Chapter 10

Marin delayed the delivery of one of the projects she was in charge of because her productivity was low and she took too many days off work. Her team members completed their share of work on time. In this scenario, Marin's actions exemplify _____.

social loafing

For most teams, the right size is somewhere between _____.

six and nine members

Types of compensation

skill-based pay gainsharing non-financial rewards

decision-making skills

skills in defining problems and selecting the best courses of action

interpersonal skills

the ability to deal effectively with other people

conflict resolution skills

the ability to end a disagreement or keep it from becoming a larger conflict

Team diversity

the degree to which team members are different from one another

Conflict

C-type v. A-type

Stretch goals

ambitious goals that workers don't know how to reach

gainsharing

companies share the financial value of performance gains with their workers

Norms

informally agreed-on standards that regulate team behavior

technical skills

the specialized procedures, techniques, and knowledge required to get the job done

Advantages of Teams

- increase customer satisfaction - improve product and service quality - increase speed and efficiency in product development - increase job satisfaction - share the benefits of group decision making

Use teams when...

-there is a clear, engaging reason or purpose -the job can't be done unless people work together -rewards can be provided for teamwork and team performance -ample resources are available

Don't use teams when...

-there isn't a clear, engaging reason or purpose -the job can be done by people working independently -rewards are provided for individual effort and performance -the necessary resources are not available

Stages of Team Development

1. Forming 2. Storming 3. Norming 4. Performing 5. Adjourning

Size

6-9 members

In the context of work teams, which of the following increases employee job satisfaction?

Being involved in decision-making processes

Team level

Average level of ability experience, personality, or other factors in a team

Special kinds of teams

Cross-functional teams Virtual teams Project teams

Which of the following is less appropriate for teams of highly skilled workers?

Cross-training

Which of the following is the key to rewarding team behaviors and efforts?

Giving rewards that are dependent on team performance

Decision making disadvantages

Groupthink, minority domination, lack of accountability, and inefficient meetings

Which of the following signs indicates that a team's size needs to be changed?

If a few members dominate the team

Selection

Individualism-collectivism team level team diversity

Which of the following is created to complete specific, one-time tasks within a limited time?

Project team

Enhancing work-team effectiveness

Setting Team Goals and Priorities, Selecting People for Teamwork, Team Training, & Team Compensation and Recognition

Work Team Characteristics

Team norms Team cohesiveness Team size Team conflict Stages of team development

In the context of team compensation and recognition, which of the following encourages employees to acquire the abilities that they will need to perform multiple jobs within a team and to share knowledge with others within their work groups?

Skill-based pay programs

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely

All the members of the sales team at Arkema are new hires. The team members need to work together to ensure that clients' requirements are fulfilled and weekly targets set by the company are adequately met. However, the team members are often involved in minor arguments and find it difficult to work with each other. In which of the following stages of team development is this team most likely to resolve petty differences among its members?

Storming stage

Improved performance

Stretch goals, autonomy, empowerment, structural accommodation, and bureaucratic immunity

Which of the following means giving teams the ability to change organizational designs, policies, and practices if doing so helps them meet their stretch goals?

Structural accommodation

Virtual teams

Teams that use information technologies in order to accomplish a common task

problem-solving skills

The ability to find solutions to obstacles or problems

Traditional work groups

a group composed of two or more people who work together to achieve a shared goal

Semi-autonomous work groups

a group that has the authority to make decisions and solve problems related to the major tasks of producing a product or service

Work teams

a small number of people with complementary skills who hold themselves mutually accountable for pursuing a common purpose, achieving performance goals, and improving interdependent work processes

Self-designing teams

a team that has the characteristics of self-managing teams but also controls team design, work tasks, and team membership

Self-managing teams

a team that manages and controls all of the major tasks of producing a product or service

Project teams

created to complete specific, one-time projects or tasks within a limited time

In the context of autonomy, unlike self-managing teams, self-designing teams _____.

can control and change the memberships of the teams

skill-based pay

compensation system that pays employees for learning additional skills or knowledge

