MGMT 310 Exam 3 Study Guide
How is leadership different from management?
Leaders have generative tasks, managers have implementation tasks
What are organizational politics?
individual actions directed toward the goal of furthering self-interests
What factors are involved in team composition?
member roles, member ability, member personality, team diversity, team size
· According to the time-sensitive model of decision making strategies (or, the time-driven model of leadership), what factors combine to make some decision making styles more or less effective in a given situation?
1. Decisions significance 2. Importance of commitment 3. Leader expertise 4. Likelihood of commitment 5. Shared objectives 6. Employee expertise 7. Teamwork skills
What is a team?
A team consists of two or more people who work interdependently over some time period to accomplish common goals related to some task-oriented purpose
· How is a team different from a group?
A team has a common purpose, a group coordinates their individual efforts
o What personality factors are most important for teams?
Agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion
What four styles can leaders use to make decisions?
Autocratic - leader makes decisions without asking for other's opinions or suggestions Consultative - gives employees a say in the process, but ultimately makes decision alone Facilitative - leader presents problem to group and seeks consensus on solution Delegative - gives employees responsibility to make decision within some set of specified boundary conditions
How do leaders use their power/influence to resolve conflicts in the workplace?
Avoidance - need to let people cool down (low assertiveness, low cooperation) Accommodation - realize you are wrong, issue is more important to other person, build credit for the future (Low assertiveness, high cooperation) Competition - party attempts to get goals met without concerns for other party's results (high assertive, low cooperative) Collaboration - both parties work together to maximize outcomes (high assertiveness, high cooperation)
What are the team states?
Cohesion - development of strong emotional bonds to other team members Potency - degree to which team members believe the team can be effective across different types of situations Mental models - level of common understanding among team members with regard to important aspects of the team and its task Transactive memory - how specialized knowledge is distributed among members in a manner that results in an effective system of memory for the item
What is a social dilemma?
Collective interest at odds with private interests
What factors influence the communication process in teams?
Communicator Issues - lack of communication competence, emotions, and emotional intelligence Noise - interferes with the message being transmitted Information richness - the amount of depth of information transmitted in message Network structure - pattern of communication that occurs regularly among each member
What causes process loss?
Coordination loss - members need to not only accomplish their own tasks, but work together to coordinate their activities with their teammates' activities (Production blocking) Motivational loss - members don't work as hard as they could (Social loafing - occurs because team members feel reduced accountability for team outcomes)
What are the three kinds of taskwork processes?
Creative behavior - generate novel and useful ideas/solutions Decision making - three factors come into play to determine whether teams make effective decisions decision infirmity, staff validity, and hierarchical sensitivity Boundary spanning -tasks/ activities with individuals other than team members
What steps can organizations take to improve team processes?
Cross-training - training team members in the duties and responsibilities of their teammates (Personal clarification - training in which members simply receive information regarding the roles of the other team members Positional modeling - involves team members observing how other members perform their roles Positional rotation - gives members actual experience carrying out the responsibilities of their teammates)
What are the three parts to decision making?
Decision infirmity - reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities Staff validity - refers to the degree to which members make good recommendations to the team leader Hierarchical sensitivity - reflects the degree to which the leader effectively weighs the recommendations of the members
What are the ways in which leaders negotiate in the workplace?
Distributive bargaining - win-lose style with fixed pie, zero sum conditions Integrative bargaining - win-win style utilizing mutual respect and problem solving
· How does leadership affect job performance and organizational commitment?
Leadership and performance have moderately positive correlation Leadership and commitment have strong positive correlation
What are the kinds of social networks?
Entrepreneurial network - individual bridges across "structural holes," connecting individuals or groups that would otherwise not be connected Clique network - most members are directly linked to each other
Stages in Linear Team Formation
Forming - ice breaking stage, uncertain about who's in charge Storming - individuals test leader's policies and assumptions as they try to determine how they fit in: subtle groups form Norming - members realize they need to work together to accomplish goals Performing - members are comfortable within their roles and the team starts making progress towards goal Adjourning - members experience anxiety/emotions as they disengage from team
Stages in Nonlinear Team Formation
Forming and pattern creation Inertia Punctuated Equilibrium Process Revision Inertia
Decision making pitfalls of teams
Groupthink - tendency of members to conform to the consensus viewpoint in group decision-making Abilene paradox - paradox where a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of any of the individuals in a group Group polarization - tendency for group discussion to intensify group opinion, producing more extreme judgment than would be obtained by pooling individual views
What are the recommendations for team size? How big is too big?
Having a greater number of members is beneficial for management and project teams (more resources) but not for teams engaged in production tasks (too many cooks in kitchen)
What are promoters of conflict?
Heightened evaluation - constantly criticizing others Abusing power - "my way or the highway" Intransigence - non being willing to compromise Neutrality/ Indirect communication - lack of commitment Avoidance - running away from problem Assuming others' intentions - telling someone why they did something Telling others and not the source - rated as one of the most destructive behaviors
What types of problems do teams present to managers, and how can we solve them?
