TEAMS (2) Flashcards
Groups vs Teams
Group - A collection of individuals who interact primarily to share information and to make decisions that enable each member to perform within his or her area of responsibility
Team - A unit of interdependent individuals with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose and set of performance goals and to common expectations, for which they hold themselves accountable.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Teams
- Synergy
- Empowerment
- Greater Job satisfaction
- Innovation
- Social loafing
- Groupthink
- Pressure to conform
- High levels of pressure and stress
Social loafing
The tendency to withheld physical or intellectual effort when performing a group task
Groupthink
Group members reluctant to challenge the way the group is behaving or thinking
3 Components of Team Effectiveness
- Task Performance
Is the degree to which the team’s output meets the needs and expectations of those who use it. - Group Process
Is the degree to which members interact or relate that allow the team to work increasingly well together over time. - Individual Satisfaction
Is the degree to which the group experience, on balance, is more satisfying than frustrating to team members.
Types of teams
- Functional
- Cross-Functional
- Virtual
- Self-Managed Team (SMT)
What is a Functional Team?
- A group of employees belonging to the same department who have a common objective
- Structure is generally more hierarchical with functional leader making all the decisions
- Team members only focus on their area of specialisation and ignore overall organisational mission
- The use of such teams has been in decline
Cross-Functional Team
- Made up of members from different departments
- Some members may be from outside of the organization
- Provide better quality products/services with shorter development cycles (cause got diverse base of knowledge and creative potential that exceeds functional team)
- Improved coordination
Virtual Team
- Team members are geographically distributed
- Allow for more asynchronous teamwork as virtual cross-functional teams grow in global operations
- Can be organised along functional or cross-functional lines
SMT
- Are relatively autonomous and are usually cross-functional in membership makeup
- Hold themselves mutually responsible for a set of performance goals assigned by higher management
Characteristics of SMT members
• A strong belief in personal accountability
• An internal locus of control coupled with emotional stability
• Good problem solving skills
• Good conflict-resolution skills
Role of a SMT Team Facilitator
- Creates optimal working conditions for team members to work productively
- Must be good at coaching, influencing, and empowering the team
What is Team-Centered Decision Making Model
Empower team members to make final decision and follow through
Disadvantage
- Be self-serving and contrary to the best interest of the organisation
- Can take longer than decision made alone by a manager
- End up being a poor compromise rather than an optimal solution
What is Leader-Centered Decision Making Model?
Leader exercise power to initiate, direct , drive, instruct, and control team members
Effective Team Meetings: Conducting Meetings
(1) Identify Objective
(2) Cover agenda
(3) Summarise & Review assignments
