Chapter 10 understanding work teams organizational behavior

Org_behavior Reflection, Discussion And Assignment

Chapter 10: Understanding Work Teams

Reflection and Discussion - 600 words

Learning Objectives:

Analyze the continued popularity of teams in organizations.

Contrast groups and teams.

Contrast the five types of team arrangements.

Identify the characteristics of effective teams.

Explain how organizations can create team players.

Decide when to use individuals instead of teams.

Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 10Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 10

Reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Identify what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding.

Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:

You are on a team which features individuals high in openness and emotional stability. What is the likely result of task conflict within your team? Why is this?

Respond to the post of at least two peers, using 100 words minimum each.

[Your initial post should be based upon the assigned reading for the week, so the textbook should be a source listed in your reference section and cited within the body of the text. Other sources are not required but feel free to use them if they aid in your discussion].

Problem Set #10

1. What are some of the cautions to be aware of when using teams? What tests should be applied to see if a team fits the situation?

2. The team effectiveness model identifies three categories of key components making up effective teams. What are these three categories? Give examples of each category.

The assignment is to answer the question provided above in essay form. This is to be in narrative form. Bullet points should not to be used. The paper should be at least 1.5 - 2 pages in length, Times New Roman 12-pt font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins and utilizing at least one outside scholarly or professional source related to organizational behavior. This does not mean blogs or websites. This source should be a published article in a scholarly journal. This source should provide substance and not just be mentioned briefly to fulfill this criteria. The textbook should also be utilized. Do not use quotes. Do not insert excess line spacing. APA formatting and citation should be used.

Essentials of Organizational Behavior

Fourteenth Edition

Chapter 10

Understanding Work Teams

Copyright © 2018, 2016, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2018, 2016, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2018, 2016, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

After studying this chapter you should be able to:

Analyze the growing popularity of teams in organizations.

Contrast groups and teams.

Contrast the five types of team arrangements.

Identify the characteristics of effective teams.

Explain how organizations can create team players.

Decide when to use individuals instead of teams.

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Why Are Teams So Popular?

Increased competition has forced companies to restructure to compete more efficiently

Teams:

Better utilize employee talents

Are more flexible and responsive to change

Democratize and motivate

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Over the last decade we have seen the use of teams grow exponentially in organizations. There are a number of reasons why this is true. Teams can enhance the use of employee talents and tend to be more flexible and responsive to change. Teams can help to keep employees engaged in their work and increase their participation in decision making, thus increasing their motivation. However, teams are not always effective, and so it is important to take a look at how to deploy teams effectively.

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Groups and Teams

Work group: Interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help one another perform within each member’s area of responsibility

Work team: Generates positive synergy through coordinated effort; individual efforts result in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs

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Groups and teams are not the same thing. A group is primarily there to share information and make decisions; no real joint effort is required. A team works in a more coordinated effort to achieve a goal.

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Comparing Work Groups and Work Teams

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Work groups and work teams differ on their goals, level of synergy, accountability, and skills. Their function is different. Work groups share information, while work teams work together for a collective performance. The synergy in groups is neutral whereas, work teams have a positive synergy. Accountability can be individual in both, but it is more often mutual in teams. The skills in a group can be varied, whereas the skills on a team need to be complementary.

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Four Types of Teams

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There are four main types of teams: problem-solving, self-managed, cross-functional, and virtual.

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Problem-Solving Teams

Members often from the same department

Share ideas or suggest improvements

Rarely given authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggested actions

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Problem-solving teams are a very popular method used in many organizations. Typically this type of team meets for a few hours each week to solve a particular problem.

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Self-Managed Work Teams

10-15 employees in highly related jobs

Team takes on supervisory responsibilities:

Work planning and scheduling

Assigning tasks

Operating decisions/actions

Working with customers

May select and evaluate members

Effectiveness is dependent on the situation

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Self-managed work teams are comprised of a group of people who perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on the responsibilities of their former supervisors.

The effectiveness of this type of team greatly depends on the situation and the goals of the team.

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Cross-Functional Teams

Members from same level, but diverse areas, within and between organizations

Exchange information

Develop new ideas and solve problems

Coordinate complex projects

Development may be time consuming due to complexity and diversity

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Cross-functional teams gather workers from many different work areas to come together to accomplish a task that needs to utilize multiple perspectives.

This type of team is good at developing new ideas and solving problems or coordinating complex projects. Given that their tasks are normally complex and diverse, it may take some time for the team to develop into an effective and productive team.

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Virtual Teams

Computer technology ties dispersed team together

Managing virtual teams:

Ensure trust is established among members

Monitor progress closely

Publicize the efforts and products of the team throughout the organization

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Virtual teams are increasing in their use. This type of team uses computer technology to bring people together to achieve a common goal. Typically these types of teams get right to work with little socializing, but they need to overcome time and space constraints to accomplish the task. In order to be effective, virtual teams need to find ways to establish trust among the members, have close monitoring, and results need to be publicized.

