A group is two or more persons who are interacting with one another in such a manner that each person

influences and is influenced by each other person (Shaw 1971) [1]. For a collection of people to be defined as a group, the members must:
y y y y

interact with one another be socially attracted to each other share goals or objectives have a shared identity which distinguishes them from other groups

The social mixing of a sports club is termed "Social Cohesion" and a group with shared formal goals who are normally successful as a group (e.g. the 8 rowers in a boat race) is referred to as "Task Cohesion".

3.0 OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit carefully, you will be able to: Understand the concept of Group Dynamics Understand the nature of groups and of teams Understand the concept of team building and how to be a good team player Gain an insight into how to handle conflicts within teams 3.1 INTRODUCTION The dynamics of any group can be influenced by the personalities of each of its members, and by what the group is specified to do. The influence of the group on the individual can be strong/weak, influential/ineffective or great/insignificant, depending on the nature of the group and the participation level of the individual. Group dynamics are important in any workplace, especially in the BPO and ITES industry, where there is a large amount of interaction between people in the organisation and between CSRs and their customers outside the organisation. 'Team Building' activities increase the amount of effective co-operation in the organisation. They motivate employees, build cohesiveness, draw out the best in each person and build commitment to organisational goals. With an understanding of group dynamics and team building, you will be better able to deal with the people and challenges you will face in the BPO/ITES industry. 105 3.2 WHAT IS GROUP DYNAMICS? Group Dynamics refers to the interactive nature of individuals within the contexts of a group. These interactions between individuals within the group are distinctly different from those in one-on-one interactions. Group Dynamics also refers to the study of the nature of groups. Group Dynamics may influence the behaviour of the individuals depending on their position within the group, their task within the group and their behavioural pattern with regards to the group. Therefore to understand group dynamics, we need to understand the nature of groups.

3.3 THE NATURE OF GROUPs Definition A group is defined as a collection of two or more interacting individuals, with a stable pattern of relationships between them, who share common goals and who perceive themselves as being a group. Formal and Informal Groups Within organisations, there are two major classes of groups- formal groups and informal groups. Formal groups are groups that are created by the organisation, intentionally designed to direct its members towards some organisational goal. For example: the Board of Directors of an organisation constitutes a formal group. Informal groups are those that develop naturally among people, without any direction from the organisation within which they operate. For example: the people that you travel with to your workplace in your office cab form an informal group. Group Formation Groups often develop by going through five principal stages- forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. The first stage of group development is known as forming. During this stage, the members are acquainted with each other. They establish the ground rules by trying to find out what behaviours are acceptable, with respect to both the job (how productive they are expected to be) and interpersonal relations (whos really in charge). During the forming stage, people tend to be a bit confused and uncertain about how to act in the group and how beneficial it will be to become a member of the group. Once the 106 individuals come to think of themselves as members of a group, the forming stage is complete. The second stage of group development is referred to as storming. As the name implies, this stage is characterised by a high degree of conflict within the group. Members often resist the control of the groups leaders and show hostility towards each other. If these conflicts are not resolved and group members withdraw, the group may disband. However, as conflicts are resolved and the groups leadership is accepted, the storming stage is complete. The third stage of group development is known as norming. During this stage, the group becomes more cohesive and identification as a member of the group becomes greater. Close relationships develop, shared feelings become common, and a keen interest in finding mutually agreeable solutions develop. Feelings of camaraderie and shared responsibility for the groups activities are heightened. The norming stage is complete when the members of the group accept a common set of expectations that constitutes an acceptable way of doing things. The fourth stage of group development is known as performing. During this stage, questions about group relationships and leadership have been resolved and the group is ready to work. Having fully developed, the group may now devote its energy to getting the job done-the groups good relations and acceptance of its leadership helps the group perform well. Recognizing that not all groups last forever, the final stage is known as adjourning. Groups may cease to exist because they have met their goals and are no longer needed

