Organizational Behavior: Chapter 11

Team

a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold them
teams are task groups that have matured to the performing stage (but not slipped into decay)
The essence of

Team - Evolution of

Four General Types of Work Teams and Their Outputs

(1) advice, (2) production, (3) project, and (4) action.
Each of these labels identifies a basic purpose.
For instance, advice teams generally make recommendations for managerial decisions.
Less commonly do they actually make final decisions.
In contrast,

Advice Teams

created to broaden the information base for managerial decisions
have a low degree of technical specialization
Coordination also is low because advice teams work pretty much on their own. Ad hoc committees (e.g., the annual picnic committee) have shorter

Production Teams

responsible for performing day-to-day operations
Minimal training for routine tasks accounts for the low degree of technical specialization. But coordination typically is high because work flows from one team to another.

Project Teams

require creative problem solving, often involving the application of specialized knowledge
time is critical
projects focus on a specific outcome (e.g., developing a new vaccine, producing a movie, or building a skyscraper)
the team may disband upon comple

Action Teams

High specialization is combined with high coordination
best exemplified by a baseball team.
High specialization is combined with high coordination. Nine highly trained athletes play specialized defensive positions. But good defensive play is not enough be

Effective Work Teams

work teams require a team-friendly organization if they are to be effective. Work teams need a support system. They have a much greater chance of success if they are nurtured and facilitated by the organization. The team's purpose needs to be in concert w

Team viability

defined as team members' satisfaction and continued willingness to contribute.

How Strong Are Your Teamwork Competencies?

Cooperation

Individuals are said to be cooperating when their efforts are systematically integrated to achieve a collective objective.
The greater the integration, the greater the degree of cooperation.

Why Work Teams Fail

The main threats to team effectiveness are unrealistic expectations leading to frustration. Frustration, in turn, encourages people to abandon teams. Both managers and team members can be victimized by unrealistic expectations.
On the left side is a list

Characteristics of Effective Teamwork

Real teamwork requires a concerted collective effort. It requires lots of tolerance, practice, and trial-and-error learning.

Cooperation versus Competition

A widely held assumption among managers is that "competition brings out the best in people." From an economic standpoint, business survival depends on staying ahead of the competition. But from an interpersonal standpoint, critics contend competition has

Research Support for Cooperation

Cooperation is superior to competition in promoting achievement and productivity.
Cooperation is superior to individualistic efforts in promoting achievement and productivity.
Cooperation without intergroup competition promotes higher achievement and prod

Trust

Reciprocal faith in others' intentions and behavior
The more employees trust management, the more engaged and productive they will be�and vice versa.
Trust involves "a cognitive 'leap' beyond the expectations that reason and experience alone would warrant

Propensity to trust

Propensity might be thought of as the general willingness to trust others. Propensity will influence how much trust one has for a trustee prior to data on that particular party being available. People with different developmental experiences, personality

Interpersonal Trust Involves a Cognitive Leap

How to Build Trust

Communication. Keep team members and employees informed by explaining policies and decisions and providing accurate feedback. Be candid about one's own problems and limitations. Tell the truth.
Support. Be available and approachable. Provide help, advice,

credibility

developing the integrity, intent, capabilities, and results that make you believable, both to yourself and to others

Cohesiveness

a process whereby "a sense of 'we-ness' emerges to transcend individual differences and motives
Cohesive group members stick together for one or both of the following reasons:
-they enjoy each others' company
-they need each other to accomplish a common g

Socio-emotional cohesiveness

a sense of togetherness that develops when individuals derive emotional satisfaction from group participation.

Instrumental cohesiveness

a sense of togetherness that develops when group members are mutually dependent on one another because they believe they could not achieve the group's goal by acting separately
A feeling of "we-ness" is instrumental in achieving the common goal.

Lessons from Group Cohesiveness Research

There is a small but statistically significant cohesiveness?performance effect.
The cohesiveness?performance effect was stronger for smaller and real groups (as opposed to contrived groups in laboratory studies).
The cohesiveness?performance effect become

Steps Managers Can Take to Enhance the Two Types of Group Cohesiveness

The trick is to keep task groups small, make sure performance standards and goals are clear and accepted, achieve some early successes, and follow the tips in Table 11-5.

Basic Distinctions between Virtual Teams and Self-Managed Teams

two types of teams are distinct but not totally unique.
Overlaps exist. For instance, computer-networked virtual teams may or may not have volunteer members and may or may not be self-managed. Another point of overlap involves the fifth variable in Table

Virtual team

physically dispersed task group that conducts its business primarily through modern information technology
Virtual groups formed over the Internet follow a group development process similar to that for face-to-face groups
Successful use of groupware (soft

How to Create and Manage a Virtual Team

Self-managed teams

Groups of employees granted administrative oversight for their work.
Accountability is maintained indirectly by outside managers and leaders
Team advisers rely on four indirect influence tactics:
Relating. Understanding the organization's power structure,

Cross Functionalism

A common feature of self-managed teams, particularly among those above the shop-floor or clerical level, is cross-functionalism.
In other words, specialists from different areas are put on the same team.

Ways to Empower Self-Managed Teams

Team Building

Experiential learning aimed at better internal functioning of groups.
is a catch-all term for a whole host of techniques aimed at improving the internal functioning of work groups. Whether conducted by company trainers or outside consultants, team-buildin

Attributes of High-Performance Teams

Participative leadership. Creating an interdependency by empowering, freeing up, and serving others.
Shared responsibility. Establishing an environment in which all team members feel as responsible as the manager for the performance of the work unit.
Alig

Assessing the Effectiveness of Team Building

Reaction
-How did the participants feel about the activity?
Learning
-Did the experience increase knowledge or improve skills?
Behavior
-Did participants' on-the-job behavior improve as a result of the activity?
Results
-Did participants subsequently achi

Team Leadership

Team leadership aimed at building group cohesiveness and limiting conflict tended to enhance team performance
A coaching style of leadership was effective for charismatic leaders when dealing with team members having low self-efficacy. A directive style w