Unit 8 Flashcards
Explain why employees join informal groups and discuss the benefits and limitations of teams.
Teams are groups of two or more people who interact and influence each other, are mutually accountable for achieving common goals associated with organizational objectives, and perceive themselves as a social entity within an organization. All teams are groups, because they consist of people with a unifying relation- ship; not all groups are teams, because some groups do not exist to serve organizational objectives. People join informal groups (and are motivated to be on formal teams) for four reasons: (1) They have an innate drive to bond, (2) group membership is an inherent ingredient in a person’s self-concept, (3) some personal goals are accomplished better in groups, and (4) individuals are comforted in stressful situations by the mere presence of other people. Teams have become popular because they tend to make better decisions, support the knowledge management process, and provide superior customer service. Teams are not always as effective as individuals working alone. Process losses and social loafing drag down team performance.
Outline the team effectiveness model and discuss how task characteristics, team size, and team composition influence team effectiveness.
Team effectiveness includes the team’s ability to achieve its objectives, fulfil the needs of its mem- bers, and maintain its survival. The model of team effectiveness considers the team and organizational environ- ment, team design, and team processes. Three team design elements are task characteristics, team size, and team composition. Teams tend to be better suited for situations in which the work is complex yet tasks are well struc- tured and have high task interdependence. Teams should be large enough to perform the work yet small enough for efficient coordination and meaningful involvement. Effective teams are composed of people with the competen- cies and motivation to perform tasks in a team environment. Team member diversity has advantages and disadvan- tages for team performance.
Discuss how shared perceptions among team members, called team states, emerge and influence team effectiveness.
Team states represent motivational or cognitive characteristics of the team that continuously evolve and which tend to be shared between team members. Examples include team norms, cohesion, team efficacy, and trust. Each of these elements influences team performance, but can also be changed by feedback about team per- formance. For example, a team that receives negative performance feedback might experience a drop in both cohe- sion and team efficacy
Discuss how team processes, such as taskwork, teamwork, team boundary spanning, and team development determine team effectiveness.
As teams work together they can focus on elements of the task (referred to as taskwork) or ele- ments of the team’s internal dynamics or relationships (called teamwork behaviour). Together, these processes determine how well the team manages its internal environment. On the other hand, teams also face opportuni- ties to interact and build relationships with people or groups in the external environment. These processes are called boundary spanning. In addition, teams develop through the stages of forming, storming, norming, per- forming, and eventually adjourning. Within these stages are two distinct team development processes: develop- ing team identity, and developing team mental models and coordinating routines. Team development can be accelerated through team building—any formal activity intended to improve the development and functioning of a work team
Discuss the characteristics and factors required for the success of self-directed teams and virtual teams.
Self-directed teams (SDTs) complete an entire piece of work requiring several interdependent tasks, and they have substantial autonomy over the execution of their tasks. Members of virtual teams operate across space, time, and organizational boundaries and are linked through information technologies to achieve organiza- tional tasks. Virtual teams are more effective when the team members have certain competencies, the team has the freedom to choose the preferred communication channels, and the members meet face-to-face fairly early in the team development process.
Identify four constraints on team decision making and discuss the advantages and disadvan- tages of four structures aimed at improving team decision making
Team decisions are impeded by time constraints, evaluation apprehension, conformity to peer pres- sure, and overconfidence. Four structures potentially improve decision making in team settings: brainstorming, brainwriting, electronic brainstorming, and nominal group technique.
