Week 8 - BA

informal group

A group that managers or non-managerial employees form to help achieve their own goals or meet their own needs.

blog

A Web site on which an individual, group, or organization posts information, commentary, and opinions and to which readers can often respond with their own commentary and opinions.

social networking site

A Web site that enables people to communicate with others with whom they have some common interest or connection.

task force

A committee of managers or nonmanagerial employees from various departments or divisions who meet to solve a specii c, mutual problem; also called ad hoc committee.

intranet

A company wide system of computer networks.

disadvantage of small rather

A disadvantage of small rather than large groups is that members of small groups have fewer resources available to accomplish their goals.

management by wandering around

A face-to-face communication technique in which a manager walks around a work area and talks informally with employees about issues and concerns.

Internet

A global system of computer networks.

formal group

A group that managers establish to achieve organizational goals.

command group

A group composed of subordinates who report to the same supervisor; also called department or unit.

top management team

A group composed of the CEO, the president, and the heads of the most important departments.

self-managed work team

A group of employees who supervise their own activities and monitor the quality of the goods and services they provide.

team

A group whose members work intensely with one another to achieve a specific common goal or objective.

Medium Determining

A manager's personality is not a determining factor regarding medium.

A message is clear when

A message is clear when it is easy for the receiver to understand and interpret, and it is complete when it contains all the information that the sender and receiver need to reach a common understanding.

linguistic style

A person's characteristic way of speaking.

group role

A set of behaviors and tasks that a member of a group is expected to perform because of his or her position in the group.

Team

A team is a group whose members work intensely with each other to achieve a specific, common goal or objective.

virtual team

A team whose members rarely or never meet face-to face but, rather, interact by using various forms of information technology such as e-mail, computer networks, telephone, fax, and video conferences.

information richness

The amount of information that a communication medium can carry and the extent to which the medium enables the sender and receiver to reach a common understanding.

The culture of the organization

The culture of the organization stresses flexibility and knowledge sharing, and the organization does not have a rigid hierarchy of authority.

group cohesiveness

The degree to which members are attracted to or loyal to their group.

task interdependence

The degree to which the work performed by one member of a group influences the work performed by other members.

nonverbal communication

The encoding of messages by means of facial expressions, body language, and styles of dress.

verbal communication

The encoding of messages into words, either written or spoken.

verbal communication

The encoding of messages into words, written or spoken, is verbal communication.

formal work groups

The formal work groups are cross-functional teams composed of members from different departments.

telecomuters

The growing popularity of e-mail has also enabled many workers and managers to become telecommuters—people who are employed by organizations and work out of offices in their own homes.

message

The information that a sender wants to share.

medium

The pathway through which an encoded message is transmitted to a receiver.

medium

The pathway through which an encoded message is transmitted to a receiver.

communication networks

The pathways along which information flows in groups and teams and throughout the organization.

receiver

The person or group for which a message is intended.

sender

The person or group wishing to share information.

information overload

The potential for important information to be ignored or overlooked while tangential information receives attention.

communication

The sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a common understanding.

pooled task interdependence

The task interdependence that exists when group members make separate and independent contributions to group performance.

sequential task interdependence

The task interdependence that exists when group members must perform specific tasks in a predetermined order.

reciprocal task interdependence

The task interdependence that exists when the work performed by each group member is fully dependent on the work performed by other group members.

social loafing

The tendency of individuals to put forth less effort when they work in groups than when they work alone.

???

The work is group-based, and members are rewarded, at least in part, for group performance is a condition where groupware is successful.

Top management teams

Top management teams are responsible for developing the strategies that result in an organization's competitive advantage.

encoding

Translating a message into understandable symbols or language.

group

Two or more people who interact with each other to accomplish certain goals or meet certain needs.

filtering

Withholding part of a message because of the mistaken belief that the receiver does not need or will not want the information.

ad hoc

Task forces are sometimes called ad hoc committees.

Face-to-face communication

Face-to-face communication is the medium that is highest in information richness.

