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Chapter 16: Teams and TeamworkLearning Goals
I can: Define and explain terms related to teams and teamwork Explain why teams are used in business Explain the advantages and disadvantages of teams Describe types of teams in businesses (formal/informal,
committees, departments) Explain and describe factors that contribute to success and failure
of teams Identify and describe the stages of team development Describe the roles individuals take on in a team
1
What is a team?
A group of people with complementary skills required to complete a task, job or project
Teamwork is the process of people working together to accomplish these goals
2
Why do Organizations Use Teams/Groups?
When people are organized to work together they create synergy
Synergy creation of a whole greater than the sum of its parts
3
Teamwork Exercise: Islands
Group of six 7 sheets of paper in a row Team members line up on paper but leave middle sheet empty Team members face each other Task:
Get all team members to be directly opposite of where they are now
Can only move past one person at a time Must step onto open sheet of paper Must move past someone in front of you Two people cannot be on same sheet
Describe the team experience4
Teamwork Pros and Cons
Pros Greater resources for
problem solving Greater creativity and
innovation Improved quality of decision
making Greater commitment to tasks Higher motivation Better control and discipline More individual need
satisfaction
Cons
• Social loafing• Personality conflicts• Differences in work
styles• Task ambiguity• Poor readiness to work
5
Using Teams
• Teams have many advantages• For teams to work well, members need training in group
dynamics• Consider:• How much time to sports or performance teams spend practicing
for the “big event”? (90%)
• How much time to business group members spend learning and practicing working in a team (5%)
• Group members often learn in front of clients and customers where mistakes are costly
6
Reflect
Think about group work you recently experienced.
Do you think the ideas you generated as a group were more diverse and of better quality than if you came up with ideas on your own?
7
Types of Teams
most common use of group work in business is the
meeting
Many people do not approach meetings enthusiastically
Survey showed 27% of respondents view meetings as
biggest time waster
Why do meetings fail?8
Seven sins of deadly meetings1. People arrive late, leave early, and don’t take things seriously2. The meeting is too long, sometimes twice as long as necessary3. People don’t stay on topic; they digress and are easily
distracted4. The discussion lacks candour; people are unwilling to tell the
truth5. The right information isn’t available, so decisions are
postponed6. Nothing happens when the meeting is over; no one puts
decisions into actions7. Things never get better; the same mistakes are made meeting
after meeting9
Formal and Informal Teams
Formal groups• Teams officially
recognized and supported by the organization for specific purposes
• Created to perform tasks• Managers serve linking
pin roles • E.g. work group
consisting of manager and subordinates
Informal groups• Not recognized on organization
chart• Not officially created for
organizational purposes• Emerge as part of informal
structure • From natural or spontaneous
relationships among people• Can have positive performance
impact• Can help satisfy social needs• Include interest, friendship and
support groups10
To What Groups do You Belong?
List all the formal and informal groups to which you belong.
Do you belong to more formal or informal groups?
Which groups have the biggest impact on your actions?
11
Temporary Teams• Task force• Assembled to investigate a specific issue or problem• Example: a drop in sales in one product
• Product Design Team• Created to design a new product or service• Example: team assembled to create something brand new
• Committee• Put together to act upon some matter• Example: health and safety committee to inform employees
• Cross-Functional Team• Group of people with different skills put together to carry out all phases
of a project from start to finish• Example: creating and launching a new product
• Virtual Team• Electronic work group who interact and solve problems mostly
electronically
12
Permanent Teams• Work Team• Group of workers who share a common mission and collectively
manager their own affairs within predetermined boundaries• Quality Circle• Group of workers from the same functional area who meet
regularly to uncover and solve work-related problems and seek work improvement opportunities
13
Types of Teams Quiz
Types of Teams Quiz(elearning Ontario, Unit 3 Activity 3 Assignment)
14
How Teams Work• Group Process:• The way the members of any team work together as they
transform inputs into outputs• Also known as group dynamics• Includes communications, decision making, norms, cohesion and
conflict, among others
15
Team Effectiveness• Effective teams achieve high levels of performance, member satisfaction
and viability for future action
• Factors affecting Effectiveness:• Nature of Task
• Complex or simple• How well-defined• Affects how intense the process needs to be to get the job done
• Organizational Setting• Amount of support provided, i.e., information, resources, technolgoy, rewards,
space• Team Size
• Larger than six or seven members can be difficult to manage• Odd numbers prevent ties in votes
• Team Diversity• More homogeneous groups -- easier to manage relationships• More diversity – more ideas, perspectives and experiences
• Group Process• How well the groups works together, handles conflicts, communicates, etc.