High outcome interdependence may result in reduced motivation, especially among higher performing members, but can be solved with hybrid outcome interdependence (members receive rewards that are dependent on both their team's performance and how well they perform as individual
OSU versus Michigan studies: two dimensions
Initiating structure - defining and structuring the roles of employees for goal attainment Consideration - creating job relationships characterized by mutual trust, respect, and consideration of employees feelings
How does the Life Cycle Theory of Leadership state that situations affect these two dimensions?
Initiating structure/consideration may be more or less important depending upon the readiness of employees on the work unit
What are the four key dimensions that make up transformational leadership?
Inspirational motivation - leader inspires followers and fosters enthusiasm for a common goal Intellectual motivation - leader stimulates followers to "think outside the box" and creatively Individualized consideration - leader acts as a coach, advisor, etc. to help followers achieve goals Idealized influence - Leader is charismatic
What is leader-member exchange?
Leader and member relationships develop over time on a dyadic basis
· Can leaders be trained to be more effective?
Leaders can be trained to be effective. In fact, such training can be used to increase transformational leadership behaviors, despite the fact that charisma is somewhat dependent on personality and genetic factors.
What contingency factors make it more or less difficult for leaders to exert their power?
Leaders can better use their power when they have: Low substitutability - leader is the only person who controls the resources High discretion - leader has the ability to make decisions High centrality - leader's role is important to other's roles High visibility - how aware others are that the leader is in a position of power and influence
What are the different types of power that leaders possess?
Legitimate - has the title; "formal authority" Reward - person has control over rewards/resources Coercive - person controls punishments Information - person has access to and control over information that others need to complete their work Personal - captures the "something else" factor not captured by formal roles Expert - person has the expertise, tacit knowledge, skills that others depend on Referent - followers have the desire to identify and/or be associated with the person
What are the two models of team formation?
Linear and nonlinear
What is a leadership prototype?
Mental representation of the traits and behaviors that you believe are possessed by leader
Difference between MU and OSU studies
Michigan studies could only be the high on either initiating structure or consideration; OSU deemed high initiating structure and high consideration most effective leaders
What are the types of transition processes?
Mission analysis - involves an analysis of the team's task, the challenges that face the team, and the resources available for completing the team's work Strategy formulation - refers to the development of courses of action and contingency plans and then adapting those plans in light of changes that occur in the team's environment Goal specification - involves the development and prioritization of goals related to the team's mission and strategy
What influence tactics/behaviors do leaders exhibit when trying to influence others, and which are most effective?
Most effective Rational persuasion - use of logical arguments/ hard facts Consultation - target is allowed to help decide how to carry out tasks Inspirational appeal - appeals to target's ideals Collaboration - leader helps make task accomplishment easier for the target Moderately effective Ingratiation - use of favors, compliments ("sucking up") Personal appeals - requestor asks for something based on personal friendship and/or loyalty Apprising - requestor explains how task will benefit the person being asked Exchange - offers rewards in exchange for a request Least effective Pressure - coercive power; threats Coalitions - influencer enlists other people to help influence target
What are the types of interpersonal processes?
Motivating and confidence building - things that team members do or say that affect the degree to which members are motivated to work hard on the task Conflict management - activities that the team uses to manage conflicts that arise the course of its work
What dimensions make up political skill?
Networking ability - identifying and developing diverse contacts Social astuteness - tendency to observe others and accurately interpret behavior
What are the two factors that comprise team effectiveness?
Performance - team performance in the context of student project teams most often means the quality with which the team completes assignments and projects, as well as the grades they earn. Viability - refers to the likelihood that the tam can work together effectively in the future
What is process gain versus process loss when discussing team processes?
Process gain - getting more from the team than you would expect according to the capabilities of its individual members Process loss - getting less from the team than you would expect based on the capabilities of its individual members
What are the pros and cons associated with team diversity?
Pros: value in diversity problem-solving approach, larger pool of knowledge Cons: Similarity attraction approach, people are attracted to those similar to them
What are team processes?
Reflects the different types of activities and interactions that occur within teams and contribute to their ultimate end goals
Types of conflict
Relationship conflict - disagreements based on personal/ social issues unrelated to work Task conflict - disagreements about the work being done Process conflict - disagreements about the task strategy and delegation of duties and resources
What are the self-similarity and proximity principles in networks?
Self-similarity principle - when you make network contacts, you tend to choose people who resemble you in some way Proximity principle - workers prefer to populate their networks with the people they spend the most time with (people from same department)
· What is organizational culture?
Set of values, attitudes, beliefs, and expected behavior shared by members of an organization
What is the difference between power and status?
Status - respect and admiration granted by others Power - ability to influence behavior of others and resist unwanted influence in return
What are the types of action processes?
Systems monitoring - involves keeping track of things that the team needs to accomplish its work Helping behavior - involves members going out of their way to help or back up other team members Coordination - synchronizing team members' activities in a way that makes them mesh effectively and seamlessly
What are the four negotiation essentials?
Target point - point which would produce the best possible solution BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) - if your negotiation fails, what will you do? Reservation Point - the minimum youre willing to accept Bargaining zone - space between the buyer's reservation price and the sellers reservation price; the zone of possible agreement
What are the three general types of team interdependence?
