Psychology of the team: basic concepts, climate features, advice from psychologists

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The life of a person and his labor activity cannot be imagined without communication with other people. Those connections that take place almost daily are represented by various communities or groups. The smallest of them are the initial cells of society and constitute the fundamental basis of all other elements that make it up. In a small group, you can see the manifestation of the realities of life, relationships and activities of most people. Various socio-psychological processes also take place in it. They are for each of its members part of the spiritual atmosphere in which they have to live and work.

The psychology of a group or a collective forms in people some common needs, ideals, interests, etc. First of all, they are those regulators of the behavior of activities that determine the activity of a person of a social nature. Small groups (collectives) are constantly in continuous dynamics. The changes taking place in them are expressed by such socialpsychological processes such as development and education, decision making and leadership, conflict, cohesion, etc.

Definition of concept

What is team psychology? This concept is understood as a complex set of socio-psychological processes and phenomena occurring within a group. The atmosphere that develops in the team and its psychology are directly influenced by:

• tasks facing a group of people;
• those real conditions in which the activities of the team members take place;
• the level of communication and relationships between people who solve common problems.

A team is a group in psychology, the creation of which is possible only with the designation of common goals and needs. That is, those interests that will constantly grow stronger and intensify as it becomes and develops. Without this, talking about the team is inappropriate. Then you can only talk about a certain number of individuals.

A team in psychology is a social environment that includes completely different, dissimilar people. Each of the members of such a group has its own character and upbringing, abilities, worldview, etc. All of these are part of the team.

Features of the team in psychology are that all these people are connected with each other. Moreover, they are in this environment only due to the fact that they have a common goal. To carry out certain actions designed to start the workflow, they have to communicate with each other. The study of the features of such communication anddeals with the psychology of the team.

From childhood, we are adapted to the social environment. It is represented by a kindergarten group, a school social circle, a student community. All of these forms are future models of the workforce.

Makarenko's theory

How to define the concept of a team in psychology? To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with Makarenko's theory. It quite accurately describes the essence and development of a group of people. This theory is especially relevant when considering the psychology of the children's team. But it is also applicable to the educational, as well as to the working community of people.

Not every group can be called a team. For its formation, it will be necessary to successfully pass a number of stages.

1. Initial cohesion or formation. This work is carried out by the organizer of the group. However, at first, this activity is formal. An example is the newly recruited labor force. The tasks of the organizer (director, leader) in this case include the formation of unity and cohesion of people in the motives, goals and values of their common activities.
2. Promotion of the group's asset and strengthening of its role. To create a team, it is necessary to formalize its structure. Her role is assigned to the asset, which fulfills all the instructions of the head, while putting forward its own requirements to the members of the group. At this stage, a self-regulating and self-organizing system is being formed.
3. Blossom. At this stage, each of the team members presentscorrect demands on everyone else, as well as on oneself. This stage in the formation of an organized group of people allows us to speak of it as a means of development and self-realization, as well as the moral formation of the personality of each of its participants. We can talk about the flourishing of the team when all its members express the unity of opinion, having common experience, stability of judgments and views. Such an organized group of people will have a direct impact on every individual.
4. The transition to self-education. Each of the team members at this stage of its formation begins to make demands on itself, and their fulfillment becomes for people their internal need, which must be satisfied.

Traditions

Considering the psychology of the team, it is impossible to ignore this integral and important element of it. In any group of people, their own traditions are formed, which invariably grow stronger over time. This concept refers to certain forms of life of any team that reflect the interests, norms and desires of each of its members.

Traditions are the source of new common rules, as well as empathy and mutual understanding of people. However, they are large and small. The first of these two types of traditions are mass gatherings and events. When they are prepared and held, people develop a sense of respect and common pride. Lesser traditions are, as a rule, daily. They allow you to develop discipline, comply with norms,behavioral habits, as well as teaching everyone in the group to keep order.

Goals

This is also one of the components of the psychology of the team. It is a statement of common tasks. According to Makarenko's theory, people should always have a specific goal. At the same time, the author distinguishes between close and medium, as well as long-term perspective. The first of these types of goals can be set for the team at each of the stages of development described above. The main thing is that each of the members of the organized group should be interested in its achievement and look forward to the result of the implementation of the plan.

