CHAPTER-2- PROJECT TEAM MANAGEMENT

2.1.What Is a Group?

 A collection of two or more interacting individuals with a

stable pattern of relationships between them
who share common goals and
who perceive themselves as being a group.
 First, groups are composed of two or more people in social
2.1. What Is a Group?

interaction. In other words, the members of a group must have

some influence on each other.
 Second, groups must possess a stable structure. Although groups
can change, and often do, there must be some stable relationships
that keep group members together and functioning as a unit.
A third characteristic of groups is that members share common
interests or goals.
For example, members of a company's safety committee all share
a common goal in keeping the workplace free of danger.
Fourth, and finally, to be a group, the individuals involved must
perceive themselves as a group.
Groups are composed of people who recognize each other as a
member of their group and they can distinguish these individuals
from nonmembers.
The Types of Groups and Teams in Organizations

Figure
 The Types of Groups and Teams
• Formal Group
• A group that managers establish to achieve organization goals.
• Ex. An airline flight crew is an example of a formal group
• Cross-functional teams
• composed of members from different departments
• Cross-cultural teams
• composed of members from different cultures or countries
 The Types of Groups and Teams
• Informal Group
• A group that managers or non-managerial employees form to help achieve their own
goals or to meet their own needs.
• For example Three employees from different departments who regularly eat lunch
together is an informal group
Virtual Teams

• A team whose members rarely meet face-to-face

• Interact by using various forms of information
technology
• Email, computer networks, telephone, fax, and
videoconferences
 2.3. WHAT IS A TEAM?

 - Team:
 - A small group of individuals (2 to 25 members) with diverse skills working
towards a common purpose and goals.
 - Example: A marketing team in a company comprising members with skills
in social media, graphic design, and market research working together to
launch a new product.
- Complementary Skills:
 - Diverse skills within a team that create synergy when combined, leading to
better problem-solving and decision-making.
 - Example: A software development team with programmers, designers, and
testers collaborating to create a new mobile application.

- Common Purpose:
 - Shared objective or mission that drives the team's efforts and fosters unity.
 - Example: A sports team aiming to win the championship, where each
member contributes their skills towards achieving the shared goal.
 2.3. WHAT IS A TEAM?
 - Performance Goals: - Specific objectives that drive and energize the team, guiding their actions and progress.
 - Example: A sales team setting a goal to increase monthly sales by 20% and tracking their progress regularly to
meet the target.
 - Team Charter: - A document outlining expected behaviors and rules for team members to follow.
 - Example: A team creating a charter that defines communication protocols, meeting schedules, and decision-
making processes.
 - Roles in Teams: - Members take on specific roles like Devil's Advocate, Time Keeper, and Facilitator to ensure
smooth team processes.
 - Example: A team designating a member as a Devil's Advocate to challenge ideas and promote critical thinking
during discussions.
 - Mutual Accountability: - Ownership and sharing of both successes and failures within the team.
 - Example: A project team taking responsibility collectively for missing a project deadline and working together to
address the issues for future projects.
 - Shared Mental Models: - Team members collaborate in various management functions like planning, organizing,
setting goals, assessing performance, developing strategies, and securing resources.
 - Example: A cross-functional team working together to develop a new product, where members collectively plan
the project timeline, organize tasks, set performance goals, and assess progress towards completion.
 2.3.1. THE CONCEPT OF WHAT A PROJECT TEAM IS
- Project Team Definition: - The project team consists of the
project manager and individuals working together to achieve
the project objectives.
- Composition of Project Team: - Includes the project
manager, project management staff, and other team members
responsible for project work.
- Diversity in Skills and Knowledge: - Comprised of
individuals from different backgrounds with specific subject
matter expertise or skill sets required for project tasks.
- Role of Project Manager: - Regardless of authority, the
project manager leads the team, guiding members towards
project success.
 Project teams include roles such as:

 Project management staff. The members of the team who perform

project management activities such as scheduling, budgeting,
reporting and control, communications, risk management and
administrative support.

This role may be performed or supported by a project

management office (PMO).