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Multiteam Systems

Collections of two or more interdependent teams that share a superordinate goal

A ‘team of teams’

Can be the best choice

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Research shows that multiteam systems perform better when they have “boundary spanners” whose job is to coordinate with members of other subteams.

Multiteam systems can be the best choice when teams are too large to be effective, or when teams with distinct functions need to be highly coordinated.

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Creating Effective Teams

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The three key components of effective teams are context, composition, and process variables. Next we will look at each one of these components individually.

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Context Factors in Team Success

Presence of adequate resources

Effective leadership and structure

Climate of trust in the team

Performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions

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Understanding the context is important for teams to be effective. The team needs the right resources to do the job well. Members also need effective leadership and structure to facilitate a process that will help the team succeed. It is important that teams fit together, so they can successfully utilize the individual skills present in the group. Trust is also an important aspect of teams and essential for group cohesiveness, as we have seen previously. Finally, the reward system needs to be equitable and based on team contributions.

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Team Composition and Success

Abilities of members

High-ability

Adaptability

Personality of members

Conscientious and open-minded

Allocation of roles

Diversity of members

Organizational demography

Cultural differences

Size of teams

Member preferences

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A manager must pay close attention to how a team is put together to assure group cohesiveness and effectiveness. Each member should be selected based on the type of skills and abilities needed to accomplish the task at hand. However, abilities are not the only characteristic that managers need to pay attention to; personality is also important so that the team can bond and form trust. In addition, the manager must be sure he assigns the right people to fill the roles needed, but maintain adequate diversity so that idea generation still occurs. The manager must also pay attention to the size of the team and ensure that members want to be on the team and enjoy teamwork.

Organizational demography suggests that diversity in attributes such as age or the date of joining should help us to predict turnover.

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Potential Team Member Roles

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We can identify nine potential team member roles. Teams that are successful select people to play all of these roles based on their experience and preferences.

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Team Process and Success (1 of 2)

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Teams should create outputs greater than the sum of their inputs. This exhibit shows how group processes can have an impact on a group’s actual effectiveness.

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Team Process and Success (2 of 2)

Common plan and purpose

Specific goals

Team efficacy

Team identity

Team cohesion

Mental models

Conflict levels

Social loafing

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A team’s processes can have a big impact on its effectiveness. Teams must have a strong commitment to a common purpose that provides direction, and yet incorporates reflexivity so that plans can be adjusted if necessary. The goals of the team must be set up so they are specific, measurable, and realistic yet challenging in order to keep the team members engaged.

Successful teams share a common belief that they can succeed at their tasks. Members also identify with their teams and are emotionally attached to each other and motivated toward the team because of that attachment.

Members must believe they can succeed and have a mental map of how to get the work done to assist in the process of accomplishing their task.

Finally, members must navigate through conflict and social loafing to encourage a healthy and effective group.

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Turning Individuals into Team Players

Selection: Need employees who have the interpersonal as well as technical skills

Training: Workshops on problem-solving, communications, negotiation, conflict-management, and coaching skills

Rewards: Encourage cooperative efforts rather than individual ones

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Not all employees are team players. In the United States, for example, our individualistic culture can create challenges for teams. In fact, it is not always possible to turn everyone into a team player. When formulating teams it is important to carefully select the right employees who are more attuned to teamwork. Managers should also carefully craft a reward system to encourage cooperative efforts rather competitive ones. In addition, while managers need to recognize individual contributions to the team, they also need to discourage social loafing.

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Teams Aren’t Always the Answer

Complexity of Work: Can the work be done better by more than one person?

Common Purpose: Does the work create a common purpose or set of goals for the people in the group that is more than the aggregate of individual goals?

Interdependence: Are the members of the group interdependent?

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We have looked at a number of ways to make teams effective and to encourage good team work. However, teams are not always the answer. There are three questions to ask to assess whether teams fit 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?

If these three questions all can be answered with a yes, then a team might be the solution!

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Implications for Managers

Effective teams have adequate resources, effective leadership, a climate of trust, and a performance evaluation system that reflects team contributions.

Effective teams tend to be small.

Effective teams have members who believe in the team’s capabilities, are committed to a common plan and purpose, and have an accurate shared mental model of what is to be accomplished.

Select individuals who have the interpersonal skills to be effective team players; provide training to develop teamwork skills; and reward individuals for cooperative efforts.

Do not assume that teams are always needed.

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There are a number of common characteristics of effective teams such as a need for trust, smaller in size, a chance to contribute, significant tasks, and a team who believes in itself.

Managers do need to modify the environment to help the team succeed and pay careful attention to the makeup of the team members to ensure success.