Welcome to MT140 Introduction to Management Unit 7 Seminar – Effective Teams

Agenda General Questions and Announcements Introduction Why Some Groups Fail/ Q & A Contribution of Teams to an Organization/ Q & A Types of Teams / Q & A Recap Unit Assignment Clarification Conclusion of Seminar

Introduction If you have ever led or been a participant in teams, you are likely aware that sometimes teams yield successful results and sometimes they do not. If you haven’t yet been called upon to work on a team or to lead one, chances are that you will be in the future. In the modern workplace, there has been a trend toward conducting business with the use of teams. Today’s managers have the goal of ensuring that their work teams are successful.

Why Groups Sometimes Fail: Ineffective communication Lack of effective chartering, visioning, and goal setting Lack of clarity about roles Inability to keep morale and momentum high Decrease in productivity Lack of trust As a manager, what is your role in increasing the likelihood that your team will be successful?

The Contribution of Teams to an Organization -Can the teamwork approach to work help the organization? In what ways?

The Contributions of Teams Benefiting of the organization directly… A team of individuals addressing an issue can experience breakthroughs and develop fresh ideas that may not have been possible with a single individual. Teams can increase production, improve quality, and reduce costs. Teams can enhance speed and be powerful forces for innovation and change.

Contribution of Teams, (cont’d) For the benefit of the team members directly and organization indirectly…. The team can be a useful learning mechanism, thereby benefiting the members. Team members can give each other feedback; identify opportunities for growth and development; and train, coach, and mentor. -Source: Bateman and Snell text; page. 244

Types of Teams -Can you name some types of teams that are commonly present in the workplace?

Different Types of Organizational Teams Transitional Teams - work groups composed of multinational members whose activities span multiple countries Virtual Teams - teams that are physically dispersed and communicate electronically more than face-to-face Traditional Work Groups - groups that have no managerial responsibilities

Different Types of Organizational Teams, cont’d. Quality Circles - voluntary groups of people drawn from various production teams who make suggestions about quality Semiautonomous Work Groups - groups that make decisions about managing and carrying out major production activities but get outside support for quality control and maintenance Autonomous Work Groups - groups that control decisions about and execution of a complete range of tasks

Self-Designing Teams - Teams with the responsibilities of autonomous work groups, plus control over hiring, firing, and deciding what tasks members perform Self-Managed Teams - Autonomous work groups in which workers are trained to do all or most of the jobs in a unit, have no immediate supervisor, and make decisions previously made by first-line supervisors Different Types of Organizational Teams, cont’d.

The New Team Environment

Recap In this seminar, we’ve discussed: -Why some groups fail -How teams contribute to organizations -Various types of teams

Assignment Questions and Answers There are four graded assignments in Unit 7: 1.Review Quiz 2.Discussion Assignment 3.Dropbox Assignment 4.Seminar Quiz Are there questions concerning how you are expected to complete and submit these assignments?

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK “Two heads can be better than one” Why is an understanding of teams so important? What are the foundations of successful teamwork?

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Importance Of Teams MODULE GUIDE 21.1 Formal and informal groups are building blocks of organizations. Organizations use a variety of committees, task forces, and cross-functional teams. Virtual teams are increasingly common in organizations. Teams offer synergy and other benefits to their members and the organization. Teams can also suffer from common performance problems.

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Importance Of Teams Team -a collection of people who regularly interact to pursue common goals. Teamwork -the process of people actively working together to accomplish common goals. Formal Group -a group that is officially recognized and supported by the organization. Informal Group -a group that is unofficial and emerges from relationships and shared interests among members. Committee -people brought together outside of their daily job assignments to work in a small team for a specific task

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Importance Of Teams Types of Teams -Project Team -is convened for a specific purpose and disbands after completing its task. -Cross-functional Team -operates with members who come from different functional units of an organization. -Employee Involvement Team -meets on a regular basis to help achieve continuous improvement.

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Importance Of Teams Types of Teams -Quality Circle Team -employees who meet periodically to discuss ways of improving work quality. -Self-managing Teams -work team having the authority to make decisions about how they share and complete their work. -Virtual Teams -Work together and solve problems through computer based interactions

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Importance Of Teams Benefits of Teams -Synergy -The creation of a whole greater than or equal to the sum of its parts Why Teams Are Good for Organizations More resources for problem solving Improved creativity and innovation Improved quality of decision making Greater commitments to tasks Increased motivation of members Better control and work discipline More individual need satisfaction

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Importance Of Teams MANAGEMENT TIPS Characteristics of High Performance Teams Clear, elevating goals Results-driven structure Competent team members Unified commitments Collaborative climate Standards of excellence External support and recognition Principled leadership

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Importance Of Teams Potential Problems With Teams -Social Loafing -the tendency of some people to avoid responsibility by free- riding in groups. -Meetings (wasted time) Seven sins of deadly meetings: 1. People arrive late, leave early, and don’t take things seriously. 2. The meeting is too long, sometimes twice as long as necessary. 3. People don’t stay on topic; they digress and are easily distracted. 4. The discussion lacks candor; people are unwilling to tell the truth. 5. The right information isn’t available, so decisions are postponed. 6. Nothing happens when the meeting is over; no one puts decisions into action. 7. Things never get better; the same mistakes are made meeting after meeting.

