Chapter 13: Groups and Teams Flashcards
Groups
Two or more freely interacting individuals who share collective norms, share collective goals, and have a common identity See also Teams
Team
A small group of people working together with a common purpose, performance goals, and mutual accountability See also Groups
Formal group
A group, headed by a leader, that is established to do something productive for the organization
Informal group
A group formed by people seeking friendship that has no officially appointed leader, although a leader may emerge from the membership
Cross-functional teams
A team that is staffed with specialists pursuing a common objective
Self-managed teams
Groups of workers who are given administrative oversight for their task domains
Virtual teams
Teams that work together over time and distance via electronic media to combine effort and achieve common goals
Forming
The first of the five stages of forming a team, in which people get oriented and get acquainted
Storming
The second of five stages of forming a team in which individual personalities, roles, and conflicts within the group emerge
Norming
One of five stages of forming a team; stage three, in which conflicts are resolved, lose relationships develop, and unity and harmony emerge
Group cohesiveness
A “we feeling” that binds group members together
Performing
The fourth of five stages of forming a team, in which members concentrate on solving problems and completing the assigned task
Adjourning
One of five stages of forming a team; the stage in which members of an organization prepare for disbandment
Punctuated equilibrium
Establishes periods of stable functioning until an event causes a dramatic change in norms, roles, and/or objectives resulting in the establishment and maintenance of new norms of functioning, returning to equilibrium
Collaboration
Act of sharing information and coordinating efforts to achieve a collective outcome
Trust
Reciprocal faith in others’ intentions and behaviors
Team member interdependence
The extent to which team members rely on common task-related team inputs, such as resources, information, goals, and rewards, and the amount of interpersonal interactions needed to complete the work
Team composition
Reflects the collection of jobs, personalities, values, knowledge, experience, and skills of team members
Roles
Sets of behaviors that people expect of occupants of a position
Task role
Behavior that concentrates on getting the team’s task done
Maintenance role
Relationship-related role consisting of behavior that fosters constructive relationships among team members
Norms
General guidelines or rules of behavior that most group or team members follow
Team processes
Team members’ interdependent acts that transform inputs to outcomes through activities directed toward organizing taskwork to achieve collective goals
Team charter
Outlines how a team will manage teamwork activities
Team reflexivity
A collective process by which members reflect on the team’s objectives, strategies, methods, and processes and adapt accordingly
Team voice
The extent to which team members feel free to express opinions, concerns, proposals, or thoughts about work-related issues
Conflict
Process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party
Dysfunctional conflict
Conflict that hinders the organization’s performance or threatens its interests
Functional conflict
Conflict that benefits the main purposes of the organization and serves its interests
Personality conflict
Interpersonal opposition based on personal dislike, disagreement, or differing styles
Programmed conflict
Conflict designed to elicit different opinions without inciting people’s personal feelings
Devil’s advocacy
Taking the side of an unpopular point of view for the sake of argument
Dialectic method
Role-playing two sides of a proposal to test whether it is workable
