Management Chapter 13

Abilene Paradox

A situation occurring when members of a group publicly agree on a course of action even though there is an underlying consensus agreement that an alternative course is preferred.

product development team

A special type of project team that is formed to devise, design, and implement a new product

avoiding style

A style displaying low assertiveness and low cooperation

performing

Members have reached a level of maturity that facilitates total task development

Quality Assurance team

Team formed to recommend changes that will positively affect the quality of the organization's products

adjourning

The tasks are completed and the team or group disbands

group think

a condition in which poor decision making occurs because the desire to maintain group cohesiveness precludes the critical evaluation of alternative courses of action

competing style

a management style involving a stance of high assertiveness with low cooperation

competing

a new CEO comes into a struggling company and uses aggressive management tactics to fire hundreds of workers without the advice of the management team

committee

a permanent formal team that does some specific task

collaborating style

a style displaying both high assertiveness and high competition

accomodating style

a style exhibiting low assertiveness and high cooperation

compromising style

a style that reflects a moderate concern for both your goals and the other person's goals

research and development (R&D) team

a team formed to develop new products, may be cross-functional, and is often used in high-tech industries

compromising

a union and a major company negotiate on a cost-of-living adjustment in a way that both parties find acceptable

task specialist

are behaviors oriented toward generating information and resolving problems

facilitators

are leaders who help the group overcome internal obstacles or difficulties so that it may achieve desired outcomes

Pivotal Norms

are standards that are critical for group success

roles

are the behaviors expected of and demonstrated by specific individuals in groups

periipheral norms

are those that are accepted by some but are not important for organizational success

informal

arising naturally from social interaction and relationships

teams

collective work group performance and outcomes are what counts most in

norms, values and goals

conformity means adherence to the group's

top management team

consists of higher-level executives of the organization whose responsibilities include setting strategic goals for the firm

formal

created by the organization

forming

group members meet for the first time, become acquainted, and become familiar with the group's tasks

cross-functional

groups cut cross the firm's hierarchy and are composed of people from different functional areas and possibly even different levels

group maintenance roles

help the group engage in constructive interpersonal relationships and help members fulfill personal needs and derive satisfaction from group participation

antigroup roles

include behaviors that disrupt the group, draw attention to individual rather than group functioning, and detract from positive interactions

groups

individual performance and outcomes are most important in

Boundary Spanning roles

involve interacting with members in other units of the organization or even outside the organization

team

is a small group whose members have complementary skills as well as a common purpose, goals, and approach, and who hold themselves mutually accountable

political maneuvering

is considered negative because it consumes valuable time better spent on productive matters, often subverts organizational goals, diverts human energy, and can result in the loss of valuable employees who cannot or do not wish the "play the game"

socialization

is the process by which an individual learns the norms, values, goals, and expectations of an organization

cohesiveness

is the tendency of group members to unite in their pursuit of group goals and to be attracted to the group and each other

Group

is two or more person who communicate, share a collective identity, and have a common goal.

relevant

norms are fairly important but not as critical as pivotal norms

pivotal, relevant, peripheral

norms tend to be of 3 levels

negotiation

occurs when two or more parties discuss a problem with the intent to resolve differences and come up with a solution

Conformity, agreement

one common problem many teams face is dealing with the related issue of

functional groups

perform specific organizational functions, with members from several vertical levels of the hierarchy

group norms

prescribe appropriate behavior for group members and help reduce the disruption and chaos that would ensue if group members didn't know how to act

Politics

refers to maneuvering to try to gain an advantage in the distribution of organizational rewards or resources

7

research into a group decision making has suggested that the ideal group size is about

project team

similar to task forces, but responsible for running their operations and are totally in control of a specific work projects

integrative negotiation

takes the perspective that successful integration between the parties can enlarge the pie, creating beneficial solutions for both parties

distributive negotiation

takes the view that there are only so many resources to go around (a "fixed pie")

virtual team

team consisting of people from different locations that communicate on projects through technology such as email, videoconferencing, faxing, and other forms of digital communication

self-directed work team

team of employees who are responsible for a process or segments of a job that delivers a good or service to a customer, either internal or external

task force

team of temporary employees responsible for bringing about a particular change

avoiding

the leaders of an organization ignore employee concerns about potential misconduct because they do not want to interrupt performance

heterogeneous

the more ___ a group, the better it is at problem solving

storming

the stage where conflict occurs as team members assert their roles, jockey for leadership positions, and make known their feelings and thoughts about the tasks

norming

the stage where conflicts are largely resolved and harmony ensues

accommodating

the supervisor of a department allows her employees to engage in flex-time and spend more time with their families

collaborating

two companies in a joint venture work together to share technology without comparing their trade secrets

trust

underlies the entire concept of empowerment and self-directed work teams