BCOR 2202: Teams

teamwork competencies

-Conflict resolution abilities -Collaborative problem-solving abilities -Communication abilities -Goal-setting and self-management abilities -Planning and task coordination abilities

factors affecting group performance

-composition -size -informal leadership -norms -cohesiveness

guidelines for success

-define team mission & goals -define roles & responsibilities: leader, scribe, members -establish ground rules (norms) -for meetings, start & end on time, define outcome, & follow an agenda -when things go wrong: do not blame others, point fingers, or tell stories; ask what you did to help contribute to problem; ask what we can do to move toward desired results

consequences of low cohesiveness

-difficulty in achieving goals -increased likelihood of disbanding -fewer interactions -individual orientation -lower commitment to group goals

benefits of teams

-enhanced performance -increase responsiveness to customers -increase innovation -increase motivation & satisfaction . . . gain a competitive advantage

costs of teams

-expensive to implement -require significant training -can have initially high turnover -historically work about 1/3 of the time -face problems with group decision making -have social loafers

formal groups & teams created by managers

-functional teams -cross-functional teams -problem-solving teams -self-directed teams -venture teams -cross-cultural teams -top management teams -research & development teams -command groups -task forces -self-managed work teams -virtual teams -global teams

consequences of high cohesiveness

-goal accomplishment -personal satisfaction of members -increased quantity and quality of interactions -groupthink

factors leading to group cohesiveness

-group size -effectively managed diversity -group identity & healthy competition -success

factors that decrease cohesiveness

-heterogeneous composition -recent formation -large size -physical dispersion -ambiguous goals -failure

factors that increase cohesiveness

-homogeneous composition -mature development -relatively small size -frequent interactions -clear goals (competition or external threat) -success

social loafing

-human tendency to put forth less effort in a group than when they work alone -can result in lower group performance of prevent a group from attaining its goals -often results from assumption by some members that if they do not work hard, other members will pick up slack

consequences of group cohesiveness

-level of participation within a group -level of conformity to group norms -emphasis on group goal accomplishment

phases of team implementation

-make the decision -plan the implementation phase 1: start-up phase 2: reality and unrest phase 3: leader-centered teams phase 4: tightly formed teams phase 5: self managing teams

communication abilities

-the ability to communicate openly and supportively -the ability to listen objectively and to appropriately use active listening techniques -the ability to maximize the congruence between nonverbal and verbal messages and to recognize and interpret the nonverbal messages of others -the ability to engage in small talk and ritual greetings and a recognition of their importance

planning and task coordination abilities

-the ability to coordinate and synchronize activities, information, and tasks among team members -the ability to help establish task and role assignments for individual team members and ensure proper balancing of workload

goal-setting and self-management abilities

-the ability to help establish specific, challenging, and accepted team goals -the ability to provide constructive feedback

collaborative problem-solving strategies

-the ability to identify situations requiring participative group problem solving and to utilize the proper degree and type of participation -the ability to recognize the obstacles to collaborative group problem solving and implement appropriate corrective actions

conflict resolution abilities

-the ability to recognize and encourage desirable and discourage undesirable team conflict -the ability to recognize the type and source of conflict confronting the team and implement an appropriate resolution strategy -the ability to employ an integrative (win-win) negotiation strategy, rather than the traditional distributive (win-lose) strategy

when to use teams

-there is a clear, engaging reason or purpose -job can't be done unless people work together -rewards can be provided for teamwork & team performance -ample resources are available -teams will have clear authority to manage & change how work gets done

benefits of teams in organizations

1) enhanced performance 2) employee benefits 3) reduced costs 4) organizational enhancements

four strategies for dealing with challenges of multicultural teams

1. adaptation: seeing a problem as a cultural difference, and not a personality issue, works when team members are willing and able to identify and acknowledge their cultural differences and to assume responsibility for figuring out how to live with them 2. structural intervention: changing the shape of the team, social interaction and working can be structured to engage everyone on the team 3. managerial intervention: setting norms early or bringing in a higher-level manager, works best early in a team's life 4. exit: removing a team member when other options have failed, if emotions get too high and too much face has been lost, it can be almost impossible to get a team to work together effectively again

understanding of ethical behavior in teams

1. how do teams fairly distribute work? 2. how do teams assign blame and award credit? 3. how do teams ensure participation, resolve conflict, and make decisions? 4. how do teams avoid deception and corruption?

