How groups function in an organization. Small Group Management

The main object of study in management is systematically, consciously created organizations - formal organizations. Often the final stage The procedure for the formation of such organizations is their state registration.

Formal registration is:

A means, an instrument for achieving the goals of the organization and its participants, satisfying their needs;

An environment where members of a formal organization interact.

A group is two or more interacting and mutually influencing individuals.

The organization includes various groups. The organization has a complex structure that includes a number of divisions. Their teams are also groups. The number and composition of groups, their strength are determined by the main characteristics of the organization and the conditions of its functioning.

An important basis for classifying groups is the way they arise. In accordance with this basis, formal and informal groups are distinguished.

A formal group is a group specifically formed by management through an organizational process. Its purpose is usually to perform a specific job.

The main types of formal groups are:

1. The manager’s group, including the manager and his direct subordinates.

2. Working (target group). It also has a leader, but group members have greater opportunity to determine approaches to solving a problem. This allows group members to satisfy needs at higher levels.

3. Committees are groups to which authority is delegated to solve a specific task. Committees make decisions collectively.

Informal groups are groups of people that spontaneously arise in the process of functioning of an organization and regularly interact with each other.

An informal organization is a series of interacting informal groups.

Formal and informal groups are the same age as the organization. However, initially only formal groups were studied.

The starting point for the study of informal groups were the experiments of E. Mayo. In the process of conducting them, a new quality of communication not only emerged, but was also studied. People acted both as members of formal groups of a given organization and as participants in the experiment. Interest in its conduct, the novelty of the conditions, increased and even inflated attention to the participants led to a sharp increase in the efficiency of their work. An important aspect of the experiment was the change in the form of control of performers. Giving them greater freedom in decision-making led to an awareness of social responsibility for performance results.

During the experiments, it was planned to evaluate and determine the threshold values ​​of traditional efficiency growth factors taken into account when organizing motivation - working conditions and organization, forms and amounts of payment, types and forms of additional remuneration. In fact, during the experiment, changes in interpersonal relationships occurred and informal groups emerged. In these groups, members of the organization satisfied their needs for belonging (participants in the experiment), receiving help (from management, organizers of the experiment), communication (with participants, organizers of the experiment, leaders of the organization), and protection.

The main characteristics of informal organizations include:

1. Implementation of informal control through the establishment and maintenance of norms of communication, behavior, the use of measures, sanctions.

2. Attitude to change, including:

a) resistance to change, since, for example, the arrival of a new leader will lead to the emergence of new favorites; new technology will cause changes in the structure of the team, job losses are possible;

b) inadequate assessment of the consequences of changes, underestimation of one’s own adaptive abilities, inflated ideas about the requirements.

3. The presence of informal leaders who differ from the leader primarily in the mechanism of their appointment. However, the leader (formal leader) and the informal leader have much in common in the means of influencing the group or organization.

The promotion of an informal leader is determined primarily by the degree of correspondence between the value systems of the group and the leader, as well as the leader’s assistance in achieving the group’s goals, preserving and strengthening it.

The management of an informal organization is carried out according to the following chain:

Creation of a formal organization, including the definition of the value system of the organization's members, the goals and types of activities of the organization necessary to achieve its goals;

Solving specific tasks to achieve goals;

Interaction between performers in the process of solving problems;

Formation of a communication environment for performers that influences the implementation of tasks and the achievement of organizational goals;

The impact of the communication environment, as well as the goals of the organization, on the interests of members of the formal organization and the satisfaction of their needs;

The emergence of informal groups influencing the achievement of the goals of the formal organization;

The emergence of a leader of an informal group, reflecting the value system of group members, ensuring the achievement of the group’s goals (preservation and strengthening of the group, protection of its members);

Possible negative impact informal groups to achieve the goals of formal organizations. It may involve resistance to change. This is also facilitated by a lack or unreliability of information, rumors about possible negative consequences of changes (loss of a job, requirement to increase the level of qualification requirements, decrease in earnings, etc.). It is clear that under these conditions workers are trying to find protection by uniting in informal groups.

In such a situation, the head of the formal organization must:

Give an objective assessment of the informal group and its activities;

Take into account (if possible) suggestions from members of the informal group;

Make decisions taking into account their impact on the informal group and the influence of this group on the formal organization and its goals;

Involve informal group members in decision making;

Promptly disseminate accurate information.

The main form of work of a formal group is a general meeting where decisions are made.

The effectiveness of groups is determined by a number of factors.

1. Optimal group size, taking into account the characteristics of the organization. If the group size is large, it is divided into subgroups.

2. Group composition. If there is limited time to solve a problem, or use the voting procedure to make decisions, it is advisable to have a homogeneous composition (for example, from representatives of the same specialty). For expert assessment project, it is possible to create a group of heterogeneous composition.

