Module 6: Chapter 7

Self-censorship:

"Every time I push for an innovative ad campaign, everybody fights it. I might as well drop it."

Team pressure to conform:

"Come on, none of the rest of us is interested in direct-mail marketing. Why don't you forget that stuff?"

Tendency to rationalize or discount negative information:

"I know the market research says people will buy other brands if our prices go up anymore, but you know how unreliable market research is about things like that."

Stereotyped views of other teams:

"The only thing those people at the head office care about is the bottom line. They don't give a damn about what we think or what we need."

"Mindguards" against threatening information:

"They're talking about running the machines around the clock to meet the schedule. I'd better not bring up what the supervisor said about how her staff feels about working more overtime."

Illusion that the group is invulnerable:

"We can afford to raise the price on our deluxe-model kitchen appliances because they're so much better than anything else on the market. Even if our competitors could develop comparable models, we'd still outdo them on style."

team

A group that is especially cohesive and effective because of clear and inspiring goals, a results-driven structure, competent members, unified commitment, a collaborative climate, standards of excellence, external support and recognition, and principled leadership.

risky shift

A type of harmful conformity in which groups take positions that are more extreme (on the side of either caution or risk) than the positions of individual members.

Collaborative climate.

Another word for collaboration is teamwork. People in successful teams trust and support one another.

members who violate norms, create a crisis for the rest of the team, who respond in a series of escalating steps

Delaying action. Hinting about the violation. Discussing the problem openly. Ridiculing and deriding the violator. Rejecting or isolating the deviant.

Teams (vs groups)

Focus primarily on team challenges and goals Members produce collective products Work shaped collectively by team leader and members

Work Group Interdependence

Group members don't just interact; they depend on one another. Examples: Workers in a restaurant

Standards of excellence

In winning teams, doing outstanding work is an important norm. Each member is expected to do his or her personal best. In less successful teams, getting by with the minimum amount of effort is the standard.

Competent team members.

Members of winning teams have the skill necessary to accomplish their goals. Less effective teams lack people possessing one or more key skills.

How to Emerge as a Team Leader

Participate early and often Demonstrate your competence. Don't push too hard. Provide a solution in a time of crisis.

Unified commitment.

People in successful teams put the group's goals above their personal interests. While this commitment might seem like a sacrifice to others, the personal rewards for members of winning teams are worth the effort.

Work Group Shared Purpose

People might talk with one another, but unless they share a collective goal, they won't collectively accomplish anything. One challenge facing anyone leading a newly created group is to give members a clear sense of shared purpose.

Asynchronous communication is particularly important to: People who perform jobs that can be done at any hour of the day. People who work in the same time zone. People who have to meet face-to-face. People who work the same fixed hours.

People who perform jobs that can be done at any hour of the day.

seven factors that promote an optimal level of cohesiveness

Shared or Compatible Goals Progress toward Goals Shared Norms or Values Minimal Feelings of Threat among Members Interdependence among Members Competition from Outside the Team Shared Team Experiences

Which of the following examples indicate that the person is a member of a team, rather than a group? Joanne tries to found an environmentalist club at her school. Many students express interest, but few show up to meetings. Stephen edits a literary magazine. Although the magazine has a full staff of editors, they usually leave at five o'clock, while Stephen stays late to review and often re-do their work. Susan comes across some research that could help another lawyer at her firm with his case. She spends extra time at the library after finishing her own work, because both cases are very important to the firm. Todd knows the project he's working on is doomed to failure, but he doesn't mention this to the project's leader. He is satisfied that his artwork, at least, is impeccable.

Susan comes across some research that could help another lawyer at her firm with his case. She spends extra time at the library after finishing her own work, because both cases are very important to the firm.

referent power

The ability to influence because one is respected or liked by the group. their respect, attraction, or liking

Which of the following is a false statement about workgroups? Workgroup members have a shared identity. Workgroup members are interdependent. Workgroup members need not interact with one another. Workgroups are small.

