lmp 2013 slides klsxiubsxsan teams

8/13/2019 LMP 2013 Slides klsxiubsxSAn Teams

1/61

Groups and Teams

Kieran Williams


2/61

Groups and Teams

Objectives:

To analyse the nature anddeterminants of group processes inorganisations

To assess their consequences forthe development and managementof teams


3/61

Groups - definition

two or more individuals who

interact with one another and where thereis a psychological interrelationshipbetween them. There must be a significantlevel of interdependence between groupmembers to the extent that members of thegroup perceive the group to be

real

andto the extent that members can readilydistinguish themselves from non-members.

(Alderfer, 1977, quoted in Rosenfeld and Wilson, 1999)


4/61

Formal and Informal groups

Formal

brought together

by the organisation task focus temporary or

permanent, eg:task force, projectgroup

Informal

spontaneous

satisfypsychologicaland/or socialneeds

cut acrossstructure, eg:friendship groups,interest groups


5/61


6/61

Hawthorne Studies

Illumination experiments production varied unpredictably

Relay assembly test room production increased - quality of supervision

Bank Wiring Room informal organisation group norms


7/61

Functions for the Group (Handy)

Distribution of work

Management and control of work

Problem solving and decision taking

Information and idea collection

Testing and ratifying decisions

Coordinating and liaising

Increasing commitment and involvement

Negotiation and conflict resolution

Inquest or enquiry into past


8/61

KieranWilliam

s

Functions for the Individual (Festinger)

Satisfies social or affiliation needs

Establishes a self concept

Support for achieving objectives

Means of sharing and helping in common activity.

Stimulates mental activity

Social comparison learning appropriate behaviourfrom workmates

Important source of satisfaction for group members.


9/61


10/61

Advantages anddisadvantages

Advantages greater interaction between

members

mutual help andcooperation

lower staff turnover

less absenteeism

higher productivity

rewarding for individual

Disadvantages not necessarily more

productive

possible conflict withorganisational goals

possibility of ostracism

group norms

hostile to outsiders -intergroup conflict


11/61

Group Norms (Argyle)

Task norms rate and standard of work deviation

affects group or individual rewards Interaction norms makes behaviour more predictable

prevents conflict

Attitude norms beliefs arise in groups which may notbe the same as reality

Appearance norms group may develop a particularstyle which members must adopt


12/61


13/61


14/61

Teams and teamworking (Wilson)

A team is a small number of people withcomplementary skills who are committed to acommon purpose, set of performance goals, andapproach, for which they hold themselves mutuallyaccountable (Katzenbach and Smith 1993: 113).

There is no generally accepted definition ofteamwork .


15/61

Teamworking

has been advocated with almost religious zealby management consultants (such as Katzenbach

and Smith), and academics.


16/61


17/61

Some advantages of teamworking (Wilson)

Teamworking can represent an extension toemployee involvement by offering a degree ofinfluence and control over day-to-day working.

Teamworking can replace inflexible, dehumanizingwork methods with more humanistic, involving ones.


18/61

What the best teams are said to do :

invest effort in exploring, shaping, and agreeing apurpose that belongs to them both collectively andindividually.

encourage open-ended discussion and activeproblem-solving meetings.

have mutual accountability.

(from Wilson)


19/61

From Group to Team (Tuckman)

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing Re-forming (or mourning)


20/61

More from Wilson about the best teams

Size matters; effective teams can range between2 and 25 people. Small size, less than 10, is a

guide to success. Large numbers have troubleinteracting effectively and face problems such asfinding enough space and time to meet in.

Teams must also develop the right mix of skills

technical or functional expertise, problem solving,decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.


21/61

Some problems with the consultant soptimistic view on teams (Wilson)

They present a unitarist view of management whereworkers and managers are portrayed as being inpursuit of a common aim higher productivity.

While team-based approaches are being criticized,downsized, and abandoned, the consultants appearundaunted by the growing evidence that results ofteam efforts often fall short.


22/61

Some problems with the consultant

soptimistic view on teams

They are also inclined to ignore public sector or third

sector examples. Approach tends not to be founded in strong research

findings.


23/61

Meredith Belbin on team roles

Team roles are described as a pattern of behaviourthat characterizes one person s behaviour inrelationship to another in facilitating the progress ofthe team (Belbin 2000: xv).

Belbin originally described, from his research, eightteam roles (Belbin 1981), but later identified nine(Belbin 1993).


24/61

Meredith Belbin on team roles

He believes that there are only a limited number ofways in which people can usefully contribute inteamwork.


25/61

Team roles (Belbin)

Plant

Resource investigator

Monitor/evaluator

Implementer

Shaper

Co-ordinator

Completer/finisher

Team Worker

Specialist


26/61

Effective Teams

Professional roles

plus

Work roles

plus

Team roles

equal

Political role


27/61

Some critiques of Belbin s approach

There are more concepts associated with high-performing teams than just team roles. At least 35concepts have been associated with high-performingteams.

There is little evidence to support Belbin s originalpremise; there is a paucity of research that attemptsin a systematic way to test team role theories in realteams in real organizations.

See Aritzeta article on Blackboard


28/61

Some problems with teamworking

Employees may have little discretion over the waywork is organized.

Workers are pressed to give more of their time andenergy, to identify with the goals of the organizationand to collaborate effectively with their co-workers.This impacts on their individual autonomy andpersonal lives.

If work is intensified then you would expect to findheightened stress levels.


29/61

Team Work in Health Care Borell/West/Dawson

Members of teams that work well have low stresslevels

Diverse teams associated with higher innovationin patient care

Quality of meetings/communication linked toimproved patient care

Clear leadership contributes to effective teamsand high quality patient care


30/61

Models of management

Manager gives instructions and staff followthese (they have tasks). There is no needfor feedback.

Manager gives parameters and staffachieve objectives within these (they haveresponsibilities). Feedback loop informsfuture planning.


31/61


32/61

Group decision making

Advantages: pooling of resources

complementaryknowledge new ideas evaluation of decisions acceptance of decisions increased legitimacy probably better solutions

Disadvantages compromise

risk avoidance power imbalances groupthink

illusion of invulnerability

pressure to conform

collective rationalisation

illusion of unanimity


33/61


Can be resistance amongst workers tomanagement s attempts in teamworking to disguisecontrol which shatters any illusion of unity thatmanagement or consultants may hold.

While teamworking may be promoted for the greaterunity it may bring, there may also be some negativeconsequences.


34/61


There can be

free riders

in teams.

We need to be alert, then, to the pettytyranny and negative conflicts that canarise in teams.


35/61

Groupthink (Janus)

A result of over-cohesiveness in the group Result - the group, not the organisation, is put

first Over-emphasis on group harmony and loyalty Group consensus overrides individual

consciences

Concurrence-seeking


36/61

Team behaviours (Sayles)

Apathetic

Erratic

Strategic

Conservative

The more homogenous the group is in terms of skill, pay,background etc and the more important to the company, themore likely the group is to present a united front.


37/61

KingsMBA2009

KieranWilliam

s


38/61

Some challenging questions

On the management of teams - theteam is supposed to be self-managing,so why do they need externalmanagement?

What leadership behaviour should theteam leader adopt?


39/61

Team Effectiveness

When measuring effectiveness of a team, wemust always ask

effectiveness for whom?

May hold great satisfactions for some membersand not for others

Criteria for effectiveness often takes no account ofthe satisfaction of members.


40/61

Multi Cultural TeamsTask and Process Strategies


41/61

Multicultural Teams

Teams are becoming more prevalent

Teams have more decision making powers delayering, cross functional working

Bring together wide perspectives

Provide solutions, creativity

Balance individual and collective effort


42/61

Multicultural Teams

Issues of internal integration task and process.

Issues of risky shift and groupthink.

Differing cultural assumptions may make teamsmore difficult to manage.


