1. OB 6 New: Understanding Work Teams (Chap. 8)
Review Foundations of Group Behavior (Chap. 7)
True/False
Summary, implications for managers
New: Understanding Work Teams (Chap. 8)
Review Questions (Multiple Choice)
Mid-term Exam

2. Models of Decision Making (1)
The Rational Model - Consists of a structured four-step sequence * identifying the problem * generating alternative solutions * selecting a solution * implementing and evaluating the solution
Simon’s Normative Model - Based on premise that decision making is not rational - Decision making is characterized by * limited information processing * use of rules of thumb or shortcuts * satisficing
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

3. Models of Decision Making (2)
The Six Thinking Hats (Edward de Bono) - Consists of a structured sequence e.g.
WHITE: establish the facts
GREEN: generate alternative solutions
YELLOW: show benefits
BLACK: check for risks
RED: select a solution
BLUE: make action plan
---> ACT: implement

4. Models of Decision Making (3)
The Garbage Can Model - Based on belief that decision making is a sloppy and haphazard process - Decisions result from an interaction between four independent streams of events:
choice
opportunities
problems
participants
solutions
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

5. Review
Chapter 7
True and False

6. Major Components Influence Group Behavior
Organization strategy
Group task
Abilities
Formal leadership
Cohesiveness
Authority structure
Physical work setting
Group process
Roles
Composition
1+1 > 2
1+1 < 2
Formal regulation
Group output
Norms
Organizational culture
Size
Status
Personalities characteristics
Organizational resources
Performance evaluation & reward system
Human resource selection process
Ms.Chung

7. Group Decision Making PROs CONs More information & knowledge
Time consuming
Increase diversity of views
Conformity pressure
Higher quality decisions
Dominated by one or a few members
High degree of acceptance
Ambiguous responsibility
Ms.Chung

8. Group Decision Making Techniques
Interacting groups: the most common form but often lead to conformity of opinion
Brainstorming: utilizes idea-generation process but does not drive to a better solution
Nominal group techniques
Electronic meeting
Ms.Chung

9. .
Understanding
Work Teams
Dr. Arno Schircks
S A V

10. Case study Olympic Team (Chapter 8)
Team concepts are introduced:
Ropes course and parties for building cohesion
Roles: clown around, be amusing
Balance between having an individual star and team work
Conflict can be useful to a team.
S A V
Dr. A. Schircks
S. ROBBINS, OB 8th ed., 1998, Prentice Hall

11. Teams The Evolution of a Team
“ A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.” Kreitner, 1998
The Evolution of a Team
A work group becomes a team when:
Leadership becomes a shared activity
Accountability shifts from strictly individual to both individual and collective
The team develops its own purpose or mission
Problem solving becomes a way of life, not a part-time activity
Effectiveness is measured by the group’s collective outcomes and products
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

12. Types of Work Teams
Advice teams: help broaden information base for managerial decisions
Production teams: perform day-to-day operations
Project teams: apply specialized knowledge for creative problem solving
Action teams: collection of highly-coordinated specialists who exhibit peak performance on demand
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

13. Self-Managed Work Teams (1/2)
10 to 15 people
They take on responsibilities of their former supervisors:
planning
scheduling of work
collective control over the pace of work
operating decisions
taking actions on problems
select own members
evaluate each other’s performance
S. ROBBINS, OB 8th ed., 1998, Prentice Hall

14. Self-Managed Work Teams (2/2)
Experts predicts that 40% to 50% of all US workers could be managing themselves by the end of the decade.
S. ROBBINS, OB 8th ed., 1998, Prentice Hall

15. Why Work Teams Fail Mistakes typically made by management
Teams cannot overcome weak strategies and poor business practices
Hostile environment for teams: command-and-control culture; competitive/individual reward plans; management resistance
Teams adopted as a fad, a quick-fix; no long-term commitment
Lessons from one team not transferred to others (limited experimentation with teams)
Vague or conflicting team assignments
Inadequate team skills training
Poor staffing of teams
Lack of trust > next slide
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

16. The 5 Dimensions of Trust
Integrity Honesty and truthfulness
Competence Technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills
Consistency Reliability, predictability and good judgment in handling situations
Loyalty Willingness to protect and save face for a person
Openness Willingness to share ideas and information freely
S. ROBBINS, OB 8th ed., 1998, Prentice Hall

17. How to build trust?
Demonstrate that you are working for others’ interest as well as your own.
Be a team player.
Practice openness: keep everyone informed; give feedback; tell the truth.
Respect: delegate; be an active listener.
Be fair: give credit where due; objectively evaluate performance.
Speak your feelings. (red hat)
Predictability: be consistent in decision making; keep your promises.
Competence: demonstrate good business sense and professionalism, also in people skills.
S. ROBBINS, OB 8th ed., 1998, Prentice Hall

18. Implication for Managers
Ms. Chung

19. Work team - Work group
Work group: Interacts to share information & to help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility
Work team: generates positive synergy through coordination effort
Share information
Goal
Collective performance
Positive
Neutral (or negative)
Synergy
Individual & mutual
Individual
Accountability
Random & varied
Skills
Complementary
Work groups
Work teams
Ms.Chung

20. Team Building & Resistance
Challenges
National culture is highly individualistic
Organization has historically valued individual achievement
Turn individuals into team players
Be sure that team members can fulfill their team roles
Provide training
Encourage cooperative efforts by reward system
Ms.Chung

21. High-performance Team
The best work teams tend to be small
Three different types of skills: technical, problem solving & decision-making, interpersonal
Properly match people to various roles
Have common & meaningful purpose
Have specific, measurable, realistic performance
Have leadership & structure
Make members individually and jointly accountable for the team’s goals
Have appropriate performance evaluation & reward system
High mutual trust
Ms.Chung

22. A Contingency Model for Staffing Work Groups
Spread most talented personnel around if the objectives are to: - Improve performance of all work groups - Train and develop new talent
Concentrate most talented personnel in groups if the objective is to: - Maximize performance of best group(s)
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

23. Team-Leader Effectiveness
Case: „Power Station“
Team-Leader Effectiveness
Objectives
Offer the opportunity to analyze team-leader effectiveness
Provide with a forum for discussing various aspects of team leadership
Encourage to share individual views on team management and functioning

24. A Contingency Model for Selecting a Solution
Characteristics of Decision Task: The decision problem * Unfamiliarity * Complexity *Instability The decision environment *Irreversibility * Significance
*Accountability * Time and/or money constraints
Strategies to select a solution
* Aided analytic * Unaided-analytic * Nonanalytic
Generating
alternatives
Characteristics of Decision Maker * Knowledge * Ability
* Motivation
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

25. A Model of Participative Management
Acceptance
and Commitment
Participation in
Goal Setting
Decision Making
Autonomy
Increased
control over work
behavior
Security
Contingency
Factors
* Design of work
* Trust
* Readiness to Participate
Performance
and Innovation
Challenge
Participation in
Problem Solving
Change
Completion of
Meaningful
Tasks
Satisfaction
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

26. Summary for managers
Need for developing interpersonal and people skills
OB replaces intuition by systematic study at three levels
OB focuses on how to improve the dependent variables: productivity, ethically healthy work climate, …