ways to reduce social loafing

1. making individual contributions to a group identifiable when possible 2. emphasizing the valuable contributions of individual members 3. keeping group size at an appropriate level

four stages of group development

1. mutual acceptance: making acquaintances, sharing information, discussing subjects unrelated to task, testing one another, being defensive, quibbling 2. communication and decision making: expressing attitudes, establishing norms, establishing goals, openly discussing tasks 3. motivation and productivity: cooperating, working actively on tasks, being creative 4. control and organization: working independently, assigning tasks based on ability, acting spontaneously, being flexible, self-correcting

reality and unrest

A team's performance reaches its lowest point at the _____ phase.

leader-centered

A team's performance reaches that of its start-up phase during the _____ phase.

has high cohesiveness

A well-known problem some groups face is groupthink, which can occur when a group:

command

A(n) _____ group is a relatively permanent, formal group with functional reporting relationships that is usually included in the organization chart

reduced costs

After convincing her superiors to allow her to reform her department using a team-based structure, Minerva was able to reduce turnover by 75 percent. Minerva's success most clearly illustrates:

lewin's formula

B=f(PXE) behavior is a function of personality of group & environment they are in

friendship

Benny spends approximately two hours every work day hanging out by the water cooler chatting with three of his friends. Benny's water cooler gang is an example of a(n) _____ group.

flat, hierachial

By design, teams have a _____ structure. This can make it difficult to obtain input from team members raised in a(n) _____ culture.

Western; does not need to know much about the context or the speaker to interpret it

Communication in _____ cultures is typically direct, and a listener _____.

non-Western; has to infer preferences and priorities from changes, or the lack of them, in the other person's counterproposal

Communication in _____ cultures is typically indirect, and a listener _____.

quickly; relatively little

Compared with managers from other countries, U.S. managers like to make decisions _____ and with _____ analysis.

less, more

Demographically diverse groups tend to have _____ cohesiveness and _____ conflict than homogenous ones.

norms

During the communication and decision-making stage, groups typically establish the _____ that enable(s) members to behave in a manner acceptable to the group.

control and organization

Each crew member aboard Sean's submarine knows what he or she has to do. Task assignments are made fluidly, and problems are approached creatively and flexibly. The submarine runs smoothly and rarely encounters any difficulties. Sean's team reflects the _____ stage of group development.

difficulty finding qualified employees

Each of the following is a challenge faced by virtual teams EXCEPT: increased cultural diversity. increased geographic diversity. feelings of isolation among team members. difficulty finding qualified employees.

members influence and are influenced by each other

Each of the following is a feature of teams that is not necessarily a feature of groups EXCEPT: members share a common goal. members influence and are influenced by each other. members share accountability for individual and collective outcomes. members are interdependent with respect to information, resources, and skills.

less conflict

Each of the following is an advantage of cross-functional teams over functional teams EXCEPT: increased ability to solve complex problems. faster product development. less conflict. more creativity.

increased interaction among team members

Each of the following is an advantage of virtual teams EXCEPT: increased interaction among team members. greater flexibility for team members. access to the most qualified individuals. quicker responses to increased competition.

asynchronous

Email, wikis, and discussion boards are examples of _____ communication.

approximately halfway through the projected life of the group

Groups often reexamine assumptions, adopt new perspectives on the work, and make dramatic progress:

enhanced performance

Improved productivity, quality, and customer service are examples of:

motivation and productivity

In the _____ stage of group development, members perform their assigned tasks, cooperate with each other, and help others accomplish their goals.

control and organization

In the _____ stage of group development, the members' activities are relatively spontaneous and flexible rather than subject to rigid structural restraints.

organizational enhancements

Increased innovation, creativity, and flexibility are examples of:

cohesiveness

Increasing the diversity of a group is likely to decrease its:

high cohesiveness

Jacob works for a company that faces serious competition in its market. The company is small yet successful, and its employees meet frequently. Jacob's company likely has:

create a highly homogeneous team

Jacques must pull together a team that has to work quickly, complete specific tasks in a sequential order, and cooperate frequently. Which of the following should Jacques try to do? Create a highly heterogeneous team. Bring together his favorite people without regard for group composition. Create a somewhat heterogeneous team. Create a highly homogeneous team.

