HRM Midterm 2 Flashcards
From Oct. 7 - oct. 28th
quiz 9 through 15
Group v. team
Group
–3 or more, recognize themselves as distinct unit, work independently
team
- -2 or more, work together regularly in interdependent fashion to accomplish a common goal
- -key is COHESION!
- -best # depends on task at hand (5-9 range)
- -single most imp. predictor of success (neuroticism/stability)
- -virtual teams less effective (must meet in person sometimes)
- -some similarity in team members is valuable
- -authority to manage own work – sense of direction – all members skills are used
- -tackle more complex/diff. problems
ideal size - as small as possible for task you are working on
In assembling a team
LEARN FROM GEESE - video
purpose of assembling a team
- –accomplish larger, more complex goals, than what would be possible for indiv. working alone
- -perform, get results, and achieve victory in workplace
- -combine multiple skills or where buy=in is req. from several indiv.
- -the best managers are those who can gather together a group of indiv. and mold them into an effective team!
three types of task interdependence in teams
- pooled interdependence — unique assignment
- sequential interdependence
- -outputs become others’ inputs - reciprocal interdependence
- -passed back and forth - constantly alert
stages of team development
- forming
- storming
- -guard starts to go down btwn 1 and 2 - norming
- -feel relief! ready to work! good energy and have a social env! - performing
- adjourning
what does punctuated equilibrium model say about WHEN performing happens? (look it up!!!)
barriers to effective teams
- challenges knowing where to begin
- dominating team members
- poor performance of team members (social loafing etc.)
- poorly managed team conflict
all 4 are improved by psychological safety!!!!!!
social loafing – when you are in a group and you know the other group will take care of it then you just sit back and let them do the work
overcome barriers by using what — first 90 days tool
TEAM CONTRACT
- -norms of how to set schedules and spend time (purpose of meetings, length, time of day)
- -what to do if members don’t adhere to group procedures (lateness)
- -what is appropriate way to let team down, compensate
- -what are ways to criticize quality of work and appropriate channels to do it in
- -how will work and control over work be shared
- -when to revisit or revise the contract
team charter!!!!
- –at MIN team contract should contain guidelines for attendance and participation in team meetings - method for reaching team decisions, procedures for resolving conflict
- –ask what team is trying to accomplish? what are team goals? what roles will members play? how will team reach decisions? how will team evaluate and improve performance?
cohesive groups
those in which members are attached to each other and act as one unit
- common characteristics –>
- collective identity –>
- share a mutual bond –>
- share a sense of purpose –>
- work together on a common task –>
- establish a structured pattern of communication
steps to build cohesion
- -align group with greater org.
- -let members have choices in setting their own goals
- -define clear roles
- -give freq. praise
- -celebrate diff.
- -treat all members with dignity and respect
meetings - be sure meeting is even needed - create and distribute an agenda - reminders - start and end on time – summarize meeting with action items
too much cohesion can lead to social loafing and lack of creativity bc ppl are stuck in same mindset - not enough is too many ideas
- -low cohesion - low productivity and little to no psych. safety
- -middle = perfect amt. of innovation and idea sharing
- -high = too buddy buddy and group think
types of teams
GOING down = greater TIME and greater COHESION!!!
