Understanding Work Teams Flashcards
Workgroup
A group that interacts primarily to share information and make decisions to help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility
Work team
Generates positive synergy through coordination
Aspects of workgroups
- Goal is to share information
- Neutral or negative synergy
- Individual accountability
- Skills are random and varied
Aspects of work teams
- Goal is collective performance
- Positive synergy
- Individual and mutual accountability
- Skills are complementary
The four types of teams
- Problem solving
- Self-managed
- Cross functional
- Virtual
Problem solving team
Permanent teams that meet on a regular schedule to address quality standards and issues. Rarely have authority to implement suggestions
Self-managed team
Groups of employees who perform highly related or interdependent jobs; these teams take on some supervisory responsibilities
Cross functional teams
Made up of employees from about the same hierarcical level but different work areas who come together to accomplish a task
Virtual team
Use computer technology to unite physically dispersed members and achieve a common goal
Multiteam system
Collections of two or more interdependent teams that share a superordinate goal. “Team of teams”
Team effectiveness model
- Context
- Composition
- Process
The four contextual factors most significantly related to team performance
- Adequate resources
- Effective leadership
- A climate of trust
- Performance evaluations and reward system that reflects contributions
Reflexivity
Teams reflect on and adjust their purpose when necessary
Team efficacy
When teams have confidence in themselves and believe they can succeed
Team cohesion
Members are emotionally attached to one another and motivated toward the team because of their attachment