skill-based pay

Jessica, a project manager for a medical software company, receives a $1,000 raise for each new application in the medical software that she becomes certified in. However, the raise only comes into effect once every project manager on Jessica's team completes the same certification. This illustrates which type of reward system?

informal

Lena forms a board game club at the consulting company she works for. The club meets every other week to play strategy board games. Lena's club is an example of a(n) _____ group.

cross-functional

Leo, a software developer, spends about 15 hours a week working on various projects with a team consisting of himself, a quality assurance tester, a technical writer, a web designer, and a marketer. This is an example of a(n) _____ team.

functional

Leo, a software developer, spends about 25 hours a week working on various projects with a team consisting entirely of software developers. This is an example of a(n) _____ team.

reduced costs

Making fewer errors, filing fewer worker compensation claims, and reducing absenteeism and turnover are examples of:

more difficult than

Managing a virtual team is generally _____ managing a traditional team.

process gain

Miko and Indira are studying for the same math test. When they study together, they get their studying done faster and each learn the material better than when they study alone. This scenario illustrates:

process loss

Miko and Indira each have a paper to write for sociology class. When they get together to work on their papers, they gossip and play video games for two hours. This scenario illustrates:

team efficacy

Miko and Indira have a project due in programming class. They don't know how to do the project, but they are confident in their ability to figure it out. This scenario illustrates:

create a highly heterogeneous team

Roberta is tasked with putting together a team to create a new app from scratch. If her team will have a long time to complete the project, which of the following should Roberta try to do? Create a somewhat heterogeneous team. Create a highly heterogeneous team. Create a highly homogeneous team. Bring together her favorite people without regard for group composition.

employee benefits

Since switching to a team-based structure, Celine's work has been more rewarding and far less stressful. Celine's situation illustrates:

large

Social loafing is most common in a _____ group.

low cohesiveness

Suzette is a member of a large virtual team that formed recently and has ambiguous goals. Suzette's team most likely has:

self-managing

The final phase of team implementation is the _____ team.

mutual acceptance

The group forms and members get to know one another by sharing information about themselves in the _____ stage.

top management

The move towards a team-based format is often initiated and communicated to the entire organization by:

conflict resolution

Vladimir is skilled at executing an integrative negotiation strategy, wherein everyone comes out a winner. Vladimir most clearly exhibits strong _____ abilities.

the slowness of team development

What is the most dangerous cost of shifting to a team-based structure? The slowness of team development Managers feeling unsure of their new roles Premature abandonment Employees feeling threatened

emotional intelligence

What term refers to an interpersonal capability that includes the ability to perceive and express emotions, to understand and use them, and to manage emotions in oneself and in other people?

synchronous

What type of technologies allow real time communication and interaction?

a team must have a clearly stated, common goal

Which of the following distinguishes teams from groups? Members of a team must all have the same skill set. Teams must have at least two members. A team's members all report to the same supervisor. A team must have a clearly stated, common goal.

a group whose members have a wide range of ages and cultural backgrounds

Which of the following groups is likely to have the lowest cohesiveness? A group whose members have a wide range of ages and cultural backgrounds A group whose members are mostly the same age and have the same cultural background A small group with a large presence of informal leadership A medium-sized group with well-established group norms

employee-of-the-month programs

Which of the following is NOT a common reward system in a team environment? Team bonus plans Gain-sharing systems Skill-based pay Employee-of-the-month programs

too few resources may be available

Which of the following is NOT a concern faced by large groups? The group may have difficulties reaching agreement. There may be increased absenteeism. Too few resources may be available. Too much time may be spent on administrative duties.

saving money within the organization

Which of the following is NOT a purpose served by norms within organizations? Avoiding embarrassing situations Simplifying the behaviors expected of group members Saving money within the organization Expressing the central values of the group

promoting self-reliance by setting more vague goals and not holding team members as accountable

Which of the following is NOT one of the five categories of important leadership skills in a virtual project team or distance management situation? Establishing a clear and motivating shared vision, team purpose, goals, and expectations Promoting self-reliance by setting more vague goals and not holding team members as accountable Communicating effectively and matching technology to the situation Building community among team members based on mutual trust, respect, affiliation, and fairness

they boost morale

Which of the following is NOT true about many team meetings? They boost morale. They are poorly run. They take too long. They accomplish too little.

gain-sharing programs and team bonus plans

Which two types of team-based reward systems are most similar to each other?

