ch13.docx

Groups and Teams Groups and teams are not the same thing Group: two or more individuals with low task dependency, not accountable to each other for their work, may or may not assemble together for a specified period of time. Teams: collection of two or more individuals whose tasks and responsibiliti...

Groups and Teams Groups and teams are not the same thing Group: two or more individuals with low task dependency, not accountable to each other for their work, may or may not assemble together for a specified period of time. Teams: collection of two or more individuals whose tasks and responsibilities depend upon each other, collectively accountable for the performance and outcomes associated with their work, and work together for the time required for task completion. Describing Groups and Teams Dependence: the extent to which one member’s tasks and responsibilities are linked to those of other members. Accountability: involves who is responsible for the tasks and related outcomes. Time: the duration members spend together completing tasks and responsibilities. Formal and Informal Groups Formal group: assigned by an organization or its managers to accomplish specific goals. Work group, team, committee, task force Informal group: exists when members’ overriding purpose in getting together is friendship or a common interest. Former employees, alumni Functions of Formal Groups: Roles Groups socialize individuals into organizations. Groups reinforce those who adhere to roles and norms with friendship and acceptance and ostracize or reject those who do not. Roles: a set of expected behaviors for a particular position. Group role: set of shared expected behaviors for members of the group as a whole. Task roles: enable the work group to define, clarify, and pursue a common purpose. Maintenance roles: foster supportive and constructive interpersonal relationships. Norms Norms: shared attitudes, opinions, feelings, or behaviors that guide individual and group members. More encompassing than roles (which are at the individual level). Apply to the group, team, or organizations. Help create order and allow the group to function more efficiently. Can emerge on their own over time. The Group Development Process Tuckman’s Five-Stage Model of Group Development Punctuated Equilibrium Punctuated Equilibrium: as groups establish periods of stable functioning until an event causes a dramatic change in norms, roles, and/or objectives, the group then establishes and maintains new norms of functioning, returning to equilibrium. Teams and the Power of Common Purpose Teams are a cornerstone of work life. All employees need to be good team players and able to build effective teams. Three C’s of team players: Committed Collaborative Competent Social loafing: the tendency for individual effort to decline as group size increases. Types of Teams Work Teams: well-defined and common purpose, more or less permanent, require complete commitment from their members, such as a professional sports team. Project teams: assembled to tackle a problem, task, or project. Often these teams divide their time between the team and their primary job responsibilities. Can be from different departments or areas of the organization. Cross-functional teams (CFTs): created with members from different disciplines within an organization, such as finance, operations, R&D. Self-managed teams (SMTs): have collective autonomy to plan, manage, and execute tasks interdependently to achieve their goals. Types of Team Interdependence Pooled: pharmaceutical or sales teams Sequential: manufacturing or assembly processes Reciprocal: hiring processes Comprehensive: product development teams Outcome interdependence: the degree to which the outcome of task work is measured, rewarded, and communicated at the group level so as to emphasize collective outputs rather than individual contributions. Trust Building & Repair Trust: the willingness to be vulnerable to another person and the belief that the other person will consider how their intentions and behaviors will affect you. When trust is high, workers enact more supportive behaviors, there is faster communication and decision-making, and it guards against job stress. Three forms of trust: Contractual trust: trust of character—do people do what they say? Communication trust: trust of disclosure – how well do people share information and tell the truth? Competence trust: trust of capability – how effectively do people meet or perform their responsibilities and acknowledge other people’s skills and abilities? Repairing Trust Keys to Team Effectiveness: Eight attributes of high-performing teams Compelling team purpose and clear goals. Clear goals and responsibilities. Appropriate mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Effective incentives and motivation. Trust and communication. Power and empowerment Early and effective conflict resolution. Norms for collaboration. The Three C’s of Effective Teams Charters and strategies: how the team will operate (team charters described on next slide) Composition: the collection of jobs, personalities, knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience levels of team members. Capacity: adaptability; the ability to make needed changes in response to demands put on the team. Team Charter One way to overcome the challenge of team underperformance is to create a team charter at the beginning. A team charter is a document detailing members’ mutual expectations about how the team will operate, allocate resources, resolve conflict, and meet its commitments Can include identifying member strengths, setting goals, communication processes, how to measure and use member contributions Should include the following elements: Mission statement: why does the team exist Team vision: forward-looking: what does the team look like when its functioning its best Team identity: team name, logo, mascot, etc Boundaries: values and activities of the team Operating guidelines: team structure and processes Performance norms and consequences Charter endorsement: everyone signs and agrees to the team charter Collaboration Collaboration: sharing information and coordinating efforts to achieve a collective outcome. How to improve collaboration: Communicate expectations Set team goals Encourage creativity Build workflow rhythm Leverage team member strengths Use hybrid reward systems that recognize both individual and team performance

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