Ch 9 (1).pptx

 Chapter 9: Groups and teams in organisations Learning Outcomes After studying this chapter, you should be able to: Differentiate between a group and a team Explain the importance of groups and teams in an organisation Discuss the different types of groups and teams Discuss the m...

 Chapter 9: Groups and teams in organisations Learning Outcomes After studying this chapter, you should be able to: Differentiate between a group and a team Explain the importance of groups and teams in an organisation Discuss the different types of groups and teams Discuss the major components of a model of work team functioning Describe the role of a work team leader Advise on what a team leader and team member can do to ensure effective team functioning Analyse and understand how a particular team functions by applying a model of work team functioning. The differences between a group and a team Group Refers to two or more individuals who share common interests or characteristics and interact with and influence one another. Each group will elect a leader, but group members can function independently from each other. Team Is a group of individuals with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose defined by a set of performance goals. Each member of the team is mutually accountable for achieving the common purpose. Table 9.1 The differences between a group and a team (p. 266) Sources: Adapted from Surbhi (2018)12; Zoltan (2015) The importance of groups and teams Work teams: Improve on-time delivery of results Improve customer relations Improve the ability to collaborate across and build communities within the organisation Lead to better problem solving Facilitate innovation in products and services Are essential for management and employee development as well as career growth Reinforce or expand informal networks in the organisation Improve employees’ understanding of the business Allow better use of resources, reduce costs, and improve efficiency and productivity Improve quality Increase employees’ ownership, commitment, and motivation. Types of groups and teams An informal group consists of a small number of individuals who frequently participate in activities together to meet their mutual needs. The members of an informal group may support or oppose organisational goals, rules, or higher authority, or be indifferent to them. Friendship groups Reference groups A formal group is created within an organisation with the intention of completing a specific role or task. Formal groups are also called work teams. A work team normally consists of a small number of identifiable, interdependent employees who are held accountable for performing tasks that contribute to achieving an organisation’s goals. Figure 9.1 Types of teams (p. 268) Source: Compiled by the author Functional work teams Includes members from a single department who consider issues and solve problems common to their area of responsibility and expertise. Problem-solving work teams Usually consists of between five and 20 employees in an organisation who consider how something can be done better. Task force → limited time Quality circles → a group of employees who meet regularly to identify and analyse various types of workplace problems and propose solutions Self-managing work teams Employees who work together daily to make an entire product or deliver an entire service There are several advantages to using self-managing work teams in the organisation, including the following: Improved quality, productivity, and service Better decision-making Greater flexibility Reduced operating costs Faster response to technological change Fewer, simpler job classifications Increased employee engagement and commitment to the organisation. Self-managing work teams, which are composed of highly skilled members who are fully empowered to accomplish major tasks, are sometimes called high-performance teams. Virtual work teams A team that meets and accomplishes its tasks without team members being physically present in the same place or even at the same time. There are different types of virtual teams that can be established: Networked teams Parallel teams Product-development teams Production teams Service teams Management teams Action teams A model of work team functioning Figure 9.7 A general model of work team functioning (p. 274) External system The external system comprises the conditions and influences, in an organisational context, that exist before and after the work team is formed. Cultur e societal culture organisational culture Organisatio Directly influences the formation and functioning nal design of work teams. Traditional organisations rely heavily on stable, functional work teams with a designated leader. In innovative organisations, working on several different teams simultaneously, or in rapid succession, is typical. The impact of the 4IR and the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, digitalisation, and robots will result in work being organised by project rather than by role. Figure 9.9 Types of virtual organisational models (p. 276) Source: Adapted from Koshy (2018) A virtual organisation is boundaryless and totally dependent on electronic information and communication technologies. Human resources management systems Human resources management practices, such as training and performance appraisals, must be reconsidered for virtual teams. A further important consideration is selecting the correct technology tools to enable virtual employee collaboration and sharing of knowledge. Team design Team size can influence how well team members work with one another towards achieving their goals A general principle is that understaffed teams tend to outperform overstaffed ones Team proximity refers to the location of a team’s members. Two aspects of proximity are relevant when designing a work team: the team’s proximity to other work teams and members of the organisation, and the proximity of team members to one another Internal processes Internal processes include the development of work team norms over time, personal feelings, and behaviours → these components are interrelated. A change in one may result in changes in others. Team objectives should be SMART. The establishment of clear norms and positive feelings precedes effective completion of the task. Paying attention to norms and feelings is as important as understanding the task. Effective leaders of work teams help shape the development of effective internal processes. Figure 9.10 The development of work teams (p. 279) Sources: Adapted from Tuckman & Jensen (1977); Tuckman (1965)  A The forming stage The team leader’s role in the forming stage is to put members at ease and help them to get to know one another as well as outline the expectations of team members. B The storming stage Potential conflicts or disagreements and competitive behaviour will develop. Team leader’s role in conflict resolution is to acknowledge all concerns and guide the team members towards shared goals. C The norming stage Task-related and role behaviours of team members are progressively resolved through cooperation, teamwork, support, and open communication.  