3. Group norms. Their implementation allows you to count on the support of the group. From the variety of bases for classifying norms, we highlight: attitude to the management of the organization and to the presentation of objective information; the importance of belonging to an organization and collective work; attitude towards innovation; protection against threats from the external environment.

4. Cohesion of the group, coordination of its goals with the goals of the organization (for example, organizing quality circles, joint recreation, etc.).

A negative aspect of cohesion can be group like-mindedness, the suppression of their views by individual group members in order not to fall out of the group. Like-mindedness can develop into one-mindedness. Without a variety of options, the desire for self-improvement is weakened.

5. Conflict as another pole of cohesion, especially in the presence of destructive conflicts.

6. Status of group members: official position; formal characteristics (job title, office size, etc.); experience; general erudition; professional training.

7. Roles of group members, including target ones (selection of tasks, distribution of resources and maintaining the functioning of groups).

Main types of organizations

Type A organization (American model)	Organization type U ( Japanese model)	Organization type Z (marketing model)
1. Hiring workers for a relatively short time	1. Lifetime employment of workers	1. Long-term hire
2. Individual decision making		2. Collective decision making
3. Individual responsibility	3. Collective responsibility	3.Individual responsibility
4.Rapid development and promotion	4. Slow development and promotion	4. Slow development and promotion
5. Mechanisms of explicit, precise control	5. Indirect control mechanisms	5. Indirect informal control with precise, formalized criteria
6. Specialized career	6. Non-specialized employee career (diversified approach)	6.Moderately specialized worker careers
7. Selective (differentiated) attitude towards the employee as such	7. Holistic (holistic) approach to the employee as an individual	Holistic approach including family

Managing a person in an organization is an extremely complex, but at the same time extremely responsible and important task for the fate of the organization. However, the problem of managing a person in an organization is not limited to the interaction between an employee and a manager. In any organization, a person works surrounded by colleagues and workmates. He is a member of formal and informal groups. At the same time, the group has a huge influence on a person’s behavior, either helping to reveal his potential more fully, or suppressing his abilities and desires to work productively, with full dedication. And a person’s behavior and actions, in turn, make a certain contribution to the life of the group.

There is no clear definition small group , since this is a fairly flexible and subject to the influence of circumstances phenomenon. Usually group is defined as a relatively isolated association of a small number of people (usually no more than ten) who are in fairly stable interaction and carry out joint actions over a fairly long period of time. The interaction of group members is based on some common interest and may be associated with achieving a common goal. At the same time, the group has a certain group potential that allows it to interact with the environment and adapt to changes occurring in the environment. The term is also often found team- This group type with additional traits such as a high level of interdependence and coordination of actions, as well as a highly developed sense of

personal responsibility for achieving group results. Teams are characterized by such types of behavior of its members as:

Focus on overall results;

Mutual support;

Interchangeability;

Minimizing status differences;

Collective problem solving;

Favorable climate.

From this we can conclude that all teams are groups, but not all groups become teams. The transformation of a group into a team occurs as the closeness of connections, the level of interaction and the responsibility of participants for the process and results of work increase.

Groups exist in all organizations. Management creates groups when it divides labor horizontally - by divisions and vertically - by management levels. A large organization may consist of hundreds or even thousands of small groups. Regardless of the type of group, the organization in which it is formed and functions, as well as who specifically is part of the group, we can identify some general factors that characterize the formation of the group, its structure and the process of functioning of the group in its environment:

Characteristics of group members;

Structural characteristics of the group;

Situational characteristics.

All these factors not only interact and interact, but also experience a strong reverse influence from the functioning of the group, since as a result of the group’s life, changes in a person’s characteristics occur, the structure of the group changes, and changes in its environment are observed.

TO characteristics of group members include a person’s personal characteristics, abilities, level of education and life experience.

Structural characteristics of the group include:

Communication in the group and norms of behavior (who contacts whom and how);

Status and roles (who occupies what position in the group and does what);

Personal likes and dislikes between group members;

Strength and conformity (who influences whom, who follows whom and who is ready to obey whom).

Situational characteristics of the group depend little on the behavior of group members and the group as a whole. These characteristics are related to the size of the group, its spatial arrangement, the problems solved by the group, and the reward system used in the group. There are two types of groups: formal and informal. Both of these types of groups are important to the organization and have a great influence on the members of the organization.

