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Chapters 8 & 9

Understanding Groups & Team

Work

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Advantages of Groups(Two heads are better than one.)

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Disadvantages of Groups(If you want something done right, do it yourself.)

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Guiding Group Decisions

Things to Do:• Present clear, reasoned ideas• Listen (try not to pre-judge)• Yield to more logical positions• Get others involved, watch for self-censorship• In stalemates, push for more alternatives

5

Guiding Group Decisions

Things to Avoid:

• Don’t give in just to avoid conflict

• Avoid “voting,” “coin tossing”

• Avoid compromises (look for win-win instead)

• Watch for effects of “irrelevant” criteria

6

Why Have Teams Become So Popular?

• Typically outperform individuals.

• Use employee talents better.

• More flexible and responsive to changes in the environment.

• Facilitate employee involvement.

• Effective way to democratize organizations and increase motivation.

7

Key concepts for understanding what makes

teams effective• Development/life cycle stages• Internal team structures:

- Roles- Norms- Size- Composition (and team member status)- Cohesion and morale

• Mgmt. and team member KSAs• Broader design considerations:

- Context- Composition- Work design- Process

8

The Five Life Cycle Stages of Group Development

1. Forming 2. Storming

3. Norming 4. Performing

5. Adjourning

9

Using the Life Cycle“Stages” to Manage

Groups• Map to guide group formation• Maturation takes time• Conflict is part of the process• Stages NOT always sequential

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Roles Norms

• Purpose• Development• Centrality• Deviance (& status)

• Leader • Task Expert• Harmonizer• Challenger

Internal Group Structure

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Conformity SubversiveRebellion

OpenRevolution

CreativeIndividualism

Central Norms

Per

iph

eral

No

rms

Accept Reject

Re

ject

Acc

ep

t

Types of Deviance in Groups

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Internal Group Structure (cont.)

Size Composition

• Large Groups

• Small Groups(Impact on social loafing?)

• Homogeneous

• Heterogeneous

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Building Cohesive Groups

• Small size

• Homogeneous composition

• Work & social interaction

• Sufficient resources

• Reward cooperation

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• Limited hierarchy

• Outside competition

• History of success

• Isolation

Building Cohesive Groups (cont.)

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• Satisfaction and Motivation

• Support for Learning

• Strong Norms & Culture

• Less Conflict

• Focus on Group

Norms• Loss of Creativity• Groupthink

• Less Conflict

Advantages Disadvantages

Building Cohesive Groups (cont.)Building Cohesive Groups (cont.)

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Cohesiveness and Productivity

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Supervisor/Manager KSAs• Coaching and facilitating KSAs- Delegation and empowerment KSAs- Process change and innovation KSAs- Culture management KSAs

• Resource coordinator- Systems wide performance mgmt. KSAs- Inter-team planning and coordination KSAs

Mgmt. & Team Member KSAs

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Employee KSAs• Interpersonal KSAs- Conflict resolution KSAs

- Collaborative problem-solving KSAs- Interpersonal communication KSAs

• Self-management KSAs- Goal setting and performance mgmt. KSAs- Planning and task coordination KSAs

Mgmt. & Team Member KSAs (cont.)

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The Team Effectiveness

Model

E X H I B I T 9–3E X H I B I T 9–3

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Turning Groups into Teams(or How you, too, can have a team-based organization!)

The Stevens & Yarish ILA Model

Level 1: The Individual• Supervisors’/managers’ KSAs• Employees’ KSAs

Level 2: The Group• Internal group processes and dynamics

Level 3: The Organization• Culture and structures

21

Turning Employees Into Team Players

The Challenges:- Individual resistance to team membership.

- Influences of individualistic cultures.

- Introducing teams against a company context that has valued individual achievement.

Shaping Team Players:- Selecting employees who can fulfill team roles.

- Training employees to become team players.

- Reworking rewards to encourage cooperative efforts while recognizing individual contributions.

22

Turning Managers Into Team Leaders

The Challenges:- Resistance to sharing power.

- Influences of traditional autocratic and individualistic cultures.

- Discomfort with change and innovation.

- Shifting leadership style towards coaching/facilitating

- Developing ability to act in role of resource coordinator.

- Developing team member KSAs to be an effective peer with other managers on leadership teams.