Workgroup members need not interact with one another.

connection power

a member's influence can often come from the connections he or she has with influential or important people inside or outside the organization (boss's children)

norming

formal, often unstated rules about what behavior is appropriate A phase in problem-solving groups characterized by an end to conflict and emergence of harmony within the group.

What makes a group a team?

have all the attributes of a group, but they have other qualities that distinguish them and make them more satisfying to work in and more productive

Virtual teams

interact and function without being in the same place at the same time. technology permits virtual teams to transcend boundaries of location and team.

democratic leadership style

inviting members to help make decisions A leadership style in which the designated leader encourages members to share decision making.

A team that works collaboratively on a daily basis within organizations to help perform their missions is a(n) _______ team.

management

What are the Characteristics of Work Groups?

size, shared purpose, interaction over time, interdependence, and identity.

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX)

theory views leadership as a collection of multiple relationships with members, each one unique. have a limited amount of time and energy. differential distribution" is the cause and the effect of some being "high quality" (i.e., more rich and satisfying) and others being lower quality. "insiders" high quality "outsiders" low quality

Generally, Fiedler's research suggests a task-oriented approach works best when

circumstances are extremely favorable (good leader-member relations, highly structured tasks) or extremely unfavorable (poor leader-member relations, unstructured task, weak leader power).

Under the contingency theory, a leadership approach that emphasizes tasks over personal relationships works best when circumstances are extremely favorable. circumstances are moderately favorable. circumstances are moderately unfavorable. circumstances are extremely unfavorable.

circumstances are extremely favorable. circumstances are moderately favorable. circumstances are moderately unfavorable. circumstances are extremely unfavorable. The task-oriented approach works best at the extremes, when leader-member relations are very good or very poor, and tasks are either highly structured or completely unstructured.

Willingness to ignore ethical or moral consequences of the team's decision:

"The waste we're dumping in the river may kill a few fish, but look, this company provides jobs and a living for all the people who live in this town."

Illusion of unanimity:

"Then we all agree: Cutting prices is the only way to stay competitive."

Which of the following is an untrue statement about virtual teams? Virtual teamwork can sometimes be more efficient than face-to-face teamwork for team members within the same office. A virtual team can both accommodate and benefit from time zone differences. Virtual teams should refrain from meeting face-to-face because that can damage the team's cohesion. It is a good policy for team members to confer directly via "back channels."

Virtual teams should refrain from meeting face-to-face because that can damage the team's cohesion.

Click on the link below to view a scene from the Wizard of Oz. In it, Dorothy meets the Cowardly Lion shortly after having met her other traveling companions, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. At the end of the clip, the Lion joins Dorothy and her other companions on their journey to the Emerald City. By the end of the story, the friends will have proved themselves to be a team, working collaboratively and depending on each other in hopes of achieving the common goal of getting an audience with the mighty Wizard of Oz. However, at the end of the clip, are Dorothy and her companions a group or a team? Cite the characteristics of groups or teams that seem to apply to the friends to support your claim.

Responses arguing that that the friends are a team may mention that Dorothy and her companions have a shared goal and that in the clip they work collaboratively, as the Scarecrow and Dorothy make suggestions to help the Lion overcome his fear and sleeplessness. Responses arguing that they are a group may note that in the clip the friends seem more committed to their personal goals than to any team goal, that they have yet to demonstrate interdependence or competence, and that the Lion is chosen to join the group not on the basis of the skills he could bring to resolving a shared goal, but because of his individual needs.

Virtual teams enjoy which advantage when compared with face-to-face teams? Check all that apply. Virtual teams have greater cohesion due to the ease of communicating online. Virtual teams can use time zone differences to increase productivity. Disagreeing with the boss is easier online than it is in person. Virtual teams can skip over the kind of personal conversations that waste time.

Virtual teams can use time zone differences to increase productivity. Disagreeing with the boss is easier online than it is in person.