mutual acceptance

Zoe joins a group of aviators about to embark on a salvaging operation. She and the other group members get to know each other and chat about topics that have nothing to do with aviation or salvage. This reflects the _____ stage of group development.

group composition

_____ can be described in terms of the homogeneity or heterogeneity of the members.

roles

_____ define(s) the behaviors and tasks each team member is expected to perform because of the position they hold.

informational, positive

_____ diversity, or diversity in knowledge and experience, has a _____ impact on team performance.

demographic, negative

_____ diversity, or diversity in location and culture, has a _____ impact on team performance.

affinity

_____ groups are typically composed of employees from the same level within an organization who meet periodically to share information, take advantage of opportunities, and solve problems.

social facilitation

_____ happens when people are motivated to look good to others and want to maintain a positive self-image.

group norms

_____ is/are the standard against which the appropriateness of a behavior is judged.

informal leadership

_____ occur(s) when a group member without formal authority influences the direction of the group.

group cohesiveness

_____ refer(s) to the degree to which members are attracted to the team and to its members and how loyal team members are to the team and to each other.

problem-solving

_____ teams are established to tackle challenges and make improvements at work.

virtual

_____ teams are teams of geographically and/or organizationally dispersed coworkers who communicate using the Internet and other information technologies.

venture

_____ teams are teams that operate semi-autonomously to create and develop new products, processes, or businesses.

self-directed

_____ teams set their own goals and pursue them in ways decided by the team.

homogenous

a group where members are similar in one or several ways that are critical to work of group (ex. age, work experience, education, technical specialty, or cultural background; likely to be more productive when task is simple, cooperation is necessary, groups tasks are sequential, or quick action is required; less conflict, fewer differences of opinion, smoother communication, more interactions

heterogenous

a group where members differ in one or more ways that are critical to work go group; likely to be more productive when task is complex, requires a collective effort (each member does a different task), demands creativity, & speed is less important than thorough deliberations; generates a wide range of viewpoints; more discussion & conflict are likely

group size

a group with many members has more resources available and may be able to complete a large number of relatively independent task; when it comes to generating ideas, those with more members produce more ideas although rate of increase in the number of ideas diminishes rapidly as group grows; beyond certain point, the greater complexity of interactions and communication make it more difficult for a large group to achieve agreement; interactions and communications more likely; time otherwise available to work on tasks can be taken up organizing and structuring interactions within group, large size may inhibit participation of some people and increase absenteeism, people may stop trying to make meaningful contribution, present more opportunities for interpersonal attraction, leading to more social interactions an fewer task interactions; most effective size of a group is determined by group members' ability to interact and influence each other effectively

informal leader

a person who engages in leadership activities but whose right to do so has not been formally recognized by the organization or group; quite powerful because they draw from referent or expert power

command group

a relatively permanent, formal group characterized by functional reporting relationships; usually included in the organization chart (quality-assurance department, customer service department, cost-accounting department, human resource department)

norm

a standard against which the appropriateness of a behavior is judged; determine the behavior expected in a certain situation; usually established during second stage of group development (communication and decision making); enable people to behave in a matter consistent with and acceptable to group; result from combination of members' personality characteristics, the situation, the task, and historical traditions of the group; can be positive or negative because group members tend to follow them even if consequences are negative; enforced only for actions that are important to group members; help group survive, simplify and make more predictable behaviors expected of group members, help group avoid embarrassing situations, express central values of the group and identify group to others

high performance team

a team that exceeds expectations & performs better than other teams in similar situations

team efficacy

a team's collective belief that is can organize and execute the behaviors necessary to reach its goals; strongly related to team performance; can be enhanced by ensuring team members have strong self efficacy themselves, and team members are given appropriate support and training, and by expressing condense and providing encouragement to the team

need for interaction

affected by maturity of group, tasks of group, maturity of individual members, ability of group leader or manager to manage communication, potential conflicts, and task activities

true

all teams are groups, but not all groups are teams t/f

teams

an interdependent collection of at least two individuals who share a common goal & share accountability for team's as well as their own outcomes; interdependent with respect to information, resources, & skills; team members' roles become interdependent, increasing need for teamwork, reciprocal communication, & feedback; communication & collaboration demands also increase dramatically

team rewards

are more than 80 percent of all rewards available to teams only, and not to individuals?

