Ch.10 Group Processes and Teams

Work Group vs. work team aspects

Work Group - interacts to share information with members of the group - not responsible for a collective work product/effort Work Team - depends on one another and must interact to create something that no one person on the team could create - create synergy

work group vs work team (definition based)

Work Group: interacts primarily to share info with other members and make decisions to help one another perform within each member's area of responsibility - not responsible for a collective work effort Work Team: generates coordinated effort; individual efforts result in a level of performance greater than the sum of individual inputs

team norms

- Defined as informal and interpersonal rules that team members are expected to follow. - May be explicit (stated by leader or members of the team- written in charter) or implicit (not written down, effectively convey expected behavior)

team charter

- a way for a leader to make norms explicit and clearly communicate them to team - team purpose are clarified and expectations for behavior are set forth - misunderstandings should be fewer and team members can be reminded of the groups norms

cohesion influences behaviors

- behavioral indicators are members attending more meetings, being on time, sitting closer, more eye contact, less likely to quit, engaging in long group hugs - a team that voluntarily spends time together - a form of unity in decision making - desire and will to remain part of the group and remain beyond the project time

Brainstorming- decision making technique

- brainstorming is one of the most common forms of team decision making; used when team needs to produce a creative solution - no idea is analyzed or judged - *separates idea generation from evaluation - produces many new ideas -group meets together and much group interaction -continue rounds of suggestions until one has the majority vote Once brainstorming is completed: -capture all the ideas, prioritize ideas, discuss key ideas, decide on a course of action

details necessary for an effective team

- goal setting increases motivation and performance (set SMART goals- specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time based) - effective teams have a sense of shared purpose - feedback on performance affects the allocation of resources when individuals strive to accomplish both individual and team goals - **need trust because without trust individuals don't feel a sense of accountability

is your group cohesive?

- how well do members get along with each other - how well do members stick togehter -would you socialize with the members of the group outside of class -how well do members help each other on the project -would you want to remain a member of the group for future projects/courses when members realize they're on a cohesive tea there's pressure to get on board because this also distinguishes the in group and out group - test to see if made it in the in-group is seen by decisions being made

team metrics

- in addition to charter it is important to have measures (metrics) to access how a team is performing overtime (effectiveness) 3 types of metrics for teamwork: 1. Team Metrics- the "what" of teamwork - related to actual work the team is performing (goals for quantity/quality) 2. Process Metrics- the "how" of teamwork -assess how team is operating -assess who is participating and team communication 3. Individual Development Metrics- the "learning" in teamwork, how much individuals are developing new skills and learning from being on the team

benefits of team diversity

- increase flexibility -increase creativity -increase problem solving

team decision making

- leader either decides themselves (saves time, but it can lead to opposing viewpoints and lack of commitment, but most fall inline with leader) or delegates decision making

Team Effectiveness

- leaders must measure output to determine effectiveness - output can be defined differently (it is anything related to accomplishing the goal

minimizing group think

- limit group size (<10) -accept suggestions; encourage group leaders to actively seek input from all members and avoid expressing their own opinions -appoint a "devil's advocate"

team performance

- not a linear process, although stages stay in same place - but members can fall off therefore the whole team would go back to the forming stage - in the norming stage members can join the team and you would go back to forming stage - to accomplish goal teams must make it through the performing stage

team learning

- ongoing process through which teams acquire -originates at individual level, emerges at team level -higher learning orientation -psychological safety

team creativity and innovation

- processes and outcomes of developing new ideas for innovation -encompasses what team members do behaviorally -communication of new ideas -positive behaviors of leaders communication of new ideas and sharing information with diverse others leaders to higher creativity. the sharing of information increases team innovation and this is facilitated by the leader being positive

work team

- share common goal, usually one objective that everyone is committed to - sense of reliance and trust therefore theres accountability for each member - synergy is when the efforts of each individual total up to be more than what an individual could do on their won

leadership implications: empowering the team

- team leadership matters, empower the team, avoid social loafing and group think, use appropriate team decision-making methods leadership climate: effective when a team leader gives their team many responsibilities, asks the team for advice when making decisions, is not too controlling, allows the team to set its own goals, stays out of teams way, tells team to expect a lot and trusts team team-centric leadership: focus of team has been shifted from the leader to the team

Team Mental Models (TMMs)