- task force
- -a temp. team which is asked to address a specific issue or problem until it is resolved - product development team
- -can be temp. or ongoing - cross-functional team
- -appears in org. where indiv. from diff. parts of org. staff the team which may be temp. or long standing in nature - harder so usually longer lasting
5 fundamental factors of group cohesion
- similarity
- stability
- size
- support
- satisfaction
can groups have too much cohesion
An internal pressure to conform may arise where some members modify their behavior to adhere to group norms —>
cohesive groups will often disapprove of members who dare to disagree –>
GROUPTHINK - group pressure phenomenon that inc. risk of group making flawed decisions
- –group members conform to majority viewpoint in group decision-making
- -need to fit in
- -disagreement can be uncomfortable
- -seems like less work
- -time pressure
- -close-mindedness
overcoming barriers by preventing social loaging
- –carefully choose the # of indiv. you need to get task done
- -assing tasks that are highly engaging and rewarding
- -clearly define each member’s tasks in front of the entire group
- -make sure indiv. feel they are needed
key elements to team success
IS NOT indiv. personalities or attitudes but the conditions under which a team operates
–leader inspires but mostly needs to create and maintain conditions
- psychological safety
- -team members feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other
- -prevents group think!! - dependability
- -get things done on time and meet Google’s high bar for excellence - structure & clarity
- -team members have clear roles, plans and goals - meaning
- -work is personally imp. to team members - impact
- -team members think their work matters and creates change
Blake sports care pros and cons
pros/strengths
- -28% YoY growth
- -#1 position in world for sales in some categories
- -very loyal team members
- -CEO very entrepreneurial “inspiring, empowering, talented”
- competent team members
failures/problems
- -siloed departments w/ separate reporting
- -delays onboarding new customers
- -delays releasing new products
- -inability to launch new products
- -missed deadlines
- -infighting and poor morale
cohesive problem – weren’t being managed well
root problems at Blake sports
- trust and info. sharing
- -secretive and defensive w/ info. - goal alignment and incentives
- -attain comp. wide goals gets 5% bonus
- -95% of compensation based on indiv. goals
- -extra funds for exemplary indiv. v. collective performance - meeting effectiveness
- -no agenda, ppl give up, frustration, emails could have been better than meetings, ppl don’t show up, deadlines ignored - team design and cohesion
- -no internal leadership for daily op. - CEO style and actions
- -does not promote cohesion, manages one on one, sets casual tone, disconnected from daily ops., causes chaos with personal style - ignoring strategic issues
- -middle managers not empowered
- -too focused on day to day operations
blake sports solutions
- -incentives should be aligned to match level of team interdependence – compensation for one should not be at expense of another - team-based incentives
- -create a shared mindset – foster a common identity - team building activities
- -make meetings more effective
- -does team have right people - change team composition and size - celebrate successes
is a team necessary?
team
- -clear task/clear boundaries
- -authority to manage own work
- -all members skills used
- -membership stability
- -has a sense of direction
diversity
mix of ppl of diff. socially relevant group identities working or living together in a defined social system
- -diversity refers to ways ppl are similar or diff. from each other
- -gender, ethnic heritage, race, religion, age, mental/physical abilities, sexual orientation
diversity
mix of ppl of diff. socially relevant group identities working or living together in a defined social system
- -diversity refers to ways ppl are similar or diff. from each other
- -gender, ethnic heritage, race, religion, age, mental/physical abilities, sexual orientation
deep level diversity v. surface level
deep level
- -life applications
- -values, attitudes, beliefs
- -in the center of the circle!!!
- -secondary levels (work experience, geographic location, org. role/level, comm., work style, first language, hobbies/interests)
surface level diversity
- -education functional area
- -gender, race, age, physical abilities
- -outer circle
surface v. deep-level diversity applications
early-stage effects v. later effects
- –surface level influences relationships more strongly in short term groups
- -deep level influences relationships in longer term groups
relationships btwn surface and deep
–uses surface level to decide whether there are deep level differences
sterotypes v. generalizations
both are broad stmts. about a group of ppl
stereotypes
- -lock ppl into categories w/ ideas of limiting them
- -seek to judge v. describe
- -harder to modify, unconscious and reactive, rigid and judgmental, seek to oversimplify
generalizations
- -look at behavior and note similarities
- -descriptive and non-judgmental
- -can modify if find new examples which disprove the description we are trying to make
- -used consciously and analytically, descriptive and flexible, attempt to capture similarities and principles, constantly modified w/ new input
inclusion
creating a climate where the potential advantages of diversity for organizational or group performance are maximized while the potential disadvantages are minimized
goal: create a positive climate for diversity – feel welcome and included
why are diverse teams more innovative
- -diff. perspectives lead to better problem solving from wider range of interests and experiences
- -new ideas reach diff. mkts.
- -diversity signals market savvy which attracts human and fin. assets
- -it can be uncomfortable but productive
higher creativity in decision making
- -presence of diverse ppl makes everyone more willing to share
- -better understanding and service of customers
- -higher stock prices
- -higher comp. performance
- -more satisfied workforce
a 1% inc. in racial diversity correlates with a 9% gain in revenue
–better reputation and more innovative
types of diversity that bolster innovation and 2 that don’t
very high positive!!!!
