Chapter 8: Team Dynamics Flashcards
teams
groups of 2 or more people who interact with and influence each other, are mutually accountable for achieving common goals associated with organizational objectives and perceive themselves as a social entity within an organization
social network
social structures of individuals/ social units that are connected to each other through one or more forms of interdependence
process losses
resources (including time and energy) expended toward team development and maintenance rather than the task
Brooks’s law
principle that adding more people to a late software project only makes it later
social loafing
problem that occurs when people exert less effort (and usually perform at a lower level) when working in teams than when working alone
task interdependence
extend to which team members must share materials, information, or expertise in order to perform their jobs
role
set of behaviors that people are expected to repeatedly perform because they hold formal/ informal positions in a team and organization
team building
formal activities designed to improve the development and functioning of a work team
norms
informal rules and shared expectations that groups establish to regulate the behavior of their members
team cohesion
degree of attraction people feel toward the team and their motivation to remain members
trust
positive expectations one person has toward another person in situations involving risk
self-directed teams (STDs)
cross-cultural work groups that are organized around work processes, complete an entire piece of work requiring several interdependent tasks, and have substantial autonomy over the execution of those tasks
remote teams
teams whose members operate across space, time, and organizational boundaries are linked through information technologies to achieve organizational tasks
human capital
knowledge skills, abilities, creative thinking, and other valued resources that employees bring to the organization
production blocking
time constraint in a team decision making due to the procedural requirement that only one person may speak at a time
evaluation apprehension
occurs when individuals are reluctant to mention ideas that seem silly because they believe (often correctly) that others in the decision-making group are silently evaluating them
team efficacy
collective belief among team members in the team’s capability to successfully complete a task
psychological safety
shared belief that it is safe to engage in interpersonal risk-taking; specifically, that presenting unusual ideas, constructively disagreeing with the majority, and experimenting with new work behaviors will not result in coworkers posing a threat to their self-concept, status, or career
brainstorming
freewheeling, face-to-face meeting where team members aren’t allowed to criticize but are encouraged to speak freely. generate as many ideas as possible, and build on the ideas of others
brainwriting
variation of brainstorming whereby participants write and share their ideas
electronic brainstorming
form of brainstorming that relies on networked digital devices for submitting and sharing creative ideas
nominal group technique
variation of brainwriting consisting of three stages in which participants
1) silently and independently document their ideas
2) collectively describe these ideas to the other team members without critique
3) silently and independently evaluate the ideas presented