16
Stages of Group Development• Five Stages: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing,
Adjourning• Forming:• Orientation an getting to know you stage• Group members should:
• Define goals• Determine how to approach the task• Figure out what skills will be required
• In this stage the group builds relationships and clarifies the group mission
17
Stages of Group Development: Storming• Group is in conflict because of differing opinions on what it is
supposed to do and how it will do it• Members beginning to see differences in personalities and
values• Members feel angry or frustrated with other members• Sometimes groups get stuck in this stage and performance
drops
18
Stages of Group Development: Norming• Stage of resolution• Group resolves issues• Group learns more about one another• Figures out how they are going to work together• Group makes progress toward their goals
19
Stages of Group Development: Performing• Groups gets the work done and begins accomplishing goals• Energized by positive progress and communicate openly• High energy• Conflicts resolved without issue• Work accomplished most effectively
20
Stages of Group Development: Adjourning• Task is complete• Group is disbanded• Members feel a sense of loss • Members should spend time recognizing the team’s
accomplishments
21
Creating Successful Teams• As teams work through the stages of team development, they
must develop shared norms and cohesiveness• Norms• Rules that the group develops for appropriate and inappropriate
behaviours and attitudes• Often unwritten rules of behaviour• Conflict will result if these rules are not developed in the first few
stages• Violation of norms usually results in reprimands or expulsion from the
team• Performance Norms• Rules regarding the work effort and performance expected from team
members• Examples of norms: helpfulness, participation, timeliness, quality
of work
22
Creating Successful Teams• Group Cohesiveness• Degree to which the team develops a bond• Productive teams develop:
• strong levels of participation, cooperation and collaboration • because members
• trust, share sense of group identify and have confidence in their effectiveness
23
Norms and Cohesiveness
24
For Best Results…
• Increase Team Cohesion• Establish Positive Performance Norms
25
Group Decision-Making• Lack of Response• Ideas are presented without discussion; decision made by by-
passing all other ideas without evaluation• Authority Rule• Team leader makes the decision for the team
• Minority Rule• Two or three members “railroad” the team or pressure the team
into accepting an idea• Often done by forcing quick decisions, “Does anyone object?”
“Let’s go ahead then”• Majority Rule• Formal voting takes place; majority wins
26
Group Decision Making• Consensus• Discussion leads to one idea being supported by most and others
agree to support it• Ideas are fully discussed and evaluated
• Unanimity• All team members agree on the idea to be accepted and
implemented
27
Group Decision Making
Advantages• Greater amounts of
information, knowledge and expertise• Increased number of
alternatives considered• Increases understanding
and acceptance• Increases commitment
to follow through
Disadvantages• Social pressure to
conform• Individual or minority
group domination• Time requirements
28
Problems in Groups• Social Loafing• Free riders think they won’t be noticed• People who do not contribute to the group
• Groupthink• Group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus
without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas• Symptoms of Groupthink:
• Believing the group is invincible• Rationalizing unpleasant and disconfirming data• Belief in inherent group morality• Negative stereotypes of competitors• Pressure to conform• Self-censorship of members• Illusions of unanimity• Mind guards – those who protect the group from contrary viewpoints
29
Groupthink Case Study• Space shuttle Challenger, January 28, 1986• Launch had been delayed previously due to weather• NASA did not want to delay again• Engineers expressed concern about the O-rings on the shuttle,
fearing that they may fail due to cool weather• NASA launch group accepted positive comments for the
launch but rejected any negative comments• NASA launched, O-rings failed, shuttle exploded shortly after
lift off• All crew members, including the first civilian in space, a school
teacher and mother, were killed30