Chapter 9: Teams and Teamwork Learning Objectives Explain why the use of teams is increasing. Explain the concept of teamwork. Describe the structure and processes of teams. Explain how teams make decisions and share mental models. Explain how personnel selection, training, and performance appraisal apply to teams. 1

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Chapter Summary Work teams are an adaptive response of organizations to the changing business world. Teams exist at a level of analysis that is in between the individual and the organization. What distinguishes a team from several individuals working together are five core principles pertaining to the processes that operate within the team. Teams have a definable structure as indexed by the roles members assume within a team. Teams function through important processes pertaining to communication, conflict, cohesion, and trust. Teams must learn to make decisions that affect every member and result in the emergence of a team mentality. Some teams, known as virtual teams, consist of members around the world who may have never met each other face-to-face, yet they function through electronic communication. Issues such as personnel selection, training, and performance appraisal apply to teams, just as they do to individuals. The social processes that hold teams together and allow them to function are influenced by the cultural backgrounds of their members. 8