Chapter 9 Teamwork and Team Performance Teams are worth the work
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-2 Chapter 9 Study Questions What is a the nature of teams and teamwork? What is team building? How does team building improve performance? How do teams contribute to the high- performance workplace?
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-3 What is the nature of team and teamwork? Team –small group of people with complementary skills, who work actively together to achieve a common purpose for which they hold themselves collectively accountable
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-4 What is the nature of team and teamwork? Types of teams –Teams that recommend things Established to study specific problems and recommend solutions to them –Teams that run things Have formal responsibility for leading other groups –Teams that make or do things Functional groups that perform ongoing tasks
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-5 What is the nature of team and teamwork? Teamwork –occurs when group members actively work together in such a way that all their respective skills are well utilized to achieve a common purpose
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-6 What is the nature of team and teamwork? How to Create a High-Performing Team – Communicate high-performance standards – Set the tone in the first team meeting – Create a sense of urgency – Make sure members have the right skills – Establish clear rules for team behavior
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-7 What is the nature of team and teamwork? How to Create a High-Performing Team – As a leader, model expected behaviors – Find ways to create early “successes” – Continually introduce new information – Have members spend time together – Give positive feedback
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-8 What is the nature of team and teamwork? Homogeneous teams –Members are similar with respect to such variables as age, gender, race, experience, ethnicity, and culture
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-9 What is the nature of team and teamwork? Heterogeneous teams –Members are diverse in demography, experiences, life styles, and cultures
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-10 Figure 9.1
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-11 What is team building? Team building –sequence of planned activities designed to gather and analyze data on the functioning of a group and to initiate changes designed to improve teamwork and increase group effectiveness
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-12 Figure 9.2
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-13 What is team building? Formal retreat approach –Team building occurs during an offsite “retreat” Continuous improvement approach –The manager, team leader, or group members take responsibility for ongoing team building Outdoor experience approach –Members engage in physically challenging situations that require teamwork
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-14 How does team building improve performance? New members may worry about: Participation Goals Control Relationships
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-15 How does team building improve performance? Tough battler –frustrated by a lack of identity and may reject authority Friendly helper –insecure, suffering uncertainties of intimacy and control Objective thinker –anxious about how personal needs will be met in the group
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-16 How does team building improve performance? Distributed leadership –sharing of responsibilities for contributions that move a group forward Task activities –various things members do that directly contribute to the performance of important group tasks
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-17 Figure 9.3
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-18 How does team building improve performance? Maintenance activities –support the social and interpersonal relationships among group members
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-19 How does team building improve performance? Groups members should avoid the following disruptive behaviors: –Being overly aggressive toward other members –Withdrawing and refusing to cooperate with others –Horsing around when there is work to be done –Using the group as a forum for self-confession –Talking too much about irrelevant matters –Trying to compete for attention and recognition
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-20 How does team building improve performance? Role –set of expectations associated with a job or position on a team Role ambiguity –occurs when a person is uncertain about his or her role
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-21 How does team building improve performance? Role overload –occurs when too much is expected and the person feels overwhelmed with work Role underload –occurs when too little is expected and the person feels underutilized
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-22 How does team building improve performance? Role conflict –occurs when a person is unable to meet the expectations of others –Forms of role conflict Intrasender role conflict Intersender role conflict Person-role conflict Interrole conflict
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-23 How does team building improve performance? Norms –represent beliefs about how group or team members are expected to behave –rules or standards of conduct
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-24 How does team building improve performance? Key norms that can have positive or negative implications Performance norms Ethics norms Organizational and personal pride norms High-achievement norms Support and helpfulness norms Improvement and change norms
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-25 How does team building improve performance? Cohesiveness –the degree to which members are attracted to and motivated to remain a part of the team
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-26 How does team building improve performance? High team cohesiveness occurs when: –Members are similar in age, attitudes, needs, and backgrounds –Group size is small –Members respect each others’ competencies –Members agree on common goals –Members work on interdependent tasks –Groups are physically isolated from others –Groups experience performance success or crisis
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-27 Figure 9.4
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-28 Figure 9.5
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-29 How do teams contribute to the high-performance workplace? Employee involvement team –applies to a wide variety of teams whose members meet regularly to collectively examine important workplace issues Quality circle –small group of persons who meet periodically to discuss and develop solutions for problems relating to quality and productivity
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-30 How do teams contribute to the high-performance workplace? Cross-functional teams –Consist of members representing different functional departments or work units
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-31 How do teams contribute to the high-performance workplace? Functional silos problem –occurs when members of functional units stay focused on matters internal to their function and minimize their interactions with members dealing with other functions –also called functional chimneys problem
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-32 How do teams contribute to the high-performance workplace? Advantages of virtual teams –Cost-effectiveness and speed where members are unable to meet easily face-to-face –Computer power fulfills typical team needs for information processing and decision making
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-33 How do teams contribute to the high-performance workplace? Disadvantages of virtual teams –The lack of personal contact between team members –Group decisions are made in a limited social context
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-34 How do teams contribute to the high-performance workplace? Self-managing teams –small groups empowered to make the decisions needed to manage themselves on a day-to-day basis –also called self-directed work teams
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-35 Figure 9.6
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-36 How do teams contribute to the high-performance workplace? Multiskilling –team members are trained in performing more than one job on the team
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-37 How do teams contribute to the high-performance workplace? Advantages of self-managing teams –Productivity and quality improvements –Production flexibility and faster response to technological change –Reduced absenteeism and turnover –Improved work attitudes and quality of work life
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9-38 How do teams contribute to the high-performance workplace? Disadvantages of self-managing teams –Structural changes in job classifications and management levels eliminate the need for first- line supervisors –Managers must learn to deal with teams rather than individuals –Supervisors who are displaced by self- managing teams may feel threatened