Every month a group of workers at Orkden Pharmacy meets at the company head office to discuss issues pertaining to equipment maintenance, workplace safety, and drug quality. The workers provide suggestions to the top management about how to solve most of these problems, but the decision to take any action is completely up to the top management. This group is an example of a(n) _____.

employee involvement team

Carmine Inc. is a software firm that caters to the requirements of its clients. At Carmine, work teams have access to all vital and confidential data that is normally accessible only to managers. This helps motivate teams and keep them well informed. In this scenario, the employee-friendly workplace culture is most likely to increase _____.

employee job satisfaction

Cross-functional teams

employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task

The product development team of a company conducts a meeting to discuss the worthiness of launching a new product in the market. The majority of the team members support the idea and believe it would sell in the market. However, one member, Jeff, is not very sure of the success of the product in the market but decides not to voice his opinion fearing that his dynamics with the team might be affected. This scenario illustrates the concept of _____.

groupthink

Disadvantages of Teams

initially high turnover, social loafing, and the problems associated with group decision making

Training

interpersonal skills decision-making skills problem-solving skills conflict resolution skills technical skills training for team leaders

Compensation

level of reward and level of performance (individual/team)

Madalyn and Omer believe that they are the spokespersons for their team, and all the other team members are incapable of coming up with any plans on their own. As a result, they do not allow any other team member to speak during meetings and discussions. This work team is most likely experiencing _____.

minority domination

Decision making advantages

multiple perspectives, more alternative solutions, and commitment to decisions

bureaucratic immunity

only respond to top management

A team of scientists is assembled to conduct research on a new source of renewable energy. Research and development will continue for one year after which the team will be disbanded. This team is an example of a(n) _____.

project team

Harrison, the vice president of Walnut Corp., has observed that the sales team and the marketing team are often fighting over shared resources after the company encountered a financial crisis. This scenario illustrates the concept of _____.

team conflict

Employee involvement teams

team that provides advice or makes suggestions to management concerning specific issues and meet on a regular basis

Empowerment

teams are given control over resources, budgets, etc

Autonomy

teams have control over how and when to accomplish goals

Structural accommodation

the ability to change organizational structures, policies, and practices in order to meet stretch goals

Individualism v Collectivism

the extent to which people act on their own or as a part of a group

Cohesiveness

the extent to which team members are attracted to a team and motivated to remain in it

Forming

the first stage of team development, in which team members meet each other, form initial impressions, and begin to establish team norms

Performing

the fourth and final stage of team development, in which performance improves because the team has matured into an effective, fully functioning team

Adjourning

the goal, task or purpose of the group is complete so the team dissolves

Storming

the second stage of development, characterized by conflict and disagreement, in which team members disagree over what the team should do and how it should do it

Norming

the third stage of team development, in which team members begin to settle into their roles, group cohesion grows, and positive team norms develop

Gabriel, a salesman, completed his day's tasks and was about to leave when Mary, his supervisor, realized that there was a pending task and assigned it to Gabriel. Gabriel refused to complete the task by stating that he had finished his share of work for the day. He suggested that Mary assign the task to someone else. Mary stated that if he refused to complete the task, he would no longer have a job in the company. Within days, Gabriel's attitude improved, and now he is more cooperative and agrees to work on various tasks. Based on the scenario, Gabriel is most likely part of a(n) _____.

traditional work group

Gina was hired by her company because she agreed to work overtime and carry out all tasks assigned to her as per the instructions. She also signed a contract that would terminate her from the company if she was unable to comply with the organization's policies. Given this information, Gina is most likely part of a(n) _____.

traditional work group

Kinds of Teams

traditional work groups, employee involvement teams, semi-autonomous work groups, self-managing teams, and self-designing teams

training for team leaders

train team leaders so the role of team leader is clear and where to go for help

Non-financial rewards

vacations, T-shirts, awards, certificates

EmployIT is a newly established recruitment company. It does not have adequate funds to rent out an office space for its employees so all the employees work from home. The employees communicate with each other through email and a third party video chat and voice call application. This scenario illustrates that the employees are part of a(n) _____.

virtual team