- -industry background
- -country of origin
- -career path
high
–gender
no significant relationship
–academic background
highly negative relationship
–age
reasons diversity is diff.
- don’t get there in first place bc common culture is sustained
- –similariy attraction (ASA) - don’t get to know person bc of stereotypes and prejudice
- don’t want to be there - unsupportive/hostile env. (faultlines)
- don’t know what to do bc lack of exp.
- don’t think its imp.
- don’t want to change – resistance to change
ex. of illegal interview questions
have you ever been arrested?
are you married/children?
what religious holidays do you practice?
do you have outstanding debt?
response when asked illegal questions
- -refuse to answer
- -answer shortly
- -answer the intent
- -walk away from interview
become diversity competent
men are afraid to mentor women - here’s what we can do about it
- hold yourself and colleagues accountable for parity
- instead of running from discomfort, ask about it
- build mentor networks rather than silos
short answer questions:
–what is bias at work and what are three ways to mitigate bias?
–what elements of org. life make managing bias diff.
–name 3 reported performance benefits from diversity programs that seem feasibly to attempt and why
–what is bias at work and what are three ways to mitigate bias?
–what elements of org. life make managing bias diff.
–name 3 reported performance benefits from diversity programs that seem feasibly to attempt and why
short answer questions:
–what are three possible responses to illegal interview questions?
–T/F on issues around hiring based on merit or deep level vs. surface diversity
–can an employer be liable for harassment even if supervisor did not know but should have known due to prior complains?
–what are three possible responses to illegal interview questions?
- -T/F on issues around hiring based on merit or deep level vs. surface diversity
- –deep . level matters in longer term groups – many programs are starting w/ surface level today – but you can use surface level to start and then move to decide whether there are deep level differences
–can an employer be liable for harassment even if supervisor did not know but should have known due to prior complains?
harassment
unwelcome behavior where enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition for obtaining some benefit or avoiding some detriment
—or conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work env. that a reasonable person could consider intimidating, hostile or abusive
the employer is LIABLE for harassment by other employees or non-employees if it knew or SHOULD HAVE KNOWN about the harassment and failed to take prompt and appropriate corrective action
“should have known”
- -employer ignored prior complaints from employees
- -employer did not have a written policy against harassment
- -the harassment was open or well known w/in the company
Arctic circle exercise
about team synergies
- –teams can potentially outperform indiv. members (synergy)
- -in example there were teams where no individual would have survived with their score but together there team did survive
- -each team aims to reach a CONSENSUS (everyone accepts the responses - NOT majority vote)
- -when team score is better than AYN indiv. score
a concern is when a “surviving/high scoring/ winning indiv. can’t convince anyone on the team
synergy = when group members working together outperform the best member
class principles = comm., power, team process
- -don’t fall into ACTIVITY trap - focus on results
- -simplify the problem - break issue into sub-problems
- -req. listening, supporting, differing and participating
- -don’t change mind to avoid conflict - strive to identify elements that are logical (supporting) and those you have concerns with (differing)
creativity v. innovation
creativity
–the ability to form new concepts using existing knowledge
innovation
–the IMPLEMENTATION of novel and useful ideas (creative ideas) in the form of products and services
threats to group creativity
—slacking off - social loafing
- -setting performance benchmarks too low
- -performance matching to the lowest performing group member
- -failure to follow the rules of brainstorming
- -not actively encouraging multiple perspectives
space alien test
draw space alien that is uNLIKE any EARTH creature you have ever seen
- -despite instructions ppl draw figures that include human features (bilateral symmetry, eyes, 2 arms, 2 legs)
- -imagination is “Structured” by past experience!! another reason diversity can help
2 types of thinking
- convergent
- -thinking about a problem that proceeds toward a single answer (most of school)
- -groups excel at convergent thinking - divergent
- -thinking about a problem that moves outwards from the problem in many directions and involves thinking w/o boundaries
- -indiv. are better at divergent thinking
GOAL is to promote divergent thinking in groups!!
