Workgroups vs Teams

Contrasting Groups and Teams

• Work groups share information, while work teams focus on collective performance.
• Work groups produce neutral or sometimes negative synergy, teams produce positive synergy.
• Work groups focus on individual accountability, while teams emphasize individual and mutual accountability.
• Work groups utilize random and varied skills, while teams use complementary skills.

Five Types of Teams

• Problem-solving teams focus on solving specific issues.
• Self-managed teams operate autonomously.
• Cross-functional teams bring together individuals from different areas.
• Virtual teams work remotely, often aided by technology.

Characteristics of Effective Teams

• Team effectiveness is influenced by context, composition, and processes/states.

Team Context

• Adequate resources are crucial for team's success.
• Leadership and established structure are important factors.
• The culture and climate within the team affects its performance.
• Performance evaluation and reward systems should be in place.
• Teams navigate virtuality and interdependence through technology.
• Leadership, team scaffolds, positive affectivity, and informed decision making help in crises and extreme contexts.

Team Composition

• The abilities of team members is important for effective teams.
• The personality traits of team members can impact functionality.
• Allocating roles to people based on personality improves performance.
• Diversity of team members can create different perspectives.
• Demography plays a role in diversity.
• Cultural differences can introduce some strengths or problems.
• Team size influences efficiency.
• Preferences of members impacts overall team environment.

Key Team Roles

• A leader guides and facilitates.
• A motivator encourages and energizes.
• A socializer praises, supports, and empathizes.
• A coordinator organizes, plans, and arranges.
• A cooperator participates, listens, and enhances.
• A shepherd guides and facilitates group inputs, processes, and outputs.
• A evaluator Monitors performance and progress.
• A producer innovates and clarifies.
• A problem-solver performs and executes.
• A dominator domineers, aggravates, and defies.
• A critic antagonizes and criticizes.
• A shirker avoids responsibility and seeks empathy.
• A detractor withdraws, complains, and downplays.

Team Processes

• Team processes are the actual gains less the the losses
• The team as a whole needs a plan and purpose.
• Including Reflexivity
• Mental Models are important to teams.
• Transactive memory systems are key.
• Team conflict is sometimes inevitable.
• Usually relationship, task, and ethical conflicts are most common.
• Social Loafing must be avoided.

Team States

• Motivation determines the drive of the team.
• Team Efficacy represents their belief in success.
• Team Identity is their sense of belonging.
• Team Cohesion binds members together.
• Team Trust is the reliance on each other.

Creating Effective Team Players

• Select candidates with existing teamwork abilities.
• Cluster hiring helps.
• Teams can be trained.
• Reward the players to properly incentivize teamwork

When to Use Individuals Instead of Teams

• Ask a few questions which may affect that call
• Is the work better done by one person?
• Does the work create a common goal or purpose?
• Are the members of the group interdependent?

Implications for Managers

• Prioritize the work to be accomplished by individuals, groups, or teams.

• When a team is necessary to a mission, decide the team structure to meeting the goal.

• Account for how multiple teams can interact and coordinate.

• A manager nurtures context in which teams succeed.

• Adequate resources to teams to fulfil their objectives

• Strong leadership and structure

• Monitor and reward team performance

• Policies and practices that ensure mutual trust

• Keep teams small (5-9 members is ideal).

• Manage diversity that can initially hurt team performance.

• Focus on supporting long-term interactions leading to a cohesive team.

• Team leaders should create processes toward effective performance.

• Establish a common plan and purpose

• Setting aside time to reflect and adjust

• Team members "on the same page"

• Resolve conflict and social loafing when needed

• Leaders should foster a sense of motivation, efficacy, identity, cohesion, and trust

• Choose those with interpersonal skills, train to develop teamwork skills, and reward cooperative efforts.

• Do not assume teams are always needed.

• Tasks not improved by interdependence should be done by individuals.