Referent power refers to the influence members hold due to the way others in the group feel about them. position connection reward expert referent

referent

Leadership Grid® by Robert Blake and Jane Mouto

shows good leadership depends on skillful management of the task and the relationships among group members. The horizontal axis of the grid measures a manager's concern for task or production—getting the job done. The vertical axis measures the leader's concern for people and relationships. the most effective leader is one who adopts a 9,9 style, showing high concern for both product and people.

Working in virtual teams

strive for some "face time" put communication on the agenda be mindful of time zone differences use time zones to your advantage keep a personal touch consider using "back channels" do a trial run of technology seek input from all team members be aware of cultural differences in communication style

authoritarian leadership style

using the power at their disposal to control members. A leadership style in which the designated leader uses legitimate, coercive, and reward power to control members.

emergent leader

A leader chosen by the group, either officially or informally.

designated leader

A leader whose title indicates a leadership role, either by appointment or by group selection

laissez-faire leadership style

A leadership style in which the leader gives up power and transforms a group into a leaderless collection of equals.

Which of the following teams might be exhibiting groupthink? A management team's leader causes factory production to grind to a halt until she is satisfied that safety regulations are being met. An action team's response time suffers for a few days while they work through disagreements about procedure and decide upon an updated action plan. A newly formed project team believes their fresh ideas will give them an edge, so they forego the opportunity to be mentored by a seasoned, successful team. A service team struggles to maintain morale when customer reviews indicate dissatisfaction.

A newly formed project team believes their fresh ideas will give them an edge, so they forego the opportunity to be mentored by a seasoned, successful team.

Work Group Interaction over Time

A roomful of trainees at a seminar isn't a group unless and until the individuals start interacting. A group that interacts over a period of time develops particular characteristics. For example, a group will tend to develop shared standards of appropriate behavior members are expected to meet. Typical expectations involve how promptly meetings begin, what contribution each member is expected to make to certain routine tasks, what kind of humor is appropriate, and so on.

style approach to leadership

An approach to studying leadership based on the assumption the designated leader's style of communication affects the group's effectiveness. This research identified three managerial styles: authoritarian democratic laissez-faire

trait approach to leadership

An outdated leadership theory based on the belief all leaders possess common traits that make them effective Conclusions were contradictory, casting doubt on the approach. Certain traits did seem common in most leaders, including physical attractiveness, sociability, desire for leadership, originality, and intelligence Despite these similarities, the research also showed these traits were not predictive of leadership.

Work Group Identity

Both members and outsiders view groups as distinct entities. Some groups have a formal title such as "benefits committee" or "accounting department." Others have an informal identity like "lunchtime power walkers" or "those guys who carpool together." In either case, the fact that the group is seen as distinct has important consequences. To a greater or lesser extent, members feel their own image is tied to the way the group is regarded. In addition, the group's identity means the addition or loss of a member feels significant to the people involved, whether the change in membership is cause for celebration or disappointment.

two ways in which an understanding of norms can help you to function more effectively in a team.

Create Desirable Norms Early Comply with Established Norms Whenever Possible

task roles

Functional roles needed to accomplish a group's mission. information or opinion giver information or opinion seeker starter or energizer direct-giver summarizer diagnoser gatekeeper reality-tester

relational roles

Functional roles that help facilitate smooth interaction among members participation encourager harmonizer tension-reliever evaluation of emotional climate praise-giver empathic listener

self-directed work teams

Groups that manage their own behavior to accomplish a task.

A group of 15 home-based information technology workers are divided into three shifts to provide round-the-clock technical support to software customers worldwide. These workers have never met one another, but they communicate through an average of 10 group e-mails per day. There is no designated leader. Instead, members take turns compiling a weekly report to be e-mailed to a manager. This group of workers has a high customer satisfaction rating. Which of the following descriptions apply to this group? Check all that apply. It is a group rather than a team. It is a service team. It is self-directed. It is an action team. It is a virtual team.