how to enhance potential for creativity (and divergent thinking) in groups
- -staff groups with indiv. who have a great deal of non-overlapping knowledge, expertise, etc. (cross-functional teams)
- -invite outsiders during the creative process
- rotate indiv. from team to team
how to promote team creativity
—step 1 - setting the stage for discussion
step 1 - setting the stage for discussion
- -use tactics to generate positive mood (humor, stories)
- -positive mood inc. creativity in indiv. and groups
- -set rules/norms for brainstorming discussion (wild ideas encouraged, focus must remain on topic, make indiv. accountable for enforcing norms)
- -set explicit HIGH (smart goals that create interdependence)
- -optimal cohesiveness (if too cohesive add new faces and if too unfamiliar emphasize superordinate goals or similarities
how to promote team creativity
—step 2 - brainstorming discussion
step 2 - brainstorming discussion
- -welcome “freewheeling” (i know this sounds crazy but..)
- -rule out criticism
- -build in short breaks
goal at this stage: promote COGNITIVE STIMULATION - ideas generated by one person stimulating ideas in another
how to promote team creativity
—step 3 - selecting an idea for exploitation
step 3 - selecting an idea for exploitation
- -exploitation - the refinement, choice, production, selection, implementation and execution of an idea
- -use skills learned during classes on decision making and conflict
decision making traps – like groupthink, escalation of commitment, and the Abilene paradox can destroy creative process during brainstorming or exploitation
–avoid activity traps by asking what you can bring to the process? help others be heard! ask the right questions!
unleash the potential of teams by creating opp. for both good and bad ideas to happen (set up process rules and do it!)
–pay close attention to decision making and conflict – proper mgmt. is CRITICAL for creativity and innovation
communication is vital in org.
50-90% of managers time is spent communicating
- -team success depends on STRONG COMM. - most change requires it and negotiation depends upon it
- -managers can expect to do only THREE MINUTES of uninterrupted work before being interrupted by an incoming email, message, phone call, worker, etc.
three main functions of comm.
- transmission of info.
- coordination of effort
- sharing emotions and feelings
basics - communication process
sender originates and encodes message - translates idea into words
- -the MEDIUM (message) of this encoded message may be spoken, written, or signs
- -the receiver gets message, decodes message, assigns meaning to words
comm. flows in diff. directions in org.
- -upward to supervisor
- -downward to subordinate
- -laterally to coworker
- -diagonally to diff. dept.
communication richness by info. channel
HIGH
- -face to face conv.
- -video conference
- -telephone
MEDIUM
- -emails
- -handheld devices
- -blogs
- written letters and memos
LOW
- -formal written documents
- -spreadsheets
when to use written and verbal comm.
written: FACTS
- -conveying facts
- -the message needs to become part of a permanent file
- -there is little time urgency
- -you do not need immediate feedback
- -the ideas are complicated
verbal: EMOTIONS/FEELINGS
- -conveying emotions/feelings
- -message does not need to be permanent
- -there is time urgency
- -you need feedback
- -the ideas are simple or can be made simple w/ explanations
Grace case
understand about herself as the sender:
–humility, self-awareness of career stages, confidence v. arrogance, is boss an obstacle or imp. source of support in career, what power can Landon offer?
what should Grace understand about Landon
–what can he offer and what can’t he offer, what stage is landon in, how emotional/logical is he as a decision maker, did she talk to him about changes, her behavior affects his career
career stages and needs should guide comm. strategy
- establishment
- -employee needs (of boss) – help learning what to do and develop local and global competence - Bolster self confidence and serve as role model! protection!
- -leader needs - demo mangerial competence and establish reputation - advancement
- -from boss employee needs more concern w/ promotion and growth - COACHING, challenging work, chance to learn new skills, platform for broad exposure to influential audience - sponsorship
- -leader needs to make name for self - have employees do good work that reflects well on leader - maintenance
- -gain satisfaction from autonomy and guiding others and contributing to development of the org.
- -ready to develop others - share wisdom - needs grateful recipient - wthdrawal
- -want a consultative role - want value acknowledged
- -consultative - needs emp. who actively pursue and demo respect
F. A. E.
Fundamental attribution error!!
