MGMT Ch. 10

What is the likely purpose of this team tradition?

To improve team cohesiveness Team cohesiveness refers to the extent to which the members of the team want to stay on it. By developing a social norm that would be considered enjoyable by most team members, Kathy's softball team is likely trying to improve team cohesiveness. Team cohesion can also be strengthened by ensuring all team members attend team meetings and activities (such as games and practices) and creating additional opportunities for teammates to work together (such as team fundraisers).

Your team's task is vital to your bank's compliance with federal law and survival. Given its importance, you will want to make sure you have only the most talented people available on the team. In other words, you will want:

A high team level ******** Team level refers to the average ability on a team, so for mission-critical tasks such as this one, a high team level is very desirable. A diverse team will also be important, but that refers to the range of abilities on a team rather than the average ability. An individualistic team, or a team composed of individualists, would probably not be desirable, because effective teamwork will be important.

The tradition of the entire team going to a local bar after each game appears to be what?

A team norm It is clear that all of the members of Kathy's softball team are expected to socialize together at the local bar after each game. This is a team norm, or an informally agreed-on standard that regulates team behavior. Norms help team members know what is expected of them and can help the team function more effectively. In this case, the norm also probably serves an important role in building team cohesion.

Since this team will be new, your bank has decided to compensate the team members initially with nonfinancial rewards. By working well together, members could be part of a permanent team focused on improving operational efficiency. What type of team compensation system would work best for them?

Gainsharing Gainsharing is a compensation system whereby an organization shares the financial value of performance gains (such as those from increased productivity, improved operational efficiency, and cost savings) with its workers. It is most appropriate for relatively stable environments with teams focused on such performance gains.

Self-designing team

Highest autonomy Self-designing teams have the highest level of autonomy, with the same privileges of a self-managing team but also the power to control the design, membership, and purpose of their team.

Semi-autonomous work group

Lowest autonomy Semi-autonomous work groups have more autonomy than traditional work groups, with the ability to both provide advice to management and make decisions about major tasks.

Self-managing team

Moderate autonomy Self-managing teams have a relatively high level of autonomy, with the ability to control all of the major tasks associated with producing their product or service.

Many students dislike working on group projects for class because they know some members of the group will not contribute much to the group, knowing that other members will pick up their slack. This is called:

Social loafing ******* Social loafing occurs when individual members of a team are not contributing their share of the work, counting on other team members to do what is necessary to accomplish team goals. This is more likely to occur with large teams, because it usually becomes more difficult to track the performance of individual team members. Class projects that are graded only on the overall group performance are especially prone to social loafing.

The use of teams is becoming increasingly prevalent in the U.S. workplace, partly because of the many benefits associated with teamwork. Which of the following are positive outcomes known to result from work teams? Check all that apply.

Better customer satisfaction Greater employee job satisfaction ***** Research indicates that the use of work teams can result in several important benefits for an organization. Improvements in customer satisfaction, the quality of the service or product produced by the team, and job satisfaction of employees serving on the team have all been documented. It is important to note, however, that these advantages do not occur automatically and that teams must be designed and managed in a way that minimizes common disadvantages of teams, including initially high turnover, social loafing, and groupthink.

Which of the following statements reflect negative outcomes known to result from work teams? Check all that apply.

When the CEO attends the team meeting, our entire group defers to her opinion. Every time we have a meeting, it seems like new members join us and previous members drop out. When each member contributes their own opinion, the meeting seems to drag on forever. ********* Initially high turnover can be a negative outcome, as people choose whether or not to continue their participation. In considering all opinions to reach consensus, the decision process will take a long time. Minority domination may occur when a top executive, such as a CEO, attends a team meeting. People are accustomed to taking direction from administrators. On the other hand, when a decision turns out badly, team members can deflect responsibility from themselves to the group as a whole.

According to Hackman, a deviant may help a group consider _____ , but if the deviant has a strong personality and limits the input of others, the problem of _________ may arise.

alternative solutions minority domination ******* By encouraging a group to consider alternative solutions and viewpoints, a deviant can help a group avoid groupthink. However, if that deviant tends to dominate discussions and minimize the input of others, minority domination may occur, resulting in fewer and fewer voices being heard.

Your team must still go through normal approval processes, indicating that it does not have _________ , which will likely ____________ its ability to reach the stretch goal.

bureaucratic immunity impede *********** To help them achieve stretch goals, teams should be given autonomy, control over resources, structural accommodation, and bureaucratic immunity. In this case, the latter two factors are not in place, because your team must go through normal channels for approvals to make any changes to organizational policies, structures, or goals.

Not all teams are easily defined by their level of autonomy. For example, a _________ team has members based in many geographic locations who use technology to communicate, but its level of autonomy can vary depending on its purpose and structure.

virtual ********* •Cross-functional team: A group staffed with a mix of employees from an organization's marketing, production, engineering departments, and so forth. It is formed to accomplish a specific objective. •Project team: A group formed specifically to design a new product or service. The members are assigned by their managers on the basis of their abilities to contribute to the team's success. The group normally disbands after the task is completed. •Virtual team: A team with geographically and/or organizationally dispersed members who may meet face to face only rarely or never. The team relies on telecommunication and technology to communicate and achieve its goals.