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Chapters 8 & 9Understanding 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 DecisionsThings 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

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Guiding Group DecisionsThings 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

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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.

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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

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The Five Life Cycle Stages of Group Development

1. Forming 2. Storming

3. Norming 4. Performing

5. Adjourning

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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

Perip

hera

l Nor

ms

Accept Reject

Rej

ect

Acc

ept

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.)

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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 9–3

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

The Stevens & Yarish ILA ModelLevel 1: The Individual

• Supervisors’/managers’ KSAs• Employees’ KSAs

Level 2: The Group• Internal group processes and dynamics

Level 3: The Organization• Culture and structures

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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.

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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.