Chapter 17

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Takeaway 1 Teams in organizations

Takeaway 2 Trends in the use of teams
Takeaway 3 How teams work
Takeaway 4 Decision making in teams
 Takeaway 1
Teams in Organizations

1. Teamwork pros
2. Teamwork cons
3. Meetings, meetings, meetings
4. Organizations as networks of
teams
 Takeaway 1
Teams in Organizations

 A team is a collection of people who regularly interact to

pursue common goals.

 Teamwork: the process of people actively working together

to accomplish common goals.
 Takeaway 1
Teams in Organizations
 Managers must be prepared to perform at least four
important teamwork roles.
Serves as a team’s
Serves as the Serves as a Serves as the advisor on ways to
appointed helpful peer leader & improve processes
teamwork roles contributing part networking hub & performance
 1. Teamwork pros

 Synergy: the creation of a whole greater than the sum of

its individual parts.
Synergy pools individual talents & efforts to create
extraordinary results through collective action.

Being a part of a team is often good, since the connections can

help people do their jobs better. (getting help, making contacts,
sharing ideas, responding to favors, & avoid roadblocks)
1. Teamwork pros (cont.)

The many benefits of teams

• Performance gains through synergy
• More resources for problem solving
• Improved creativity & innovation
• Improved quality of decision making
• Greater member commitment to tasks
• Increased motivation of members
• Increased need satisfaction of members
 2. Teamwork cons

• Personal conflicts & work style differences.

Þ Disrupt the team.

• Unclear tasks, ambiguous agendas, ill-defined problems.

Þ The team wastes too much time to work on the wrong
things.

• A lack of success also hurts morale.

 2. Teamwork cons (cont.)

• Social loafing: the tendency of some people to avoid

responsibility by “free-riding” in groups.
• There are things a leader can do:
› Making individual contributors visible.
› Rewarding individuals for their contributions.
› Making task assignments more interesting.
› Keeping group size small => free-riders are more subject to
peer pressure & leader evaluation.
 3. Meetings, meetings, meetings

Seven sins of deadly meetings

• People arrive late, leave early, & don’t take things seriously.
• The meeting is too long, sometimes twice as long as necessary.
• People don’t stay on topic; they digress & are easily distracted.
• The discussion lacks condor; people unwilling to tell the truth.
• The right information isn’t available, so decisions are postponed.
• Nothing happens when the meeting is over; no one puts decisions into action.
• Things never get better; the same mistakes are made meeting after meeting.
 4. Organizations as networks of teams

 Formal groups are officially recognized & supported by the

organization.
They can be called departments, units, teams, divisions, …

 Informal groups are unofficial & emerge from relationships &

shared interests among members.
They can be: interest groups, friendship groups, support groups, …
 Takeaway 2
Trends in the Use of Teams

1. Committees, project, teams, and task forces

2. Cross-functional teams
3. Self-managing teams
4. Virtual teams
5. Team building
1. Committees, project teams, & task forces

 A committee is designated to work on a special

task on a continuing basis. The task agenda is
typically narrow, focused, & ongoing.

 A project team or task force is convened for a

specific purpose & disbands when its task is
completed. The goals & task assignments are
specific & completion deadlines are clear.
 2. Cross-functional teams

 A cross-functional team operates with members who

come from different functional units of an organization.

 The functional chimneys problem is a lack of

communication across functions.
 3. Self-managing teams

 Self-managing work teams operate with a high degree

of task interdependence, authority to make decisions
about how they work, & collective responsibility for results.

Multitasking
Each member has the skills to
perform several different jobs
 3. Self-managing teams (cont.)

Fig 17.1 Organizational & management implications of self-managing work

 3. Self-managing teams (cont.)

Typical characteristics of self-managing teams include:

› Members are held collectively accountable for performance
results.
› Members have discretion in distributing tasks within the team.
› Members have discretion in scheduling work within the team.
› Members are able to perform more than on job on the team.
› Members train one another to develop multiple job skills.
› Members evaluate one another’s performance contributions.
› Members are responsible for the total quality of team products.
 4. Virtual teams

Members of virtual team work together & solve problems through

computer-based interactions.
• Advantages:
› Save time & travel expenses when members work in different locations.
› Can easily be expanded to include more members as needed.
› The discussions & shared information can be archived for later access.
› Members are less prone to stray off & get sidetracked by interpersonal difficulties.
• Disadvantages:
› Limits the role of emotional & nonverbal cues in communication & allows
relationships to stay depersonalized.
 4. Virtual teams (cont.)