friendship groups

arise out of cordial relationships among members & enjoyment they get from being together

informal leadership styles

authoritarian (autocratic), democratic (participative), laissez faire (delegative)

diversity in teams

can both help and hinder team effectiveness; diversity can be a source of creativity and innovation that can create a competitive advantage and improve a team's decision making; can create misunderstandings and conflict that can lead to absenteeism, poor quality, low morale, and loss of competitiveness as well as lowered workgroup cohesiveness

team goals

can team members articulate specific and shared team goals?

clear direction

can team members each articulate the purpose that the team exists to achieve?

top management support

change starts at the top in every successful team implementation; must decide to go to a team-based organization for sound business performance-related reasons; instrumental in communicating the reasons for the change to the rest of the organization; has to support the change effort during difficult periods; may involve verbal encouragement of team members and organizational support systems

direct communication

communication that is typically direct and explicit, listener does not have to know much about the context or the speaker to interpret it

indirect communication

communication where the meaning is embedded in the way the message is presented; people often have to infer preferences and priorities from changes, or the lack of them

chemistry

complementary people working together toward same goal

functional conflict

constructive, encourages differences of opinion; without it, complacency can ensue

roles

define the behaviors and tasks each team member is expected to perform because of the position they hold

group composition

described in terms of homogeneity or heterogeneity of members; neck,es becomes especially important as organizations become increasingly more culturally diverse

dysfunctional conflict

destructive, aggression, personal attacks, etc., counterproductive

cultural differences

differences in how members view authority, uncertainty; members will probably distrust one another, stereotyping will present a problem, communication problems

demographic diversity

diversity in age, gender, race, and other demographic characteristics; has a negative impact on performance; teams have more difficulty utilizing their informational diversity

informational diversity

diversity in knowledge and experience

improvement norms

do team members encourage each other to detect and solve problems? do members openly discuss differences in what members have to contribute to the team? do members encourage experimentation with new ways of operating? does the team actively seek to learn from other teams?

authority to manage the work

do team members have the authority to decide the following without first receiving special authorization? how to meet client demands; which actions to take, and when; whether to change their work strategies when they deem necessary

basic material resources

does the team have its own meeting place? can the team easily get the basic materials it needs to do its work?

virtual teams leadership skills

establish a communication climate that is characterized by openness, trust, support, mutual respect, and risk taking 1. communicating effectively and matching technology to the situation: collaborative online tools help virtual teams manage files, meetings, and task assignments 3. building community among team members based on mutual trust, respect, affiliation, and fairness: solicit and value the contributions of all team members, and consistently treat all team members with respect and fairness 4. establishing a clear and motivating shared vision, team purpose, goals, and expectations: subtle messages are powerful tools in shaping virtual team norms 4. leading by example and focusing on measurable results: set clear goals and make clear task assignments, hold team members accountable for them 5. coordinating and collaborating across organizational boundaries: work effectively with people in multiple organizations and with free agents and alliance partners who are not employees of the leader's organization

cost of teams

expressed in terms of the difficulty of changing to a team-based organization; managers express frustration and confusion about their new roles as coaches and facilitators; employees feel like losers because they feel that jobs are in jeopardy or roles and pay scales are adjusted; slowness of the process of full team development; premature abandonment: employee confidence in management and decision makers may suffer for a long time, losses in productivity and efficiency will be very difficult to recoup, managers must be fully committed before initiating a change to a team-based organization

group cohesiveness

extent to which a group is committed to remaining together, results from forced acting on the members to remain in the group, maturity, homogeneity, manageable size, frequency of interactions

global teams

face-to-face or virtual teams whose members are from different countries; can be virtual or face to face

deviance

failure to conform, when a member of group violates a group norm; group might try to get member to change, expel member, or change norm to follow the deviance; allows for new ideas in group

start-up

first phase of team implementation; team members are selected and prepared to work in teams so that the teams have the best possible chance of success; initial training (technical skills necessary for do work for the team, administrative skills necessary for team to function, interpersonal skills necessary to work with people in the team and throughout the organization); new teams manage themselves; team boundaries identified, preliminary plan adjusted to fit particular team situations; enthusiasm is high, anticipation quite positive

workgroups

formal groups established by organization to do its work; include command (or functional) groups & affinity groups (as well as teams

mutual acceptance stage

forming stage; group forms, members get to know one another by sharing information about themselves, test opinion by discussing subjects unrelated to tasks; minor arguments; discuss expectations

