Groups and Teams BUSHR3200
social loafing
• the tendency for individual effort to decline as group size increases - In a tug-of-war, three people pulling together achieved only 2.5 times the average individual rate. - To reduce social loafing:
Differences between groups and teams
Groups Taskdependency/independent: members task and responsibilities are independent from each other Accountability/individual: performance and other outcomes are the responsibilities of individual members. time together/unspecified: Teams task dependency/interdependent: members tasks and responsibilities are interdependent accountability/shared: performance and other outcomes are shared responsibilities among members time together/specific: generally for a specific time to complete a task/goal
Jeannie belongs to a formal work group with established norms. All the following would be considered norms for her group EXCEPT meetings always start on time. meetings are limited to two hours. Jeannie's boss always mediates conflict through reconciliation or humor. members take turns bringing snacks.
Jeannie's boss always mediates conflict through reconciliation or humor.
work teams
Well-defined purpose, typically permanent, and require full commitment from members e.g., professional sports team; audit team
how to reduce groupthink
- Assign the role of "evaluator" to each group - Invite outside experts to observe and react to group's dynamics - Assign someone to be a "devil's advocate" at each meeting
Group
(1) two or more freely interacting individuals who (2) share norms and (3) goals and (4) have a common identity. • 1)A group of people on the bus; 2) Be kind to the elderly, like giving up your seat. 3) get to their destinations; 4)bus passenger.
Conformity
- The convergence of individual responses toward group norms. • Occurs for two reasons: - Informative influence: Believe that the group is right. - Normative influence: Want the group to accept and approve of them.
what is brainstorming
A technique to increase group creativity and productivity byencouraging group members to express their ideas in a non-criticaland "safe" environment.
project teams
Assembled to address specific problem, task, or project Members usually divide time between their primary job and the project team
team compenties
Contribute to the team's work Ø Completed work in a timely manner Constructively interact with team members Ø Communicated effectively; listened to teammates Keep team on track Ø Helped team plan and organize work Expect high-quality work Ø Cared that team produced high-quality work Possess relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAOs) for team's responsibilities
Cross functional teams
Created with members from different disciplines within the organization, such as finance, operations, and R&D.
Which one is NOT correct statements regarding the group/team dynamics? A)To overcome the issue of social loafing, we need to offer the hybrid rewards to both individuals and team. B)Trust within the team will lead to higher cooperation and better decision-making outcomes. C)Assigning someone to be a "devil's advocate" at each meeting will help to avoid groupthink. D)Too much team cohesiveness can be a problem for the organization E.)According to a social facilitation, on average, people perform easier tasks worse and difficult tasks better.
E)According to a social facilitation, on average, people perform easier tasks worse and difficult tasks better.
Most common challenges for virtual teams
Relationships: lack interpersonal and face to face interactions. makes building trusting relationships difficult Communication: via technology limits nonverbal anf other information commonly exchanged. feedback is limited and delayed Decision making: biases and perceived inequities can limit information and shared and impair decision making Leadership: rich relationships are difficult to build at distance its difficult to monitor performance coach and share leadership. Diversity: differences are difficult to appreciate or overcome. which may affect collaboration and understanding of team norms
team players should be
Should be: committed, collaborative, and competent Effective team players don't just feel the three Cs - they display them. Creating Team Players Selecting: hire team players Training: create team players Rewarding: incentives to be a good team player
Which of the followings are true or false? Too much team cohesiveness can be a problem for the organization- Success leads to cohesion, rather than cohesion causing success.- In general, smaller teams are more cohesive External threats hurt team cohesiveness Members of cohesive teams enjoy more satisfaction and less turnover.
Which of the followings are true or false? Too much team cohesiveness can be a problem for the organization-True Success leads to cohesion, rather than cohesion causing success.-false In general, smaller teams are more cohesive-true External threats hurt team cohesiveness-false Members of cohesive teams enjoy more satisfaction and less turnover.true
how to reduce social loafing
o Hybrid rewards (which include both individual and team components) can reduce social loafing because it holds people accountable for their individual effort Limit team size: identify the right team size to maximize efficiency and reduce social loafing. Don't have more people than needed
self-managed teams
teams of workers who have administrative oversight over their work (no direct supervisor) High levels of autonomy Team members act as their own supervisor Leadership responsibilities are shared and shift as demands change Outside managers and leaders maintain indirect accountability
Norms
the attitudes, opinions, feelings, or actions - shared by two or more people - that guide behavior help create order and allow groups to function efficiently (so group doesn't need to figure out how to do things over and over)
Social Faciliation
the presence of others can help or hinder performance; it ultimately depends on the task and self-efficacy. o With an audience, you usually perform easier tasks better . o With an audience, you usually perform more difficult tasks worse . * People's performance is not solely based on their abilities but the awareness of being evaluated
virtual teams
work together over time and distance via electronic media to combine effort and achieve common goals Flexible and efficient: driven by information and skills and not dependent on time and locations
what are roles and the two types
• : a set of expected behaviors for a particular position • Task roles: Enable the work group to define, clarify, and pursue a common purpose (keep the group "on track") • Maintenance roles: Foster supportive and constructive interpersonal relationships (keep the group "together")
Groupthink
• A cohesive group's unwillingness to consider alternative points of view • Desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an incorrect or deviant decision-making outcome • Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative ideas or viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences
4 basic rules to follow for successful brainstorming
• Avoid criticizing other people's ideas (don't be the "voice of judgement") • Share all suggestions, even if they're "far out" • Offer as many comments as possible • Build on others' ideas to create your own
characteristics of high performance
• Compelling team purpose and clear goals • Clear responsibilities/ role expectations • Appropriate mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities • Effective incentives and motivation • Trust and communication • Power and empowerment/Shared leadership • Early and effective conflict resolution • Norms for collaboration
cohesivness
• Degree to which group members are attached to each other and are motivated to stay in the group. • A sense of "We-ness" o This can be task- or socially-based. o Important for satisfaction with the group. • What factors can lead to cohesiveness? o High external threat or competition o Time spent together o Shared respect for each other's capabilities o Smaller (vs. larger) groups o Longer (vs. shorter) durationof group existence
A group becomes a team when:
• Leadership becomes a shared activity. • Accountability shifts from strictly individual to both individual and collective • More focused on problem solving and continuous improvement • Effectiveness is measured by the groups' collective outcomes and products ("We win or lose together")
advantages of group/team decision making
• More information • More diversity/breadth of perspective • Division of labor/sharing of resources • Greater chance for high quality decisions • Increased acceptance of solution by group members • Higher perceived legitimacy and objectivity
factors that influence group and team dynamics
• Team Composition (e.g., size, diversity, etc.) • Cohesiveness • Trust • Groupthink • Conformity • Brainstorming • Social Loafing • Social Facilitation
team composition
• The collection of jobs, personalities, knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences of team members (what the team is "composed" of) • Diversity can have positive or negative effects (little consensus in research) • Size • Less than 10 is ideal: more coordination
Disadvantages of group/team decision making
• Time consuming • Decision may not be reached in extreme cases • Potential for interpersonal conflict • Conformity pressures • Dominance of a few members • Ambiguous responsibility (i.e., social loafing) potential groupthink
Trust
• Willingness to be vulnerable to another person, and the belief that the other person will consider the impact of how his or her intentions and behaviors will affect you. • When we observe others trust us, we are more likely to trust them Repairing Trust • Violations can be competence based or integrity based • Trust repaired more when people apologize for competence-based violations and denied integrity-based violations
Team
• a small number of people who are committed to: a common purpose, performance goals, and an approach for which they hold themselves collectively accountable.