Wayne Smith, Ph.D. Department of Management CSU Northridge ws@csun.edu BUS 302 “Gateway”: A case study for MGT 360 Wayne Smith, Ph.D. Department of Management CSU Northridge ws@csun.edu

Structure (i.e., why and how individuals in an organizational context exhibit such wide variation matters greatly)

Descriptive Statistics: Typical BUS 302 Class Mean Standard Deviation Start of Class (using incoming GPA) 2.801 .4765 End of Class (using final letter grade) 2.618 .9772

Teams (i.e., why and how individuals change team performance over time matters greatly)

Teams and Performance Team Assignment Issues Team Performance Issues I tried my best to make all teams as equal as I can. I split up Sex and Major; Also, I made each team have the same GPA As part of a team, do men and women offer different qualities to succeed approximately equally? Or are any differences more stereotype than substance? As part of a team, do students with different majors contribute and consume different perspectives to succeed approximately equally? Can anyone know at this early point? As team members, does GPA (most of which was at the individual-level) explain or predict performance? What about Native v. Transfer? What about aspirations? Also, what about diverse work experiences and diverse cultural backgrounds? Team Performance Issues In the “real world”, rewards vary: Professionals are primarily rewarded for their own work. Managers are primarily rewarded for the work of others. In BUS 302, rewards vary: Each student needs to start strong and stay strong at the individual-level. Each student needs to start strong and stay strong at the team-level.

Summary of Learning Intensity from Peer, Qualitative Evaluations (i.e., the breadth and depth of skill-based learning within a team by the end of the semester) “What did you learn from another team member?”

Learning Intensity Evaluatee (Contributor) Evaluator (Learner) Student1 Student1 Student2 Student2 Student3 Student3 Student4 Student4 Student5 Student5 Student6 Student6

Learning Intensity–Least Successful Team Evaluatee (Contributor) Evaluator (Learner) Student1 Student1 Student2 Student2 Be creative Student3 Student3 Write better Student4 Student4 Hard work is key Student5 Student5 Student6 Student6

Learning Intensity–Most Successful Team Time management Evaluatee (Contributor) Evaluator (Learner) Mix hard work w/ fun Student1 Student1 Always be prepared Student2 Improved my writing Student2 Ask good questions Student3 Student3 Leadership Student4 Student4 Don’t get frustrated Student5 Student5 Be organized Student6 Math/Stat/Excel Student6 Positive Attitude

Team Characteristics Contributing to the Team’s Work Strong: Does more or higher-quality work than expected. Weak: Does not assist teammates. Quits if the work becomes difficult. Interacting with Teammates Strong: Asks for and shows an interest in teammates’ ideas and contributions. Weak: Complains, makes excuses, or does not interact with teammates. Keeping the Team on Track Strong: Watches conditions affecting the team and monitors its progress. Weak: Avoids discussing team problems, even when they are obvious. Expecting Quality Strong: Motivates the team to do excellent work. Weak: Doubts that the team can meet its requirements. Having Relevant Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Strong: Demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do excellent work. Weak: Unable to perform any of the duties of other team members.

Conflict (i.e., why and how individuals develop discussions and resolve challenges matters greatly)

Managing Conflict Conflict is… Two types of conflict are… A disagreement between people on: Substantive issues regarding goals and tasks, allocation of resources, distribution of rewards, policies and procedures, and job assignments Emotional issues arising from feelings of anger, distrust, dislike, fear, and resentment, as well as personality clashes Two types of conflict are… Functional Conflict vigorous discussion and debate that is well managed can help promote creativity and high performance Dysfunctional Conflict unproductive arguments and unresolved issues that aren’t well managed can lead to a substantively less-cohesive team (and weak performance and lost points for the entire team)

Resolving Conflict

Communication (i.e., why and how individuals in an organizational context design and develop discourse matters greatly)

Avoiding “Process Losses” and “Fault Lines” in Teams The simplest tips prevent small problems from becoming large problems. “Free-riding” Review your trust and contract assignments Team-based feedback—objective and subjective Manage “air time” Does everyone have a chance to speak and contribute? “social—professional—social” —> 5%—85%—10% Information Processing Discuss non-common, privately-held, non-agreed-upon data too Inadvertent filtering by perceived status or cognitive biases

Difficult Conversations Professionals don’t need much help when things are going well. But everyone needs help when things aren’t going well. Teams need to learn to discuss—openly and honestly—topics such as: Clarifying Expectations Review the Team Trust assignment (and expand upon it as necessary). Perhaps revisit the Team Contract assignment (and extend it as needed). Evaluating Performance Understand how the work of even a single individual (in-class or out-of-class) can negatively impact the team and reduce the scores of all team members. Help others create a culture of ownership. Adjusting Behavior Focus on recurring behavioral issues fist. Link individual attitudes with demonstrable action. Learn how to be objective even on topics involving personality and perspective. Remember….it is possible to be “voted off the island (team)” The team needs to keep good documentation for the instructor. The student(s) will then earn an automatic “F”.

Communication Channels and Information Richness

Motivation (i.e., why and how individuals initiate and respond to feedback and incentives matters greatly)

How do you learn to improve yourself? You need to learn to ask others (subordinates, professional peers, and bosses/managers/faculty) to provide you with constructive feedback. You initiate that dialogue. You need to learn how to 1) learn from others’ constructive feedback, 2), develop a action plan, and 3), change your behavior based on that action plan. You are responsible for evaluating the changes and results of your plan. You need to learn how to provide constructive feedback to others (especially professional peers and teammates). You 1), choose the right time and place, 2), ensure that the feedback is reliable (is consistent) and valid (reflects reality), 3), make it direct and specific, and, 4), provide it in relatively small doses. You need to learn to ask others (especially professional peers and teammates) how you can help them?

(i.e., how individuals change team performance over time) Leadership (i.e., how individuals change team performance over time)

Situational Leadership