6 | Teams Flashcards
Why do organizations rely so much on teams?
Team-based organizations have more motivation and involvement, and teams can often accomplish more than individuals (Cannon-Bowers & Salas, 2001)
There is:
- diversity of knowledge –> innovation and problem-solving
- multiple perspectives –> better threat recognition
- better implementation of decisions
- sense of belonging –> higher employee motivation
What are some downsides of working in a team?
- Time consuming
- Social loafing - letting other people carry the load
- Internal conflict
- Groupthink (opposite of conflict) - making flawed decisions bc no one wants challenge one another
- Susceptible to certain cognition traps
How many steps are there in creating effective teams?
7
What is a team norm? [Step 1]
= shared expectations abt bhv, can be explicit (code of conduct) or implict
- Shared understanding for how to coordinate different pieces of work
To establish norms in less formalized teams, you must agree on specific behaviors; e.g. everyone will attend meetings. And call out norm violations
How to establish roles in teams? [Step 2]
- Match expertise/experience to the role
- know what you contribute and consciously play that part over time
- A great team leader creates cohesion; guides the group discussion points; clarify peoples roles and people’s turf
- in summary, team leader is responsible for managing the PROCESS, not content - rather than ideas.
How to manage team size? [Step 3]
studies show that one you have groups with 7 or more people, productivity decreases
Embracing diversity [Step 4]
The more diverse a team is in terms of expertise, gender, age, and background, the more ability the group has to see a problem from multiple angles and thereby understand it fully.
Diversity can also lead to initial conflict and lack of initial cohesion.
- The more diverse the team, the more you need to be better about building shared goals, handling conflict and building cohesion.
What is team cohesion [Step 5]? How to build team cohesion?
= the degree of camaraderie and unity in a group
- The more cohesive a group is, the more productive the team will be, and the more rewarding the experience
To build cohesion:
- Identify shared goals and clear roles
- Take time to know each other personally
- let people have choice in how they mnaage their own work
Encouraging healthy conflict in teams [Step 6]
Amason (1996): A moderate amount of conflict can actually be a healthy (and necessary) part of organizational life
BUT only if conflict is about the task, and not person-oriented
e.g. conflict over how to carry out a task best
How to encourage healthy conflict:
- have a rotating critic - different person playing Devil’s Advocate - having it rotating reduces personal conflict
- focus on issue, not person
- get 3-4 alts on the table
- remind everyone of the shared goals
What is the Shared Information Effect?
= People in teams are more likely to discuss shared (vs.
unique) information
* People trust information more when they have personal access to it - so a shared experience
* Shared information carries the most weight
