eleventh editi

on

organizational behav
ior

stephen p. robbins
 Chapter 9

Understanding
Work Teams

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
S T E P H E N P. R O B B I N S
E L E V E N T H E D I T I O N
© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. WWW.PRENHALL.COM/ROBBINS PowerPoint Presentation
All rights reserved. by Charlie Cook
OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter,
you should be able to:

1. Explain the growing popularity of teams in

organizations.
2. Contrast teams with groups.
LEARNING

3. Identify four types of teams.

4. Specify the characteristics of effective teams.
5. Explain how organizations can create team
players.
6. Describe conditions under which teams are
preferred over individuals.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–3

 Why
Why Have
Have Teams
Teams Become
Become So
So Popular
Popular

 Teams typically outperform individuals.

 Teams use employee talents better.
 Teams are more flexible and responsive to
changes in the environment.
 Teams facilitate employee involvement.
 Teams are an effective way to democratize and
organization and increase motivation.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–4

 Team
Team Versus
Versus Group:
Group: What’s
What’s the
the Difference
Difference
Work Group
A group that interacts
primarily to share
information and to make
decisions to help each
group member perform
within his or her area of
responsibility.
Work Team
A group whose individual
efforts result in a performance
that is greater than the sum
of the individual inputs.
© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–5
 Comparing
Comparing Work
Work Groups
Groups and
and Work
Work Teams
Teams

E X H I B I T 9–1
E X H I B I T 9–1

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–6

 Types
Types of
of Teams
Teams

Problem-Solving Teams
Groups of 5 to 12 employees from
the same department who meet
for a few hours each week to
discuss ways of improving quality,
efficiency, and the work
environment.
Self-Managed Work Teams
Groups of 10 to 15 people who
take on the responsibilities of
their former supervisors.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–7

 Types
Types of
of Teams
Teams (cont’d)
(cont’d)
Cross-Functional Teams
Employees from about the same hierarchical
level, but from different work areas, who
come together to accomplish a task.

• Task forces

• Committee
s

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–8

 Types
Types of
of Teams
Teams (cont’d)
(cont’d)

Virtual Teams
Teams that use
computer technology to
tie together physically
dispersed members in
order to achieve a
common goal.
Team
TeamCharacteristics
Characteristics
1.1. The
Theabsence
absenceof
ofparaverbal
paraverbaland
andnonverbal
nonverbalcues
cues
2.2. AAlimited
limitedsocial
socialcontext
context
3.3. The
Theability
abilityto
toovercome
overcometime
timeand
andspace
spaceconstraints
constraints

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–9

 AATeam-
Team-
Effectiveness
Effectiveness
Model
Model

E X H I B I T 9–3
E X H I B I T 9–3

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–10

 Creating
Creating Effective
Effective Teams
Teams

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–11

 Creating
Creating Effective
Effective Teams
Teams (cont’d)
(cont’d)

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–12

 Key
KeyRoles
Roles
of
ofTeams
Teams

E X H I B I T 9–4
E X H I B I T 9–4

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–13

 Creating
Creating Effective
Effective Teams
Teams (cont’d)
(cont’d)

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–14

 Creating
Creating Effective
Effective Teams
Teams (cont’d)
(cont’d)

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–15

 Effects
Effects of
of Group
Group Processes
Processes

=
E X H I B I T 9–4
E X H I B I T 9–4

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–16

 Creating
Creating Effective
Effective Teams:
Teams: Diversity
Diversity

Group Demography
The degree to which members of a group
share a common demographic attribute, such
as age, sex, race, educational level, or length
of service in the organization, and the impact
of this attribute on turnover.