Formal groups are created at the will of management, their function in relation to the organization as a whole is to perform specific tasks and achieve specific goals. Formal groups are usually defined as structural units in an organization, have a formally appointed leader, a formally defined structure of roles and positions within the group, as well as assigned functions and tasks. Formal groups can be formed to perform a regular function (for example, accounting), or they can be created to solve a specific target task (for example, a commission for the development of a project). In the specialized literature the following are distinguished: types of formal groups:

command group (or subordinate group of the leader)- consists of a leader and his immediate subordinates, who, in turn, can also be leaders (general director and his deputies, company commander and subordinate platoon commanders - typical command groups);

brigade (or production group) is a group headed by an officially appointed leader (manager, foreman). The relationships between team members depend on the nature of the tasks assigned to the team, and can be either minor (for example, in a production team, each member of which performs a strictly defined part of the overall work in accordance with clear procedures and standards) or significant (for example, in marketing group conducting market research). As a rule, brigades exist for quite a long time, and their composition rarely changes;

working or target group consists of individuals working together on the same task. The difference between these groups is their significantly greater independence in planning and carrying out their work. As types of a work group, we can distinguish: a self-governing (autonomous) work group (does not have a leader formally appointed by the organization, the members are specialists of various qualifications necessary to perform tasks; the group is responsible for decisions regarding the sequence and methods of performing work, as well as their distribution between members) and project (the group is temporary and is created to solve a specific problem, for example, product design, improvement computer systems and so on.);

committees, commissions- can be created either on an ongoing basis or specifically to solve a specific problem. As a rule, members of a committee or commission are full-time employees of different services and meet together as needed. Their main task is to prepare reports and recommendations for the management of the organization (for example, the budget committee, whose members are representatives of key departments and services, meets only a few times a year, but its decisions can have a great impact on both the work of the services where they themselves work , and on the organization as a whole).

The choice of the type of formal group depends on the goals set by the organization. They determine such structural characteristics of the group as the number of participants, their selection, roles and status. Often new groups are formed due to the growth of organizations, changes in the composition of products and services, but often because they are associated with the hope of more effective work.

Factors in the effectiveness of formal groups are: size, composition, group norms, cohesion, conflict, status and functional roles of its members:

band size, i.e. the number of participants is determined depending on the type of group and its goals. Research conducted on this issue shows that small groups (5 to 8 members) are often preferable to large ones. As the number of group members increases, there is a decrease in participant satisfaction from group work and personal responsibility for the progress of the process and its result decreases. In very large groups, the costs of coordinating work increase significantly and the possibility of conflict situations in relations between members and subgroups increases. This tends to result in decreased productivity and efficiency of the group;

compound- this is the degree of similarity of personalities and points of view, approaches that they show when solving problems. Research shows that a group composed of dissimilar individuals with different points of view performs more effectively than a group whose members have similar points of view;

group norms have a strong influence on the behavior of the individual and on the direction in which the group will work. Positive norms are those that support the goals and objectives of the organization and encourage behavior aimed at achieving those goals. Group norms can be classified as follows: pride in the organization; achievements of goals; profitability; collective work; planning; control; professional training; innovations; relationship with the customer; honesty;

cohesion- this is a measure of the attraction of group members to each other and to the group. High levels of group cohesion can improve the effectiveness of the entire organization if the goals of the group and the organization are aligned. Labor productivity in a cohesive group is higher than in other groups. Management can increase the positive effects of cohesion through periodic meetings, setting global goals, allowing each group member to see his contribution to achieving goals;

conflict. Active exchange of opinions is useful, but it can lead to intragroup disputes and open conflicts, which are almost always harmful;

status of group members determined by a number of factors, including seniority in the position and its title, location and type of workplace, office, education, awareness and experience. Group members whose status is high enough are able to exert more influence on group decisions than group members with low status. This does not always lead to increased efficiency, since the employee offering the most valuable ideas may not have high status;

roles of group members are divided into target and supporting. Target Roles distributed in such a way as to be able to select group tasks and perform their; include the following activities - generating new ideas, searching for information, collecting opinions of group members, opposing and evaluating proposals, elaborating proposals and forecasting prospects decisions taken, integration of subgroup activities or group members, summarizing suggestions and assessments. Supporting Roles imply behavior that contributes to maintaining and enhancing the group’s activities; may include: encouraging (through responsiveness) group members and their ideas, ensuring participation by activating the initiative of each group member, establishing criteria that should guided by the group, diligence in terms of decisions made, expression of feelings groups. It is believed that American managers focus on target roles, then How Japanese managers harmoniously combine goal and support roles.

Unlike formal groups, informal groups are created not by orders of management and formal regulations, but by the own will of the participants in accordance with their mutual sympathies, common interests, habits, etc.