The guidelines to keep the possible downsides of virtual teamwork to a minimum:

› Select team members high in initiative & capable of self-starting.
› Select team members who will join & engage the team with positive attitudes.
› Select members known for working hard to meet team goals.
› Begin with social messaging that allows members to exchange information about
each other to personalize the process.
› Assign clear goals & roles so that members can focus while working alone & also
know what other are doing.
› Gather regular feedback from members about how they think the team is doing &
how it might do better.
› Provide regular feedback to team members about team accomplishments.
 5. Team building

 Team building is a sequence of planned activities used to

analyze the functioning of a team and make constructive changes
in how it operates.

Ways to gather data for team building: structured and

unstructured interviews, questionnaires, & team meetings,…
 5. Team building (cont.)

• Basic principle: a careful & collaborative assessment of all aspects

of the team ranging from how members work together to the
results they achieve.

• Popular approach: bring team members together in special

outdoor settings where their capacities of teamwork are put to the
test in unusual & even physically demanding experiences.
 Takeaway 3
How Teams Work

1. Team inputs
2. Stages of team development
3. Norms and cohesiveness
4. Task and maintenance roles
5. Communication networks
 Team inputs Takeaway 3
Membership characteristics How Teams Work
- Abilities
- Values
- Personalities
- Diversity
Team process Team effectiveness
Resources & setting
- Resources Part A Part B
- Technology How team members work Accomplishment of
- Structures together desired outcomes
- Rewards - Norms - Task performance
- Information - Cohesion - Member satisfaction
Nature of task - Roles - Future viability
- Clarity - Decision making
- Complexity - Communication
- Conflict
Team size
- Number of members
- Even-odd number
Feedback

Fig 17.2 An open-system model of team effectiveness.

 1. Team inputs

Membership Resources &

Nature of task Team size
characteristics setting
• Abilities • Resources • Clarity • Number of
• Values • Technology • Complexity members
• Personalities • Structures • Even-odd
• Diversity • Rewards number
• Information
 1. Team inputs

Membership characteristics:

A team needs members with:

› the right abilities/skill sets to master & perform tasks well.
› attitudes, values, & personalities that are sufficiently
compatible for everyone work well together.

“Gettin’ good players is easy. Getting’ ‘em to play together is the hard part.”
 1. Team inputs (cont.)

Membership characteristics (cont.):

• Team diversity: the differences in values, personalities,

experiences, demographics, & cultures among the
membership.
Homogeneous teams
• Members share similar characteristics

Heterogeneous teams
• Members are quite dissimilar to one another
 1. Team inputs (cont.)

Resources and setting:

• Team function best when members have good information,

material resources, technology, organizational structures,
rewards, & physical work space.
 1. Team inputs (cont.)

Nature of task:

The nature of task sets standards for the talents needed by team
members, & affects how they work together.
› Clearly defined tasks are easier to deal with.
› Complex tasks ask a lot more of members in things like
information sharing & coordinated action.
 1. Team inputs (cont.)

Team size:

Team size affects how members work together, handle disagreements,

& make decisions.
› Team with odd numbers of members help prevent “ties” when
votes need to be taken.
› Teams larger than 6 or 7 can be difficult to manage for creative
problem solving.
 Team inputs Takeaway 3
Membership characteristics How Teams Work
- Abilities
- Values
- Personalities
- Diversity
Team process Team effectiveness
Resources & setting
- Resources Part A Part B
- Technology How team members work Accomplishment of
- Structures together desired outcomes
- Rewards - Norms - Task performance
- Information - Cohesion - Member satisfaction
Nature of task - Roles - Future viability
- Clarity - Decision making
- Complexity - Communication
- Conflict
Team size
- Number of members
- Even-odd number
Feedback

Fig 17.2 An open-system model of team effectiveness.

 2. Stages of team development

 Team process: the way the members of any team actually

work together as they transform inputs to outputs.
 The process aspects (group dynamics) include: how
members develop norms & cohesiveness, share roles,
make decisions, communicate with on another, & handle
conflicts.
2. Stages of team development (cont.)
 2. Stages of team development (cont.)

