MGMT 370 - Chapter 13
Benefits of a team
1 + 1 ≥ 2 Team performance is better than individual performance
Anti-group Role
1. Blocking 2. Seeking recognition 3. Dominating 4. Avoiding
Five major styles of dealing with conflict
1. Competing 2. Avoiding 3. Accommodating 4. Collaborative 5. Compromising
Group-Maintenance Role
1. Encouraging 2. Harmonizing 3. Setting group standards 4. Gatekeeping 5. Tension relieving 6. Testing group feelings
Optimal size of Teams
1. Ideal size is seven 2. Fewer members might make faster decisions but are less likely to have the optimum mix of skills and abilities 3. With larger groups, decisions can get bogged down with too many inputs, or individual contributions are minimized or lost entirely.
Task-specialist Role
1. Initiating activity 2. Giving information and opinions 3. Seeking information and opinions 4. Summarizing 5. Elaborating 6. Consensus testing
Preferred Composition of a group
1. None will be successful without the right mix of skills and abilities 2. The more heterogeneous a group, the better it is at solving problems. 3. Groups with diverse membership may take longer to become cohesive, but are likely to be more productive in the long run
Competing Style
A management style involving a stance of high assertiveness with low cooperation
Committee
A permanent formal team that does some specific task
Product development team
A special type of project team that is formed to devise, design, and implement a new product
Collaborating Style
A style displaying both higher assertiveness and high cooperation
Avoiding Style
A style displaying low assertiveness and low cooperation
Accommodating 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
R&D Team
A team formed to conduct basic and applied research to discover new approaches that will add to the company's profitability
Peripheral Norms
Acceptable but not necessary for team success
Top Management Team
Consists of higher-level executives of the organization whose responsibilities include setting strategic goals for the firm
Problems in groups (1/2)
Dealing with the related issues of conformity and agreement.
Life cycle of a team
Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning
Pivotal Norms
Foundational norms necessary for team success
Forming
Group members meet for the first time, become acquainted, and become familiar with the group's tasks.
Relevant Norms
Important but not as critical for success
Performing
Members have reached a level of maturity that facilitates total task development
Negotiation
Occurs when two or more parties discuss a problem with the intent to resolve differences and come up with a solution
Levels of norms
Pivotal Relevant Peripheral
Problems in groups (2/2)
Politics: Maneuvering to try to gain an advantage in the distribution of organizational rewards or resources (Consumes valuable time better spent on productive matters)
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
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
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.
Quality-assurance team
Team forced to recommend changes that will positively affect the quality of the organization's product
Self-directed work team
Team of employees who are responsible for a process or segment 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
Group Roles
The behaviors expected of and demonstrated by specific individuals in groups
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
Adjourning
The tasks are completed and the team or group disbands
What is a group?
Two or more persons who communicate, share a collective identity, and have a common goal.
Trust
Underlies the entire concept of empowerment and self-directed work teams