It is a service team. It is self-directed. It is a virtual team.

Which of the following is a constructive team norm? Check all that apply. It is okay to take time off for personal reasons and celebrate successes. Members are willing to work overtime to meet deadlines. Members cover for coworkers who are away from their desks. Members keep disagreements to themselves for the sake of team cohesiveness.

Members are willing to work overtime to meet deadlines. Members cover for coworkers who are away from their desks.

Clear and inspiring shared goals.

Members of a winning team know why their team exists, and they believe that purpose is important and worthwhile. Ineffective teams have either lost sight of their purpose or do not believe the goal is truly important.

A results-driven structure.

Members of winning teams focus on getting the job done in the most effective manner. Less effective teams either are not organized or are structured inefficiently, and their members don't care enough about the results to do what is necessary to get the job done.

Groups (vs teams)

Members primarily concerned with their own challenges and goals Members produce individual products Work shaped by manager

Is Whitacre's Virtual Choir a virtual team? What aspects of a virtual team does it possess or lack? What does the Virtual Choir show us about the ways that people can come together remotely to create a product?

Responses arguing that the Virtual Choir is a virtual team may note that the Virtual Choir is creating music that was at one point only possible through a massive act of face-to-face teamwork. The virtual choralists share a team goal of producing a piece of music through joint effort. Responses arguing against the Virtual Choir as a virtual team may note that the participants have little to no interaction—under Whitacre's model, the singers don't interact with each other, and instead act as a collection of individuals rather than a real team. Their relationship with Whitacre as their conductor seems rather one-sided—there doesn't seem to be any feedback or communication between conductor and singers, other than his making a video of himself conducting the piece and their making videos of themselves singing.

Make at least three suggestions to help a team prevent over-conformity.

Responses may include periodically soliciting opinions from outside the team, assigning one or more members to fill the role of Devil's Advocate, or splitting the team into groups working independently to solve a given problem. Leaders should watch for attitudes and behavior that indicate a susceptibility to groupthink. Influential leaders or members may be asked to reserve their opinions on a matter until later in the conversation when other members have had the chance to go on the record with their ideas.

Consider any times when you may have sought to be selected as a leader by your peers. What strategies did you use to prove your fitness for leadership? What could you have done to improve your chances?

Responses should note that research shows that emergent leaders are chosen through a process of elimination, in which quietness, dogmatism, and incompetence are the main bases for elimination. Accordingly, candidates improve their chances by participating in team discussions, not being too pushy, and demonstrating their competence, particularly by problem solving in times of crisis. Another factor that improves a candidate's chances is the accrual of "lieutenants"—other team members who openly support their claim to leadership.

External support and recognition.

Successful teams need an appreciative audience that recognizes their effort and provides the resources necessary to get the job done. The audience may be a boss, or it may be the public the team is created to serve.

Which of the following examples indicates that the person is a member of a team rather than a group? Todd knows the project he's working on is doomed to failure, but he doesn't mention this to the project's leader. He is satisfied that his artwork, at least, is impeccable. Susan comes across some research that could help another lawyer at her firm with his case. She spends extra time at the library after finishing her own work, because both cases are very important to the firm. Joanne tries to found an environmentalist club at her school. Many students express interest, but few show up to meetings. Stephen edits a literary magazine. Although the magazine has a full staff of editors, they usually leave at five o'clock, while Stephen stays late to review and often redo their work.

Susan comes across some research that could help another lawyer at her firm with his case. She spends extra time at the library after finishing her own work, because both cases are very important to the firm.

Which of the following statements about leadership is false? The contingency approach says it is best to change one's leadership style from one situation to the next. The life-cycle theory of leadership recommends that a leader gradually phase out supervision as workers demonstrate success. The democratic style of leadership is usually best, but the authoritarian style can be more productive in a stressful situation. The Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory discourages the practice of certain team members becoming "insiders."

The Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory discourages the practice of certain team members becoming "insiders."

coercive power

The ability to influence others that arises because one can impose punishment or unpleasant consequences Designated leaders have coercive power: They can assign unpleasant tasks, deny pay raises, and even fire people. Other members have coercive power, too, though it is usually subtle.

reward power

The ability to influence that arises because one can induce desirable consequences or rewards Designated leaders control the most obvious rewards: pay raises, improved working conditions, and the ability to promote. social payoffs, such as increased goodwill, and task-related benefits, like voluntary assistance on a job.

position power

The ability to influence that comes from the position one holds. We often do things for the boss precisely because he or she holds that title.

Which of the following would not be a factor in building team cohesiveness? Another sales team is racing to beat them to a sales goal. The decision-making team announces that the team member with the lowest sales total will be fired. The team beats its sales targets during a difficult quarter. Management offers a bonus to the team that breaks the company sales record.

The decision-making team announces that the team member with the lowest sales total will be fired.

cohesiveness

The degree to which group members feel part of and want to remain with the group. think of cohesiveness as a magnetic force that attracts members to one another, giving them a collective identity.

Which of the following are effective ways to guard against the collective blindness of groupthink and risky shift, especially in very cohesive teams?

The group should seek the opinions of outsiders. Leaders who are highly influential should avoid stating their opinions early in the discussion.

Principled leadership.

Winning teams usually have leaders who can create a vision of the team's purpose and challenge members to get the job done. Finally, they have the ability to unleash the members' talent.

Which of the following is a false statement about work groups? Work groups are small. Work group members have a shared identity. Work group members are interdependent. Work group members need not interact with each other.

Work group members need not interact with each other.

In moderately favorable or unfavorable circumstances

a relationship-oriented approach works best

Work Group

a small, interdependent collection of people with a common identity who interact with one another, usually face-to-face over time, to reach a goal.

Getting It Done: How to Lead When You're Not in Charge, Roger Fisher and Alan Sharp describe "lateral leadership"

a way to avoid the extremes of doing nothing or taking charge and bossing others. They suggest a team member can lead others by doing three things: - asking thoughtful, sincere questions to get others to think creatively and contribute their ideas; - offering ideas to help the team while inviting others to challenge your thoughts; and - doing something constructive needed by the team and modeling the behavior needed

contingency approaches to leadership

are based on the idea that the "best" leadership style is flexible—it changes from one situation to the next. a manager who successfully guides a project team developing an advertising campaign might flop as a trainer or personnel officer.

The role of a Devil's Advocate on the team is to argue viewpoints contrary to those of the team majority in order to avoid groupthink. take charge of the team as an authoritarian leader in times of emergency. suggest and defend unethical or otherwise sinister ideas in order to improve competitiveness. enforce conformity with team norms in order to promote cohesiveness.

argue viewpoints contrary to those of the team majority in order to avoid groupthink.

The role of a Devil's advocate on the team is to suggest and defend unethical or otherwise sinister ideas in order to improve competitiveness. take charge of the team as an authoritarian leader in times of emergency. argue viewpoints contrary to those of the team majority in order to avoid groupthink. enforce conformity with team norms in order to promote cohesiveness.

argue viewpoints contrary to those of the team majority in order to avoid groupthink.

Given a model in which Whitacre posts a video of himself conducting on Youtube, then choralists send him videos of themselves singing, the communication between the two is hybrid face-to-face synchronous asynchronous

asynchronous

8 Effective important team characteristics

clear and inspiring shared goals: know their purpose and goal a results-driven structure: getting the job done in the most effective way competent team members: members have necessary skills unified commitment: put group's goals above personal interests collaborative climate: teamwork. trust and support one another standards of excellence: outstanding work/personal best external support and recognition: appreciative audience principled leaderships: leaders who create a vision for purpose and challenge

expert power

comes from the group's recognition of a member's expertise in a certain area. There are times when one expert is better suited to make a decision than is an entire team. Designated leaders aren't always the experts in a group

