Week 7 - Working in Teams and Understanding Organisational Design Flashcards
What is a group?
Two or more individuals with shared goals and ongoing interaction.
What is a work team?
A group with complementary skills committed to a common mission, performance goals, and mutual accountability.
What is social loafing?
When a team member does not contribute their share, relying on others to complete tasks.
What are the 5 stages of Tuckman’s model?
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning.
Describe the ‘Forming’ stage in Tuckman’s model.
Team meets, unsure roles, unclear objectives.
Describe the ‘Storming’ stage in Tuckman’s model.
Clashes and testing boundaries occur; focus on roles.
Describe the ‘Norming’ stage in Tuckman’s model.
Agreement on goals, roles, and accountability.
Describe the ‘Performing’ stage in Tuckman’s model.
Team is focused on achieving goals smoothly.
Describe the ‘Adjourning’ stage in Tuckman’s model.
Wrapping up and celebrating achievements.
What is Gersick’s punctuated equilibrium model?
Teams alternate between bursts of activity and periods of stasis.
Benefits of teams to organisations?
Boost productivity, innovation, collaboration, and morale.
Benefits of teams to individuals?
Satisfy social needs, enable personal development, and enhance job satisfaction.
What increases team effectiveness?
Clear goals, communication, psychological safety, shared accountability.
Why is diversity in teams important?
It leads to better decision-making, innovation, and performance.
Difference between group and team?
Groups focus on individual outcomes; teams focus on collective outcomes and shared accountability.
What is organisational culture?
Shared beliefs and values that guide behaviour in an organisation.
Types of organisational culture?
Clan, Adhocracy, Market, Hierarchy.
Describe clan culture.
Friendly, family-like, collaborative.
Describe adhocracy culture.
Dynamic, entrepreneurial, and innovative.
Describe market culture.
Competitive and results-driven.
Describe hierarchy culture.
Structured and controlled.
What are the 3 levels of culture (Schein)?
Observable artifacts, espoused values, basic assumptions.
Examples of observable artifacts?
Dress code, rituals, office layout.
What are espoused values?
Stated values and norms like mission statements.
What are basic assumptions?
Deeply held beliefs, often unconscious.
How do employees learn culture?
Through symbols, stories, heroes, and rites/rituals.
Importance of organisational culture?
Creates identity, stability, and guides new employees.
What is the Competing Values Framework?
A model used to assess and change organisational culture.
Mechanisms for changing culture?
Formal statements, leadership, training, systems, rewards.
What is organisational structure?
A framework to divide responsibilities and coordinate work.
Common types of organisational structure?
Simple, Functional, Divisional, Matrix, Horizontal.
Describe a simple structure.
Flat, used in small/startup organisations.
Describe a functional structure.
Organised by tasks like marketing, finance.
Describe a divisional structure.
Grouped by products, customers, or regions.
Describe a matrix structure.
Combines functional and divisional structure.
Describe a horizontal structure.
Team-based, focused on collaboration.
Why align structure with strategy?
To adapt to growth or market changes for effective performance.