Middle perspective involves the creation of a common project of a case. A distant goal, as a rule, is set at one of the last stages of the development of the team. Such a perspective has a socially significant character and requires large expenditures for implementation and organization, combining social and personal needs. An example of such a goal is the successful completion of schooling, as well as the definition of a professional path for children.

In general, such a system should be built in such a way that each of the team members constantly strives for a particular goal with a sense of anticipation, expectation, with a desire to complete the task. Such a process will accelerate the personal development of all group members.

Signs of a developed team

When can we talk about the final formation of the group? According to the theory of team psychology created by Makarenko, onthis will be indicated by the following signs:

1. The presence of a major tone. All members of the team should be positive and optimistic, as well as ready for action.
2. The presence of pride in the team. Each of its members must have a sense of the value of the group of which he is a member. This invariably creates a sense of self-worth.
3. Feeling secure. Each member of the team should have it.
4. Friendly unity.
5. Restraint in words and emotions.

Psychological climate

For the first time this term was used by N. S. Mansurov, who studied psychology at work in the team of a manufacturing enterprise. This concept included the nature of emotions that arose in the relationship of employees, and was based on the coincidence of characters, inclinations, interests and sympathies.

In psychology, the psychological climate in a team is considered as a system consisting of three areas:

1. Social climate. In this case, this refers to the awareness by the members of the group of tasks and goals while observing their duties and rights.
2. Moral climate. This area represents those values that are accepted in the group, as well as their consistency, acceptance and unity.
3. Actually psychological climate. It represents informal relationships between people in a team.

The psychology of climate in a team as a phenomenon has its ownfeatures. It is created by the people themselves who are able to influence it, changing and improving this category.

Personality and collective

Certain relations can develop between each individual and group, the development of which is most often carried out according to one of three scenarios:

1. The individual obeys the collective. This happens either formally or in practice.
2. The team obeys the individual. In this case, it is possible to change the structure of the group, as well as its social experience. Formal leaders and authorities are in doubt.
3. There is harmony between the team and the individual. This option is the best. In psychology, the individual and the team are considered to have come to harmony if each of the group members actually, and not formally, shares common values and beliefs, observing them all the time. Sometimes harmony is confused with coexistence. However, with the latter option, the team is considered as such only formally.

It is not uncommon to see the emergence of informal groups in labor or other communities. They are based on the sympathy of people, their interests and friendship. Such groups, in turn, influence the values of the collective. Sometimes they change his educational directions. In this case, the team can turn into both a constructive system and a destructive one.

Building Relationships

Creating a team in social psychology is seen through the passage of five stages. Each of them serves to build relationships between its participants:

1. Lapping. At this stage, people mask their true desires and feelings. They try to assess the interest of each person in a common cause.
2. Melee. At this stage, each of the members of the team begins to show their individuality and characteristics, claiming a particular role. In this case, the existing contradictions become obvious, which the participants are trying to balance in one way or another.
3. Experimenting and improving. At this stage, all team members begin to pursue common goals rather than personal ones. They evaluate the potential of the team, as well as opportunities to improve its work.
4. Efficiency. Having passed to this stage, each person begins to feel proud that he is a member of the team. Each employee overcomes all the difficulties that arise using their creative potential.
5. Maturity. At this stage, all conflicts between employees are resolved in a calm atmosphere. The goals of each of the team members coincide with the objectives of the organization.

Personal Development

The psychology of people in a team invariably leads to the development of the individual, which takes place when he passes through three stages:

1. Adaptation. The new employee learns the norms of the team, the behavior and values of its members.
2. Individualization. At this stage, the emergence of the personal and the general is inevitable. A person begins to search for ways to express himself.
3. Integration. There is an aggravation of the social and individual. Personality begins to showmyself. The team accepts or not all the shortcomings and advantages of the new employee.