- team members shared, organized understanding and mental representation of knowledge about key elements of the team's relevant environment - when individual members embrace all aspects and hold themselves accountable - to exist and be effective the team/members must have comfort to freely share info and expectations

team purpose (relationship between team purpose and performance)

- teams are so popular because increased competition forced restructuring for efficiency and effectiveness Teams may: - better utilize employee talents - be more flexible and responsive to change -increase motivation Aspects: -shared purpose -specific goal -feedback process -team charter

social loafing

- the reduction in motivation and effort when individuals work collectively compared with when they work individually or co-actively - occurs in larger teams - members think work will get done without them because others will do it

challenges of team diversity

1. Collectivism (group orientation) - people vary with different cultures if they come from a collective or individualistic culture -collective: what is best for unit -individualistic: only make best decision for oneself 2. Power Distance (respect for authority) - amount of distance people feel comfortable with between themselves and their leader - some prefer large distance bc they respect being on different levels -some prefer low distance thinking that they are both professionals so disgrace is not significant and they feel free to question leader and present alternatives diverse views on power distance can make it hard to make a cohesive team - the degree of Determinism: the belief that people should not try to change the paths their lives are defined to take

normative decision-making model

1. Decide- leader makes decision themselves 2. Consult (individually)- present model to individual members get suggestions and then make decision 3. Consult (group)- present to a group of members in meeting get suggestions then make model (high commitment because able to speak up, announce opportunities and feel valued part of process) 4. Facilitate- leader gives facts of problem to a group and you act as a facilitator defining the problem, reminding them of facts, resources, and time. But you step away and allow group to make the ultimate decision 5. Delegate- you allow the group to make the decision within certain limits

5 stage model of team development

1. Forming- clarify purpose and ground rules -goal announced and members announced 2. Storming- address conflict and maintain focus on purpose -team members get to know each other and face some conflicts - awkward but necessary because you learn how to communicate etc. 3. Norming- remind followers of ground rules and address deviations -conflict minimizes, things become functional and focus changes back to task/projecy 4. Performing- celebrate successes along the way to reaching the goal 5. (for temporary teams) Adjourning- arrange a celebration to recognize the team's accomplishment

type of teams

1. Temporary teams - go separate ways after the goal/assignment is complement - function effectively and become more productive sooner 2. Informal vs. Formal Informal- formed by members themselves, function on a spontaneous basis formal- documentation of members, leader (don't need a leader), goal identified

team mental models serve 3 functions

1. allowing team members to interpret information similarly 2. sharing expectations concerning the future 3. developing similar reasoning as to why something happens - teams with high TMMS are fundamentally "on the same page"

multi-voting

1. display the list of options 2. number or letter all items 3. decide how many items must be on the final reduced list 4. working individually, each member selects 5 items 5. tally the votes 6. if a decision is clear, stop 7. if decision is not clear than repeat the voting process steps 4 and 5 until decision is reached

4 symptoms of groupthink

1. group rationalization- team members generate explanations that support their preferred course of action 2. direct pressure- those who speak out against the group decision are pressured into conformity 3. suppression (keeping silent)- members with different views don't share them with group for fear of ostracism and ridicule 4. Illusion of unanimity- the team members believe they are in agreement but they are not (opposing views are suppressed)

3 aspects of team effectiveness (input output model)

1. input: refers to the individual characteristics of the team members (skills and abilities) and the resources they have at their disposal (inputs can also be knowledge/personality) 2. process: refers to how the team interacts. examples include team development and patterns of participation also cross training related to team effectiveness 3. Output: the most obvious measure of team effectiveness. the collective work product generated from the team (team performance) -output has 3 components

6 ways leaders can prevent social loafing

1. keep teams small (4-6 members) 2. set meaningful team goals 3. set clear roles for team members 4. eliminate redundancy 5. select members with high motivation and affinity for teamwork 6. provide feedback and coaching to members who social loaf

6 team decision making options

1. participation in decisions 2. brainstorming 3. consensus 4. multi-voting 5. nominal group technique 6. stepladder balanced decision of team members is needed

3 components of output

1. performance as rated by those outside of the team 2. how well the team member individual needs are met 3. the willingness of team members to stay on the team team effectiveness reflects three broad categories: performance, behaviors, and attitudes

a high performance team is enabled by 6 key factors

1. team member competencies 2. skills, processes, tools, and techniques 3. interpersonal skills, communication, understanding personality differences 4. a shared value system 5. shared vision, purpose, goal, direction 6. supporting organizational values including openness