Informal group is a spontaneously formed group of people who interact regularly to achieve a specific goal. In a large formal organization there are many informal groups, most of them loosely connected in some kind of network. Informal organizations are to some extent similar to formal organizations - they have a hierarchy, leaders, tasks, their own unwritten rules and norms of behavior, supported by a system of rewards and sanctions. In many cases, informal groups can exert equal or greater influence on their members than formal structures. Reasons for joining informal organizations are that belonging to informal groups can give people psychological benefits no less important than the salary they receive:

1) a sense of belonging- ability to install and maintain social contacts;

2) mutual assistance is an important motive for joining informal groups, as a result of providing assistance, the giver acquires prestige and self-esteem, and the recipient receives guidance for action;

3) protection, based on the power of unity, is recognized by most people and encourages them to join certain groups. The protective function becomes more important when the authorities are not trusted;

4) communication. One of the reasons for belonging to an informal organization is access to informal information - rumors;

5) communication and sympathy- this is the satisfaction of people's need to be closer to those with whom they sympathize. Research shows that people tend to form closer relationships with others who are in close proximity to them than with those who are several meters away.

Main characteristics of informal organizations:

social control- this is the establishment and control of compliance with group standards of acceptable and unacceptable behavior (norms may relate to the nature of clothing, acceptable types of work, rules of conduct, etc.). Failure to comply with these norms is usually punishable by exclusion from the group;

resistance to change is typical in informal organizations, due to the fact that changes (for example, reorganization, implementation new technology, the emergence of a large group of new employees) may pose a threat to the further existence of the informal group, their common experience, satisfaction of social needs, common interests, positive emotions;

informal leaders actually lead informal groups. There are essentially no significant differences in the means used by leaders of formal and informal organizations to exert influence. The difference is that the leader of a formal organization has support in the form of official powers delegated to him and usually acts in the specific functional area assigned to him; the support of an informal leader is his recognition by the group. The sphere of influence of an informal leader may extend beyond the administrative boundaries of the formal organization. The informal leader performs two important functions: Helping the group achieve its goals and supporting social interaction.

The influence of informal organizations on the effectiveness of a formal organization:

1) positive:

Devotion to a group often translates into loyalty to the organization;

The goals of the group may coincide with the goals of the entire organization, performance standards may exceed the standards of the organization, which leads to increased productivity;

Informal communication channels sometimes complement the formal communication system;

2) negative:

False rumors can be spread through formal channels, leading to negative attitudes towards management;

Group norms may lead to decreased productivity;

The tendency to resist change can delay the innovation process.

Management theory suggests the following Recommendations for managing informal organizations:

1) it is necessary to recognize the existence of informal groups, realizing that their destruction can lead to the destruction of the formal organization. Therefore, management must work with the informal organization and not threaten its existence;

2) it is necessary to listen to the opinions of members and leaders of informal groups, work with them, encouraging those who contribute to achieving the goals of the organization;

3) when making decisions, calculate their possible negative impact on the informal organization;

4) to weaken resistance to change on the part of the informal organization, involve its members in participating in decision-making;

5) promptly provide accurate information, thereby preventing the spread of rumors.

15.6. CONFLICTS IN ORGANIZATIONS: CONCEPT, ESSENCE, INFLUENCE

It is necessary to have a good understanding of the peculiarities of the emergence and development of... A modern manager must understand the importance of the existence of informal groups. He should strive to ensure close interaction between formal and informal organizations, since informal organizations dynamically interact with formal organizations, influence the quality of work performed and people's attitudes towards work and towards management.

Problems associated with informal organizations include decreased efficiency, the spread of false rumors, and a tendency to resist change. Potential benefits include greater commitment to the organization and a high team spirit. Higher levels are observed in cases where group norms exceed officially established norms. To cope with potential problems and capture the potential benefits of informal organization, management must recognize and work with informal organization, listen to the opinions of informal leaders and group members, consider the effectiveness of informal organizations' decisions, allow informal groups to participate in decision making, and suppress rumors by promptly providing official information.

With a good understanding of group dynamics, management will be able to effectively manage formal groups, hold effective meetings, and wisely use structures such as committees in the activities of their enterprise.

The control mechanism can be represented in the form of a certain set of rules that the head of the organization must adhere to.

Basic rules for managing informal groups:

1. Recognize the existence of an informal organization.

One of the biggest and most common difficulties that hinders the effective management of informal groups and organizations is the initially low opinion of their leaders about them. Previously, it was generally accepted that in order to cope with an informal organization, it was necessary to simply destroy it. However, it is now accepted that an informal organization can help a formal organization achieve its goals. And its destruction may entail the destruction of the formal organization. Therefore, management should recognize the informal organization, work with it and not threaten its existence.