 Project staff. The members of the team who carry out the work of
creating the project deliverables.
 Project teams include roles such as:

- Supporting Experts:

 - Perform activities necessary for developing or executing the project management plan, such as
contracting, financial management, logistics, legal, safety, engineering, testing, or quality control.

 - Supporting experts may work full-time on the project or participate as needed based on the
project's size and support requirements.

- User or Customer Representatives:

 - Members of the organization responsible for accepting project deliverables.

 - They may act as representatives or liaisons to ensure coordination, provide requirements

advice, and validate the project's results' acceptability.
 Key Difference: Purpose and
Interdependence
• - Group: A collection of individuals with shared interests.
• Example: A book club where members share a love for reading but function independently.
• - Team: Individuals working together towards a common goal, highly interdependent. Example: A
basketball team working together to win games, relying on each member's unique role and skills.

• Examples
• - Group Example: A photography club where enthusiasts meet to discuss photography techniques and
share their work. The focus is on shared interest, and members are not necessarily working together
on a project.
•
• - Team Example: A project team developing a new app, with a project manager, developers, and
designers all contributing specific skills towards the common goal of launching the app. Success
depends on coordinated efforts and the integration of each member's contributions.
 2.5. THE ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE TEAMS

Elements needed for an effective team include formal leadership, roles,

norms, group status, group size, group composition, and group
cohesiveness.
Formal Leadership:
- Most working groups have a designated formal leader, appointed or
elected.
- Informal leaders may emerge over time as members interact within
the group.
Formal Leader in a Formal Group:
- Identified by titles like unit or department manager, supervisor,
foreman, project leader, or committee chair.
- This leader plays a crucial role in the team's success by motivating,
communicating, coaching, and training team members.
 NORMS OF A TEAM
 Norms in a Team:
 - Norms refer to the expectations regarding how each team member should behave and the
shared acceptable standards of behavior within the team.
 - They guide members on what is appropriate or inappropriate in various situations.
 - When norms are agreed upon and accepted by the team, they influence member behavior
with minimal external controls.
 Common Classes of Norms in Work Teams:
 1. Performance Norms: Guidelines on expected performance levels and quality of work.
 2. Appearance Norms: Standards related to dress code, loyalty to the team or organization, and
other appearance-related aspects.
 3. Social Arrangement Norms: Rules governing social interactions and relationships within the
team.
 4. Allocation of Resource Norms: Guidelines on how resources are distributed or shared among
team members..
 ROLE

 - Role in a Work Group/Team: - Defines expected behaviors for a position.

 - Example: A team leader is expected to guide and coordinate team activities.
 - Role identity:
 - Formed by displaying attitudes and behaviors consistent with the role.
 - Example: Acting confidently and taking charge as a team leader.
 - Role perception:
 - How one views and believes they should behave.
 - Example: Believing that being supportive is important in a team role.
 - Role expectations:
 - How others believe an individual should act.
 - Example: Team members expecting the team leader to make decisions.
 - Behavior influenced by role in the situation.
 - Example: A team member taking initiative in problem-solving tasks.
 - Role conflict:
 - Occurs when facing conflicting role expectations.
 - Example: Being torn between prioritizing team goals and individual tasks.
 Status in Work Teams:

 - Status defined as a socially recognized position or rank.

 - Example: A team leader is given status based on their role and contributions.
 - Status serves as a significant motivator.
 - Example: Recognition of achievements boosts motivation among team members.

- Size of a Team: - Influences overall behavior.

 - Example: Larger teams may experience difficulties in coordination and decision-making.
 - Social loafing observed in larger groups.
 - Example: Individuals may exert less effort when they believe their contributions are less noticeable in
a larger group setting.
 - Groups with odd numbers preferred over even numbers.
 - Example: Odd-numbered groups prevent ties in decision-making processes.
 - Groups of five or seven members balance benefits of small and large groups.
 - Example: These sizes facilitate effective collaboration while minimizing coordination challenges.
COMPOSITION

Most team activities require a variety of skills and knowledge.

