You have clearly brought out the definition of a term group. Not only have you stated that it is a collection of individuals but also you have stated that there must be a connection within the group. Indeed individuals in a particular place without a specific relationship or connection do not form a group (Carpenter, Bauer & Erdogan 2010). People forming a group must have a collective sense of unity. A group can consist of one or more persons sharing similar characteristics and a group must fall in any of the two categories, that is, formal or informal group (Jarnagin & Slocum, 2007).
Informal group comprises of at least two members who are sharing common interests. Informal groups emerge naturally as a result of common interests. They are formed in a way that all the members are satisfied. Membership too is voluntary according to the characteristics of the people involved. Are informal groups officially recognized? No, informal groups are not officially recognized since they lack official sanction or authority (Carpenter, Bauer & Erdogan 2010).
What extent of concern should the managers accord on informal groups that crop up in their organization? Informal groups are not officially recognized and managers should pay a lot of concern on them since they can influence the performance of the organization hence interfering with its goals and targets (Jarnagin & Slocum, 2007). Informal groups can bring positive, neutral or negative support to the organization but according to (Carpenter, Bauer & Erdogan, 2010), the negative support is commonly observed. Informal groups can support an organization positively by identifying the weaknesses of their organization and presenting their views to the managers so that necessary changes are initiated. To be able to control informal groups, managers should first understand the group’s dynamics and the reasons beyond the formation of the groups (Carpenter, Bauer & Erdogan, 2010).
References
Carpenter, M., Bauer, T. & Erdogan, B. (2010). Principles of Management.Ebooks.apus.edu
Jarnagin, C., & Slocum, J. (2007). Creating corporate cultures through mythopoeia Leadership. Journal for Organizational Dynamics, 36, 288–302.