2. To study the factors influencing the effectiveness of the functioning of informal groups:

Band size. One of the modern scientists Keith Davis believes that Preferred number of group members: 5 people. These groups make more accurate decisions than those outside this number. In smaller groups, members are concerned that their personal responsibility for decisions is too obvious. On the other hand, in larger groups, members may experience difficulty and shyness in expressing their opinions in front of others. In general, as a group increases in size, communication among its members becomes more complex and it becomes more difficult to reach agreement on issues related to the group's activities and tasks.

Composition of the group. The composition here means degree of similarity of personalities and points of view, the approaches they take when solving problems. If a group consists of dissimilar individuals, it promises greater effectiveness than if group members have similar points of view.

Group norms. The norms adopted by the group have a strong influence on the behavior of the individual and on the direction in which the group will work: to achieve the goals of the organization or to oppose them.

Group cohesion is a measure of the attraction of group members to each other and to the group. A cohesive group is a group whose members feel a strong attraction to each other and consider themselves similar. Because a cohesive group works well as a team, high levels of cohesion can improve overall performance if the goals of both are aligned. They have less misunderstandings, tension, hostility and mistrust, and their productivity is higher than in disjointed groups.

Conflict. It was mentioned earlier that differences of opinion usually lead to more effective group performance. However, it also increases the likelihood of conflict. While active exchange of ideas is beneficial, it can also lead to intragroup arguments and other forms of open conflict, which are always detrimental.

Group member status. Group members whose status is high enough are able to exert more influence on group decisions than group members with low status. However, this does not always lead to increased efficiency.

Functional role of group members. There are two types of role orientation to create a well-functioning group. Target roles are distributed in such a way as to be able to select group tasks and carry them out. Supporting roles involve behavior that contributes to the activation of the life and activities of the group.

3. Develop and put into practice methods for managing informal groups in order to exploit their potential benefits and reduce negative impacts.

Methods for managing informal groups

The manager of an organization when managing informal groups in the process of functioning of the organization can use various methods impact.

Methods for managing informal groups:

1. Consultation with groups

Group discussions also contribute to strengthening cooperation in other respects. First, they enable the group and its members to take some of the credit for the decision—an intangible value that can sometimes be very powerful. great importance. Secondly, they satisfy the desire of the group and its leaders to gain a certain status. Third, consultation often improves understanding between the group and the organization's senior management.

2. Training and suggestion

An organization should try to convince its employees that everything that promotes the goals of the organization best promotes the goals of the individual, even if in specific cases this is not obvious. By hosting parties and sporting events, an organization can try to create a sense of belonging among its employees. one big family " Some institutions try to inform all their employees about all important decisions and what is behind them. Usually this technique creates in a person the feeling that he is part of the organization and that its successes are also his successes.

3. Ensuring the loyalty of management employees

After the administration has achieved the loyalty of its management team, it becomes the defender of the organization's point of view to its teams. A manager cannot be completely immune to the positions and demands of lower-level employees. His human tendency to be at one with his subordinates can only be counterbalanced by the prospect of greater satisfaction as compensation for identification with those in higher positions.

4. Replacement of “middle management” manager

If it was not possible to achieve the loyalty of the head of the department, the institution can replace him. However, the use of this method has its limits. If he was able to retain the loyalty of the previous leader, he may well be able to win the loyalty of the new one. A manager who is not previously familiar with the work is forced to rely heavily on the professional advice of his subordinates. He is subject to the same pressure from the organization and groups as his predecessor. He communicates every day with his subordinates, whom he eventually begins to respect. It is hardly possible that so many influences would not influence his attitude.

5. Transfer of employees to another place of work

A promising mechanism for strengthening the loyalty of organizational members and increasing their self-identification with the organization as a whole is practice frequent transfers employees from department to department. Such a practice, if strictly and judiciously followed, is likely to result in a significant number of people in the organization having a wide variety of experiences, which encourages self-identification with larger organizational units - although there is no reason to believe that such a practice will completely destroy the loyalty of workers to informal organizations. groups. Such individuals, who identify broadly with the organization, are called upon to become the organization's missionary corps and serve as a counterbalance to the divisive forces of identification with a narrow group.

6. Placement of offices

Another mechanism of influence is the correct distribution of offices. It has already been noted that employees meet and establish informal relationships with those who work near them, more often than with those who work remotely. Therefore, the formation of a real management apparatus of a department or department can be facilitated by placing managers in one place or on the same floor.

7. Recognizing Natural Leaders

The critical administrative mechanism for controlling group behavior is the identification and management of natural leaders. Every leader should know who the leaders are in each informal group and work with them, encouraging those who do not interfere, but contribute to the achievement of the organization's goals. When an informal leader opposes his employer, his widespread influence can undermine the motivation and job satisfaction of employees in a formal organization.

8. Information sharing within the organization

The process of information exchange in organizations can be divided into two categories: formal and informal transfer of information.

