactics
of the crew. He was quite sure about cutting the overtime cost and impressing upon the
manager about fixing the quota of work per day in two parts before lunch and after
lunch. The distribution manager left convinced and introduced the system. However, the
efficiency dropped down considerably and no crew member was near the target.
Questions:
1. What were the reasons for decreased efficiency in the new system?
2. Advise Mr Ramesh and distribution manager about the future course of action.

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