(such as an ad hoc group created to raise money for a charity project), in which case the end is abrupt. Other groups may adjourn gradually, as the group disintegrates, either because members leave or because the norms developed are no longer effective for the group. To help illustrate these various stages, imagine that you have just joined several of your colleagues on your companys newly created budget allocation committee. At first, you and your associates get to know each other; you watch to see who comes up with the best ideas, whose suggestions are most widely accepted, who seems to take charge, and the like (the forming stage). Then as members struggle to gain influence over others, you may see a battle over control of the committee (the storming stage). Soon this will be resolved and an accepted leader will emerge. At this stage, the group members will become highly cooperative, working together in harmony, and doing things together such as going out to lunch as a group (the norming stage). Now it becomes possible for the committee members to work together at doing their best, giving it their all (the performing stage). Then, once the budget is created and approved, the groups task is over and it is disbanded (the adjourning stage). It is important to keep in mind that groups can be in any one stage of development at any given time. Moreover, the amount of time a group may spend in any given stage 107 is highly variable. In fact, some groups may fail long before they have had a chance to work together. It is also important to bear in mind that even the most high-performing teams will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances. Many long-standing teams will go through these cycles many times as they react to changing circumstances. For example, a change in leadership may cause the team to revert to storming as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of the team. Group Structure The structure of groups is determined by four key factors: Roles: Roles refer to the typical behaviour that characterises a person in a specific social context. In organisations, many roles are assigned by virtue of an individuals position within an organisation. For example, a boss may be expected to give orders, and a CSR may be expected to address customer concerns. A clear recognition of ones goals, or role clarity, helps avoid social disorganisation. Sometimes, however, workers may be confused about the things that are expected of them on the job, such as their level of authority or their responsibility. This is called role ambiguity and is typically experienced by new members who have not had much of a chance to learn the ropes, and often results in job dissatisfaction. Norms: Norms are generally agreed-on informal rules that guide group members behaviour. They represent shared ways of viewing the world. Norms differ from organisational rules in that they are not formal and written. For example, where people sit at lunch in the cafeteria or how formal or informal a meeting will be are examples of norms. Status: Status refers to the prestige or relative social position or rank given to groups or group members by others. Within most organisations, status may be recognised as both formal and informal in nature. Formal status is typically accomplished through the use

of status symbols- objects reflecting the position of an individual within an organisations hierarchy. Examples include job titles (e.g., Director), perks (e.g., a reserved parking space); the opportunity to do desirable and highly regarded work (e.g., serving on important committees); and luxurious working conditions (e.g., a large, private office that is lavishly decorated). Informal status refers to the prestige accorded individuals with certain characteristics that are not formally dictated by the organisation. For example, employees who are older and more experienced may be perceived as higher in status by their co-workers. Those who have certain special skills (such as CSRs with foreign-language skills) also may be regarded as having higher status than others. One of the best-established findings in the study of group dynamics is that higherstatus people tend to be more influential than lower-status people. 108 Cohesiveness: Cohesiveness refers to how strongly group members desire to remain in their groups. Highly cohesive work groups are ones in which the members are like each other, accept the groups goals, and help work towards meeting them. In very uncohesive groups, the members dislike each other and may even work at crosspurposes. In essence, cohesiveness refers to a we feeling, a sense of belonging to a group. Some important factors that influence cohesiveness are: The more difficult it is to join a particular group, the greater the cohesiveness within the group. For example, If it is very hard to get into a certain organisationcandidates have to answer a written exam, attend a group discussion and a one-on-one interview; and have atleast 5 years of experience - then, the people who do get selected form highly cohesive groups. Group cohesion tends to get strengthened under conditions of high external threat or competition. Cohesiveness generally tends to be greater when group members spend more time together. It is important to note that group cohesiveness has both positive and negative effects. On the positive side, members of closely knit groups participate more fully in their groups activities; more readily accept their groups goals, are less absent from their jobs and are sometimes exceptionally productive. On the negative side, however, too high a level of cohesiveness can result in groupthink. Groupthink occurs when a group is so cohesive that its members lose sight of its ultimate goals for fear of disrupting the group itself. It is a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive group, when the members' desire for belonging and unanimity overrides their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. Also, if a groups goals are contrary to the organisations goals, a highly cohesive group may actually do a great deal of harm to an organisation, working against its interests. Check your Progress 1 1. Define group dynamics. ..... .....