The system of informal information transfer is at once necessary, inevitable and sometimes annoying. It often enables the organization to obtain information and adapt to changing conditions faster than through a formal procedure, but it also disrupts the official relationships of authority and complicates coordination. Quite often, unofficially transmitted information is distorted and incorrect because it is not subject to official control.

The flexible use of a developed system of formal and, most importantly, informal information transfer allows the organization to carry out its tasks quickly and efficiently. At the same time, employees can achieve full understanding, and the organization's management can achieve greater influence on informal groups, which would be impossible if there was only a formal system.

LECTURE No. 11. Group management

1. Groups in an organization and their types

In every organization there is a complex interweaving of formal and informal groups. They have a strong impact on the quality of activities and efficiency of the organization. The manager must be able to interact with them. A group is two or more people who interact with each other to complete tasks and achieve a common goal. Moreover, each person influences others, and is himself influenced by them.

Formal groups are created by the management of the organization to perform specific tasks and achieve certain goals. They are part of the formal structure of the organization. A formal organization is understood as a planned system of joint efforts in which each participant has his own clearly defined role, tasks, and responsibilities. They are distributed among participants in order to achieve the goals of the organization. There are three main types of formal groups: vertical, horizontal and special task groups.

A vertical group is created by a manager and his subordinates with a formal chain of command. Sometimes this group called a functional group, a leader's group, or a command group. It includes 3, 4 levels of hierarchy in a functional unit. For example, command groups will include departments: product quality control, human resource development, financial analysis, etc. Each of them is created to achieve certain goals by combining the efforts of the people in the group and their interaction.

A horizontal group is created from employees who are at the same hierarchical level of the organization, but work in different functional areas. Such a group is formed from employees of several departments. They are given a specific task, and when this task is completed, the group can be disbanded. There are two main types of horizontal groups: a working or task force and a committee.

A work group is sometimes called a cross-functional team. It can be used to create a new product in a manufacturing organization or write a textbook at a university. An example of such groups are quality circles or groups in matrix management structures working on the implementation of a new project. Work groups also have a leader, but they differ from team groups in that they have more independence and the opportunity to solve their problems.

A committee is a group within an organization that is delegated authority to perform a task. Sometimes it is called a board, commission, team, task force. This form involves group decision making. There are two main types of committees: ad hoc and permanent.

A special committee is a temporary group formed to accomplish a specific purpose.

A standing committee is a group within an organization that has a specific goal and ongoing tasks. Most often they advise the organization on important issues, for example the Board of Directors of the company, the audit committee, review committees wages, consideration of complaints, cost reduction, etc. The committee has either staff or line powers.

Special task forces are created outside the formal organizational structure to develop a project of particular importance, complexity, risk or involving implementation creative potential performers. These groups have greater freedom of action.

An example of such groups are the so-called venture teams.

Within the formal organization created by management, an informal organization emerges. This is due to the fact that people interact in groups and between groups not only as prescribed by management. They communicate during meetings, lunch, corporate events, and after work. From such social communication many friendly, informal groups are born. Their unity forms an informal organization.

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Chapter 5 Mastery of Small Group Meetings An effective manager, from the very beginning of the meeting, sets a specific goal to be achieved and the contribution everyone has to make. And at the end of the meeting he always returns to his goal

From the author's book

Meeting with Small Groups of People Matters Many of your presentations and speeches will be in front of small groups of people, or even just one or two representatives from a company. You also need to prepare for such meetings.

In business, especially in the regions of Russia, this model is often found: the owner manages a group of companies (legally independent companies), sometimes developing completely different directions.

Owners often resort to such schemes for the following reasons:

Firstly , In some cases, it is more profitable to transfer a certain type of activity to a special taxation regime. For example, a group of companies includes: a hairdressing salon (STRIZHKA LLC), a trading house (Business Incubator OJSC) and a small grocery store (IP Petrov). Then IP Petrov has the right to be on the “imputed” basis, and the activities of the trading house in leasing out space can be transferred to “simplified”. Thus, in general, the owner optimizes taxation and simplifies the work of administrative staff. After all, if several types of activities were mixed within one company, the accounting department would have to keep separate records.

Secondly , It happens that there is only one line of business and the owner wants to know which division of the company is profitable, which is unprofitable, and how efficiently the group operates. For this purpose, all divisions are separated into separate legal entities. For example, within the framework of production ceramic tiles form the following companies: CJSC “Proizvodstvo”, LLC “Logistics”, LLC “TC Sales”, etc.

Third , Companies are moved into separate divisions if the ultimate goal is to sell part of the business or non-core assets. At the same time, it is easier to communicate with possible buyers and demonstrate financial performance without disclosing the results of the entire group.

