Chapter 10 Flashcards
Groups and teams can
Performance enhancement: produce more or higher-quality outputs than would have been produced if each person had worked separately
Increase Responsiveness to customers: diversity of expertise and knowledge improves responsiveness
Increase Innovation: Teams possess the extensive and diverse set of skills, knowledge, and expertise required for successful innovation
Types of Groups and Teams
Formal Groups: Established to achieve organizational goals
Cross-Functional Teams: Composed of members from different departments
Cross-Cultural Teams: Composed of members from different countries or cultures
Top Management Teams: Develop strategies that produce an organization’s competitive advantage
Research and Development Teams: Members have expertise and experience to develop new products
Types of Groups and Teams in Organizations
Department / unit: Group composed of subordinates who report the same supervisor
Task force / ad hoc committees: Formed to accomplish specific goals or solve specific problems in a certain period
Standing committees: Task forces that are relatively permanent
Self-managed / self-directed work teams: Members are empowered and have autonomy to complete specific work
Groups Dynamics
Characteristics and processes that determine how groups and teams function and how effective they will be
- Five key elements:
o Group size and roles
o Groupe leadership
o Stages of group development
o Group norms
o Group cohesiveness
Groups Roles
Set of behaviours a group member is expected to perform because of their position in the group
- Managers need to clearly describe expected roles to group members when they are assigned to the group
- Role making: Taking initiative to modify an assigned role by taking on extra responsibilities
Stages of group Forming
Forming: Members get to know each other and reach common understanding of goals and behaviours
Storming: Members experience conflict and disagreement son direction and leadership (e.g., power struggles)
Norming: Interpersonal conflicts resolved and close ties and team cohesiveness develop between members
Performing: Real work of group gets accomplished
Adjourning: Groups are disbanded (e.g., task forces)
Group Norms
Shared guidelines and rules for behaviour that members follow
- Group members conform to norms for three reasons:
o They want to obtain rewards and avoid punishments
o They want to imitate group members they like / respect
o They have internalized the norm and believe it is the right way to behave
Group Cohesiveness
Degree to which members are attracted or loyal to their team
- High group cohesiveness: group members strongly value their group membership, find the group very appealing, and have strong desires to remain part of the group
- Low group cohesiveness: group members do not find their group particularly appealing and have little desire to retain their group membership
Improving Group Decision Making
Three effective group decision-making techniques
- Brainstorming: Problem-solving in which individuals meet face-to-face to generate and debate a wide variety of alternatives
o Production blocking: Loss of productivity in brainstorming sessions due to unconstructed nature of brainstorming
- Nominal group technique: Decision-making in which group members write down solutions, read suggestions, discuss and then rank the alternatives
- Delphi Technique: Decision making in which group members do not meet face-to-face but respond in writing to questions posed by group leader
Group Conflict
Task-related conflict: Members of a group perceive a problem or have disagreements about nature of tasks / projects
Relationship Conflict: Members of group perceive each other’s attitudes as a problem
Organizational Conflict: Discord that arises when goals, interests, or values of different individuals or groups are incompatible
Conflict Resolution Approaches
Five conflict-handling behaviours:
1. Avoiding: Withdrawing from conflict
2. Competing: Satisfy one’s own interests, without regard to interest of the other party
3. Compromising: Parties willing to engage in a give-and -take exchange and to make concessions until resolution reached