Stepladder

5 basic steps 1. present the task 2. two member discussion 3. add one member 4. repeat, adding one member at a time 5. final decision by consensus

what is a team

A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable - team members must accept relevant team goals and make a commitment to being accountable for them

team viability

a collective sense sense of belonging similar to team cohesion cohesion= the "team spirit" experienced in high performing teams

group think

definition: conformity-seeking tendency of the group that results in comprised decision making - group think is a team decision making challenge that arises due to a high degree of cohesiveness and group norms that result in conformity example: the challenger (NASA) exploded when someone spoke loud and said the sides could take the heat and others stayed quiet who thought otherwise and in the end it exploded

cohesion

definition: the resultant of all the forces acting on the members to remain part of the group - these forces depend on the attractive or unattractiveness of the prestige of the group, the group members, and/or the groups activities -ability to stick together to form a united whole, coming together of things* (challenged in diverse group) -cohesion: team spirit experienced in high performing teams -cohesive groups perform better because they are more motivated and able to organize tasks around a common goal - diverse and cohesive teams are more productive, more efficient with high job satisfaction

Consensus- decision making technique

discussing ideas and deferring final decision until everyone can say they have been heard and will support the final decision Use the following steps: 1. introduction- why are we discussing, whats the history, whats the goal 2. clarifying questions 3. discussion 4. establish basic direction 5. synthesize or modify proposal as needed 6. call for consensus 7. record options in step 6: agreement, stand aside, blocking, abstain

nominal group technique (NGT)

effective if there are status differences in the team or if the team has one or more dominating participants Steps of NGT 1. each member writes ideas on index card 2. each member presents one idea to the team. cards collected and redistributed randomly to team first 3. discussion continues until all ideas are heard and recorded 4. team discusses ideas and asks clarification questions 5. each team member silently ranks ideas independently. highest ranking item is team decision

virtual teams

functioning teams that rely on technology-mediated communication while crossing several different boundaries. team members are geographically dispersed and meet through electronic methods - a status/ update/ report when meet virtually. it is simply sharing information unique challenges in developing the TMMs needed to be effective: - take more time to get things done - technology problems - less social support - share less information

work group

gathering of people, don't necessarily depend or rely on each other, its just an exchange of information on an FYI basis

additive task

if performance effort can be met by adding up individual contributions (known as an additive task) then members of the work unit can work independently and their efforts can be combined later

transform inputs into outputs

inputs: skills, resources, talents outputs: anything related to accomplishing the goal - individuals must feel trust and comfort to put resources on the table

psychological safety

one key factor for team learning to translate into performance is the degree to which team members agree that they feel a sense of psychological safety for taking risk - it allows members to take risks and be more creative and innovative

social identity

social identity was introduced as a way to explain how people view their own place in society through membership in various groups - a sense of cohesion in a team may also be due to a person's allegiance to the social groups they belong to

social identity theory

social identity: the individuals knowledge that he belongs to certain social groups together with some emotional and value significance to him of his group membership - people belong to difference groups (e.g., student, coworker, friend etc.) and these categories make up a social identity

synergy

synergy is on work teams. synergy means that the team can produce something beyond the sum of individual member contributions

collective effort

the right time to use teams is when performance requires a collective effort and a work project that reflects the contributions of everyone on the team

punctuated equilibrium

transition between an earlier phase of inactivity of a team followed by a second phase of significant acceleration toward task completion - initial meeting where discuss groups goals, after meeting not much is done until half way till deadline, this Time pressure leads to team revisiting goals and how to get things done, following this midpoint is a burst of activity

does trust impact performance

when we trust: we expect others to behave positively toward us, we may tolerate vulnerability and uncertainty, and tend to work better with others and stay focused on team goal no trust: we might be suspicious how others act toward us, we become defensive trying to reduce our vulnerability, and we may loose sight of team goals and focus on personal interest

team performance curve -correlation between performance curve and stages

y-axis: performance impact x-axis: team effectiveness Forming- working group Storming- pseudo team end of storming/ start norming- potential team performing- real team end of performing/start adjourning- high performing team - teams are highly functioning onset forming stage and performing stage - teams are low functioning in storming stage ; decline period punctuated equilibrium occurs when the team becomes inactive occurs mostly due to storming stage and team takes break