Chapter 6: Groups & Teams

Forming

"ice-breaking" stage; uncertain group roles, low mutual trust

What are the five keys essential to high team performance?

Charters and strategies, team composition, capacity, rewards, effective team size

What are the five stages of group development in Tuckman's model?

Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

What two basic functions do formal groups fulfill?

Organizational and individual functions

Work Team

a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable

Norming

agreement and consensus are reached and the roles become clearer; questions about authority and power are resolved

Group Norms

an attitude, feeling, or action shared by two or more people that guide behavior; help create order

Formal Groups

assigned by the organization to accomplish specific goals

Informal Groups

purpose of getting together is friendship or a common interest

Individual Functions

satisfying the individual's need for affiliation; developing the individual's self-esteem and sense of identity; provide a problem-solving mechanism for personal and interpersonal problems

Capacity

ability to meet changing demands and to effectively transition members in and out

Organizational Functions

accomplishing complex, interdependent tasks that are beyond the capabilities of individuals; generating new or creative ideas or solutions; providing problem-solving mechanisms for complex problems requiring various information

Performing

activity is focused on problem solving; strong cooperation and open communication

Team Composition

describes the collection of jobs, personalities, knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience of the team members

Task Roles

enable the group to define, clarify, and pursue a common purpose; keeps the group on track

Group Roles

expected behaviors for members of the group as a whole

Maintenance Roles

foster supportive and constructive interpersonal relationships; keeps the group together

Charters and Strategies

gives a clear understanding of why the team was formed and how the team will operate and meet its goals

Free Riders (Loafers)

group members who produce low quality work, cause others to work harder, and distract or disrupt the work of other teams

Rewards

hybrid reward forms are most effective because they motivate both at the individual and the team level

Effective Team Size

ideal is 5-8 people; 10 is the maximum

Adjourning

task completed, feeling of achievement; leaders should emphasize the valuable lessons learned

Storming

testing leader's policies and assumptions and how they fit into the power struggle; subgroups take shape and subtle forms of rebellion occur

Social Loafing

the tendency for individual effort to decline as group size increases

Work Group

two or more freely interacting individuals who share norms and goals and have a common identity

What are the five common teamwork competencies?

Contributes to the teams work and is committed, collaborative, and competent; constructively interacts with team members; keeps team on track; expects quality work; possesses relevant KSAs for team's responsibilities

How are teams different from groups?

Teams are task groups that have matured to the performing stage and have common commitment; teams assemble to accomplish a common task and require collaboration