 Heterogeneous groups – those composed of dissimilar
individuals – would be more likely to have diverse abilities and
information and should be more effective.
Essentially, diversity promotes conflict; which stimulate
creativity and leads in turn to improved decision making.
COHESIVENESS
Refers to the degree to which members are attracted to each
other and are motivated to stay in the group.
The solidarity of a team is an important indicator of how much
influence the group has over its individual members.
Team cohesiveness is critical in helping the individual feel –
good about his or her contribution to the effort.
High cohesive teams or groups often have less tension and
hostility and fewer misunderstandings than less cohesive group
do.
 2.8. THE ADVANTAGES OF TEAM WORK
The fact of the matter is that many tasks are beyond the
capabilities of one person alone.
 TEAMS are essential human resources of organizations, and
“synergy” is a major benefit that groups can bring to the work
setting.
TEAMS can make important task contributions to organizational
objectives, and they can influence individual work attitudes and
behaviors.
TEAMS CAN:
Increase resources for problem solving
Promote innovation and creativity
Improve the quality of decision making
Enhance members’ commitment to tasks
Offer motivation through collective action
 2.9. THE DISADVANTAGES OF TEAM WORK.
- Social Pressure:
 - Promotes conformity and consensus
within groups.
 - Example: Members may refrain from
expressing dissenting opinions to avoid
social rejection, leading to a premature
consensus on a suboptimal solution.
 - Influence on Decision Making:
 - Social pressure can lead to suboptimal
decision-making, prioritizing consensus over
objective criteria.
 - Example: Despite the existence of logical
and factual criteria for evaluating solutions,
groups may prioritize consensus, resulting in
less effective decision-making.
 2.9. THE DISADVANTAGES OF TEAM WORK.

 - Individual Domination:
 - Merely appointing a leader can lead to dominance in a discussion,
regardless of their problem-solving ability.
 - Example: In a group discussion, the appointed leader may heavily
influence the direction of the conversation and decision-making process,
even if others have valuable insights.
 - Conflicting Secondary Goal: Winning the Argument:
 - Introduction of multiple alternatives leads individuals to form preferences
and advocate for their chosen position.
 - Example: As different solutions are proposed in a team meeting,
individuals may become entrenched in defending their preferred option rather
than objectively evaluating all possibilities.
• Time Requirements:
• Groups typically take longer to reach decisions compared to individuals.
• Example: In situations where quick decisions are needed, individual decision-making may be more
favorable
 2.10. INTERGROUP PROBLEMS IN ORGANIZATIONS
 - Loyalty and Unity:
 - Project teams require loyalty and unity to present a strong front.
 - Example: Team members need to support each other's decisions and work together to achieve project goals.
 Problems
 - Seeing Other Teams as Rivals: - Project teams start seeing other teams as rivals instead of neutral parties.
 - Example: Two project teams competing for the same resources may view each other as opponents rather than
collaborators.
 - Distorted Views: - Project teams tend to focus on their own strengths and the weaknesses of other teams.
 - Example: One project team might exaggerate their achievements while downplaying the successes of their
competitors.
 - Reduced Interaction: - Hostility towards other teams leads to less interaction and communication.
 - Example: Two project teams may avoid sharing information or collaborating due to animosity.
 - Selective Listening: - Project team members only listen to information that supports their own team's position.
 - Example: During a joint meeting between two project teams, members may only pay attention to criticisms of
the other team while dismissing their own faults.
 PREVENTING INTERGROUP CONFLICT

• Strategies to Reduce Intergroup Competition:

• Emphasize organizational effectiveness over individual
department success.
• Example: Departments are evaluated and rewarded based on their
overall contribution to the organization's goals rather than individual
achievements.
• Stimulate Interaction and Communication:
• Encourage frequent communication and collaboration
between groups to address intergroup coordination issues.
• Example: Regular meetings or joint projects between departments to
facilitate better understanding and cooperation.
• Rotation of Members: Rotate members among different
groups or departments to foster empathy and mutual
understanding.
• Example: Employees from different departments may temporarily join
project teams to gain insight into each other's challenges and
perspectives