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Importance Of Teams Assessing the maturity of a team

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Foundations Of Teamwork MODULE GUIDE 21.2 Teams need the right members and inputs to be effective. Teams must use the right processes to be effective. Teams move through different stages of development. Team performance is affected by norms and cohesiveness. Team performance is affected by task and maintenance roles. Team performance is affected by use of communication networks. Team performance is affected by use of decision-making methods. Team performance suffers when groupthink leads to bad decisions.

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK Foundations Of Teamwork Stages of Development -Forming Stage -team development, one of initial task orientation and interpersonal testing. -Norming Stage -members of the team begin to coordinate their efforts as a working unit and tend to operate with shared rules of conduct. -Performing Stage -members are more mature, organized, and well functioning. -Adjourning Stage -the final stage for temporary committees, task forces, and project teams.

FOUNDATIONS OF TEAMWORK Effective Teams Effective Teams -make use of alternative communication networks and decision-making methods to best complete tasks. Group Process -The way members interact and work together to transform inputs into outputs TEAM EFFECTIVENESS EQUATION Team effectiveness = Quality of inputs x (Process gains - Process losses)

FOUNDATIONS OF TEAMWORK Effective Teams

Group Norms -Behaviors, rules or standards expected of team members Cohesion -the attractiveness of the team to its members

FOUNDATIONS OF TEAMWORK Effective Teams Task and Maintenance Roles -Task Activities -contribute directly to the team’s performance purpose -Maintenance Activities -support the emotional life of the team as an ongoing social system. -Distributed Leadership -every member is continually responsible for both recognizing when task or maintenance activities are needed and taking actions to provide them.

FOUNDATIONS OF TEAMWORK Effective Teams

Communication Networks -Decentralized Communication Network -Allows all members to communicate directly with one another. Works well for tasks that require lots of creativity, information processing, and problem solving. -Centralized Communication Network -Requires members to communicate with each other via a central hub or port

FOUNDATIONS OF TEAMWORK Effective Teams

Decision Making -The process of making choices through choosing from alternative courses of action Groupthink -a tendency of members of highly cohesive teams to lose their critical evaluative capabilities and make poor decisions.

The Contribution of Teams Building blocks for organizational structure Increase quality and productivity while reducing costs Enhance speed and be powerful forces for innovation and change Provide benefits for team membersteam members

The New Team Environment Working group -A collection of people who work in the same area or have been drawn together to undertake a task but do not necessarily come together as a unit Team -A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable

Types of Teams Work teams Project and development teams Parallel teams Management teams Transnational teams Virtual teams

Self-Managed Teams

Self-managed teams -Autonomous work group in which workers are trained to do all or most of the jobs in a unit, have no immediate supervisors, and make decisions previously made by first-line supervisors Varying degrees of team autonomy -Traditional work groupsTraditional work groups -Quality circlesQuality circles -Semiautonomous work groupsSemiautonomous work groups -Self-designing teamsSelf-designing teams

How Groups Become Teams Group activities -Forming, storming, norming, performingForming, storming, norming, performing -Groups that deteriorate move to a declining stage -Temporary groups add an adjourning or terminating stage Passage of time--groups pass through critical periods

Development Sequence: From Group to Team

Cohesiveness, Performance Norms, and Group Performance

Why Groups Sometimes Fail Teams launched with no training or support Teams are sometimes not genuinely empowered

Building Effective Teams Team effectiveness is defined by three criteria -Productive output of the team meets or exceeds standards of quantity and quality -Team members realize satisfaction of their personal needs -Team members remain committed to working together again

Building Effective Teams Performance focus -Effective teamwork requires commitment to a common purpose -Teams develop a common understanding of how they work together to achieve their purpose -Teams need feedback on their performance Motivating teamwork -Sometimes individuals work less hard and are less productive when they are members of a team -Factors that affect how hard team members work are social loafing and the social facilitation effectsocial loafing and the social facilitation effect

Building Effective Teams Member contributions -Team members should be selected and trained to become effective team contributors -Skills required include functional expertise, problem-solving and decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills Norms -Shared beliefs about how people should think and behave

Building Effective Teams Roles -Different sets of expectations for how different individuals should behave -A task specialist is an individual who has more advanced job-related skills and abilities than other group members possess -A team maintenance specialist is an individual who develops and maintains team harmony -Superior teams excel at relating, scouting, persuading, and empoweringrelating, scouting, persuading, and empowering