Each owner decides independently which management model for a group of companies to choose. It all depends on the goals you are pursuing.

How to achieve business transparency

Recently, indicators such as business transparency, manageability, control, and profitability have come to the fore. Therefore, it is much more interesting to consider the second scheme that we presented above. In this case, the General Director will be faced with the task: to reduce the volume of gratuitous services provided by one division to another and transfer such relations to the level of the external market. In other words, ideally you need to do every structural unit an independent, profitable enterprise, which allows you to understand how each individual direction is developing, what material, human, and financial resources are needed to achieve your goals.

STEP 1. Identify the main divisions

This stage is many Russian companies have already passed. However, looking ahead, we note that the majority stopped there...

What does the enterprise structure look like at this stage? The production is registered under one legal entity, the sales department - under another. Each company interacts with the others on the same terms as with third-party companies. Production ships finished products to the trading company at the manufacturer's market prices. The trading company, in turn, organizes sales of products. Both businesses have their own income and expenses. In this case, usually such departments as accounting, marketing department, human resources department, office security, personal drivers of top managers are registered with any one company of the group. The costs of these units are difficult to attribute to a specific type of activity. At best, accounting divides them in proportion to production volumes or number of employees.

However, this situation does not provide either the General Director or the owners with a transparent vision of the business as a whole. It is often impossible to understand which division is responsible for the company's losses. Therefore, many enterprises go further - they separate auxiliary and administrative divisions into independent companies and set them the task of complete self-sufficiency.

STEP 2. Select support units.

Very often in companies that have reached a certain level, one division lives at the expense of another. Take, for example, the personal transport of executives. The car with the driver is assigned to a specific person - the chief accountant. How many times does the chief accountant need to go somewhere? Maximum twice a day. In this case, the driver receives a salary, and the company spends money on gasoline and repairs. If the transport department is separated into a separate company, then it may turn out that it is more economical to order a car from a third party than to maintain such a division. Similarly, independent legal entities should be formed from the marketing department, business unit, catering, etc.

STEP 3. Select the administrative apparatus

The next stage may be the transfer of the administrative apparatus to a separate structure. Let’s make a reservation right away: for some this may seem like too advanced an idea.

For example, we separate the accounting department into a separate company that provides accounting services on the principles of outsourcing. Of course, it will be easier for someone to register as an accountant, for example, in one company as their main place of work, and in other companies - part-time. But this method seems less effective to us. If an accountant starts managing several companies at the same time, he will face a lack of time and will have to add an additional person to the staff.

If the company running accounting In the end, it turns out to be unprofitable, which means that we incorrectly calculated the cost of services and prices should be raised. By the way, higher prices will reduce income tax in other general business companies, because their taxable expenses will increase.

If the cost of your company’s accounting services turns out to be higher than the market level, then the General Director (or owner) will make the only right decision: switch to services from a third-party organization. Your company will have to be disbanded as unprofitable. You can do the same with, say, the legal department.

At the same time, it is simply necessary that each company has its own General Director. If you set ambitious goals for these managers and properly build a motivation system, you can get dynamic development in different directions, leading to greater sustainability of the entire company.

Note!

Business leaders who abuse decentralization sooner or later face a loss of control. Each of the companies fully finances its activities by entering into partnerships with other companies on a commercial basis. But, as experience has shown, such a division is not always effective. In particular, transaction costs are rising sharply.

In addition, problems may arise with the heads of individual companies that were previously divisions of a single business. It is possible that top managers will want to make a profit by inflating prices and requirements for other companies in the group and forcing them to abandon the deal. After all, this will make it possible to sell goods externally on terms that are beneficial to managers. Here it is no longer possible to do without the strict intervention of the owner.

How to organize work within a microholding

General directors and owners who decide to build a transparent and manageable business by separating areas and making them self-sustaining may face a number of problems in practice. Of course, each company has its own specifics, and there cannot be advice that would help everyone. However, I will try to touch on the main points that are worth paying attention to and give several solutions that will allow you to debug the mechanism of your business.

Financing of group companies

Let’s say one of the group’s companies needs money for further development. The question arises: what is the most profitable way to transfer funds to a company in need?

There are several options:

• Deposit funds into the company's cash desk, registering it as a founders' contribution.
• Take a loan from a bank. But the company’s turnover may be so small that the bank will refuse to provide it with a loan. In this case, you can obtain guarantees for the bank from other organizations of the group of companies.
• Apply for a loan to a larger group enterprise and transfer the money to a company in need. When considering this possibility, be sure to consult with your chief accountant or tax consultant, because in this situation some nuances must be taken into account, otherwise firms may face claims from tax authorities (See: What may result from a gratuitous transfer of funds).