Which of the following technologies could be used for an asynchronous virtual meeting? phone instant messaging service (X) e-mail listserv videoconference

e-mail listserv

Psychologist Fred Fiedler (task-oriented approach and relationship-oriented style)

emphasize task or relationship issues in a situation depends on three factors: (1) leader-member relations, including the manager's attractiveness and the followers' loyalty; (2) task structure, involving the degree of simplicity or complexity of the job; and (3) the leader's power, including job title and the ability to coerce and reward.

Team advantages over working alone

greater productivity accuracy of an effective team's work generate more commitment and enthusiasm from the members who created them.

Avoid Excessive Conformity

groupthink, an unwillingness, for the sake of harmony, to examine ideas critically.

Functional Roles of Team Members

help keep the interaction between members running smoothly.

Which of the following is an undesirable norm for a work team in the quality assurance department? admitting your mistakes avoiding side conversations during meetings taking reasonable amounts of personal time off keeping quiet if you disagree

keeping quiet if you disagree

Work Group Size

members can form alliances and outvote or pressure the minority. 10-person groups and teams often produce better results at a quicker rate and with higher profits than do groups of several hundred size doesn't translate into effectiveness because people begin to act in formal ways. (more talkative members more involved and dominate) Most communication experts suggest the optimal size for small decision-making groups is either 5 or 7 members. The odd number of participants eliminates the risk of tie votes. Decision-making groups with fewer than 5 members lack the resources to come up with good ideas and to carry them out, while larger groups suffer from the problems of anonymity, domination, and lack of commitment. Recent research suggests 5 to 12 members can succeed, provided the type of task and the group composition are given primary consideration

Ernest Bormann

studied how emergent leaders gain influence, especially in newly formed groups method of residues—a process of elimination in which potential candidates are gradually rejected for one reason or another until only one remains -> process of elimination occurs in two phases. - being quiet; less talkative members were never chosen as leaders in the groups Bormann studied. Failing to participate verbally in a group's work leaves the impression of indifference and lack of commitment. Quietness, dogmatism (the tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others.), and incompetence Members who express their opinions in strong, unqualified terms are usually perceived as being too extreme and inflexible to take a leading role. A third cause of elimination as leader is a lack of skill or intelligence: Competence is obviously a necessary condition for successful leadership, and members who lack this quality are rejected early.

life-cycle approach developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard

suggests a leader's concern for tasks and relationships ought to vary. A worker with a low level of readiness to work independently needs a highly directive and task-related style of leadership.

information power

the ability of some members to influence a group because of the information they possess. Whereas an expert possesses some form of talent based on training or education, an information-rich group member has access to otherwise obscure knowledge valuable to others in the group.

Which of the following groups would benefit the most from adopting the norm to wear a uniform? Check all that apply. a group of work-at-home computer programmers the employees at a new fast-food restaurant the company softball team a student fund-raising committee

the employees at a new fast-food restaurant the company softball team

Paul, a venture capitalist known for his bold leadership, proposes an investment to his firm's decision-making team. The investment is a bit of a gamble—the company he wants to invest in is untested—but Paul is surprised to find that some of the most risk-averse members of his team are incredibly enthusiastic. After a few rounds of deliberation, the team approves an investment that's almost double what Paul proposed. Even though Paul isn't comfortable with such a large investment, he votes for it because he doesn't want to seem timid. This is an example of the Devil's Advocate laissez-faire leadership a lack of team cohesiveness the risky shift

the risky shift

Devil's Advocate and Other Anti-Conformity Tools

to present all possible arguments—even seemingly slight ones—against promoting a candidate toward sainthood when there is an undisputed consensus toward making an important decision. If your team doesn't have the foresight to appoint a devil's advocate, you can take on this role by challenging the majority's thinking.