Chapter 8 team leadership and self-managed teams

In larger teams it is much harder for members to interact and share ideas with each other. T or F

T

Social loafing is likely when individual efforts are not recognized? T or F

T

The higher the level of interdependency, the greater the responsibility members feel toward each other. T or F

T

Does a team or a group create synergy?

Team

What are the two draw backs to self managed teams?

-managers may resist or undermine the transition of power -team members may experience anxiety about learning new behaviors

Disadvantages of teams

-pressure to conform to team standards of performance and conduct. -Resistance to the team effort from impinging on autonomy -social loafing -groupthink -intergroup conflicts -high levels of stress and pressure

what performance improvements have teams lead to?

-quality -efficiency -employee satisfaction -customer satisfaction

Team cohesion

extent to which team members bond together and remain committed to achieving team goals.

functional team

group of employees belonging to the same functional department, such as marketing, research and development, production, human resources, or information systems, who have a common objective.

What do organizations hope to achieve by using teams?

synergy, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

what are the benefits of having clearly defined roles and responsibilities?

team members are more likely to accept responsibility and not assign blame when things go wrong.

what must an effective team have in order to perform the team job?

-complementary skills -personality -knowledge

types of teams

- functional -cross-functional (process or project focused) -virtual team -self-managed team

Characteristics of effective teams

-A highly publicized team charter and team norms -Widely shared goals and objectives -Strong team cohesion and high task inter-dependence -A diversified team mix -Clearly define roles and responsibilities -Positive interpersonal relationships -Clearly stated standard operating procedures -Trust and conflict management abilities -Effective interpersonal communication skills -Strong top management support

Self managed team

-Are relatively autonomous and are usually cross-functional in membership makeup -Share or rotate leadership responsibilities -Hold themselves mutually responsible for a set of performance goals assigned by higher management

Disadvantages of the team centered decision making model

-Can be self-serving and contrary to the best interests of the organization, if team members have objectives and/or priorities different from those of the leader -Can take longer than decisions made alone by a manager -Can end up being a poor compromise rather than an optimal solution

what are the guidelines to an effective cross functional team?

-develop consensus around a common mission and goals that focus on organizational outcomes. -implement team based performance measures, feedback, and reward systems -ensure effective leadership and top management support -promote the use of team building, skill development, and team training as common practice. -assemble the right skills -organize the right size.

Negative outcomes from teams

-increased cost -stress -lower group cohesion

What are the 5 disadvantages of teams?

-individual autonomy -intrateam conflict -social loafing -group think -clan culture development

Benefits of using teams/teamwork

1.)offer synergistic benefits -synergy is when a teams total output exceeds the sum of the various members contributions. 2.)help each other avoid major errors. 3.)offer more opportunities for new ideas that advance innovation. 4.)offer a work environment in which people feel empowered and have higher job satisfaction.

social loafing

Is the conscious or unconscious tendency by some team members to shirk responsibilities by withholding effort toward group goals when they are not individually accountable for their work

groupthink

Occurs when members of a cohesive group tend to agree on a decision not on the basis of its merit but because they are less willing to risk rejection for questioning a majority viewpoint or presenting a dissenting opinion.

How many people must a team have to be considered small?

less than 12

Advantages of the team centered decision making model

-Can improve decision quality -Shifts much of the decision making away from the leader -Allows the leader to think more strategically -Allows responsibility to be diffused among several people -Results in higher commitment by team members to implement decisions as compared to decisions made alone by a leader

What are interdependence and coordination built into effective teams?

-Team goals -reward system -Job structure

top management can influence team creativity by providing what?

-appropriate/adequate resources -appropriate recognition and reward -flexible team structure -supportive organizational culture

Size does not affect a team members ability to form close interpersonal relationships with other members. T or F

F

group

a collection of individuals who interact primarily to share information and to make decisions that enable each member to perform within his or her area of responsibility.

team

a unit of interdependent individuals with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose and set of performance outcomes and to common expectations, for which they hold themselves accountable.

team creativity

creation of something that is valuable, useful, and novel by individuals working together in a complex social system.

cross-functional team

composed of members from different functional departments of an organization who are brought together to perform unique tasks to create new and non-routine products or services.