You should always think about the goals of your business. If you need transparency and complete self-sufficiency, then the last option will seem less interesting to you. After all, the costs of servicing the loan will be borne by the first company, but the second company will actually receive income from the use of these funds. It will be difficult for the owner or CEO to see which organization is making losses and how to optimize the business. Therefore, it is better if each company worries about its financial capabilities itself.

Important!

There are several ways to raise funds from the founder:

Interest-free loan. Previously, tax authorities have repeatedly tried to calculate the economic benefits of non-payment of interest for the use of borrowed funds. in cash. Today, thanks to letters from the Ministry of Finance, this issue has been removed from the agenda. Just don’t forget that the contract must explicitly state the no-interest clause. Also keep in mind that, in accordance with the law on combating the legalization of criminally acquired income, obtaining such a loan in the amount of 600,000 rubles or more is subject to mandatory control by the state (Article 6 of the Federal Law of 07.08.2001 No. 115-FZ “On combating legalization (laundering) ) proceeds from crime and the financing of terrorism").

Gratuitous help. This method is suitable for people who are ready to say goodbye to the transferred amount forever. In order for an organization not to pay income tax on the funds received, the founder must own more than 50% of the authorized capital.

Contribution to the authorized capital. The most problematic method, since it involves changing the constituent documents.

Distribution of costs, transfer of goods within the group

Often companies that are separated into different legal entities are located nearby. The advantages of this arrangement are obvious: you can rent one office, have one warehouse, use the same machines, and attract employees of one company to work in another. But how to formalize internal transactions? Of course, the financial and legal departments will develop a complete scheme for such interaction for you; here we will only consider ideas for organizing processes.

Each company must highlight its own costs. This is often difficult to do, since it is difficult to find a criterion for such separation. Based on our own experience, we can recommend the following methods of dividing costs: by profit, by production volume, by time. For example, establish that company representatives work on the machine in shifts. The schedule can be divided either by hours or by days.

Or another situation. The group of companies has one warehouse owned by a manufacturing company. Manufactured products are stored in the same warehouse. In this case, it is convenient to draw up a lease agreement between a trading and manufacturing company for part of the warehouse. The same can be done with office space.

There are situations when, when transferring products legal entity groups of companies, firms set low or high prices (this is beneficial when one of the organizations is under a special tax regime). However, there is a risk that the Federal Tax Service will consider such transactions invalid and impose additional taxes, recognizing the enterprises as affiliated (interdependent).

If a group of companies is not created in order to save on taxes through the redistribution of resources, then the firms will work among themselves only at market prices. That is, absolutely on the same terms as with any third-party client. After all, even if we provide significant discounts to some partner, the General Director immediately asks the question: “Is it worth working with such a client when there is another from whom you can get more profit?” We believe that it is more logical to work at market prices and on the same conditions that apply when collaborating with other clients. In addition, the focus of any company on one client, even a very large one, introduces great risks into stable work enterprises. By expanding the circle of clients, we get not only greater stability, but also the opportunity to earn greater profits.

Note!

When making payments between friendly companies, there is a possibility that tax authorities will recognize them as interdependent persons, especially since the Tax Code allows the courts to decide whether the relationship between the parties to the transaction can affect its results.

If the relationship is proven, the tax authorities will not fail to recalculate transaction prices for tax purposes based on market prices. However, as practice has shown, it is quite difficult for officials to prove that a company sells its products at reduced prices.

The fact is that currently there is no normal method for calculating the market price. To be on the safe side, I would advise friendly companies to properly justify product discounts (for example, include them in the company’s marketing policy).

Motivation and control

So, the provision of services, performance of work or sale of products between independent companies should be formalized according to the following scheme: the supplier company issues invoices, and the customer pays them. But initially, this approach may cause dissatisfaction among department heads, because they will have to ensure that all operations are properly documented and completed.

Good motivation is important here. The main thing is to clearly show every manager that with this approach you can not only save, but also earn money, and use part of the profit for bonuses for employees or for the development of the company. This is an excellent incentive to encourage company directors to achieve results - to reduce costs.

With this type of business structure, there are no problems with control, because the owner can easily trace which of the enterprises is performing poorly. In addition, the effectiveness of a company starting to operate in any market can be assessed using different criteria: the time required to achieve certain volumes, profitability indicators, etc. Of course, a management reporting system should be established. Well, if the company separates the accounting department into an independent company, then financial flows will become even more transparent. And this is one of the main conditions for dynamic business development.

To some, everything that was discussed will seem complex, confusing and very difficult to actually implement. However, with tough competition, growing from year to year, in which enterprises have to operate, constant control and cost reduction can allow the enterprise to develop, make a profit and enter new markets.