Cohorts
Individuals who, as part
of a group, hold a
common attribute.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–17

 Turning
Turning Individuals
Individuals Into
Into Team
Team Players
Players
 The Challenges
– Overcoming individual resistance to team
membership.
– Countering the influence of individualistic cultures.
– Introducing teams in an organization that has
historically valued individual achievement.
 Shaping Team Players
– Selecting employees who can fulfill their team roles.
– Training employees to become team players.
– Reworking the reward system to encourage
cooperative efforts while continuing to recognize
individual contributions.
© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–18
 Teams
Teams and
and Quality
Quality Management
Management
 Team Effectiveness and Quality Management
Requires That Teams:
1. Are small enough to be efficient and effective.
2. Are properly trained in required skills.
3. Allocated enough time to work on problems.
4. Are given authority to resolve problems and
take corrective action.
5. Have a designated “champion” to call on when
needed.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–19

 Beware:
Beware: Teams
TeamsAren’t
Aren’tAlways
Always the
theAnswer
Answer
 Three tests to see if a team fits the situation:
– Is the work complex and is there a need for
different perspectives?
– Does the work create a common purpose or set
of goals for the group that is larger than the
aggregate of the goals for individuals?
– Are members of the group involved in
interdependent tasks?

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–20

 Five
FiveDysfunctions
Dysfunctionsof
ofaaTeam
Team
 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team outlines the root
causes of politics and dysfunction on the teams
where you work, and the keys to overcoming
them.
 Counter to conventional wisdom, the causes of
dysfunction are both identifiable and curable.
However, they don't die easily. Making a team
functional and cohesive requires levels of
courage and discipline that many groups cannot
seem to muster.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–21

 1.
1.Absence
Absenceof
ofTrust
Trust
 The fear of being vulnerable with team members
prevents the building of trust within the team.
 This occurs when team members are reluctant to
be vulnerable with one another and are unwilling
to admit their mistakes, weaknesses or needs for
help. Without a certain comfort level among team
members, a foundation of trust is impossible.
 The Role of the Leader here is to Go First!

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–22

 2.
2. Fear
Fear of
of Conflict
Conflict
 The desire to preserve artificial harmony stifles
the occurrence of productive, ideological conflict.
 Teams that are lacking on trust are incapable of
engaging in unfiltered, passionate debate about
key issues, causing situations where team
conflict can easily turn into veiled discussions
and back channel comments. In a work setting
where team members do not openly air their
opinions, inferior decisions are the result.

 The Role of the Leader here is to Mine for

Conflict.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–23

 3.
3. Lack
Lack of
of Commitment
Commitment
 The lack of clarity or buy-in prevents team
members from making decisions they will stick
to.
 Without conflict, it is difficult for team members
to commit to decisions, creating an environment
where ambiguity prevails. Lack of direction and
commitment can make employees, particularly
star employees, disgruntled.

 The Role of the Leader here is to Force Clarity

and Closure.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–24

 4.
4. Avoidance
Avoidance of
of Accountability
Accountability
 The need to avoid interpersonal discomfort
prevents team members from holding one
another accountable for their behaviors and
performance.
 When teams don't commit to a clear plan of
action, even the most focused and driven
individuals hesitate to call their peers on actions
and behaviors that may seem counterproductive
to the overall good of the team.
 The Role of the Leader here is to Confront
Difficult Issues.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–25

 5.
5. Inattention
Inattention to
to Results
Results
 The pursuit of individual goals and personal
status erodes the focus on collective success.
 Team members naturally tend to put their own
needs (ego, career development, recognition,
etc.) ahead of the collective goals of the team
when individuals aren't held accountable. If a
team has lost sight of the need for achievement,
the business ultimately suffers.

