Teamwork & leadership (chpt.9)

Question 1

Team

Answer 1

A small number of individuals with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, common goals, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

Question 2

What are teams

Answer 2

Well-balanced, cooperative units.

Bounded social units acting within larger systems (e.g. organizations).

There are identifiable set of tasks.

Members interact to accomplish tasks (joint action).

Interdependence within a team, and between teams.

Question 3

Teams v. regular groups

Answer 3

More emphasis on coordinated action and the pursuit of a common objective.

Members hold themselves mutually accountable.

Effective interaction and coordination among team members occur when the team is small.
Should be staffed to the smallest # that can do the work.

Necessity of complementary skills in a team:
Work skills, interpersonal skills, problem-solving & decision-making skills.

Question 4

Principles of teamwork (Muchinsky)

Answer 4

Members willing to give & accept feedback from one another

Members are willing and prepared to back each other up

Question 5

Principles of teamwork

Answer 5

Members collectively value success and knows it depends on their interaction

Interdependence -> Members view depending on each other as a virtue

Leaders serve as role models of teamwork

Question 6

Types of Teams Based on Task Type

Answer 6

Tactical teams.
involve well-defined objective

Problem-solving teams.

Creative teams.

Question 7

Types of Teams Based Duration

Answer 7

Ad hoc teams. ex 911 commission team that analyze events why 911 happened.

Ongoing teams

Question 8

Team type b Amount of control

Answer 8

Manager-led teams.

Self-managing teams.

Self-directing teams.

Self-governing teams.ex.CEO’s

Question 9

Examples of use of teams in work organizations

Answer 9

Quality circles -> to identify work-related problems and generate & recommend ideas to increase productivity/quality.

Management teams -> consists of managers from various areas to coordinate work between work teams; and to coach those teams to be self-managing.

Virtual teams -> Team members are geographically dispersed & interact through electronic communication.

Question 10

Reasons behind Increased Use of Work Teams

Answer 10

Necessity of pooling of huge amounts of information and knowledge that are available.

Rapid change compels organizational flexibility.

Pressures to engage in various work activities and at rapid paces (to make new products, to improve quality, etc).

Work teams can be responsive and adaptive!!

Question 11

Input- Mediator-Output-Input Model (Ilgen et al., 2005)

Answer 11

1)Organizational context
Task characteristics
Team composition
(ex. What teams should do different tasks? who becomes team member?)

2)Emergent State
Safety
Shared Mental Models
Cohesion
Collective efficacy
(ex.psychological safety collective feeling do I feel safe saying what i want to say? Are we on the same page)

3)TEAM
PROCESSES-“members’ interdependent acts…cognitive, verbal, and behavioral activities directed toward organizing taskwork to achieve collective goals” (Marks, Mathieu, & Zaccaro, 2001)

Decision making
Conflict
Communication
Coordination
(ex.How teams communicate

4)OUTPUTS
Productivity
Performance
Member Satisfaction
Innovation

Question 12

Organizational Context

Answer 12

Reward system
Individual skill-based rewards.
Team performance-based rewards.

Training systems.

Physical environment conducive to teamwork.

Technology support.

Resource support.

Managerial support.

Question 13

Team Composition

Answer 13

Personnel selection is an important topic in I/O psychology.

Traditional methods at the individual level don’t transfer directly to team selection.
Need to be sensitive to team’s goals and social context.
Successful selection must create the right mix
Individuals who complement others’ abilities

Question 14

Team Composition: Member KSAs (knowledge, skill, ability)

Answer 14

Taskwork skills (foundation for operational performance)

Teamwork skills (basis for integration required to reach goals).

Interpersonal KSAs:
Conflict resolution KSAs
Collaborative problem-solving KSAs
Communication KSAs

Self-management KSAs:
Goal-setting & performance management KSAs
Planning & task coordinating KSAs.

Question 15

Personality factors related to team effectiveness

Answer 15

Extraversion
Emotional stability
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness

Ability to adapt to changing situations needed.

Individuals high in general mental ability likely to be perceived as effective team members…

Question 16

Transactional leaders

Answer 16

leaders define their expectations and exchanges rewards for followers effort and successful performance tend to pont out failings or ignore problems until they become serious

Question 17

Transformational leaders

Answer 17

Goes beyond rewards and punishment self confident determined, eloquent and enthusiastic communication

Question 18

Examples of Leadership Subsitutes

Answer 18

Individual Characteristics
 Ability
 Experience
 Training
 Knowledge
 Need for independence
 Professional orientation
 Indifference towards organizational rewards

Task Characteristics
A high degree of structure
Frequent feedback
Intrinsic satisfaction

Organizational Characteristics
Explicit plans and goals
Rules and procedures
Cohesive work group
A rigid reward structure
Physical distance between supervisor and subordinate