1. Teams in Organizations
Chapter 13
Teams in Organizations
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2. Module 13.1: Types of Teams Reasons for increased use of teams:
Work can be performed concurrently rather than sequentially
Innovation & creativity promoted
Enable quick, effective development/delivery of products & services
Organizations learn & retain learning more effectively

3. Groups & Teams: Definitions
Groups include members who may work together or may just share some resources
Teams include members
whose tasks are interdependent;
Work towards a common goal &
share responsibility for outcomes (Sundstrom et al., 1990)
Groups & Teams have too much in common for any grand distinctions

4. Quality circles (Guzzo & Dickson, ’96)
Types of Teams
Quality circles (Guzzo & Dickson, ’96)
Typically involve 6-12 employees who meet regularly to identify problems/generate ideas
Positive outcomes in short term but gains not sustained over time (honeymoon effect)
Decreasingly popular in US
Why?
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5. Types of Teams (cont’d)
Project teams (Guzzo & Dickson, ’96)
“ad hoc” or “x functional”
Created to solve particular problem
Disbanded after problem solved or project completed
Raise some organizational challenges – multiple reporting relationships.
What’s needed to make them work? (Gersick, ’90)
Expertise
Mgt support
Autonomy

6. Types of Teams (cont’d)
Production teams
Consist of front-line employees who produce a tangible output
Autonomous work group: Type of production team with control over a variety of functions
Research findings unclear, more research is necessary
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7. Virtual Teams
Composed of widely dispersed members working together toward a common goal; linked through technology
Pose several advantages to organizations
Trust is a critical concern; Increase via:
Virtual-collaboration, virtual-socialization, and virtual-communication behaviors

8. A Specialized Team: Airline Cockpit Crew
Benefit from an organizational context that provides:
Challenging objectives
An education system
An information system

9. Team Autonomy Levels Participatory Limited decision making
(e.g. Quality Circles)
Limited decision making
(e.g Production teams)
Self-managed
Discretion within bounds
Self-lead
Most autonomous (broad discretion)

10. Module 13.2: A Model of Team Effectiveness
Input-Process-Output Model
Enables understanding of how teams perform & how to maximize performance
Figure 13.1
The Input-Process-Output
Model of Team Effectiveness
Source: Adapted from Gladstein (1984).

11. Team Inputs Organizational context Team task Team composition
(Goodman, et al.)
necessary resources
Technology,
Rewards, etc.
Team task
Task to be performed
Team composition
Attributes of team members (KASOs)
(Stevens & Campion, ’93) p. 552
Teamwork test
Shared mental models
What are important traits? (Barry & stewart,’97)
Team diversity
Demographic & psychological diversity

12. (Barrick, Stewart, Neubert & Mount, ‘98)
Study: 51 work teams:
Criterion: Supervisor ratings
High cognitive ability
High
Consicentiousness,
Emotional Stability
Agreeableness

13. Team Processes Norms Communication & coordination Cohesion
Informal rules of a team
Communication & coordination
Social loafing
Cohesion
Degree of desire to remain in team
Decision making
Groupthink

14. Team member well-being
Team Outputs
Team performance
Often reflected in objective measures
Team innovation
Team member well-being

15. Module 13.3: Special Issues in Teams
Team appraisal & feedback
Should provide team with information needed to identify team problems & further develop team capabilities
Extent to which team behaviors & outputs can be measured must be considered
ProMES

16. Team-role theory (Belbin, 1993)
Effective teams contain a combination of individuals capable of working in 9 team roles
Used predominantly in Europe & Australia
Plant
Resource investigator
Coordinator
Shaper
Monitor evaluator
Team-Worker
Implementer
Completer
Specialist

17. Team Development Changes occur in teams as they develop over time
5 stages of development
1. Orientation (forming)
2. Conflict (storming)
3. Structure (norming)
4. Work (performing)
5. Dissolution (adjourning)
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18. Team Training
Involves coordinating performance of individuals who work together to achieve a common goal
3 Strategies
Cross-training
Team coordination training
Team leader training

19. Cultural Issues in Teams
Applying Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
Implications for teams
Individualism vs. collectivism
Long-term vs. short-term orientation
Effect of cultural & national backgrounds of team members

20. Teams and Culture
Teams tend to be well-received in collectivistic cultures
Picture 13.4