 The Role of the Leader here is to Focus on

Collective Outcomes.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–26

 Addressing
Addressing the
the Dysfunctions
Dysfunctions
 Like it or not, all teams are potentially dysfunctional. This is
inevitable because they are made up of fallible, imperfect
human beings. However, facing dysfunction and focusing
on teamwork is particularly critical at the top of an
organization because the executive team sets the tone for
how all employees work with one another.
 To begin improving your team and to better understand the
level of dysfunction you are facing, ask yourself these
simple questions:
 Do team members openly and readily disclose their
opinions?
 Are team meetings compelling and productive?
 Does the team come to decisions quickly and avoid getting
bogged down by consensus?
 Do team members confront one another about their
shortcomings?
© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–27
 Do team members sacrifice their own interests
for the good of the team?
 Although no team is perfect and even the best
teams sometimes struggle with one or more of
these issues, the finest organizations constantly
work to ensure that their answers are "yes." If
you answered "no" to many of these questions,
your team may need some work.
 The first step toward reducing politics and
confusion within your team is to understand that
there are five dysfunctions to contend with, and
address each that applies, one by one.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–28

 Strategies
Strategiesto
toBuilding
BuildingaaHigh
HighPerforming
PerformingTeam
Team
 1. You must learn from your "lessons learned".
 Start with a thorough review of the past year and ask, "what did
we achieve together and where did we fail?" Give all people on
the team time to make their own list before gathering responses.
Be sure that you first focus on achievements - just the good
news.
 One factor that makes working together so difficult is our habit
of focusing on issues and problems to the exclusion of
achievements and successes. In this type of an environment
people feel undervalued and unmotivated and a feeling of why
bother? shapes the culture.
 Discuss the potential lessons and align on the top three (no
more than five) guidelines that would make the most difference
to your success and display them publicly.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–29

 2.
2. Include
Includeeveryone
everyonein
inthe
theannual
annual planning
planningsession.
session.
 While you may know best what's needed in your
business area or for the team, don't make the plan on
your own or with just a few key people.
 Although it may be necessary to individually think
about the key strategic objectives, as soon as
possible include everyone in your top team in the
creation of the real plan that's going to drive the
business for next year. Potentially allow for a full day
session.
 We've learned time and time again truth in the adage
that people will not destroy that which they have
helped create.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–30

 3.
3. Examine
Examinelimiting
limitingattitudes
attitudesand
andassumptions,
assumptions, and
and
shift
shiftthem.
them.
 You may have noticed that sometimes it seems as if you're
doing everything right and yet you still do not have the results to
show for it. Actually, the source of this frustration is found in the
underlying attitudes that shape the culture of your business. For
example, imagine your chances of success if key people in your
business have beliefs such as: We used to be great, but now it's
impossible to keep up with the competition! It's OK not to deliver
as long as there's a reasonable explanation. Not everyone can
be the best.
 To uncover the limiting attitudes, discuss the beliefs that might
be shaping the current culture. Ask questions like, "How do we
explain our failures in order to have the culture we want?"
 The next step is to write a statement that describes the new
attitude that generates the culture you want to generate,
together. For example, We keep our promises with one another
- no matter what!
© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–31
4.
4.Align
Alignthe
thetop
topten
tenpriorities
prioritiesat
atevery
everylevel
level of
ofthe
the
business.
business.
 Ask the leaders on the team to identify the one or two
top priorities for their area(s) of responsibility and
present them. Even though ALL goals will be
pursued, your team will benefit from a focus on the
ten that most ensure overall success.
 Accountability is fundamental to your success, so
make sure that each goal has one team member who
has the overall responsibility for its achievement. In
other words, make sure everyone knows who's on
the hook for what!

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–32

 5.
5. Establish
Establishmonthly
monthlyreview
review sessions
sessionsto
tomonitor
monitor
progress
progressandandlearn
learnfrom
fromwhat
whathappens.
happens.
 The most important discipline is to ensure - no matter what
- that each team has monthly review sessions to assess
progress against their goal. At the top of the agenda is a
review of the monthly goals set on the way to the
achievement of each annual goal. Above all, this public
review is very important towards forming a basis for team
discipline about delivering key goals.
 Keep all team levels informed. This is especially critical in
cases where the second-level teams are "the worker bees" -
which typically they are.
 While progress on your top ten priorities may be your first
priority, be certain to include a review of your guidelines
and the differences they are making at each month's
meeting.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–33

 Thank You

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 9–34