1. Chapter 9 Work Team & Groups Nelson & Quick Strategies for Successful Teams

2. Groups & Teams Group - two or more people with common interests or objectives Team - a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common mission, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable

3. Characteristics of a Well- Functioning, Effective Group Relaxed, comfortable, informal atmosphere Task well understood & accepted Consensus decision making People express feelings & ideas Conflict & disagreement center around ideas or methods Clear assignments made & accepted Members listen well & participate Group aware of its operation & function

4. Group Behavior Norms of behavior - the standards that a work group uses to evaluate the behavior of its members Group cohesion - the “interpersonal glue” that makes members of a group stick together Social loafing - the failure of a group member to contribute personal time, effort, thoughts, or other resources to the group Loss of individuality - a social process in which individual group members lose self-awareness & its accompanying sense of accountability, inhibition, and responsibility for individual behavior

5. Group Formation Formal groups - official or assigned groups gathered to perform various tasks –need ethnic, gender, cultural, and interpersonal diversity –need professional and geographical diversity Informal groups - unofficial or emergent groups that evolve in the work setting to gratify a variety of member needs not met by formal groups

6. Stages of Group Formation Mutual acceptance –Focus is on the interpersonal relations among the members Decision making –Focus is on decision making activities related to tasks Motivation & commitment –Focus on self- and group-motivation, execution, achievement Control & sanctions –Focus on effective, efficient unit

7. Mature Group Characteristics Purpose and Mission May be assigned or may emerge from the group Group often questions, reexamines, & modifies mission & purpose Mission converted into specific agenda, clear goals, & a set of critical success factors

8. Mature Group Characteristics Behavioral Norms - well-understood standards of behavior within a group Formal & written Ground rules for meetings Informal but understood Intra-group socializing Dress codes

9. Mature Group Characteristics Group cohesion - interpersonal attraction binding group members together Enables groups to exercise effective control over the members Groups with high cohesiveness –demonstrate lower tension & anxiety –demonstrate less variation in productivity –demonstrate better member satisfaction, commitment & communication

10. Cohesiveness & Work-Related Tension Group Cohesiveness from low to high 7 16 52 65 57 19 12 Number of groups “Does your work ever make you jumpy or nervous?” From S. E. Seashore, Group Cohesiveness in the Industrial Work Force, 1954. Research conducted by Stanley E. Seashore at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Reprinted by permission.

11. Mature Group Characteristics Status structure - the set of authority & task relations among a group’s members Hierarchical or egalitarian Often leadership is shared Diversity styles Contributor Collaborator Communicator Challenger Data/Info Mission Facilitator Devil’s advocate

12. Good when performing complicated, complex, inter-related and/or more voluminous work than one person can handle Good when knowledge, talent, skills, & abilities are dispersed across organizational members Empowerment & collaboration; not power & competition Why Teams?

13. Quality Circles & Teams Quality circles (QC) - a small group of employees who work voluntarily on company time, typically one hour per week, to address work-related problems QC’s deal with substantive issues –Do not require final decision authority –QC’s need periodic reenergizing Quality team - a team that is part of an organization’s structure & is empowered to act on its decisions regarding product & quality service

14. Social Benefits of Teams Psychological intimacy - emotional & psychological closeness to other team or group members Integrated intimacy - closeness achieved through tasks & activities

15. Team Task Functions Task functions - those activities directly related to the effective completion of the team’s work Initiate activities Diagnose problems Coordinate activities Elaborate concepts Summarize ideas Evaluate effectiveness Give information Test ideas Seek information

16. Team Maintenance Functions Maintenance functions - those activities essential to the effective, satisfying interpersonal relationships within a team or group Support others Harmonize conflict Test group decisions Test consensus Express member feelings Reduce tension Follow others’ lead Set standards Gatekeeper communication

17. Empowerment An attribute of a person or of an organization’s culture Preparation & careful planning focuses empowered employees Encourages participation

18. Foundations for Empowerment Organizational foundations Team-oriented work design Participative, supportive organizational culture

19. Individual Prerequisites for Empowerment The capability to become psychologically involved in participative activities The motivation to act autonomously The capacity to see the relevance of participation for one’s own well being

20. Empowerment Skills Competence skills - mastery and experience in one’s chosen discipline & profession Process skills - including negotiating skills Development of cooperative and helping behaviors Communication skills - skills in self expression & skills in reflective listening

21. Self-Managed Teams Self managed teams - teams that make decisions that were once reserved for managers How does an organization avoid the risks of self managed teams? –morale reduction –increased conflict –groupthink

22. Upper Echelons: Teams at the Top

23. Multicultural Teams Multicultural groups represent three or more ethnic backgrounds. Diversity may increase uncertainty, complexity, & inherent confusion in group processes. Culturally diverse groups may generate more & better ideas & limit groupthink.

24. Executive Tenure & Organizational Performance Organizational performance relative to the industry average High Low 1714 CEO tenure (years) Source: D. Hambrick, The Seasons of an Executive’s Tenure, keynote address, the Sixth Annual Texas Conference on Organizations, Lago Vista, Texas, April, 1991.

25. Triangle for Managing in the New Team Environment Manager Individuals Team L. Hirschhorn, Managing in the New Team Environment, (pages 13/14). Copyright© 1991 Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Addison Wesley Longman.