 ..... 2. Make a list of all the groups that you currently belong to. Categorise them into formal and informal groups. ..... ..... ..... 109 3. Choose any one formal group that you have been a part of and elaborate on your role in the group, the group norms and the status conferred on different members. ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... 110 3.4 THE DYNAMICS OF INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE IN GROUPS Social Facilitation Individual productivity is influenced by the presence of other group members. Sometimes an individuals performance improves in the presence of others (when the job he or she is doing is well-learned), and sometimes performance declines in the presence of others (when the job is new). This tendency for the presence of others to enhance an individuals performance at times and to impair it at other times is known as social facilitation. Social facilitation is the result of heightened emotional arousal (e.g., feelings of tension and excitement) people experience in the presence of others. When people are aroused, they tend to perform the most dominant response-their most likely behaviour in that setting (returning the smile of a smiling co-worker may be considered an example of a dominant act; it is a very welllearned act to smile at another who smiles at you). If someone is performing a very well-learned act, the dominant response would be the correct one (such as speaking the right lines during your fiftieth stage performance). However, if the behaviour in question is relatively novel or newly learned, the dominant response would likely be incorrect (such as speaking incorrect lines during your first practice session). Another explanation of social facilitation is that it results from evaluation apprehension the fear of being evaluated or judged by another person. For

example, lower-level employees may suffer evaluation apprehension when they are worried about what their supervisors think of their work. A third explanation, known as distraction-conflict model recognises that the presence of others creates a conflict between paying attention to others and paying attention to the task at hand. If youve ever tried doing an assignment while your friends or family watch T.V. nearby, youre probably already aware of the conflict created by two tasks competing for your attention. Not only is performance influenced by the presence of others, but by the groups racial and ethnic diversity. Performance in diverse groups is initially worse than performance in homogeneous groups, although these differences disappear with repeated involvement with the group. Social Loafing Have you ever worked with several others helping a friend move into a new house, each carrying and transporting part of the load from the old place to the new one? Or how about sitting around a table with others stuffing wedding invitations into envelopes and addressing them to different invitees? Although these tasks may seem quite different, they actually share an important common characteristic: Performing each task requires only a single person, but several peoples work can be pooled to 111 yield greater outcomes. Because each persons contributions can be added together with anothers, such tasks are referred to as additive tasks. On such additive tasks, there is a tendency for a phenomenon known as social loafing to occur. When several people combine their efforts on additive tasks, each individual contributes less than he or she would when performing the same task alone. Thus five people working together raking leaves will not be five times more productive than a single individual working alone; there are always some who go along for a free ride. In fact the more individuals who are contributing to an additive task, the less each individuals contribution tends to be a phenomenon known as social loafing. Social loafing could be a serious problem in organisations. It can be reduced by: Making each worker identifiablethe more ones individual contribution to a group effort is highlighted (e.g., weekly sales figures of each individual posted on a chart), the more pressure a person feels to make a group contribution. Making the work important and interestingpeople are unlikely to go along for a free ride when the task they are performing is believed to be vital for the organisation and when they find it intrinsically interesting. Rewarding people for their group contributionsdoing this (e.g., giving all salespeople in a territory a bonus if they jointly exceed their sales goal) may help employees focus more on collective concerns and less on individualistic concerns. Threatening punishmentto the extent that performance decline may be controlled by threatening to punish the individuals slacking off, loafing may be reduced. Check your Progress 2 1. What are additive tasks? Write down at least three examples of additive tasks from your daily life. .....

 ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... 112 ..... 2. What is social loafing? How can organisations prevent this phenomenon from occurring? ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... 113 1.5 THE NATURE OF TEAMS Definition A team may be defined as a group whose members have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose or set of performance goals for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. Differences between Groups and Teams Groups Teams Performance typically depends on the work of individual members. Performance depends on both individual contributions and collective work