–tendency to explain someone’s behavior based on internal factors - such as personality or disposition, and to underestimate the influence that external factors, such as situational influences have on that person’s behavior
barrier to communcation: noise
due to NOISE - The meaning which receiver assigns may not be the meaning the sender intended!!!
- -noise is anything that interferes with or distorts the message being transferred
- -semantic/organizational/technical
beyond noise other barriers to effective comm.
- -filtering
- -selective perception
- -workplace gossip and grapevine
- -semantics and jargon
- -info. overload
- -emotional disconnects
- -gender diff. in comm.
- -diff. in meaning
- -biased lang.
teams are full of unique indiv. who need
feedback and active listening - to enable you to send or rec. info. to improve effectiveness
typical feedback flaws
- -attack person
- -vague or abstract assertions
- -poor location and timing
active listening
strong precursor to psychological safety – ppl feel accepted and respected in a team
- -ostentatious listening is one way we foster psych. safety - it helps us overcome barriers and we create synergies!!!!!
- –listen for feelings
- -respond to feelings
- -paraphrase and restate
- -make eye contact
- -try to empathize with sender’s point of view
- -don’t multitask while listening
- -pay attention to what is not said
feedback is a learned process
- formulate
- -be direct to the person and about them
- -identify specific behavior
- -state impact – the outcome the other person’s behavior had (positive impact or consequences)
- -CAUTION - do NOT describe the person - describe what he/she did and the impact it had!!! - practice (rehearse and anticipate possible reactions)
- deliver
- inquire (test for understanding and explore root causes)
- coach
—our instinct is to leave the practice step out!!!
formulate feedback error
don’t say
- -you are so good with numbers. your comment was exceptional today
- -say: when I hear you speak in class it clarifies the purpose for me and enables me to grasp what is going on
don’t say
- -you are always so cheerful and happy. Its great especially after a long, hard day
- -say: when you greet me at the checkout every day with a smile it makes me happier and energizes me for the afternoon. Thank you!
purpose of feedback and coaching
–observation of behavior - impact the behavior has - on whom
ponder purpose of feedback
–should be to enable recipient to make him/herself more effective – to elevate performance so the feedback recipient can do a better job creating the conditions that enable others to excel
feedback requires four sets of skills that one must practice
- observational
- -pay careful attention to behavior - analysis
- -trace connection btwn behavior and impact of behavior - interpersonal interaction
- -deliver feedback in a way that can be heard - self-mgmt.
- -be aware of how providing feedback impacts one’s own emotional state
tips for facilitating conditions for feedback
location - quiet and private where interruptions are unlikely
timing - as close to behavior as possible - don’t wait too long that it becomes irrelevant
your state of mind - clear-headed, well rested, calm
recipient’s state of mind
–ready and somewhat open
limits on brain, time, information cause humans to take shortcuts
- heuristic
- -simple decision rule used to make quick decisions about complex problems (a mental shortcut)
- -quick, informal, intuitive - cognitive bias
- -a systematic distortion or pattern of error in judgment
- -may stem from a heuristic but refers to incorrect conclusions due to cognitive factors
why decision making is hard - factors in faulty decision making
- -fundamental attribution error
- -attention constraints
- -overconfidence bias
- -anchoring and adjustment bias
- -escalation of commitment bias
overconfidence bias
we THINK we can forecast uncertain values/outcomes better than we actually can
- -mistakes estimating time needed to get projects completed, deals secured, etc.
- -confidence intervals are too narrow!!
examples
- entrepreneurs
- -80% of ent. perceive their chances of success over 5 years are 70% or better
- -only 33% survive 5 years - project mgmt. and planning fallacies
- -almost all project constructions costs exceed initial estimates by over 20% (norm is by 100%)
- -almost all project construction schedules run late by more than 50%
GETS WORSE AS PPL GAIN MORE POWER or go up in seniority/promotions
overconfidence bias
we THINK we can forecast uncertain values/outcomes better than we actually can
- -mistakes estimating time needed to get projects completed, deals secured, etc.
