Chapter 8 11.5& 11.6 Organizational Behavior

Brainstorming

helps groups generate multiple ideas and alternatives for solving problems

contractual trust

trust of character

consensus (in decision making)

When all members can say they either agree with the decision or have had their 'day in court' and were unable to convince the others of their viewpoint. In the final analysis, everyone agrees to support the outcome

minority dissent

Occurs when group members feel comfortable disagreeing with other group members

goal displacement

Occurs when the primary goal is overridden by a secondary goal

team charter

A document detailing members' mutual expectations about how the team will operate, allocate resources, resolve conflict, and meet its commitments

decision tree

A graphical representation of the process underlying decisions

formal group

A group assigned by an organization or its managers to accomplish specific goals

delphi technique

A group process that generates anonymous ideas or judgments from physically dispersed experts in multiple rounds of brainstorming

informal group

A group whose overriding purpose in getting together is friendship or a common interest

groupthink

A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action

cohesiveness

A sense of "we-ness" that tends to override individual differences and motives

role

A set of expected behaviors for a particular position

group role

A set of shared expected behaviors for members of the group as a whole

electronic brainstorming (brainwriting)

Allows participants to submit their ideas and alternatives over the Internet

Groups

Collections of two or more individuals with low or no task dependency, who are not accountable to each other for their work, and who may or may not assemble for a specified period of time

decision support systems (DSS)

Computer-based interactive systems that help decision makers to use data and models to solve unstructured problems

team performance strategies

Deliberate plans that outline what exactly the team is to do, such as goal setting and defining particular member roles, tasks, and responsibilities

task roles

Enable the work group to define, clarify, and pursue a common purpose

maintenance roles

Roles that foster supportive and constructive interpersonal relationships

norms

Shared attitudes, opinions, feelings, or behaviors that guide individual and group behavior

cross-functional teams

Teams created with members from different disciplines within an organization, such as finance, operations, and R&D

virtual teams

Teams that work across time, space, and organizational boundaries to achieve common goals

self-managed teams (SMTs)

Teams with collective autonomy and responsibility to plan, manage, and execute tasks interdependently to achieve their goals

team adaptive capacity (adaptability)

The ability to make needed changes in response to demands put on the team

collaboration

The act of sharing information and coordinating efforts to achieve a collective outcome

team composition

The collection of jobs, personalities, knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience levels of team members

group cohesiveness

The degree to which members feel part of the collective or "we" of the group

task interdependence

The degree to which team members depend on each other for information, materials, and other resources to complete their job tasks

outcome interdependence

The degree to which the outcomes of task work are measured, rewarded, and communicated at the group level so as to emphasize collective outputs rather than individual contributions

punctuated equilibrium

Form of group development in which 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

social loafing

The tendency for individual effort to decline as group size increases

trust

The willingness to be vulnerable to another person, and the belief that the other person will consider the impact of how his or her intentions and behaviors will affect you