Forming stage:

• The forming stage involves the first entry of individual members

into a team.
Þ Initial task orientation & interpersonal testing.
• The concerns: getting acquainted, establishing relationships,
discovering what is acceptable behavior, & learning how others
perceive the team’s task.
 2. Stages of team development (cont.)

Storming stage:

• Tensions often emerge over tasks & interpersonal concerns.

Þ Outright hostility, infighting, coalitions, cliques, conflicts.

• Efforts are made to find ways to meet team goals while also
satisfying individual needs.
 2. Stages of team development (cont.)

Norming stage:

• Team members begin to cooperate well with one another.

Þ Shared rules of conduct emerge & the team feels a sense of
leadership as each member starts to fulfill useful roles.
• A division of labor & shared expectations help protect the team
from disintegration.
 2. Stages of team development (cont.)

Performing stage:

• Teams in this stage are more mature, organized & well-

functioning.
Þ Total integration in which team members are able to deal in
creative ways with complex tasks & any interpersonal conflicts.
• The team operates with a clear & stable structure & members
are motivated by team goals.
 2. Stages of team development (cont.)

Adjourning stage:

• The final stage of team development, adjourning, is when team

members prepare to achieve closure & disband.
2. Stages of team development (cont.)

Fig 17.3 Criteria for assessing the maturity of a team.

 3. Norms and cohesiveness

Managing team norms:

• A norm is a behavior, rule, or standard expected to be

followed by team members.
• A team’s performance norm defines the level of work effort
and performance that members are expected to contribute.
 3. Norms and cohesiveness (cont.)

Managing team norms (cont.):

Some things leaders can do to help build positive norms:

› Act as a positive role model.
› Reinforce the desired behaviors with rewards.
› Control results by performance reviews & regular feedback.
› Train & orient new members to adopt desired behaviors.
› Recruit & select new members who exhibit the desired behaviors.
› Hold regular meetings to discuss progress & ways of improving.
› Use team decision-making methods to reach agreement.
 3. Norms and cohesiveness (cont.)

Managing team cohesiveness:

• Cohesiveness: the degree to which members are attracted to &

motivated to remain part of a team.
• Persons in highly cohesive team value their membership & strive
to maintain positive relationships with other team members.
Managing team cohesiveness:

Worst-case scenario Best-case scenario

• Low performance • High performance
High • Strong commitments • Strong commitments
to negative norms to positive norms

Team
cohesiveness … …
• Low to moderate • Moderate
performance performance
Low • Weak commitments to • Weak commitments to
negative norms positive norms

Negative Positive

Fig 17.4 Performance norms

How cohesiveness & norms influence team performance
 3. Norms and cohesiveness (cont.)

Managing team cohesiveness (cont.):

Managers can build high cohesiveness in the following ways:
› Create agreement on team goals.
› Reward team rather individual results.
› Increase membership homogeneity.
› Increase interactions among members.
› Decrease team size.
› Introduce competition with other teams.
› Provide physical isolation from other teams.
 Team inputs Takeaway 3
Membership characteristics How Teams Work
- Abilities
- Values
- Personalities
- Diversity
Team process Team effectiveness
Resources & setting
- Resources Part A Part B
- Technology How team members work Accomplishment of
- Structures together desired outcomes
- Rewards - Norms - Task performance
- Information - Cohesion - Member satisfaction
Nature of task - Roles - Future viability
- Clarity - Decision making
- Complexity - Communication
- Conflict
Team size
- Number of members
- Even-odd number
Feedback

Fig 17.2 An open-system model of team effectiveness.

 4. Team effectiveness

An effective team does three things

well:
• Work group is expected to transform resource inputs (ideas,
Task performance materials, information) into product outputs (report, decision,
service, commodity).

Member • Members should take pleasure from both the team’s performance
satisfaction accomplishments & their contributions toward making it happen.

• The team should have a social fabric & work climate that makes
Future viability its members willing & able to work well together in the future,
again & again as needed.
 5. Task and maintenance roles

Shared &
distributed

Task activities Maintenance activities

• contribute directly to • support the emotional

the team’s life of the team as an
performance purpose. ongoing social system.
 5. Task and maintenance roles (cont.)

• Distributed leadership is when all members of a team contribute

helpful task & maintenance behaviors.
› recognizing when task or maintenance activities are needed, &
› taking actions to provide them.

