Management 11e John Schermerhorn Chapter 16 Teams and Teamwork

Planning Ahead — Chapter 16 Study Questions How do teams contribute to organizations? What are the current trends in the use of teams? How do teams work? How do teams make decisions? Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 1: How do teams contribute to organizations? A small group of people with complementary skills, who work together to achieve a shared purpose and hold themselves mutually accountable for performance results Teamwork The process of people actively working together to accomplish common goals Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 1: How do teams contribute to organizations? Team and teamwork roles for managers: Supervisor — serving as the appointed head of a formal work unit Network facilitator — serving as a peer leader an network hub for a special task force Participant — serving as a helpful contributing member of a project team External coach — serving as the external convenor or sponsor of a problem-solving team staffed by others Management 11 Chapter 16

Figure 16.1 Team and teamwork roles for managers Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 1: How do teams contribute to organizations? Synergy The creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts A team uses its membership resources to the fullest and thereby achieves through collective action far more than could be achieved otherwise Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 1: How do teams contribute to organizations? Usefulness of teams: More resources for problem solving Improved creativity and innovation Improved quality of decision making Greater commitments to tasks Higher motivation through collective action Better control and work discipline More individual need satisfaction Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 1: How do teams contribute to organizations? Common problems in teams: Personality conflicts Individual differences in work styles Ambiguous agendas Ill-defined problems Poor readiness to work Lack of motivation Conflicts with other deadlines or priorities Lack of team organization or progress Meetings that lack purpose or structure Members coming to meetings unprepared Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 1: How do teams contribute to organizations? Seven sins of deadly meetings: People arrive late, leave early, and don’t take things seriously The meeting is too long People don’t stay on topic The discussion lacks candor The right information isn’t available, so decisions are postponed No one puts decisions into action The same mistakes are made meeting after meeting Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 1: How do teams contribute to organizations? Formal teams Officially recognized and supported by the organization Specifically created to perform essential tasks Managers and leaders serve “linking pin” roles Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 1: How do teams contribute to organizations? Informal groups Not recognized on organization charts Not officially created for an organizational purpose Emerge as part of the informal structure and from natural or spontaneous relationships among people Include interest, friendship, and support groups Can have positive performance impact Can help satisfy social needs Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Committees, project teams, and task forces: Committees People outside their daily job assignments work together in a small team for a specific purpose Task agenda is narrow, focused, and ongoing Projects teams or task forces People from various parts of an organization work together on common problems, but on a temporary basis Official tasks are very specific and time defined Disbands after task is completed Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Guidelines for managing projects and task forces: Select appropriate team members Clearly define the purpose of the team Carefully select a team leader Periodically review progress Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Cross-functional teams Members come from different functional units of an organization Team works on a specific problem or task with the needs of the whole organization in mind Teams are created to knock down “walls” separating departments Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Employee involvement teams Groups of workers who meet on a regular basis outside of their formal assignments Have the goal of applying their expertise and attention to continuous improvement Quality circles represent a common form of employee involvement teams Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Virtual teams Teams of people who work together and solve problems through largely computer-mediated rather than face-to-face interactions Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Potential advantages of virtual teams: Savings in time and travel expenses Minimization or elimination of interpersonal difficulties Ease of expansion Potential problems of virtual teams: Difficulty in establishing good working relationships Depersonalization of working relationships Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Guidelines for managing virtual teams: Select team members high in initiative and capable of self-starting. Select members who will join and engage the team with positive attitudes. Select members known for working hard to meet team goals. Begin with social messaging that allows members to exchange information about each other to personalize the process. Assign clear goals and roles so that members can focus while working alone and also know what others are doing. Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Self-managing work teams Teams of workers whose jobs have been redesigned to create a high degree of task interdependence and who have been given authority to make many decisions about how to do the required work Also known as autonomous work groups Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Typical self-management responsibilities: Planning and scheduling work Training members in various tasks Sharing tasks Meeting performance goals Ensuring high quality Solving day-to-day operating problems In some cases, hiring and firing team members Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? In self-managing work teams, members Are held collectively accountable for performance results Have discretion in distributing tasks within the team Have discretion in scheduling work within the team Are able to perform more than one job on the team Evaluate one another’s performance contributions Are responsible for the total quality of team products Management 11 Chapter 16

