Foundations of Team Dynamics

Teamwork at Pearson Int’l Airport Events surrounding and following the Air France crash at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport illustrate the importance of teams in complex organizational activities. CP Photo/Franck Gunn

What Are Teams? Groups of two or more people Exist to fulfill a purpose Interdependent -- interact and influence each other Mutually accountable for achieving common goals Perceive themselves as a social entity CP Photo/Franck Gunn

Groups vs Teams All teams are groups. Some groups are just people assembled together. Teams have task interdependence whereas some groups do not (e.g., group of employees enjoying lunch together).

Types of Teams and Groups Permanent Temporary Production team Management team Task force Skunkwork Formal Teams Friendship group Commuter group Informal Groups

Why Informal Groups Exist Innate drive to bond Social identity We define ourselves by group memberships Goal accomplishment Emotional support

Why Rely on Teams Compared with individuals working alone, teams tend to Make better decisions Make better products and services due to more knowledge and expertise Increase employee engagement

Team Effectiveness Defined Fulfills objectives assigned to the team Fulfills satisfaction and well-being of team members Maintains team’s survival

Team Effectiveness Model Organizational and Team Environment Reward systems Communication systems Physical space Organizational environment Organizational structure Organizational leadership Task characteristics Team size Team composition Team Design Achieve organizational goals Satisfy member needs Maintain team survival Team Effectiveness Team development Team norms Team roles Team cohesiveness Team Processes

Team’s Task and Size Task characteristics Team size Better when tasks are clear, easy to implement Share common inputs, processes, or outcomes Task interdependence Team size Smaller teams are better But large enough to accomplish task

Levels of Task Interdependence High Reciprocal A B C Sequential A B C Pooled Resource A B C Low

Team Composition at Bioware Bioware looks for people like Sophie Smith (shown here) who are highly talented and work well in the Edmonton electronic games company’s team-oriented culture. “We look carefully for signs that may indicate the person is not a team player," says Ray Muzyka, who shares the CEO role with Greg Zeschuk. Straughn Butts/Edmonton Journal

Team Composition Motivation Competencies To perform task To work cooperatively the team Competencies Skills and knowledge to perform the task Ability to work effectively with each other Homogeneous or heterogeneous, depending on task requirements Straughn Butts/Edmonton Journal

Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous Teams Homogeneous Teams Heterogeneous Teams Less conflict Faster team development Performs better on cooperative tasks Better coordination High satisfaction of team members More conflict Longer team development Performs better on complex problems More creative Better representation outside the team

Stages of Team Development Performing Adjourning Existing teams might regress back to an earlier stage of development Norming Storming Forming

Team Norms Informal rules and expectations team establishes to regulate member behaviours Norms develop through: Initial team experiences Critical events in team’s history Experience/values members bring to the team

Changing Team Norms Introduce norms when forming teams Select members with preferred norms Discuss counter-productive norms Reward behaviours representing desired norms Disband teams with dysfunctional norms

Conformity to Team Norms 100 Day 12: Peer pressure begins Day 28: Employee has doubled performance 75 Units Pressed per Hour 50 Day 20: Employee begins working alone Day 1: Employee begins job with team 25 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 Production Days

Team Roles Role: Set of behaviours people are expected to perform by holding certain positions. Formally assigned or informally acquired based on personality preferences Belbin’s Team Role Model Nine team roles -- all needed for optimal team performance. People choose preferred role based on their personality. Some roles should be strongest at certain times.

Team Cohesiveness at Lighthouse Photo: Robert Hirtie. Courtesy of Atlantic Business Magazine & Lighthouse Publishing The staff at Lighthouse Publishing in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, is a highly cohesive group that successfully keeps its much larger competitors off-guard. This cohesiveness has particularly come through when faced with new and unexpected challenges, such as new products or machine breakdowns.

Team Cohesiveness Defined Photo: Robert Hirtie. Courtesy of Atlantic Business Magazine & Lighthouse Publishing The degree of attraction people feel toward the team and their motivation to remain members. Calculative: Members believe the team will fulfill goals and needs. Emotional: Team is part of person’s social identity.

Influences on Team Cohesiveness Member Similarity Increasing Team Cohesiveness External Challenges Team Size Team Success Member Interaction Somewhat Difficult Entry

Team Cohesiveness Outcomes Want to remain members Willing to share information Strong interpersonal bonds Resolve conflict effectively Better interpersonal relationships

Cohesiveness and Performance Moderately high task performance High task performance Team Norms Support Company Goals Moderately low task performance Low task performance Team Norms Oppose Company Goals Low Team Cohesiveness High Team Cohesiveness

The Trouble With Teams Individuals better/faster on some tasks Process losses - cost of developing and maintaining teams Companies don’t support best work environment for team dynamics Social loafing

How to Minimize Social Loafing Make individual performance more visible Form smaller teams Specialize tasks Measure individual performance Increase employee motivation Increase job enrichment Select motivated employees

Foundations of Team Dynamics