Leading through task • Define & solve problems

activities • Advance work toward performance results

Leading through • Strengthen the team as a social system

maintenance activities
 5. Task and maintenance roles (cont.)
Team leaders
Team leaders Distributed leadership provide maintenance
provide task roles in teams activities
activities
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
• Initiating -
• Gate keeping
• Information sharing
• Encouraging
• Summarizing Team leaders avoid disruptive activities
• Following
• Elaborating --------------------------------------------------------
• Harmonizing
• Opinion giving • Being aggressive
• Reducing tension
• Blocking
• Self-confessing
• Seeking sympathy
• Competing
• Withdrawal
• Horsing around
• Seeking recognition

Fig 17.5 Distributed leadership helps teams meet task & maintenance needs.
 5. Task and maintenance roles (cont.)

• Disruptive activities: self-serving behaviors that interfere with

team effectiveness.
(showing incivility toward other members, withdrawing from the
discussion, & fooling around)
 6. Communication networks

• A decentralized communication network allows all

members to communicate directly with one another.
• In a centralized communication network,
communication flows only between individual members
& a hub, or center point.
• In a restricted communication network, subgroups
have limited communication with one another.
6. Communication networks

Fig 17.6
Interaction patterns & communication networks in teams.
 Takeaway 4
Decision Making in Teams

1. Ways teams make decisions

2. Advantages and disadvantages of team decisions
3. Groupthink
4. Creativity in team decision making
 1. Ways teams make decisions

• Decision making: the process of making choices among

alternative possible courses of action.

• There are 6 common methods to make decisions in teams:

(to be continued on the next slide)
Decision by • One idea after another is suggested without any discussion taking place.
lack of • When the team finally accepts an idea, all others have been bypassed by
response simple lack of response rather than by critical evaluation.

• The leader, manager, … makes a decision for the team.

Decision by • No discussion.
authority rule • Time-efficient.

Decision by • 2 or 3 people are able to dominate the team into making a decision that
minority rule they prefer.

Decision by • Take votes & arrive at the decision that majority of members agree.
majority rule • Problems: coalitions, …

Decision by • Full of discussion leads to one alternative being favored by most

consensus members, & the other members agree to support it.

Decision by • All team members agree on the course of action to be taken.

unanimity
 1. Ways teams make decisions (cont.)

How to achieve consensus

• Don’t argue blindly; consider others’ reactions to your points.
• Don’t change your mind just to reach quick agreement.
• Avoid conflict reduction by voting, coin tossing, bargaining.
• Keep everyone involved in the decision process.
• Allow disagreements to surface so that things can be deliberated.
• Don’t focus on winning versus losing; seek acceptable alternatives.
• Discuss assumptions, listen carefully, & encourage inputs by all.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of team decisions

• Advantages:
› Make more information, knowledge, & expertise available.
› Increase understanding & acceptance by members.

• Disadvantages:
› Hard to reach agreement.
› Take longer time (costly).
 3. Groupthink

• Groupthink: the tendency for highly cohesive teams to lose

their critical evaluative capabilities.
• Group think symptoms:
› Illusions of invulnerability. deviants to conform to group
› Rationalizing unpleasant & wishes.
disconfirming data. › Self-censorship by members.
› Belief in inherent group morality. › Illusions of unanimity.
› Stereotyping competitors as › Mind guarding.
weak, evil & stupid.
› Applying direct pressure to
 3. Groupthink (cont.)

How to avoid groupthink

• Assign the role of critical evaluator to each team member; encourage a sharing of viewpoints.
• As a leader, don’t seem partial to one course of action; do absent yourself from meetings at
times to allow free discussion.
• Create subteams to work on the same problems & then share their proposed solutions.
• Have team members discuss issues with outsiders & report back on their reactions.
• Invite outside experts to observe team activities & react to team processes & decisions.
• Assign one member to play a “devil’s advocate” role at each team meeting.
• Hold a “second-chance” meeting to review the decision after consensus is apparently achieved.
 4. Creativity in team decision making

• Brainstorming engages group members in an open, spontaneous

discussion of problems & ideas.

Strict guidelines:
› Don’t criticize each other
› Welcome “freewheeling”
› Go for quantity
› Keep building on one another’s ideas
 4. Creativity in team decision making (cont.)

• The nominal group technique structures interaction among

team members discussing problems & ideas.

It uses a highly structured meeting agenda that allows everyone

to contribute ideas without the interference of evaluative
comments by others.
Case study
chapter 17

AUTO RACING

When the driver

takes a back seat
 END OF
CHAPTER 17