43/61

Multicultural Teams

Individualist cultures often see teams as solutions

Team approaches typified aspects of Japanese

management which dominated the 1980 s The demise of the Communist bloc saw a trend

towards the individual in Eastern Europe

Self managed work teams were traditional in theBalkan countries ( formerly Yugoslavia )

Teams are now often virtual


44/61

Multicultural Teams

Culture impacts on the viability of teams

Culturally appropriate strategies are needed for

managing task and process Teams create their own cultures

Teams operate on shared values, beliefs and

assumptions Cross functional, cross level teams are now more

common


45/61

Multicultural Teams

Pooling of expertise across national boundaries iscritical to facilitate marketing and selling todifferent types of customer

Involves sharing of perspectives, expertise butalso of national, corporate and functional cultures

Globalisation is bringing multiculturalism and moretrans national teams


46/61

Multicultural Teams

Transnational teams create different networks

Provide better understanding of internationalissues and dependencies

Allow managers to learn how to functioneffectively across the cultural divide

Useful for image and recruitment


47/61


48/61


49/61


50/61

Task Strategies

Shared sense of purpose different culturesassume a different purpose to teams decisional, action based or sharinginformation on problems, social contacts

These issues determine structure, timing, whoattends

Issues of formal and informal interface

Those chosen to attend may be task related,hierarchy based, socially inclusive


51/61

Task Strategies

Setting explicit goals anathema to some cultures( high context ) where goals should be implicit

Purpose as evolutionary without time frames

Rapport building as important as goals ?

Pragmatic versus ideal solutions


52/61

Task Strategies

Agendas critical in some cultures e.g. Germanywhere desire to reduce uncertainty matters

France tendency to take discussion forward onseveral fronts at once

Monochronic or polychronic time


53/61

Task Strategies

In individualist cultures, splitting tasks into roles isparamount

In collectivist cultures, interdependent working iskey

Control over environment and personalaccountability is a factor collectivist cultures

cannot understand why personal responsibilityshould be taken for things over which they haveno control


54/61

Task Strategies

Leadership differs across cultures

Technical competence is critical in Germany

In France and Italy, political influence and power are moreimportant

In USA and UK, interpersonal skills are favoured

In hierarchical cultures, team leaders will chair

In egalitarian cultures, roles and responsibilities will beshared and leaders may be facilitators

Teams might be leaderless in some cultures


55/61

Task Strategies

Decision making will vary majority rule, consensus orcompromise

Americans will assume silence means agreement in a vote

Voting creates winners and losers, anathema to aconsensus culture.

Consensus can bring together different views or be a meansof compliance to adopt the best or worst idea!

Loss of face has to be avoided in Japan

Decisions have to be formalised in some cultures e. g. USAbut not in others e.g. France where they can be implicit.


56/61

Process Strategies

Team building is a forced process and tendstowards task orientation

It depends on trust Americans tend to trust firstuntil proven wrong, Germans do the reverse

Americans base trust on friendly, informalbehaviour, Germans on competence and technical

knowledge and predictability Relationship cultures emphasise concern for

others rather than deadlines and words.


57/61

Process Strategies

Deciphering language and communicationpatterns is essential to negotiating strategies forworking together

Choice of working language can create winnersand losers

Be aware of dominant cultures

Levels of fluency and composition of team need tobe considered.


58/61

Process Strategies

Native language safety valve

Summarising, paraphrasing and visual recordsbecome critical

Sophisticated language is favoured in somecultures

Patterns of language differ and some culturesvalue silence


59/61

Process Strategies

Interrupting is taboo in some cultures

Technology compounds cultural differences

Multicultural teams should not force conformity orcontributions the corridor meeting may be moreimportant


60/61

Process Strategies

Culture will impact on conflict techniques e.g.France which is individualist but with unequalpower will use avoidance by passing things upthe hierarchy followed by confrontation

Sweden will use collaboration more equalpower and concern for relationships

Other relationship cultures will useaccommodation when mutuality is key

Ambiguity can make some cultures feel morecomfortable than clarity Constructive tension is desirable


61/61

Process Strategies

Feedback differs across cultures, particularly if it is critical.

Feedback from subordinates may not be acceptable inhierarchical cultures

In multicultural teams, differences have to be resolved withoutbeing personally threatening.

Understanding and channelling difference not accommodating ,absorbing or ignoring it is the key

It is about valuing and using diversity not making everyoneconform to the identikit pattern

Humour is important

Added value comes from diversity

lmp 2013 slides klsxiubsxsan teams

Documents