- -confidence intervals are too narrow!!
examples
- entrepreneurs
- -80% of ent. perceive their chances of success over 5 years are 70% or better
- -only 33% survive 5 years - project mgmt. and planning fallacies
- -almost all project constructions costs exceed initial estimates by over 20% (norm is by 100%)
- -almost all project construction schedules run late by more than 50%
GETS WORSE AS PPL GAIN MORE POWER or go up in seniority/promotions
overconfidence remedies
- -talk to others (diff. answer/perspective)
- -seek out clear, unambiguous feedback
- -consider base rates (objective freq. of occurrence)
- -be contrarian (ask yourself: why might I be wrong?)
- -play devil’s advocate
- -rely on gathered data, not untested assumptions
sunk cost
tendency to cont. supporting unsuccessful courses of action due to sunk costs being considered as justification for cont. or inc. investment
–its only escalation if what you spent is your sole reason for spending more - not all past costs are sunk costs
remedies
- -cut your losses - treat the losses as sunk
- -reduce myopia – think ahead of future returns instead of past investment
- -come up with a decision/exit rule ahead of time and stick with it
anchoring and adjustment bias
tendency to base decisions or rely too heavily on salient or recent info.
- -ANCHOR on salient info. (number) then ADJUST
- -particularly common with quantitative judgments and negotiations
remedy
- -seek data from multiple sources
- -awareness
- -decision support software
race vs. ethnicity (office ex.)
often used interchangeable but really
- -race = biological = physical characteristics of a person
- -ethnicity = social science construct that describes a person’s cultural identity
biases and villains of decision making
- -attention constraints make you miss potential options
- -fundamental attribution errors and confirmation bias makes you gather self-serving info.
- -short-term emotion will often tempt you to make the wrong one
- -you’re likely overconfident about the future and overly attached to decisions
benefits of group decision making
- -groups outperform indiv. on a wide range of problems
- -performance of the group is better than arithmetic avg. of its members
- -as demonstrability of task inc. group performance inc. over that of indiv.
confirmation bais
tendency to interpret new info. as confirmation of existing beliefs
- –don’t want to create unnecessary conflict
- -first is the best fallacy — info. is often not shared bc teams decide on the first acceptable alternative rather than looking for the best alternative – satisficing
8 symptoms of groupthink
- illusion of invulnerability
- collective rationalization
- stereotypes of out-groups
- direct pressure on arguers
- illusions of unanimity
how can you avoid groupthink??
individuals
- -monitor personal behavior for signs of it
- -check for self-censorship
- -carefully avoid mindguard behaviors (person filtering what info. group gets)
groups
- -encourage culture where diff. ideas are valued
- -discuss symptoms of groupthink and how to avoid them
- -debate ethical implications of decisions
group leaders
- -break group into two subgroups from time to time
- -remain impartial
- -set a tone of encouraging critical evaluations
pitfalls
- -be aware of team size
- -encourage diff. persepctives
- -structure discussion principles
- -beware of time pressure
techniques for making better group decisions
nominal group tech.
- -ensures all members participate
- write down ideas indiv., share w/ group and discuss
premortem
- -think ahead of what might happen
- -develop hypotheses about why and consider them early
majority rule
–indiv. vote and option with most votes win
consensus
- -helps achieve group support for chosen idea
- -group discusses issue and solutions, calls for consensus and discusses concerns
group polarization
tendency for group discussion to intensify group opinion, producing more extreme judgment than would be obtained by pooling indiv. views
- -need to be liked (normative influence)
- -conformity pressures
- -competition - gain status by one-upping others
how to prevent it
- -focus on accountability
- -revisit indiv. preferences before group convened
- -assign members to be accountable for decision makig process
- -minimize focus on us v. them mentality
how to harness diversity
- –Ensure everyone is heard - make it safe to propose novel ideas - give team members authority to make decisions - share credit for success - give actionable feedback
- —It will LEAD TO
1. Enhanced CREATIVITY
2. AND team INNOVATION
decision making styles
leadership styles and ways of making decisions — 1-4 becoming more in leader’s control — the closer to one is the more empowered the group members are (empowerment)
- Laissez-faire – hands off and letting followers do what they want
- Democratic - considering their voices
- Authoritarian
- Dictator
asch experiement ex.
Asch - the one with the lines – had 4 lines and the job was to state which line was the same length as another line
!!!! Group think example!! - all you need to know about it
