Chapter 10Managing Teams

Management Principles

Craig W. Fontaine, Ph.D.

Why Have Teams Become So Popular• Teams typically outperform individuals.

• Teams use employee talents better.

• Teams are more flexible and responsive to changes in the environment.

• Teams facilitate employee involvement.

• Teams are an effective way to democratize and organization and increase motivation.

Teams Versus Groups: What’s the Difference

Work Group (Department)Two or more people who interact with each other to accomplish certain goals or meet certain needs.

Work TeamA group whose members work intensely with each other to achieve a specific, common goal or objective.

Are Groups and Teams the Same?

Two characteristics distinguish teams from groups– Intensity with which team members work

together– Presence of a specific, overriding team goal or

objective

Synergy…the secret factor• Synergy defined:

– Synergy is the working together of two things to produce a result greater than the sum of their individual effects (chemistry, physics, biology)

– In the context of organizational teamwork, synergy is the ability of a group to outperform even its best individual member.

Synergy at Work

• Factors that contribute to synergy– Ability of group members to bounce ideas off one

another– To correct one another’s mistakes– To bring a diverse knowledge base to bear on a

problem– To accomplish work that is too vast for any one

individual to achieve

Teams as Performance Enhancers• To take advantage of the potential for

synergy, managers need to make sure groups are composed of members who have complementary skills and knowledge relevant to the group’s work

Contributions to Organizational Effectiveness

See how in the following example…..

Responsiveness to Customers

• Responsiveness to Customers– Difficult to achieve given the many constraints.– Teams can provide the wide variety of skills needed

to meet customer demands.• Teams can consist of members of different departments.

Teams and Innovation• Innovation

– The creative development of new products, new technologies, new services, or new organizational structures

• Individuals rarely possess the wide variety of skills needed for successful innovation.

• Team members can uncover each other’s flaws and balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses

• Managers should empower the team and make it accountable for the innovation process.

Groups and Teams as Motivators• Members of groups, and particularly teams, are often better

motivated and satisfied than individuals.– Team members are more motivated and satisfied than if they were

working alone.– Team members can see the effect of their contribution to achieving

team and organizational goals.– Teams provide needed social interaction and help employees cope

with work-related stressors.

Summary of Comparision

Types of TeamsProblem-Solving TeamsGroups of 5 or more employees from the same department who regularly to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment.

Functional Work TeamsA work team composed of a manager and the employees in his or her unit formed to solve specific problems as they arise within particular functional unit

Types of Teams (cont’d)

• Task forces• Committees

Cross-Functional TeamsEmployees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task.

Types of TeamsSelf-managed Work Teams• The newest type of team

• “A team that operates without a manager and is responsible for a complete work process or segment that delivers a product or service to an external or internal customer”

• “A team of employees who supervise their own activities and monitor the quality of the goods and services they provide”

• There are clear implications for the role of manager No

Manager Needed!

Self-Managed Work TeamsKeys to effective self managed teams:

– Give the team enough responsibility and autonomy to be self-managing.

– The team’s task should be complex enough to include many different steps.

– Select members carefully for their diversity, skills, and enthusiasm.

– Managers should guide and coach, not supervise.– Determine training needs and be sure it is provided.

Types of Teams (cont’d)

Team Characteristics1. The absence of nonverbal cues2. A limited social context3. The ability to overcome time and space constraints

Virtual TeamsTeams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.

Team-Effectiveness Model

Creating Effective Teams

Creating Effective Teams (cont’d)

Creating Effective Teams (cont’d)

Creating Effective Teams (cont’d)

Key Roles of Teams

Type of Tasks as a factor• Team tasks impact how a group interacts.

– Task interdependence shows how the work of one member impacts another; as interdependence rises, members must work more closely together.

– The more interdependence, the more value of using a team.

Team Size• Advantage of small teams

– Interact more with each other and easier to coordinate their efforts

– More motivated, satisfied, and committed– Easier to share information– Better able to see the importance of their personal contributions

• Advantages of large team– More resources at their disposal to achieve team goals– Enables managers to obtain division of labor advantages

Team Size• Disadvantages of large groups

– Problem of communication and coordination– Lower level of motivation– Members might not think their efforts are

really needed

Beware: Teams Aren’t Always the Answer• Three tests to see if a team fits the situation:

– Is there enough time?

– Is the work complex and is there a need for different perspectives?

– Are members of the team involved in interdependent tasks?

The Disadvantages of Teams

• Initially high turnover

• Social loafing

• Groupthink

• Minority domination

Social Loafing

•Social loafing is the phenomenon of people exerting less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they work alone

• Karau, Steven J.; Williams, Kipling D. (1993). "Social loafing: A meta-analytic review and theoretical integration". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 65 (4): 681–706.

• Gilovich, Thomas; Keltner, Dacher; Nisbett, Richard E. (2006). Social psychology. W.W. Norton. p. 60

Work Team Characteristics

• Team norms

• Team cohesiveness

• Stages of team development

Team Norms

Informally agreed-on standards that regulate team behavior.

• Regulate the everyday actions that allow teams to function effectively

• Teams with negative norms influence team member to engage in negative behaviors

Team CohesivenessThe extent to which team members are

attracted to a team and motivated to remain in it.

•Make sure that all team members are present at team activities.•Create additional opportunities for teammates to work together. •Engage in nonwork activities.•Make employees feel they are part of a special organization.

The Stages Of Team Development• Stage 1: Forming

– The team experiences uncertainty about its purpose, structure, and leadership.

• Stage 2: Storming– Intragroup conflict

predominates within the group

• Stage 3: Norming– Close relationships develop

and group members begin to demonstrate cohesiveness.

• Stage 4: Performing– The team develops a structure

that is fully functional and accepted by team members.

• Stage 5: Adjourning– The team prepares for its

disbandment.

Team Training

• Interpersonal skills

• Decision making skills

• Problem solving skills

• Conflict resolution skills

• Technical training