Chapter 11 Teams: Characteristics and Diversity

Team diversity

the degree to which team members are different from one another

Goal Interdependence

the degree to which team members have a shared goal and align their individual goals with that vision

Task Interdependence

the degree to which team members interact with and rely on other team members for information, materials, and resources needed to accomplish work for the team

Outcome Interdependence

the degree to which team members share equally in the feedback and rewards that result from the team achieving its goals

Team Composition

the mix of the various characteristics that describe the individuals who work in the team

Teams

tow or more people who work interdependently over some time period to accomplish common goals related to some task-oriented purpose

What effect does task interdependence have on team commitment?

weak relationship

Hybrid outcome interdependence

when team members receive rewards based on both their individual performance and that of the team to which they belong (reward for both team and individual goals being met)

Group

collection of two or more people

Deep-level diversity

diversity of attributes that are inferred through observation or experience, such as one's values or personality

Surface-level diversity

diversity of observable attributes such as race, gender, ethnicity, and age can see it literally

When is having a large number of team members beneficial?

management and project teams with complex and knowledge-intensive tasks

What are the five aspects of team composition?

member roles member ability member personality team diversity team size

What effect does task interdependence have on team performance?

moderate positive

Additive tasks

tasks for which the contributions from every member add up to determine team performance

Conjunctive tasks

tasks for which the team's performance depends on the abilities of the team's weakest link make sure they do not stand out you are only as strong as the weakest member

Disjunctive tasks

tasks with an objectively verifiable best solution for which the member with the highest level of ability has the most influence on the team effectiveness

Team viability

team commitment; the likelihood a team can work together effectively into the future

What are the two components of team effectiveness?

team performance team viability

When is having a small number of team members beneficial?

teams involved in production tasks

What does goal interdependence ensure?

that the team has a formalized mission statement that the members buy into

What percentage of employees in the US work in a team as part of their job?

50%

Pooled Interdependence

a form of task independence in which group members complete their work assignments independently, and then their work is simply added together to represent the group's output

Reciprocal Interdependence

a form of task interdependence in which group members interact with only a limited subset of other members to complete the team's work

Sequential Interdependence

a form of task interdependence in which group members perform different tasks in a prescribed sequence, and members depend on only the member who comes before them in the sequence order

Comprehensive Interdependence

a form of task interdependence in which team members have a great deal of discretion in terms of what they do and with whom they interact in the course of the collaboration involved in accomplishing the team's work

Work Team

a relatively permanent team in which members work together to produce goods and/or provide services front line workers

Management Team

a relatively permanent team that participates in managerial-level tasks that affect the entire organization strategies

Parallel Team

a team composed of members from various jobs within the organization that meets to provide recommendations about important issues

Project Teams

a team formed to take on one-time tasks, most of which tend to be complex and require input from members from different functional areas specific reasons

Virtual Team

a team in which the members are geographically dispersed, and interdependent activity occurs through email, web conferencing, and instant messaging

Action Team

a team of limited duration that performs complex tasks in contexts that tend to be highly visible and challenging airline pilot surgeon

Similarity-attraction approach

a theory explaining that team diversity can be counterproductive because people tend to avoid interacting with others who are unlike them

Value in diversity problem-solving approach

a theory that supports team diversity because it provides a larger pool of knowledge and perspectives

Member personality

personality traits affect the roles that team members take on, as well as how teams function and perform as units avoid personality conflicts

What is the difference between the two models of team development?

some develop in a predictable sequence whereas many develop in a less linear fashion