1. Teams, Groups, and Teamwork
Chapter 13
Teams, Groups, and Teamwork

2. Self-Managed Work Teams
Responsible for an entire work process or segment that delivers a product or service
Members are typically generalists, and receive training in team skills
Empowered to share many management and leadership functions
High caliber employees required

3. Project Teams Do not follow typical chain of command
Staffed with people from functions
Project managers coordinate people and material needed for mission
Members can be from same or different functions
A task force is a smaller project working against a deadline

4. Cross-Functional Team
Blends the talents from different specialties to accomplish a task
Members must develop broad perspective
Typical purpose is product development
Team leader needs technical and process skills
Collaboration within group is needed

5. Top Management Teams
The team makes big decisions collaboratively to function as true team.
A few companies use co-CEO setup, with separate responsibilities for both.
Power can be shared by one executive being CEO and the other chairperson.
Criticism: one executive should have final say.

6. Virtual Teams
Collaborate electronically rather than face to face meetings.
Collaboration software and videoconferencing are quite helpful.
Intranet might be used for the project.
Useful for cross-cultural teams and geographically dispersed workers.
Trusting each other is crucial.

7. Characteristics of Effective Work Group
Enriched job design
A feeling of empowerment
Interdependence of tasks and rewards
Right mix and size (small enough to be fed on two large pizzas!)
Emotional intelligence (build relationships, manage emotion well)

8. Characteristics of Effective Work Group, continued
Support for the work group
Effective processes within the group (such as high team spirit)
Follows processes and procedures
Familiarity with jobs, coworkers, and the environment (relevant experience is helpful)
Effective leadership is key supplement.

9. Stages of Group Development
Stage 1: Forming (learn the tasks)
Stage 2: Storming (shakedown period, often with coalitions and cliques)
Stage 3: Norming (group standards of conduct emerge)
Stage 4: Performing (focus on tasks)
Stage 5: Adjourning (goodbye for now)

10. Managerial Actions for Building Teamwork
Agree on what constitutes success.
Compete against external enemy.
Promote the norm of collaboration, including use of teamwork words.
Use consensus decision-making.
Feed group new information.
Use some in-group jargon.

11. Managerial Actions to Promote Teamwork, continued
Minimize micromanagement
Reward team as well as individuals.
Publish team book with one-page biographies.
Show respect for team members.
Send members to outdoor training (cooking gourmet meals is in).
Pick and choose from tactics 1-11.

12. Task-Related Aspects of Team Play
Possess and share technical expertise.
Assume responsibility for problems.
Be willing to commit to team goals.
Be able to see the big picture.
Be willing to ask tough questions.
Be willing to try something new.

13. People-Related Aspects of Team Play
Trust team members.
Share credit.
Recognize the interests and achievements of others.
Listen actively and share information.
Give and receive criticism.
Don’t rain on his or her parade.

14. Potential Problems of Team and Groups
Group polarization (may shift to extreme position)
Social loafing (shirking responsibility)
Limited accountability (group is rarely blamed for failures)
Career retardation (some individualism needed for career success)

15. Positive Consequences of Conflict
In limited doses conflict can increase:
Creativity (Talents and abilities rise.)
Effort (Spurred to new heights of performance.)
Diagnostic information (What went wrong?)
Group cohesion (A nice fight helps.)

16. Methods of Conflict Resolution
Forcing (dominate other side)
Accommodation (appease other side)
Sharing (results in compromise)
Collaboration (win-win to fully satisfy both sides; confrontation and problem solving)
Avoiding (indifference to both parties)