Building Effective Teams Cohesiveness -The degree to which a group is attractive to its members, members are motivated to remain in the group, and members influence one another Cohesiveness is important for two reasons -Cohesiveness contributes to member satisfaction -Cohesiveness has a major impact on performance Caveat -If the task is to make a decision or solve a problem, cohesiveness can lead to poor performance

Building Cohesiveness and High Performance Norms Recruit members with similar attitudes, values and backgrounds Maintain high entrance and socialization standards Keep the team small Help the team succeed and publicize its successes Be a participative leader Present a challenge from outside the team Tie rewards to team performance

Managing Lateral Relationships Managing Outward -A gatekeeper is a team member who keeps abreast of current developments and provides the team with relevant information -The team’s strategy dictates the team’s mix of internally versus externally focused roles and the ways the mix changes over time -General team strategies include informing, parading, and probingGeneral team strategies

Lateral Role Relationships Work-flow relationships -Emerge over time as material are passed from one group to another Service relationships -Exist when top management centralized an activity to which a large number of other units must gain access Advisory relationships -Develop when people not directly in the chain of command evaluate the methods and performances of other teams Stabilization relationships -Involve auditing before the fact Liaison relationships -Involve intermediaries between teams

Managing Conflict Conflict can arise among groups and teams Diverse groups may initially experience heightened conflict but over time can become more cooperative and perform better than homogeneous groups Conflict styles -AvoidanceAvoidance -AccommodationAccommodation -CompromiseCompromise -CompetingCompeting -CollaborationCollaboration -Superordinate goalsSuperordinate goals

Managing Conflict: Conflict Management Strategies

Managing Conflict Mediator -A third party who intervenes to help others manager their conflict Electronic and virtual conflict -Geographically dispersed teams tend to experience more conflict and less trust Try to prevent conflicts before they arise, but when they inevitably arise, express your willingness to cooperate

Benefits for Team Members The team can be a learning mechanism The team can satisfy important personal needs such as affiliation and esteem The team can provide one another with feedback by identifying opportunities for growth, training, coaching, and mentoring Return to original slide

Work Teams Work teams are teams that make or do things like manufacture, assemble, sell, or provide service Return to original slide

Project and Development Teams Project and development teams work on long-term projects but disband once the work is completed Return to original slide

Parallel Teams Parallel teams operate separately from the regular work structure and exist temporarily Return to original slide

Management Teams Management teams coordinate and provide direction to the subunits under their jurisdiction and integrate work among subunits Return to original slide

Transnational Teams Transnational teams are work groups composed of multinational members whose activities span multiple countries Return to original slide

Virtual Teams Virtual teams are physically dispersed and communicate electronically more than face-to-face Return to original slide

Traditional Work Groups Groups that have no managerial responsibilities Return to original slide

Quality Circles Voluntary groups of people drawn from various production teams who make suggestions about quality Return to original slide

Semiautonomous Work Groups Groups that make decision about managing and carrying out major production activities but get outside support for quality control and maintenance Return to original slide

Self-Designing Teams Teams with the responsibilities of autonomous work groups plus control over hiring, firing, and deciding what tasks member perform Return to original slide

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing Forming -Group members attempt to lay the ground rules for what types of behavior are acceptable Storming -Hostilities and conflict arise and people jockey for positions of power and status Norming -Group members agree on their shared goals and norms and closer relationships develop Performing -The group channels its energies into performing its tasks Return to original slide

Social loafing and Social Facilitation Effect Social loafing -Working less hard and being less productive when in a group Social facilitation effect -Working harder when in a group than when working alone Return to original slide

Relating, Scouting, Persuading, and Empowering Relating -Exhibiting social and political awareness, caring for team members, and empowering Scouting -Seeking information from managers, peers, and specialists, and investigating problems systematically Persuading -Not only influencing team members but also obtaining external support Empowering -Delegating authority, being flexible regarding team decisions, and coaching Return to original slide

General Team Strategies Informing -A team strategy that entails making decisions with the team and then informing outsiders of its intentions Parading -A team strategy that entails simultaneously emphasizing internal team building and achieving external visibility Probing -A team strategy that requires team members to interact frequently with outsiders, diagnose their needs, and experiment with solutions Return to original slide

Avoidance A reaction to conflict that involves ignoring the problem by doing nothing at all or deemphasizing the disagreement Return to original slide

Accommodation A style of dealing with conflict involving cooperation on behalf of the other party but not being assertive about one’s own interest Return to original slide

Compromise A style of dealing with conflict involving moderate attention to both parties concerns Return to original slide

Competing A style of dealing with conflict involving strong focus on one’s own goals and little or no concern for the other person’s goals Return to original slide

Collaboration A style of dealing with conflict emphasizing both cooperation and assertiveness in order to maximize both parties’ satisfaction Return to original slide

Superordinate goals Higher-level goals taking priority over specific individual or group goals Return to original slide

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