Figure 16.2 Organizational and management implications of self-managing work teams Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 2: What are the current trends in the use of teams? Team Building Activities that analyze teams and make changes to improve performance May include meetings, games and outdoor activities Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Effective Teams Perform tasks Satisfy members Transform resource inputs into product outputs Pride in performance and accomplishments Members are willing to work together in the future Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Resource input factors that influence group process in the pursuit of team effectiveness: Resources and setting Nature of the task Team size Membership characteristics Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Group process: The way the members of any team work together as they transform inputs into outputs Also known as group dynamics Includes communications, decision making, norms, cohesion, and conflict, among others Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Team effectiveness may be summarized as Quality of inputs Process gains – Process losses Team effectiveness Management 11 Chapter 16

Figure 16.3 An open-systems model of work team effectiveness Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Team diversity: A variety of values, personalities, experiences, demographics, and cultures among members Greater variety of available ideas, perspectives, and experiences As team diversity increases, complexity of interpersonal relationships also increases Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Stages of team development: Forming initial orientation and interpersonal testing Storming conflict over tasks and ways of working as a team Norming consolidation around task and operating agendas Performing teamwork and focused task performance Adjourning task accomplishment and eventual disengagement Management 11 Chapter 16

Figure 16.4 Criteria for assessing the maturity of a team Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Norms Behavior expected of team members Rules or standards that guide behavior May result in team sanctions Cohesiveness Degree that members are attracted to and motivated to remain part of the team Desire to conform to norms Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Guidelines for building positive norms: Act as a positive role model Reinforce the desired behaviors with rewards Control results by performance reviews and regular feedback Orient and train new members to adopt desired behaviors Recruit and select new members who exhibit desired behaviors Hold regular meetings to discuss progress and ways of improving Use team decision-making methods to reach agreement Management 11 Chapter 16

Figure 16.5 How cohesiveness and norms influence team performance Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Guidelines for increasing team cohesion: Build agreement on team goals Increase membership homogeneity Increase interaction among members Decrease team size Introduce competition with other teams Reward team rather than individual results Provide physical isolation from other teams Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Task activities Actions by team members that contribute directly to team’s performance purpose Include: Initiating Information sharing Summarizing Elaborating Opinion giving Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Maintenance activities Support emotional life of a team as an ongoing social system Include: Gatekeeping Encouraging Following Harmonizing Reducing tension Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Distributed leadership roles … Make every member responsible for recognizing when task and/or maintenance activities are needed and taking actions to provide them Leading through task activities focuses on solving problems and achieving performance results Leading through maintenance activities helps strengthen and perpetuate the team as a social system Management 11 Chapter 16

Figure 16.6 Distributed leadership helps teams meet task and maintenance needs Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Dysfunctional activities that detract from team effectiveness: Being aggressive Blocking Self-confessing Seeking sympathy Competing Withdrawal Horsing around Seeking recognition Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 3: How do teams work? Communication networks Decentralized All members communicate directly with one another Centralized Activities are coordinated and results pooled by central point of control Restricted Polarized subgroups contest one another Subgroups may engage in antagonistic relations Management 11 Chapter 16

Figure 16.7 Interaction patterns and communication networks in teams Source: John R Schermerhorn, Jr , James G Hunt, and Richard N Osborn, Organizational Behavior, 8th ed (New York: Wiley, 2003), p 347 Used by permission Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 4: How do teams make decisions? Methods of team decision making: Lack of response Authority rule Minority rule Majority rule Consensus Unanimity Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 4: How do teams make decisions? Advantages of team decision making: Greater amounts of information, knowledge, and expertise Expands number of action alternatives considered Increases understanding and acceptance Increases commitment to follow through Disadvantages of team decision making: Social pressure to conform Individual or minority group domination Time requirements Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 4: How do teams make decisions? Symptoms of groupthink: Illusions of group invulnerability Rationalizing unpleasant and disconfirming data Belief in inherent group morality Negative stereotypes of competitors Pressure to conform Self-censorship of members Illusions of unanimity Mind guarding Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 4: How do teams make decisions? Methods for dealing with groupthink: Have each group member be a critical evaluator Don’t appear to favor one course of action Create subteams to work on the same problems Have team members discuss issues with outsiders Have outside experts observe and provide feedback on team activities Assign a member to the devil’s advocate role Hold a second-chance meeting Management 11 Chapter 16

Study Question 4: How do teams make decisions? Creativity in team decision making Brainstorming Open and spontaneous discussion of problems and ideas Guidelines Go for quantity of ideas Don’t criticize each other Welcome “freewheeling” Build on the ideas of others Nominal Group technique Meeting agenda structured to allow participation of all group members Individual contributions are brought to the group for discussion Management 11 Chapter 16

NASCAR: Fast cars, passion and teamwork create wins Chapter 16 Case NASCAR: Fast cars, passion and teamwork create wins

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