Teams in Organizations

Lecture
TEAMS IN ORGANIZATIONS
Chapter Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
◦ Analyze the growing popularity of teams in organizations.
◦ Contrast groups and teams.
◦ Compare and contrast four types of teams.
◦ Identify the characteristics of effective teams.
◦ Show how organizations can create team players.
◦ Decide when to use individuals instead of teams.
◦ Show how our understanding of teams differs in a global context.
COPYRIGHT © 2011 PEARSON EDUCATION, INC. PUBLISHING AS PRENTICE HALL 10-2

Why Have Teams Become So Popular?
Great way to use employee talents
Teams are more flexible and responsive to changes in the environment
Can quickly assemble, deploy, refocus, and disband
Facilitate employee involvement
Increase employee participation in decision making
Increase motivation
Note: teams are not ALWAYS effective

Differences between Groups and Teams
Work Group
◦ A group that interacts primarily to share information and to make
decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of
responsibility
◦ No joint effort required
Work Team
◦ Generates positive synergy through coordinated effort. The individual
efforts result in a performance that is greater than the sum of the
individual inputs

Comparing Work Groups and Work
Teams
10-5
Types of Teams
Problem-Solving Teams
◦ Groups of 5 to 12 employees from the same
department who meet for a few hours each week to
discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the
work environment. Quality Assurance Teams
Self-Managed Work Teams
◦ Groups of 10 to 15 people who take on the
responsibilities of their former supervisors
10-6
More Types of Teams
Cross-Functional Teams
◦ Employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work
areas, who come together to accomplish a task
◦ Very common
◦ Task forces
◦ Committees

A Final Type of Team
Virtual Teams
◦ Teams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in
order to achieve a common goal
Characteristics
◦ Limited socializing
◦ The ability to overcome time and space constraints
To be effective, needs:
◦ Trust among members
◦ Close monitoring
◦ To be publicized
10-8
A Team-Effectiveness Model
Caveat 1: This is a
general guide only.
Caveat 2: The model

assumes that teamwork
is preferable to
individual work.
10-9
Key Components of Effective Teams
Context
Composition
Work Design
Process Variables

Creating Effective Teams: Context
Adequate Resources
◦ Need the tools to complete the job
◦ This support includes timely information, proper equipment, adequate staffing, encouragement, and administrative
assistance
Effective Leadership and Structure

◦ Agreeing to the specifics of work and how the team fits together to integrate individual skills
◦ Even “self-managed” teams need leaders
◦ Leadership especially important in multi-team systems
Climate of Trust
◦ Members must trust each other and the leader. Can take risks/expose vulnerabilities.
Performance and Rewards Systems that Reflect Team Contributions
◦ Cannot just be based on individual effort
10-11
Creating Effective Teams: Composition
Abilities of Members
◦ Need technical expertise, problem-solving, decision-making, and good interpersonal skills
Personality of Members
◦ Conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness all relate to team
performance
Allocating Roles and Diversity
◦ Many necessary roles must be filled
◦ Diversity can often lead to lower performance
Size of Team
◦ The smaller the better: 5 to 9 is optimal
Members’ Preference for Teamwork

◦ Do the members want to be on teams?
10-12
Key Roles On Teams
10-13
Creating Effective Teams: Work Design
Freedom and Autonomy
◦ Ability to work independently
Skill Variety
◦ Ability to use different skills and talents
Task Identity
◦ Ability to complete a whole and identifiable task or product
Task Significance
◦ Working on a task or project that has a substantial impact on others
10-14
Creating Effective Teams: Process
Commitment to a Common Purpose
◦ Create a common purpose that provides direction
◦ Have reflexivity: willing to adjust plan if necessary
Establishment of Specific Team Goals
◦ Must be specific, measurable, realistic, and challenging
Team Efficacy
◦ Team believes in its ability to succeed
Mental Models
◦ Have an accurate and common mental map of how the work gets done
A Managed Level of Conflict
◦ Task conflicts are helpful; interpersonal conflicts are not
Minimized Social Loafing
◦ Team holds itself accountable both individually and as a team
10-15
Turning Individuals into Team Players
Selection
◦ Make team skills one of the interpersonal skills in the hiring process.
Training
Rewards
◦ Rework the reward system to encourage cooperative efforts rather than competitive
(individual) ones
◦ Continue to recognize individual contributions while still emphasizing the importance
of teamwork
10-16
Beware! Teams Aren’t Always the
Answer
Teams take more time and resources than does individual work.
Three tests to see if a team fits the situation:
1. Is the work complex and is there a need for different perspectives – will it
be better with the insights of more than one person?
2. Does the work create a common purpose or set of goals for the group
that is larger than the aggregate of the goals for individuals?
3. Are members of the group involved in interdependent tasks?

Global Implications
Extent of Teamwork
◦ Other countries use teams more often than does Pakistan.
Self-Managed Teams
◦ Do not work well in countries with low tolerance for ambiguity and
uncertainty and a high power distance
Team Cultural Diversity and Team Performance

◦ Diversity caused by national differences interferes with team efficiency, at
least in the short run
◦ After about three months, the differences between diverse and non-diverse
team performance disappear
10-18
Summary and Managerial Implications
Effective teams have common characteristics:
◦ Adequate resources
◦ Effective leadership
◦ A climate of trust
◦ Appropriate reward and evaluation systems
◦ Composed of members with correct skills and roles
◦ Are smaller
◦ Do work that provides freedom, autonomy, and the chance to contribute
◦ The tasks are whole and significant
◦ Has members who believe in the team’s capabilities
Managers should modify the environment and select team-oriented individuals to increase the
chance of developing effective teams.
10-19

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Lecture

COPYRIGHT © 2011 PEARSON EDUCATION, INC. PUBLISHING AS PRENTICE HALL 10-2

COPYRIGHT © 2011 PEARSON EDUCATION, INC. PUBLISHING AS PRENTICE HALL 10-3

COPYRIGHT © 2011 PEARSON EDUCATION, INC. PUBLISHING AS PRENTICE HALL 10-4

COPYRIGHT © 2011 PEARSON EDUCATION, INC. PUBLISHING AS PRENTICE HALL 10-7

Caveat 2: The model

COPYRIGHT © 2011 PEARSON EDUCATION, INC. PUBLISHING AS PRENTICE HALL 10-10

Effective Leadership and Structure

Members’ Preference for Teamwork

COPYRIGHT © 2011 PEARSON EDUCATION, INC. PUBLISHING AS PRENTICE HALL 10-17

Team Cultural Diversity and Team Performance

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