informal groups created by organizational members

friendship groups & interest groups; formed by team members

mature, effective group

group productivity depends on successful development at each stage; members are interdependent, coordinated, cooperative, competent at their jobs, motivated, self-correcting, active communication

turnover

group's heterogeneity in terms of age & tenure; groups with members of different ages & experiences tend to experience frequent changes in membership

social facilitation

happens when people are motivated to look good to others and want to maintain a positive self-image; happens when people are working alone but in the presence of an audience

organizational enhancements

increased innovation and flexibility; employees feel closer and more in touch with top management; employees who think their efforts are important are more likely to make significant contributions; team environment constantly challenges teams to innovate and solve problems creatively

enhanced performance

increased productivity, improved quality, improved customer service; enabled workers to avoid wasted effort, reduce errors, and react better to customers; results from pooling of individual efforts in new ways from continuously striving to improve for benefit go the team

a real team task

is the team assigned collective responsibility for all of its customers and major outputs? does the team make collective decisions about work strategies (rather than leaving it to individuals)? are team members willing and able to help each other? does the team get team-level feedback about its performance?

democratic (participative) leadership style

leader facilitates decision-making process, focuses on people, empowerment, can take a long time to make a decision

laissez faire (delegative) leadership style

leader is more hands-off & lets team do their thing, power is with staff, works well if you have a team of leaders

authoritarian (autocratic) leadership style

like a dictator, decides alone, has a lot of control, focused on tasks, quick decisions

reduced cost

lower turnover and absenteeism, fewer injuries; team members feel that they have a stake in the outcomes, want to make contributions because they are valued and committed to their team and do not want to let it down

trust

managers should try to build this among team members; confidence that people will honor their commitments, especially when it is difficult to monitor or observe the other people's behavior ; built through repeated positive experiences, commitment to shared goals, and understanding of team members' needs, motives, and ideas

cross-functional teams

members come from different departments or functional areas, one of most common types of work teams (ex. top management team with members representing different functions of organization); teams share & improve ideas, build on members' skills and knowledge, provide more opportunities for problem solving; can increase creativity, improve a firm's ability to solve complex problems (by bringing different skill sets, perceptions, experiences together); same diversity can be strength or weakness if not properly managed

functional teams

members come from same department or functional area (ex. marketing employees, finance employees)

differing attitudes toward hierarchy and authority

members of status-oriented cultures feel uncomfortable arguing with the team leader, older people, or others perceived to have a greater status

storming

members start to communicate their feelings but still view themselves as individuals rather than part of team; they resist control by group leaders & show hostility

rewards

motivates team members to pursue team goals rather than individual goals; bulk of rewards should be made at team level

Bruce Tuckman's model of group development

mutual acceptance: forming, communication & decision making: storming, motivation & productivity: norming, control & organization: performing, adjourning

motivation and productivity stage

norming stage; emphasis moves toward activities that will benefit the group; members perform assigned tasks, cooperate with each other; members highly motivated; accomplishing work

groupthink

occurs when a group's overriding concern is a unanimous decision rather than critical analysis of alternatives

process loss

occurs when a team performs worse than the individual members would have if they had worked alone; does not complete its task in the best or most efficient manner, or members are not motivated to employ their resources to create a successful outcome; can be reduced by making clear role and task assignments and not tolerating free riders

synergy

occurs when group members work well together, bigger than sum of all parts put together

interest groups

organized around a common activity or interest; friendships may form (ex. women networking groups)

norming

people feel part of team & realize that they can achieve work if they accept other viewpoints

control and organization stage

performing stage; tasks assigned by mutual agreement and according to ability; activities relatively spontaneous and flexible; mature; take corrective actions if necessary; self-correction

leader-centered teams

phase 3 of team implementation; members learning about self direction and leadership from within team and start to focus on a single leader in the team; team begins to think of itself as a unit as members learn to manage themselves; managers behind focusing on standards, regulations, systems, and resources for the team; need to encourage rise of strong internal team leaders; help each team member develop its own sense of identity (recognize teams and individuals for good performance, continued training in problem solving steps, tools, and techniques)

tightly formed teams

phase 4 in team implementation; extremely confident of their ability to do everything; solving problems, managing schedule and resources, resolving internal conflicts; team covers up for underperforming members; team need to keep communication channels with other teams open; management needs to provide perforce feedback; teams need to follow previously developed plan to transfer authority and responsibility to the teams and be sure all team members have followed the plan to get training in all of the skills necessary to do work of the team