Task interdependence (team members interact with and rely on others for information, materials, and resource needed to accomplish work for team) Goal interdependence (team members have a shared vision of the team's goal and align their individual goals with that vision as a result) Outcome interdependence (team members share in the rewards that the team earns)
How do team characteristics influence team effectiveness?
Task interdependence has a moderate-positive relationship with team performance and a weak relationship with team commitment.
How do team processes affect team effectiveness?
Team processes have a strong impact on team effectiveness
Trait v. Behavioral v. Situational Era
Trait Era - leaders are born, not made Behavioral Era - leaders are made Situational Era - aspects of situation determine the kinds of leader traits, skills, behaviors
How does transformational differ from transactional leadership? Laissez-Faire?
Transformational - a pattern of behaviors that inspires followers to commit to a shared vision that provides meaning to their work and sets the leader up as a role model Transactional - built around exchanges of rewards/punishments Laissez-Faire - absence of action
What are the five general types of teams, and how are they distinct from one another?
Work team - produce goods or provide services Management team - integrate activities of subunits across business functions Parallel team - provide recommendations and resolve issues Project team - produce a one-time output Action team - perform complex tasks that vary in duration and take place in highly visible or challenging circumstances
What is power?
ability to influence behavior of others and resist unwanted influence in return
What is political skill?
ability to understand others and use that knowledge to influence them for personal and organizational objectives
What are taskwork processes?
activities of team members that relate directly to the accomplishment of team tasks
What does it mean for a leader to be effective?
degree to which a leader's actions result in the achievement of the unit's goals, continued commitment of the unit's employees, and the development of mutual trust, respect, and obligation
· What is culture strength?
degree to which employees agree about how things should be within the organization and behave accordingly
What does employee readiness mean?
degree to which employees have the ability and willingness to accomplish their specific tasks
How do employees typically react to organizational politics?
negatively
What is the difference between adaptive and non-adaptive cultures?
o Adaptive cultures are risk-taking and open to change, while non-adaptive are risk averse and emphasize maintaining current processes
· How is culture maintained and reinforced?
o Attraction - Selection - Attrition (ASA) model § Potential employees will be attracted to organizations whose cultures match their own personality, some potential applicants wont apply due to perceived lack of fit o Socialization § Primary process where employees learn the social knowledge that enables them to understand and adapt to the organizations culture
What are the specific culture types?
o Customer service - focused on service quality o Safety culture - focused on safety of employees o Diversity culture - focused on fostering or taking an advantage of a diverse group of employees o Creativity culture - fosters creative atmosphere
· What is person-organization fit?
o Degree to which a person's personality and values match the culture of an organization
· What are the general culture types? What two dimensions do they vary on?
o Fragmented culture - employees are distant and disconnected from one another o Mercenary cultures - employees think alike but aren't friendly to one another o Networked cultures - all employees are friendly to one another, but everyone thinks differently and does their own thing o Communal cultures - friendly employees who all think alike o Vary on: § Solidarity - degree to which group members think/act alike § Sociability - how friendly employees are to one another
What are the three components of organizational culture?
o Observable artifacts - manifestations of an organization's culture that employees can easily see or talk about (symbols, physical structures, language) o Espoused values - beliefs, philosophies, and norms that a company explicitly states o Basic underlying assumptions - ingrained beliefs and philosophies of employees (they don't have to think about them, they simply do them)
What is a knowledge broker?
person that aims to develop relationships with, among, and between producers and users of knowledge
How do team characteristics affect team performance and team commitment?
task interdependence has a moderate positive effect on team performance and weak relationship with team commitment
What are virtual teams?
teams in which the members are geographically dispersed, and interdependent activity occurs through electronic communications (email, IM, web conferencing)
How do team processes affect team performance and commitment to the team?
teamwork processes have a moderate positive effect on team performance and a strong positive effect on team commitment
What is charisma?
the ability to persuade others through novel and appealing vision, well reasoned and powerful message, self-sacrifice and personal risk, rousing passion and emotion in others
What is leadership?
the use of power and influence to direct the activities of followers toward goal achievement
What are the teamwork processes?
transition processes, action processes, interpersonal processes
What is influence?
use of behaviors to cause behavioral or attitudinal changes in others
o What types of tasks do teams have and how do they relate to member ability?
§ Disjunctive tasks - member who possesses the highest level of ability relevant to the task will have the most influence on the team; requires only one teammate to perform well § Conjunctive tasks - tasks where it is critical that every member of the team possesses abilities to complete task § Additive tasks - abilities of members "add up"; require summing of each member's effort on output when each member has an equal part to play
o What are the pros and cons associated with having a strong culture?
§ Pros: · Differentiates organization, gives employees identity, facilitates desired behaviors, creates stability § Cons: · More difficult to merge with another organization, attracts similar kinds of employees, makes adapting to environment more difficult
What are the different member roles?
§ Team task roles - behaviors that directly facilitate the accomplishment of team tasks § Team building roles - behaviors that are targeted at positively influencing the quality of a team's social climate § Individualistic roles - behaviors intended to benefit the individual at the expense of the team