Advantage of Synergy

Advantage of Synergy - People in a group are able to produce more outputs than would have been produced if each person had worked separately.

grapevine

An informal communication network along which unofficial information flows.

friendship group

An informal group composed of employees who enjoy one another's company and socialize with one another

interest group

An informal group composed of employees seeking to achieve a common goal related to their membership in an organization.

noise

Anything that hampers any stage of the communication process.

information distortion

Changes in the meaning of a message as the message passes through a series of senders and receivers.

groupware

Computer software that enables members of groups and teams to share information with one another.

Cross-cultural teams

Cross-cultural teams are composed of members from different cultures or countries.

norming

During the third stage, norming, close ties between group members develop, and feelings of friendship and camaraderie emerge.

Elements of linguistic style

Elements of linguistic style include tone of voice, speed, volume, use of pauses, directness or indirectness, choice of words, credit taking, and use of questions, jokes, and other manners of speech.

Factors that contribute to synergy

Factors that contribute to synergy *Ability of group members to bounce ideas off one another *To correct one another's mistakes *To bring a diverse knowledge base to bear on a problem *To accomplish work that is too vast for any one individual to achieve

Group cohesiveness

Group cohesiveness is the degree to which members are attracted to or loyal to their group or team.

Groups and teams can...

Groups and teams can... *Enhance performance. *Increase responsiveness to customers. *Increase innovation. *Increase motivation and satisfaction.

Groups develop norms

Groups develop norms concerning a wide variety of behaviors, including working hours, the sharing of information among group members, how certain group tasks should be performed, and even how members of a group should dress.

norms

Groups develop norms concerning a wide variety of behaviors, including working hours, the sharing of information among group members, how certain group tasks should be performed, and even how members of a group should dress.

Groupware

Groupware is computer software that enables members of groups and teams to share information with one another to improve their communication and performance.

collaboration software

Groupware that promotes and facilitates collaborative, highly interdependent interactions and provides an electronic meeting site for communication among team members.

circle network

In a circle network, group members communicate with others who are similar to them in experiences, beliefs, areas of expertise, background, office location, or even where they sit when the group meets.

Information richness

Information richness is the amount of information a communication medium can carry and the extent to which the medium enables the sender and receiver to reach a common understanding.

Innovation

Innovation, which often takes place in cross-functional teams, also requires effective communication.

decoding

Interpreting and trying to make ense of a message.

Management by wandering

Management by wandering around is a face-to-face communication technique that is effective for many managers at all levels in an organization.

Japan style

Managers from Japan tend to be more formal in their conversations and more deferential toward upper-level managers.

synergy

Performance gains that result when individuals and departments coordinate their actions.

Pooled task interdependence

Pooled task interdependence exists when group members make separate and independent contributions to group performance.

Reciprocal task interdependence

Reciprocal task interdependence exists when the work performed by each group member is fully dependent on the work performed by other group members; group members have to share information, intensely interact with one another, and coordinate their efforts in order for the group to achieve its goals.

cohesiveness

Research suggests that managers should strive to have a moderate level of cohesiveness in the groups and teams they manage because that is most likely to contribute to an organization's competitive advantage.

Responsiveness to Customers

Responsiveness to Customers *Difficult to achieve given the many constraints. *Safety issues, regulations, costs. *Cross-functional teams can provide the wide variety of skills needed to meet customer demands. *Teams consist of members of different departments.

Role making

Role making occurs when a manager of a group encourages members of the group to take on additional responsibilities as they see the need to modify their roles within the group.

Rumors

Rumors are unofficial pieces of information of interest to organizational members but with no identifiable source.

Self-managed work teams

Self-managed work teams are teams in which members are empowered and have the responsibility and autonomy to complete identifiable pieces of work.

group norms

Shared guidelines or rules for behavior that most group members follow.

jargon

Specialized language that members of an occupation, group, or organization develop to facilitate communication among themselves.

division of labor

Splitting the work to be performed into particular tasks and assigning tasks to individual workers.

command group

Subordinates who report to the same supervisor compose a command group.

role making

Taking the initiative to modify an assigned role by assuming additional responsibilities.

research and development team

research and development team A team whose members have the expertise and experience needed to develop new products.

rumors

rumors Unofficial pieces of information of interest to organizational members but with no identifiable source.