D The performing stage A sense of mutual trust and acceptance is established. Leadership is necessary to direct team performance during this stage. To maintain team harmony, it is better to reward the team rather than individual performance Note Groupthink is an agreement-at-any-cost mentality that results in ineffective decision-making by work teams and may lead to poor solutions. E The adjourning stage Terminating task behaviours and disengaging from relationships. This stage is not always planned and can be abrupt. Team members often experience feelings of closure and sadness as they prepare to leave. Feelings The key feelings that most likely influence work team effectiveness and productivity are feelings of: Trusting members Openness towards other members Freedom to participate responsibly, without any pressure, and be held accountable Commitment to working together to achieve common goals. Behavioural norms They set standards for members’ behaviours under specific circumstances. Their main function is to regulate and standardise the behaviours viewed as important by team members  A work team norm exists when the following criteria have been met: There is a standard of appropriate behaviour for team members. Members generally agree on the standard. That does not mean that all team members need to agree. Members are aware that the team supports a particular standard through a system of rewards and punishments. This is a system of rewards for compliance and punishments for violations. Most norms develop as the result of one or more of the following factors: Explicit statements Critical events First behaviours Past experiences Work team effectiveness Customer satisfaction Team effectiveness Team satisfaction The satisfaction of other teams with the team Work team leadership In some work teams, one person remains the leader throughout the life of the team, whereas in other teams, the leadership role is rotated among team members.  is about putting employees in charge of and Empowerment allowing them to make decisions that affect themselves and what they do Offer empowerment that matches the skills set of the team and Step 1: challenges team abilities. Communicate the intention of empowerment to the team and ask for Step 2: their input on what type of empowerment they anticipate. Align team empowerment with organisational vision. Step 3: Provide positive and constructive feedback to ensure team members Step 4: trust the reason for empowerment. Offer mentoring or coaching to team members Step 5: Offer rewards to team members who engage in team empowerment Step 6: Address problem solving by providing insight into successful problem- Step 7: solving methods Managing the external boundary Work team members and leaders alike naturally focus much of their attention on the team’s internal processes: Is the work moving along? Are team members getting along? Experienced work team leaders realise that they must also concern themselves with matters outside the team’s scope. Even the most mature work teams may continue to look to their leaders for information about business plans and other external conditions. Effective leaders actively manage relationships with important external stakeholders. Disbanding an ineffective work team Work team leaders must learn to recognise when poorly functioning work teams have reached the point of no return. Occasionally, despite all efforts to build an effective team, conflicts between team members escalate beyond repair. Disbanding therefore occurs when the team is terminated or breaks up. Team training In the context of the 4IR, organisations need to consider the areas in which employees should be reskilled, and the appropriate training platforms. Prior to Covid-19, training methods included: On-the-job training through learnerships, job-shadowing, job rotation, coaching, and mentoring. Off-the-job training through classroom training, experiential training, simulation, seminars, and workshops. The change to remote working during Covid-19 created not only a need for digital skills training, but also training on how to function remotely in a team.  The main goals of team training programmes are to develop the following aspects: Team cohesiveness Team cohesiveness demonstrates loyalty of team members to one another and to the team as a whole Effective team procedures Team members who are taught about the stages of team development are less likely to become frustrated during the early forming and storming stages of team development Effective work team leaders New team leaders require training, especially in the following areas: Supporting disagreement Team rewards Different team structures call for different reward systems. Rewards should be linked to the assessment of the work team’s accomplishments. It is more useful for organisations to understand the basic choices involved in tailoring a reward system to their situations, than for them to follow a specific approach to rewarding work teams. Team communication Effective team e-communication requires: Using the appropriate communication tools, such as Zoom for meetings and Google Docs for document sharing, rather than only using email Following online protocols that define respect and politeness in communication Setting up a daily task planner with times allocated to each task Scheduling productive weekly team meetings to provide feedback on progress made Using clear business language that everyone can understand and avoiding the use of jargon. Effective communication avoids unnecessary communication. Team emotional support All employees need emotional support at times. Most importantly, team leaders can build a more engaged team by: Showing regular recognition and appreciation in a manner the individual team member will value, either in a team meeting or by sending a personal note Respecting the team members’ work boundaries, for example, no urgent calls or emails just before the end of the day or after hours Supporting a flexible workday. Team technology support Without the correct tools and technology, virtual teams are not able to work effectively. Virtual team members do not only need technology hardware and software resources; they must be trained to use it to its fullest potential. The largest problem faced by many organisations in the shift to virtual working, is the affordability of technology and the associated training costs. There are also costs involved in linking virtual team members. What complicates this further is how quickly technology can become outdated or that more advanced technology, which is of greater benefit to the organisation, is developed. Information systems must provide relevant, accurate, and timely information to the team. Chapter Summary Contemporary organisational designs differ from traditional organisations in many ways. Teams serve many important purposes The primary components of a model of work team functioning are the external system, team design, internal team processes, and criteria for assessing the team’s effectiveness. The external system comprises outside conditions and influences that existed both before and after the team was formed. The team design choices involved in creating a team are numerous. Internal processes include the development of work team norms, personal feelings, and behaviours over time. Effectiveness criteria measure the outcomes achieved by individual members, and the work team as a whole. Addressing issues of training and rewards is easier for team leaders when their organisations’ HRM systems include formal team training and sound compensation plans. Team training can take many forms.