products- the joint outcome of team members working together Members of groups do not take responsibility for any results other than their own, although they do pool their resources to attain a goal. Each team member shares responsibility for the team outcome. Groups share a common interest goal Teams share a common interest goal plus a common commitment to purpose which supplies a source of meaning and emotional energy to the activities performed. Types of Teams Teams vary along three major dimensions: Their purpose or mission Along this dimension, teams can be divided into work teams and improvement teams. Work teams are primarily concerned with the work done by the organisation, such as developing and manufacturing new products, providing services for customers, and so on. Their principle focus is on using the organisations resources to effectively create its results. Improvement teams are primarily oriented towardss the mission of increasing the effectiveness of the processes that are used by the organisation. For example, Texas Instruments has relied on teams to help improve the quality of operations at its plant in Malaysia. Time Some teams are only temporary, and are established for a specific project with a finite life. For ex: a team set up to develop a new product is temporary if it disbands once its job is done. However, other kinds of teams are permanent, and stay as long as the organisation is operating. For example, teams focusing on providing effective customer service tend to be permanent parts of many organisations. Authority structure In some organisations, teams may cross over various functional units (e.g., marketing, finances, human resources and so on). Such arrangements are often difficult because of ambiguities regarding authority. By contrast, some organisations use teams that are intact with respect to the existing structure of the organisation. Companies like General Motors are 114 structured such that people work together on specific products all the time, and do not apply their specialty to a wide range of products. Creating Teams For teams to function effectively, they must be created properly. Hackmans (1987) four-stage model outlined below summarises for managers how this can be accomplished: Stage 1: Do Pre-work Decide what work needs to be done Determine if a team is necessary to accomplish the task Determine what authority the group should have Decide on the teams goals

Stage 2: Create Performance Conditions Provide all the needed materials and equipment to do the job Ensure that the team consists of all personnel necessary to do the job Stage 3: Form and Build the Team Establish boundaries that is, who is and is not in the team Arrive at an agreement regarding the tasks to be performed Clarify the behaviours expected of each team member Stage 4: Provide Ongoing Assistance Intervene to eliminate team problems (e.g., members not doing their share) Replenish or upgrade material resources Replace members who leave the team Team Performance Case studies have reported many remarkable outcomes stemming from teams. Here is a sample of the impressive results. Company Result Federal Express Reduced errors (e.g., incorrect bills, lost packages) by 13 percent in 1989 Corning Defects dropped from 1,800 parts per million to only 9 parts per million in its cellular ceramics plant Xerox Increased productivity by 30 percent Citibank Substantially improved customer satisfaction ratings in eleven key areas Although many organisations have benefited through teams working together, some teams fail. Some of the reasons for this are: Team members are unwilling to cooperate with each other They fail to receive support from management Some managers are unwilling to give up their control Some teams fail to coordinate their efforts collectively with other teams. 115 Check your Progress 3 1. Differentiate between a group and a team. ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... 2. Here are some terms that are often used when discussing teamwork. Which ones do you think define what a team is? 1. A group of people having one aim 2. Whole > Sum 3. Co-operation 4. Flexibility

5. Working together 6. Reporting to one boss 7. Serving one customer Having understood the basic concept of group dynamics and the nature of groups, lets now turn our attention to team building. 3.6 WHAT IS TEAM BUILDING? The term team building generally refers to the selection, development and collective motivation of result-oriented teams. Team building is carried out through a variety of practices, such as group self-assessment and groupdynamic games. Team building can be considered a part of the theory and practice of organisational development. The process of team building includes: Clarifying the goal, and building ownership across the team and Identifying the inhibitors to team work and removing or overcoming them, or if they cannot be removed, reducing their negative effect on the team. To assess itself, a team seeks feedback to find out both: Its current strengths as a team Its current weaknesses To improve its current performance, a team uses the feedback from the team assessment in order to: Identify any gap between the desired state and the actual state Design a gap-closure strategy 116 Characteristics of a Good Team: High level of interdependence among team members Team leader has good people skills and is committed to team approach Each team member is willing to contribute Team develops a relaxed climate for communication Team members develop mutual trust Team and individuals are prepared to take risks Team is clear about goals and establishes targets Team member roles are defined Team members know how to examine team and individual errors without personal attacks Team has capacity to create new ideas Each team member knows he can influence the team agenda Evaluating Team Effectiveness When evaluating how well team members are working together, the following statements can be used as a guide: Team goals are developed through a group process of team interaction and agreement in which each team member is willing to work towards achieving these goals. Participation is actively shown by all team members and roles are shared to facilitate the accomplishment of tasks and feelings of group togetherness. Feedback is asked for by members and freely given as a way of evaluating the team's performance and clarifying both feelings

