Chapter 10 Team Development Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Groups and Teams Groups Clear leader Two or more members Members perform independent jobs with individual accountability, evaluation, and rewards. Teams Members share leadership Two or more members Members perform interdependent jobs, with individual and group accountability, evaluation, and rewards. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

New York Yankees Joe Torre’s phenomenal success leading the New York Yankees is the stuff legends are made of. Torre no doubt has other pro teams scratching their heads. Yankee star players get paid 63 times more than Yankee backup players, yet the Yankees are team players. There is no resentment at the end of the day in the clubhouse. How does he do it? As writer Geoffrey Colvin notes, “The truth is, everyone on the team knows who the stars are and embrace those stars. A lot of corporate teams try to suppress that reality. Winning athletic teams embrace it. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Evaluating Team Worth Forbes valued the Yankees at $730 million, behind only the Washington Redskins ($796 million) and the Dallas Cowboys ($743 million). Gladden, Irwin, and Sutton say, “We contend that 2000 to 2010 will be the decade in which team management activities evolve from a focus on winning as a means of realizing short-term profits to a focus on strategic management of the team brand as a means of realizing long-term appreciation in franchise value.” Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Groups The terms management-directed, semi-autonomous, and self-managed (or directed) are commonly used to differentiate groups. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Group Performance Model Group Performance is a function of organizational context, group structure, group process, and group development stage. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Group Structure Dimensions Group structure dimensions include: Group Type Size Composition Leadership and Objectives. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Types of Groups Formal or informal Functional or cross-functional Command or task Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Problems with Small Groups Groups that are too small limit ideas and creativity. Small groups tend to be too cautious. Issues of overwork and burnout can also arise because the workload is not distributed over enough members. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Problems with Large Groups On the other hand, groups that are too large tend to be slow, and individuals don’t always get to contribute as much as they can in smaller groups. Groups tend to be larger than teams. Groups with 20 or more members are definitely groups rather than teams because there are too many members to reach consensus on issues and decisions. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Group Composition Group composition is the mix of members’ skills and abilities. Obviously, composition directly and strongly affects performance. Without the right mix of skills and abilities, groups cannot excel. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Objectives A sports team, for example, might set objectives to improve community and media relationships, to strengthen team chemistry, to best last year’s win-loss record, to win as many games as they lose, to finish first, to make the playoffs, to play in the championship game, or to win the championship. Recreational sport teams might emphasize teamwork and exercise. Work teams might set objectives to increase customer satisfaction, team rapport, sales, or profits. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Group Process Group process is the patterns of interactions that emerge as group members work together. Group dynamics is another word for group process. Group process often changes over time, and it is not something people figure out on their own. Careful and thoughtful training in group process is crucial for teams to be effective. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Group Process Dimensions The six components of group process dimensions are: Roles Norms Cohesiveness Status Decision making Conflict Resolution Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Group Status Status is the perceived ranking of one member relative to other members in the group. Status is based on several factors—one’s performance, job title, salary, seniority, expertise, people skills, appearance, and education, among others. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Decision Making One study found that professionals and volunteers at sporting events felt that some areas of decision making were perceived to be the domain of either the professionals or volunteers. Professionals wanted the relationship to be more equal. One implication of this finding is the potential for improved organizational decision making between professionals and volunteers at sporting events. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Stages of Group Development Orientation Dissatisfaction Resolution Production Termination Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Empowering Groups The trend is to empower groups to become teams because teams are more productive than groups. If your group has 20 or more members, break the group into two or three teams. If teams are to succeed, members need training in group process skills so they can make decisions and handle conflict. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Better Meetings Planning is needed in at least five areas: setting objectives, selecting participants, making assignments, setting the agenda and the time and place for the meeting, and leadership. Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Handling Problem Members As groups and teams develop, certain personalities emerge that can cause inefficiency in the group: Silent Ones Talkers Wanderers Arguers The Bored Lussier/Kimball, Sport Management, First Edition Copyright © 2004, by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning