bhu ls 600 chapter 8


Chapter Objectives• Understand the concept of constructive

climate.• Review factors considered to establish

constructive climate.• Explain the process for providing constructive

feedback to employees.


• How important is structure to group success?

• How can you promote group cohesion as a leader?


• Climate refers to the atmosphere of a team or an organization.

• Related to climate are the rituals, values, procedures, and underlying assumptions of a group.

• A constructive climate provides an atmosphere that promotes group members’ satisfaction and achieving their personal best.


• In establishing a constructive climate, leaders need to:

1. Provide Structure2. Clarify Norms3. Build Cohesiveness4. Promote Standards of Excellence


• Providing structure gives people a sense of security, direction, & stability. o They know where they “fit in.”o They have an “architectural drawing” that

gives form & meaning to their activities. • Group work without structure is more difficult for everyone involved.


• Telling people the goals of the group oGives a clear picture of assignments &

responsibilitiesoGives group members a sense of direction

• Identifying the unique ways that each member can contribute to the groupo SynergyoChallenge: to find how each individual group

member can contribute to the group’s mission


Discuss

• How would you go about finding out the unique ways that each member can contribute to the group’s mission?


• Norms are the rules of behavior that are established & shared by group members.oWhat is appropriate/inappropriate, right/wrong, &

allowed/not allowed in groups oDevelop early in a group & are difficult to change o Ex.: Matt Smith coaching brother’s baseball team

• Leaders need to try to shape norms that will maximize group effectiveness.


Discuss

• How have you experienced leaders trying to shape group norms?

• How effective were they?• Why are norms sometimes difficult to

change?


• Cohesiveness is the sense of “we-ness,” or the esprit de corps, that exists within a group.

• Allows members to: o Express their personal viewpoints, give

and receive feedback, accept differing opinions, & feel free to do meaningful work (Corey & Corey, 2006)

o Appreciate the group & to be appreciated by the group


• Increased participation and better interaction among members

• Group membership is more consistent• Group exerts strong influence on

members • Member satisfaction is high• Members are more productive


• To Build Cohesiveness:

o Create a climate of trust.

o Invite members to be active participants.

o Encourage passive members to become involved.

o Listen and accept group members for who they are.


• To Build Cohesiveness, cont’d:o Help group members achieve their goals.o Promote the free expression of divergent

viewpoints.o Share leadership responsibilities.o Foster and promote member-to-member interaction.o Ex.: group raising funds for Special Olympics


• Standards of Excellence are the expressed & implied expectations for performance that exist within a group or organization.

• Standards of excellence indicate: oWhat group members need to knowoWhat skills group members need to

acquire


• Standards of excellence indicate, cont’d: oHow much initiative and effort they needoHow group members are expected to treat

one anothero The extent to which deadlines are

significantoWhat goals they need to achieveoWhat the consequences are if they fail to

achieve goals


• LaFasto and Larson (2001) identified several ways that leaders can influence performance and promote standards of excellence

1. Require results

2. Review results

3. Reward results

• Based on studies of more than 600 team leaders & 6,000 team members

• Ex.: The Upjohn Company


• Leaders need to articulate their concrete expectations clearly for team members.

o Groups must establish mutual goals & identify specific objectives for achieving results.

o This is the first critical step in managing performance.

• Without expectations, members are uncertain about what is required of them & flounder.


• Leaders must give constructive feedback & resolve performance issues.

• Constructive feedback is honest, direct communication about member performance. o Not mean-spirited, nor is it overly nice or patronizing

o Lets group members know how to maintain or improve

• Resolving performance issues is critical for effective leadership.


Discuss

• What are some of the challenges in giving constructive feedback to an employee?

• To a coworker?


• Effective leaders reward group members for achieving results.

• Rewarding results is a practical process that every leader can do.o Includes paying attention to members, offering

encouragement, & giving personalized appreciation

o Can be in dramatic or simple actions

• Members feel valued & there is a greater sense of group identity & community spirit.


Leadership Snapshot, Meg Whitman• Fourth CEO of HP, Whitman took over a company in HP

that was described as a complete mess.• Graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities.• Took eBay from $86 million in sales to $7.7 billion a

decade later.• She is described as blunt, folksy, and persistent. • Intent on reviving the integrity, innovation, and loyalty in

HP.• Removed barbed wire that separates parking between

employees and executives and moved all VPs including herself to cubicles from large offices.


Leadership Snapshot, Meg Whitman• Whitman is a team builder focused on the

myriad of small problems facing HP rather than looking for one big solution or miracle.

• Her philosophy is “Run to the fire, don’t hide from it”.

• Hasn’t brought HP out of the woods yet; says turnaround will take five years.

• Likes being CEO of HP and intends to revive an iconic company.


Case Study: A Tale of Two Classes• In establishing a constructive climate for his or her

class, what kind of structure has each professor put in place?

• How would you describe the group norms for each class?

• What actions has each professor taken to establish cohesiveness in the classes?

• What standards of excellence has each professor established for the courses?

• Which class atmosphere would you do best in? Why?


Summary• Setting the tone is a complex process that

involves a great deal of work on the leader’s part.

• Leaders who set the tone in positive ways will find payoffs in remarkable group performance.

bhu ls 600 chapter 8

Education