and interests of the team members. When feedback is given it is done with a desire to help the other person. Team decision making involves a process that encourages active participation by all members. Leadership is distributed and shared among team members and individuals willingly contribute their resources as needed. Problem solving, discussing team issues, and critiquing team effectiveness are encouraged by all team members. Conflict is not suppressed. Team members are allowed to express negative feelings and confrontation within the team which is managed and dealt with by team members. Dealing with and managing conflict is seen as a way to improve team performance. Team member resources, talents, skills, knowledge, and experiences are fully identified, recognised, and used whenever appropriate. 117 Risk taking and creativity are encouraged. When mistakes are made, they are treated as a source of learning rather than reasons for punishment. After evaluating team performance against the guidelines above, the next step in team building involves determining those areas in which the team members need to improve and develop a strategy for doing so. Check your Progress 4 1. What is team building? What are the processes involved in it? ..... ..... 2. What, according to you, are the five most important characteristics of a productive team and why? ..... ..... ..... ..... 3.7 HANDLING CONFLICTS IN A TEAM Conflict is one of the drivers for improved team performance. Whenever you work in a big team, there ought to arise some disputes and conflicts. If managed well, conflict can lead to better decisions, more creative ideas and higher quality output from the team. Managed badly, it can stop teamwork and hinder individuals from achieving their personal goals. The most widely-used methods of resolving conflict are based on 'game theory'. Game Theory Game Theory is a complex and extensive science, but there are some simple elements that can be used in everyday dealings with people at work, including the following principles.

Everyone is trying to achieve some kind of "payoff" or benefit, but the payoff may be different for different people and organisations. Examples of 'payoffs' might be: Gaining a sense of achievement from completing a worthwhile and/or high quality job Obtaining financial reward 118 Making a profit for the company Getting the job done as quickly as possible in order to go somewhere better Having a feeling of self-esteem or self-worth Being recognised for one's efforts Getting your payoff is called a "win". Not getting your payoff is called a "lose". Types of Games There are different types of games: A competitive game means that for you to get your payoff, someone else has to lose theirs. For example, in a competitive game of tennis at Wimbledon, for one player to win and proceed to the next round, the other player has to lose and be put out of the tournament. A cooperative game means that, for you to maximise your payoff it is best for other players to get their payoff as well. For example, when you drive a car, you are most likely to get your "payoff" (getting to your destination safely and on time) if all other players of the game (other drivers on the same road) get their "payoff" and arrive at their destination safely and on time. If other drivers crash they may delay or prevent you from getting where you want to go. In real life there are often many games taking place in parallel, some competitive and others cooperative. Problems arise when you play a cooperative game competitively (you can end up causing yourself problems), or a competitive game cooperatively (you can end up losing). A manager-employee collaboration, or collaboration between team members, is usually a cooperative game. To play a cooperative game, you need to find ways of working where you get your payoff and your partner person/organisation gets their payoff. This is called a win-win position. The following process can help two or more parties in a conflict to play a game well and achieve a win-win. This process is designed for team members, where it is assumed that there is a degree of goodwill and some trust between them. This process may not be so appropriate for other types of conflict, such as between organisations - although the same principles of game theory apply, other variations on this process may be more relevant. Following the process above means that those involved should: Clarify what the conflict is or the joint decision that needs to be made. This helps prevent 'scope creep' in the discussion which makes the conflict endless, or the argument going round in circles because different people are trying to solve different problems Find out the win position of other parties. This involves: Listening, without judging or arguing against the other parties' views. Declaring your own win position so that other parties understand what you need. 119 Accepting others' win positions and not arguing with others' win

positions This can be difficult, because most people only see their point of view and, in a conflict situation, emotion can make one blind to alternatives. In extreme cases, you may need to get each party to articulate/summarise the others' argument until the other party agrees with the summary. Brainstorm ideas: This is to generate creative ideas for meeting the desires of both/all parties. (Classic brainstorm rules mean you should generate ideas without evaluating them - eg: do not express disagreement with ideas at this point in the process). Evaluate those ideas to see if any meet the win criteria of both parties. If, after evaluation, no ideas meet the win criteria of both parties, then: Declare how you might be prepared to compromise your win position. Ask other parties to declare how they might also be prepared to compromise. Reevaluate the ideas to see if any of them meet the new, compromise positions. If, after this stage, there are still no ideas that meet the compromised win-win position, then you have to refer to a third party to make a resolution. This might involve referring to an independent senior manager to make an executive decision. In extreme cases, where games reach this stage the result is usually a lose for one or other party, and often a lose-lose scenario. Finally, once agreement is reached then don't skip the final step-articulating the conclusion. If you don't ensure everyone remembers what the final decision was and why, you may get more conflict in the future (memories tend to be subjective). Check your Progress 5 1. What are the different games that are played out in organisations? ..... .... ..... .... ..... ..... . 2. How would you deal with the following situations in your workplace? a. Persons A and B of your team just dont seem to get along. The constant bickering between them is affecting team harmony and performance. If you were the team lead, how would you handle the situation? 120 ..... ..... .....

