Group Productivity
Group goals are meant to be a guide for action. One of the methods by which a group measures its success is to determine whether it accomplished its goals. Were goals clear enough and operational enough to be measured? At what costs? Are members disillusioned and are relationships strained? Are members glad the project is over so they can terminate their associations?
Some might question the validity of raising the question "At what costs?" For them, the productivity question is the most important one. Did they accomplish the goal—raise the money, develop the recommendations, increase membership, or resolve the situation between the executive director and the staff—in the best way?
Nonetheless, it has become standard (Barnard, 1938) to describe the adequacy of group performance in terms of both concepts: effectiveness (task orientation),
the extent to which the group is successful in attaining its task-related objectives; and efficiency (maintenance orientation), the extent to which a group satisfies the needs of its members.
Each factor can be examined independently of the other. It is possible to examine only task accomplishment, and frequently that is the only factor considered. It is also possible to examine only relationships among members and the degree of satisfaction each feels as a member of the group, although this is much less frequently considered by itself. Yet it is important to remember that a group expends energy on both aspects of performance, and the effectiveness and efficiency of a group set upper limits on each other. Some illustrations will clarify this relationship.