Groups and Teams

Effective Teams

• Attributes of high-performing teams:
  • Clear team purpose and goals
  • Social loafing is minimized
  • Team members are committed and competent
  • Collaborative and empowered
  • Trust and communication are emphasized
• Three C's of team players:
  • Committed: shared goals and purposes
  • Collaborative: sharing information and coordinating efforts
  • Competent: skilled and knowledgeable about their tasks
• Types of teams:
  • Work teams: permanent, well-defined, and require complete commitment
  • Project teams: assembled to tackle a specific project, may have different departments or areas represented
• Characteristics of effective teams:
  • Clear roles and expectations
  • Trust and communication
  • Collective autonomy
  • Outcome interdependence (measuring and rewarding collective outputs)
  • Social loafing is minimized

Team Charters

• A document outlining how the team will operate, allocate resources, resolve conflict, and meet commitments
• Includes elements such as:
  • Mission statement
  • Team vision
  • Team identity (name, logo, mascot, etc.)
  • Boundaries (values and activities)
  • Operating guidelines (team structure and processes)
  • Performance norms and consequences
  • Charter endorsement (sign-off from all team members)

Group Development

• Tuckman's Five-Stage Model of Group Development:
  1. Forming
  2. Storming
  3. Norming
  4. Performing
  5. Adjourning
• Punctuated Equilibrium: periods of stable functioning interrupted by dramatic changes in norms, roles, and objectives

Team Trust and Repair

• Trust: willingness to be vulnerable to others and believe they will consider the impact of their actions
• Three forms of trust:
  • Contractual trust: trust of character
  • Communication trust: trust of disclosure
  • Competence trust: trust of capability
• Repairing trust:
  • Keys to team effectiveness
  • Social loafing reduction
  • Clear roles and expectations

Group and Team Dynamics

• Group: two or more individuals with low task dependency, not accountable to each other for their work
• Team: collection of individuals whose tasks and responsibilities depend on each other, collectively accountable for performance and outcomes
• Dependence: extent to which one member's tasks are linked to others
• Accountability: who is responsible for tasks and outcomes
• Time: duration of membership in the group or team### Task Roles in Groups
• Initiator: defines the problem, establishes the agenda, and suggests procedures, ideas, and solutions
• Information or opinion seeker: seeks information, asks questions, solicits ideas, and seeks clarification
• Information or opinion giver: provides facts, examples, and opinions
• Elaborator: adds examples, background, and personal experiences to the conversation
• Orienter and coordinator: summarizes the conversation, looks for connections among ideas, and refocuses the group
• Harmonizer or compromiser: mediates conflicts, reduces tension, and encourages harmony
• Gatekeeper: encourages the involvement of shy or less talkative group members and balances the discussion
• Standard setter: expresses group values, standards, and goals

Relationship Roles in Groups

• Maintains relationships and balances the equation to ensure the group is minimally effective and satisfying

Individual Roles in Groups

• Aggressor: acts aggressively towards others
• Blocker: tries to block ideas or people from participating
• Recognition seeker: seeks attention and recognition
• Player: tries to distract and disrupt the group
• Joker: tries to be humorous but can be distracting
• Help seeker: seeks attention and support
• Special interest pleader: tries to get what they want from the group

Organizational Behavior

• Study of individual and group behavior, as well as structures and systems that influence behavior within an organization
• Focuses on understanding how people behave in the workplace and how it impacts overall effectiveness
• Individual behavior: understanding personal characteristics, attitudes, values, and personalities that shape behavior and performance
• Group behavior: understanding how individuals interact and work together within teams or larger groups
• Organizational structures: understanding formal hierarchy, roles, and relationships within an organization
• Organizational culture: understanding shared values, beliefs, and norms within an organization

Negotiation

• Getting what you want at a price that's acceptable to you
• All conversations are a form of negotiation
• Stylized negotiations: formal negotiations with agreements and trade-offs
• Formal negotiations: very formal and structured negotiations
• Key mindset: think of negotiations as conversations and exchanges
• Goal: mutually satisfying agreements that are durable and trustworthy### Effective Negotiation
• Being calm and serious in a negotiation is more effective than getting angry, as it conveys trust and builds durable relationships.
• Being trusted is key to being an effective negotiator, as it leads to high-trust relationships, creative solutions, and durable agreements.

Cross-Cultural Negotiation

• Being calm in negotiations is a universal language that translates across cultures.
• Getting angry may or may not work in North America, but it's not a big surprise when it happens.
• In some cultures, getting angry or pointing out others' mistakes can lead to a loss of credibility.

Selecting Intermediaries

• Be careful when selecting an intermediary, such as an attorney or agent, as they can impact your brand.
• Look for intermediaries who are deal facilitators, problem solvers, and not egomaniacs.
• It's best to establish a one-on-one relationship with the other principal in deals to maintain your brand and create better relationships.

Managing Successful Groups and Teams

• There is no one way to design teams for success, and it starts with the end in mind.
• Teams should be designed around a clear, engaging direction, or goal.
• When designing teams, consider two key dimensions: diversity and hierarchy.
• Diversity can be maximized for learning outcomes and inclusion, or controlled for aligned goals and agreement.
• Hierarchy can be structured to prioritize expert opinions or ensure equal participation.

Team Dynamics

• Surface-level diversity is not enough; teams need to ensure that deeper-level perspectives and experiences are heard.
• Processes should be used to normalize raising alternative points of view, asking questions, and challenging others' assumptions.
• Expertise rarely predicts influence in teams, while physical attractiveness and gender can predict influence.
• It's important to counteract these dynamics by drawing out quieter members and encouraging equal participation.

Leadership

• Leading a team is a delicate balancing act between top-down structure and bottom-up participation.
• Imposing direction and structure can feel oppressive, while failing to articulate a clear vision can leave team members feeling lost.
• A leader's job is to manage the team's performance and outcomes, not to manage teammates' feelings or be likable.

Learn about the differences between groups and teams in terms of task dependency, accountability, and duration of working together. Understand the unique characteristics that define groups and teams within organizational settings.