Nature of Teams Flashcards
Group
2/more interacting & interdependent individuals working for specific goals
Formal Group
- defined by organisation’s structure
- specific work assignments & tasks
- for organisational goals
Informal Group
- social group
- formed by friendships/common interests
Types of Formal Groups
- Command
- Task
- Cross-Functional
- Self-managed teams
Command Group
- defined by organisational chart/hierarchy
- report directly to manager
Task Group
- temporary
- for specific job task
Cross-Functional Group
- different work areas/specialisations
Self-Managed Team
- independent
- take on managerial responsibilities
Understanding group Behaviour
- roles
- norms & conformity
- status systems
- group size
- group cohesiveness
Roles
- behaviour patterns
- expected of a certain position
Norms & Conformity
- acceptable standards
- adjust behaviour to align with standards
Status systems
- prestige, rank, position
- must have equity between perceived rank & status symbol
Group Size
Small:
- complete tasks fast
- figure out what to do
- getting job done
Large:
- diverse input
- problem solving
- finding facts
Group Cohesiveness
- attractiveness of group to members
Determinants of Group Cohesiveness
- size
- similarity/diversity of members
- competition
- success
- exclusiveness
Groups vs Teams
Team:
goal - collective performance
synergy - positive
accountability - individual & mutual
skills - complementary
Group:
goal - sharing info
synergy - neutral/negative
accountability - individual
skills - random & varied
Type of Work Teams
- cross-functional
- independent
- virtual
- problem-solving
Virtual Team
- collaborate online
Problem-Solving Team
- same department
- to improve/solve
- rarely given authority
Components of Team Effectiveness
- context
- composition
- work design
- team process
4 Contextual Factors
- leadership structure
- performance evaluation & reward systems
- climate of trust
- adequate resources
7 Composition Factors
- members’ abilities
- personality
- size
- members’ preference
- members’ flexibility
- roles
- diversity
4 Work Design Factors
- skill variety
- autonomy
- task identity
- task significance
5 Team Process Factors
- common purpose
- specific goals
- team efficacy
- conflict level
- social loafing