self managing teams

phase 5 of team implementation; mature teams are meeting or exceeding performance goals; team members taking responsibility for team-related leadership functions; managers have withdrawn from daily operations; mature teams are flexible; individuals and teams need to continue their training in job skills and team and interpersonal skills; support systems need to be constantly improved to facilitate team development and productivity; teams alas need to improve their internal customer and supplier relationships within the organization

employee benefits

quality of work life, lower stress; teams can provide sense of self control, human dignity, identification with work, sense of self worth and self fulfillment; teams give employees the freedom to grow and gain respect and dignity by managing themselves, making decisions about their work, and really making a difference in the work around them; employees have better work life, face less stress at work, and make less use of employee assistance programs

process gain

refers to the performance improvements that occur because people work together rather than independently; people working together doing more and doing it better than would be possible working alone; can be improved by awareness of team performance factors

affinity groups

relatively permanent collections of employees from same level in organization who meet on a regular basis to share information, capture emerging opportunities, & solve problems; set up by organization but not part of formal organization structure; share roles, responsibilities, duties, & interests, represent horizontal slices of normal organizational hierarchy; similar job titles & similar duties, different divisions/departments within organization; greatest benefits of affinity group: cross existing boundaries of organization & facilitate better communication among diverse departments & divisions throughout organization

skill-based pay

requires team members to acquire a set of the core skills needed for their particular team plus additional special skills, depending on career tracks or team needs; usually employees can increase their base compensation by some fixed amount up to some maximum

gain-sharing systems

reward all team members from all teams based on the performance of the organization, division, or plan; requires a baseline performance that must be exceeded for team members to receive some share of the gain over the baseline measure; employee reaction is usually positive because when employees work harder to help the company, they share in the profits they helped generate

reality and unrest

second phase of team implementation; team members and managers report frustration and confusion about ambiguities of new situation; unfamiliar tasks, more responsibility, and worry about job security replace hope for opportunities presented by new approach; managers need to be visible to provide encouragement, monitor team performance, act as intermediaries between teams, help teams acquire resources, foster right type of communication, protect teams from those who want to see them fail; real threat that work will not get done, projects may not get finishes

self-directed teams

set their own goals and pursue them in ways defined by the team; responsible for tasks typically reserves for team leaders/managers (ex. scheduling work & vacations, ordering supplies, evaluating performance); improve commitment, quality, efficiency; difficult to implement because they require specific self-management & team skills many employees lack

group norms

shared guidelines or rules for behavior that most group members follow; three reasons: to obtain rewards, imitate respected members, because they feel behavior is right; norms can kill creativity & productivity

team bonus plans

similar to gain-sharing plans except that the unit of performance and pay is the team ; each team must have specific performance targets or baseline measures that the team considers realistic for the plan to be effective

communication and decision making stage

storming stage; group members have begun to accept one another; discuss feelings and opinions more openly, can increase conflict; begins to develop norms of behavior, members discuss and agree on group's goals; assigned roles and tasks

forming

team acquaints & establishes ground rules; formalities are preserved & members are treated as strangers

adjourning

team conducts an assessment of the year & implements a plan for transitioning roles & recognizing members' contributions

performing

team works in an open & trusting atmosphere where flexibility is key & hierarchy is of little importance

problem-solving teams

teams created to solve problems and make improvements at work; core strength is that because employees are ones actually doing the work, they usually know the job best; can increase employee's commitment to decisions because they were involved in making them

virtual teams

teams of geographically and/or organizationally dispersed coworkers who communicate using Internet & other information technologies; becoming increasingly common in organizations (new forms of tech + pressures to reduce travel costs); may have reduced personal connection with their colleagues

venture teams

teams that operate semi-autonomously to create and develop new products (product development teams), processes (process design teams), or businesses (venture teams); can enhance its innovativeness & speed up cycle time

groups

two or more persons who interact with one another such that each person influences & is influenced by each other person

team contract

written agreement among team members establishing ground rules about the team's processes, roles, and accountabilities; members must communicate and negotiate in order to identify the quality of work they all wish to achieve, how decisions will be made, and the level of participation and individual accountability they all feel comfortable with; help to reduce the potential for team conflict stemming from an unequal division of resources and deter free riding; promote ethical team behavior and improve team performance and team member satisfaction