Lecture 3: Teams and Leadership

Question 1

where is there a rise in teamwork focus? give 4 reasons

Answer 1

• more productive
• improves quality of life
• improves the org’s problem solving capabilities
• more natural - back to ancestral

Question 2

how did the roles change as team work grows?

Answer 2

• manger became more of a coach
• team takes on traditionally managerial roles
• role of team members to monitor each other

Question 3

what is a group?

Answer 3

two or more people acting independently to achieve a common objective

Question 4

what is the diff between formal and informal groups?

Answer 4

formal:
- more structured
- intentionally created by the org to achieve an objective

informal:
- more spontaneous
- reflect commonalities between team members

Question 5

what is subversion?

Answer 5

where objectives of informal groups may not align with those of host org (formal group)

Question 6

what is the diff between work groups and work teams?

Answer 6

G:
- share info but little coordination of effort
- little sense of how their performance contributes to performance of overall org.
- doesn’t strive towards an externally imposed common objective
- does not recognise important of synergy
T:
- share info but ACT as a team
- team is aware that their performance is crucial to the org’s performance (link between what you do and what the organisation tries to achieve)
- strives towards an externally imposed common objective
- recognise the importance of synergy

Question 7

t or f, groups create norms/ values of behaviour

Answer 7

True

Question 8

how can groups exert influence over the group members?

Answer 8

exhortation, demonstration, coercion, bribery, shame etc

Question 9

what is involved in the disciplinary effects of groups on behaviour?

Answer 9

conduct
values
identity 
influence all equals 
discipline

Question 10

describe conduct in group membership influencing team dev.

Answer 10

what is acceptable behaviour?

individuals in the group conduct the others in the group by showing what is acceptable behaviour

Question 11

describe values in group membership influencing team dev.

Answer 11

what is agreed collectively

Question 12

what are the stages of Tuckman’s model of team dev?

Answer 12

forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning

Question 13

what is the core belief of Gersick’s punctuated equilibrium model?

Answer 13

that you have to go through punctuated equilibrium (trauma, conflict, storming stage) to perform at a higher level

Question 14

what is a maintenance/process activity?

Answer 14

tasks where the team works on itself. eg, working out how will work best together as a team. internal activity of establishing a common purpose to work out how to achieve goals

Question 15

what is a Task activity?

Answer 15

activities where the team focuses its efforts on the job at hand, eg. the actual assignment etc.

Question 16

what are the downsides of teamwork?

Answer 16

• group think
• the ringelmann effect
• social loafing
• free-riding
• cultural differences individualism v collectivism

Question 17

what is groupthink?

Answer 17

everybody thinking the same way
not going to be as innovative if there is a diversity of opinions
will lessen performance

Question 18

what is the Ringelmann effect?

Answer 18

theory that sometimes adding more people doesn’t necessarily mean a better outcome will result (tug of war eg)

Question 19

what is social loafing

Answer 19

slacking off because you can get away with it in a group setting

Question 20

what is free riding?

Answer 20

similar to social loading

Question 21

who introduced the theory of distributed leadership?

Answer 21

Barry - 1991

Question 22

what is the core theory of distributed leadership?

Answer 22

that all necessary leadership qualities are unlikely to be found in one person, therefore must be shared throughout the team

Question 23

what are the 4 skills in distributed leadership?

Answer 23

envisioning
organising
spanning
social

Question 24

what is envisioning leadership?

Answer 24

seeing the bigger picture, creating a vision/purpose (maintenance activities)

Question 25

what is organising leadership?

Answer 25

structure, focus on deadlines, details etc (task and maintenance)

Question 26

what is spanning leadership?

Answer 26

reaching people outside the organisation, stopping group from becoming too isolated… coordinate team’s activities with the rest of the org.
(task and maintenance)

Question 27

what is social leadership?

Answer 27

ensuring everyone is operating successfully within the group
conflict resolution
(maintenance)