Contradictions arising in the process of integration are not always successfully resolved. If this happens, then the person becomes maladjusted, isolated and expelled from the team. In some cases, he himself voluntarily leaves it. In this case, the integration stage is replaced by disintegration.

Collective functions

In relation to the individual organized community:

• gives protection and support;
• satisfies the need for interaction and communication, as well as a sense of group belonging;
• allows a person to fulfill himself.

Besides this, each of the team members can take a different look at themselves and their values, as well as social significance and role. This stimulates a person to self-improvement and self-development, revealing his creative potential.

Each team has its own system of social control. It is a set of ways to influence all its members in the form of prohibitions, punishments, orders, beliefs, etc. That is why the formation and development of the team largely depends on the activities of its leader.

Human Resources

Evidence of the good work of the leader is the internal readiness of each member of the team to work for the good of the organization and unquestioningly fulfill all the requirements of the authorities. This is the psychology of team management. However, whatwill achieve such a return from the staff? How to make people work at full capacity and bring maximum benefit? The psychology of team management considers the achievement of a similar goal through the use of methods such as motivating employees, as well as stimulating them. The success of the event will depend on:

• comfort in the workplace;
• convenient equipment;
• good (non-conflict) relations in the team;
• suitable salary;
• opportunities for personal and career growth.

To determine the need for each of the above factors, psychological methods of personnel motivation are used. The need for a particular factor is established by filling out special questionnaires, questionnaires and tests by all employees.

Features of the teaching staff

According to Makarenko, it is impossible to create an organized group of children in the absence of a normal community of teachers. The team of educational institutions has a certain organizational structure. It determines the psychology of the teaching staff, consisting of relations of dependence and mutual control of each of its members. Methodological associations of class teachers and subject teachers work within the boundaries of this structure. Pedagogical councils and the school administration also carry out certain activities.

There is a certain division of labor in the team of teachers. And the process of their work is impossible withoutcooperation. These two factors, which are constituent elements of the psychology of the teaching staff, require teachers to be able to cooperate with each other. This concerns obtaining the necessary information, discussing problems. In the psychology of the work collective, including the pedagogical one, it is necessary to understand the point of view of a colleague, accept it, supplement it, or reasonably reject it. These and many other skills and abilities are very important for teachers. They are acquired during the formation of the teaching staff or the entry of newcomers into it. The effectiveness of teachers' work depends primarily on the psychological climate prevailing in the educational institution. A similar factor determines the well-being of a teacher at school, his desire as a professional to give himself to the fullest, etc.

Advice from a psychologist

At first, attention will be invariably riveted to a new employee who has come to an already established team. In order to successfully integrate into this group, you need to watch your appearance, as well as be careful in actions and words.

Psychologists emphasize that people are different. That is why it will be unpleasant for one of them to look at a faceless gray employee, while others will be irritated by a bright personality that loudly declares itself. That is why you should adhere to the appropriate dress code in this team. This will allow you not to irritate either one or the other.

You will also need to adhere to the rules of good taste. An employee, if he is well brought up, will always look friendly and will never show hisinternal state. Everyone will involuntarily feel sympathy for such a person. However, at the same time, psychologists do not recommend being too open, agreeing on any occasion to informal communication with people. This can lead to negative reactions. Women in this case will evaluate their new colleague as a rival. Men will immediately lose respect and interest in her.

A person who does not want to be at the epicenter of intrigue and gossip in the first days after starting work should avoid quarrels with employees. The ability to listen and cunning will be of invaluable help here. It’s not worth laying out everything about your life, down to everyday family trifles. Such thoughtless trust will certainly turn into envy and ridiculous conjectures. And this will create even more problems.

Another piece of advice from psychologists is about work. Don't rush. And even if the employee performs all tasks easily and with pleasure, there is no need to “run ahead of the locomotive”. After all, not all employees are the same. Someone cannot do everything the first time and allows certain violations. They will perceive intolerant attitude towards the work of other members of the team as a challenge.

Also, don't neglect deep-rooted traditions. For successful integration into the team, it is important to attend common holidays and corporate events.

Psychologists do not recommend and fight fiercely against unfair punishments. Such zeal will also not be in favor of the new employee.