Lecture 4: Innovation in teams - Team processes

Question 1

Definition Teams

Answer 1

= Teams are social systems consisting of two or more people,

-> that are embedded in the organizational context
-> whose members perceive themselves to be in that team and are perceived by other as such (identity)
-> and that work together on a common task (teamwork)

Question 2

Team Size

Answer 2

= Teams are limited in their size:
teams with about more than 10 members tend to spilt up in sub-tea,s

=> multiple team membership

Question 3

Teams and Groups

Answer 3

All teams are groups but not all groups are teams

Question 4

Relevance of Teams in Innovation

Answer 4

= Innovation in organizations is usually carried out in teams
-> Activities in connection with product innovation are conducted in teams
-> Teams are common in organizational product development
-> Production of new knowledge in general, is dominated by teams

Question 5

Homans theory of interpersonal processes in small groups

Answer 5

4 key aspects, which are all interconnected

1. Sentiments
2. Activities
3. Interactions
4. Norms

Question 6

Tuckermans team development model

Answer 6

1. Forming
2. Stroming
   -> Members engage each other in arguments
3. Norming
   -> Members establish implicit or explicit rules about how they will achieve this goal
4. Performing

Question 7

Pros: Benefits of organizing innovative tasks in teams

Answer 7

= Teams can handle complex tasks
= Teams bring together experts from different fields
-> better cognitive resources
= Teams enable cognitive stimulation

Question 8

Contra: innovative tasks in teams

Answer 8

= Creativity builds on divergent thinking
= Groupthink
= Production blocking
=Coordination losses
=Social loafing

Question 9

Social Loafing - Definition

Answer 9

= The tendency of individuals to put less effort when working in a group than working individually

Question 10

Underlying Problems of social loafing

Answer 10

= Diminishing transparency of individuals contributions
= Diffused responsibility for completing the task
= Individuals believe their contribution not needed for group success

=> Social loafing increases as grou size increases

Question 11

Key indicators of high quality teamwork

Answer 11

1. Communication
2. Coordination
3. Balance of Members Contributing
4. Mutual Support
5. Effort
6. Cohesion
   -> are team members motivated to maintain the team

Question 12

When to use teams?

Answer 12

= The need for teamwork is a matter of degree
= Need for teamwork changes over the duration of a project
= Creative processes regularly need both individual and team elements

Question 13

Creativity as a collective sensemaking process

Answer 13

1. Ecological change
2. Enactment
3. Selection
4. Retention

= The basic idea of sensemaking is that reality is an ongoing accomplishment that emerges from efforts to create order and make retrospective sense of what occurs