..... ..... ..... b. You have a target to meet and are not sure how to go about your tasks. No one in your team seems interested in answering your questions? What will you do? ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... 3.8 LET US SUM UP In this unit, we have looked at the nature of groups and teams and how they affect performance. We are now familiar with the concepts of group dynamics and team building. We also know the characteristics of productive teams. We have some basic knowledge of the Game Theory and how to apply it in conflict situations in our teams. 3.9 KEY WORDS

Group dynamics - The interactive nature of individuals within the contexts

of a group

Group - A collection of two or more interacting individuals, with a stable

pattern of relationships between them, who share common goals and who perceive themselves as being a group

Formal groups - Groups that are created by the organisation, intentionally

designed to direct its members towards some organisational goal 121

Informal groups - Groups that develop naturally among people, without any
direction from the organisation within which they operate.

Role - The typical behaviour that characterizes a person in a specific social

context

Norms - Generally agreed-on informal rules that guide group members

behaviour

Status - The relative prestige, social position, or rank given to groups or

individuals by others.

Cohesiveness - The strength of group members desire to remain a part of

the group

Additive tasks- Tasks in which the coordinated efforts of several people are
added together to form the groups product

Evaluation apprehension- The fear of being evaluated or judged by another

person

Social facilitation - The tendency for the presence of others sometimes to

enhance an individuals performance and at other times to impair it

Social loafing - The tendency for group members to exert less individual
effort on an additive task as the size of the group increases

Team -A group whose members have complementary skills and are

committed to a common purpose or set of performance goals for which they hold themselves mutually accountable

Team building - The selection, development and collective motivation of

result-oriented teams 3.10 SUGGESTED READING Behaviour in Organisations Greenberg and Baron (2000); Prentice-Hall of India Pvt. Ltd. www.bccymca.org/seasons/definitions/groupdynamics www.bpoindia.org 122 3.11 ANSWERS Check your Progress 1 1. Group Dynamics refers to the interactive nature of individuals within the contexts of a group. These interactions between individuals within the group are distinctly different from those in one-on-one interactions. Group Dynamics also refers to the study of the nature of groups. Check your Progress 2 1. Additive tasks are tasks in which the coordinated efforts of several people are added together to form the groups product. 2. Social loafing refers to the tendency for group members to exert less individual effort on an additive task as the size of the group increases. Social loafing can be reduced by: Making each worker identifiable making the work important and interesting rewarding people for their group contributions and threatening punishment Check your Progress 3 1. Differences between Groups and Teams Groups Teams Performance typically depends on the work of individual members. Performance depends on both individual contributions and collective work

products- the joint outcome of team members working together Members of groups do not take responsibility for any results other than their own, although they do pool their resources to attain a goal. Each team member shares responsibility for the team outcome. Groups share a common interest goal Teams share a common interest goal plus a common commitment to purpose which supplies a source of meaning and emotional energy to the activities performed. 2. All except the last which is not true of all teams. 123 Check your Progress 4 1. The term team building generally refers to the selection, development and collective motivation of result-oriented teams. The process of team building includes Clarifying the goal, and building ownership across the team and Identifying the inhibitors to team work and removing or overcoming them, or if they cannot be removed, reducing their negative effect on the team. Check your Progress 5 1. The different games played out in organisations are: Competitive games which mean that for you to get your payoff, someone else has to lose theirs. Cooperative games which mean that for you to maximise your payoff it is best for other players to get their payoff as well. Often many games take place in parallel, some competitive and others cooperative. Problems arise when you play a cooperative game competitively (you can end up causing yourself problems), or a competitive game cooperatively (you can end up losing). A manager-employee collaboration, or collaboration between team members, is usually a cooperative game.__