Week 4 - team dynamics

Question 1

Define a team

Answer 1

Two or more people who

interact and influence each other, are

mutually accountable for common goals and

perceive themselves as a social entity

Question 2

Define an informal gropu

Answer 2

People assembled together, with or without interdependence for the benefit of their members

Question 3

Describe the advantages & disadvantages of teams

Answer 3

Advantages and Disadvantages of Teams

• better decisions,
• share info
• increas breadth of knowledge
• motivated & engaged

Disadvantages of teams

• suit complex work only
• mutually understand goals, roles & rules to avoid:
  
  • Process losses - Resources go to team development/ maintenance rather than the task.
  • Brooks’s law - idea that adding more people to a project only makes it later.
  • Social loafing - less effort when working in teams than when working alone.

Question 4

Define team effecivenss & list the factors of the team effectiveness model

Answer 4

A team is said to be effective when it benefits the organiztion, its members, and its own survival.

Factors of the team effectiveness model:

• Team environment - all conditions beyond the team’s boundaries that influence its effectiveness
• Team design s - task and team size / composition
• Team processes - stages of development, trust & culture

A model of team effectiveness:

Question 5

TEAM ENVIRONMENT represents all conditions beyond the team’s boundaries that influence its effectiveness. List some of these:

Answer 5

• Rewards
• Communication
• Organizational structure
• leadership
• Physical space

Question 6

Team design incorporates interdependance, team size & composition. Discuss

Answer 6

Teams suited for situations complex work with tasks require high interdependence.

Team size: Teams should be large enough to perform the work yet small enough for efficient coor- dination and meaningful involvement

Composition - people willing to be in the team.

• Cooperating
• Coordinating
• Communicating
• Comforting .
• Conflict resolving

Question 7

The team process stage comprises team development, team norms, team cohesion & team trust. Discuss:

Answer 7

Development - 5 stages - forming, storming, norming, performing, and eventually adjourning.

Team norms - informal rules and shared expectations that groups establish to regulate the behavior of their members.

Cohesion - degree of attraction people feel toward the team and their motivation to remain members.

Trust - positive expectations one person has toward another person in situations involving risk.

Question 8

List success factors for self directed tems

Answer 8

• Own work process
• interdependant
• Autonomous
• structure supports co-ordination & communication

Question 9

Define virtual teams & success factors.

Answer 9

Virtual Teams - members operate across space, time, and boundaries via it.

• Self leadershop
• Access to several communication tools & freedom to choose
• structure.
• early face-to-face meeting to establish relationship culture

Question 10

List 4 main constraints on team decision making

Answer 10

• Time Constraints
• evaluation apprehension
• Pressure to Conform
• Groupthink