The document discusses groups and work teams, outlining their key characteristics like stages of development and factors that influence effectiveness. It also covers types of work teams and issues in managing global teams, noting how cultural differences can impact areas like composition, structure, and processes. Managing global teams requires understanding cultural norms to facilitate coordination despite challenges from factors like social loafing and lower cohesiveness.
Original Description:
Fundamentals of Management: Essential Concepts and Applications (8/E)
by: Robbins, Decenzo, & Coulter
The document discusses groups and work teams, outlining their key characteristics like stages of development and factors that influence effectiveness. It also covers types of work teams and issues in managing global teams, noting how cultural differences can impact areas like composition, structure, and processes. Managing global teams requires understanding cultural norms to facilitate coordination despite challenges from factors like social loafing and lower cohesiveness.
The document discusses groups and work teams, outlining their key characteristics like stages of development and factors that influence effectiveness. It also covers types of work teams and issues in managing global teams, noting how cultural differences can impact areas like composition, structure, and processes. Managing global teams requires understanding cultural norms to facilitate coordination despite challenges from factors like social loafing and lower cohesiveness.
MANAGING WORK TEAMS What is a Group? • Group – two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals. • Formal groups – work groups that are defines by the organization’s structure and have designated work assignments and specific tasks directed at accomplishing organizational goals. • Informal groups – social groups. Stages of Group Development • Forming stage – 1st phase – people join the group. – 2nd phase – once joined, they start defining group’s purpose, structure, and leadership. Trial and error to determine what types of behavior are acceptable. • Storming Stage – Conflict over who will control the group and what the group needs to be doing. Once complete, hierarchy of leadership and group’s direction set. Stages of Group Development (cont…) • Norming Stage – Close relationships develop and the group become cohesive. Show strong sense of camaraderie. Once completed, group structure will be solid and everyone agrees on acceptable behavior. • Performing Stage – Focus on working on the group’s task. Last stage of development for permanent work groups. Stages of Group Development (cont…) • Adjourning Stage – Final stage for temporary groups. – The group prepares to disband. – Attention is focused on wrapping up activities instead of task performance. – Member’s reaction different; some are thrilled with the accomplishment, but some are sad over loss of friendships. Basic Foundation for Understanding Group Behavior • Roles • Norms and Conformity • Status System • Group Size • Group Cohesiveness What are Roles? • Role – refers to behavior patterns expected of someone who occupies a give position in a social unit. • Individuals play multiple roles, adjusting their roles to the group to which they belong at the time. • Eg: at home as a father, son, son-in-law; at office as an employee, supervisor, mentor. Norms and Conformity • Norms – standards or expectations that are accepted and shared by a group’s members. • Eg: formal dress code. It is acceptable for corporate to wear casual dress. So if someone come to work dressed casually, they will be teased and pressured until their dress conforms to the group’s standard. Status System • Status – prestige grading, position, or rank within a group. • Significant motivator that has behavioral consequences when individuals see a disparity between what they perceive their status to be and what others perceive it to be. • Eg: higher income vs. lower income, CEO vs. employee, popular vs. nerd Group Size • Fact – Small groups complete tasks faster than larger ones. • Fact – Larger groups consistently get better marks than smaller groups in problem solving. • Fact – The larger the groups, the less contribution made by individual members. – Because the dispersion of responsibility encourages individuals to slack off. Group Cohesiveness • Group Cohesiveness – the degree to which members are attracted to one another and share the group’s goals. Work Teams vs. Work Groups Work Teams • Groups whose members work intensely on specific, common goals using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and complementary skills. Types of Work Teams • Problem-solving Teams – Teams from the same department or functional area involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems. – Members share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved. – But rarely get authority to implement their suggestions. Types of Work Teams (cont…) • Self-managed work team – Group of employees who operate without a manager and are responsible for getting the work done and for managing themselves. – Includes planning and scheduling of work, assigning tasks to members, collective control over the pace of work, making operating decisions, and taking action on problems. – Eg: Xerox, PepsiCo and Hewlett-Packard. Types of Work Teams (cont…) • Cross-Functional Teams – Work team composed of individuals from various specialties. – For example, Health care. In ICU teams composed of doctor trained in intensive care medicine, a pharmacist, a social worker, a nutritionist, chief ICU nurse, a respiratory therapist, and a chaplain meet daily with every patient’s bedside nurse to discuss and debate the best course of treatment. Types of Work Teams (cont…) • Virtual Team – Uses technology to link physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal. – Members collaborate online with tools such as wide area networks, videoconferencing, fax, e- mail, or web sites where the team can hold online conferences. – Still can share information, make decisions, and complete tasks BUT lack in face to face communication. Team Effectiveness Context Composition • Adequate resources • Ability of members • Leadership and structure • Personality • Climate of trust • Allocating Roles • Performance evaluation and reward • Diversity systems • Size of Members • Members flexibility and preferences
Work Design Process
• Autonomy • Common purpose • Skill Variety • Specific goals • Task Identity • Team efficacy • Task Significant • Conflict levels • Social loafing Context • Adequate Resources – Include timely information, proper equipment, encouragement, adequate staffing, and administrative assistance. • Team Leadership and Structure – Agreeing on the specifics if work and how all the team member’s individual skill fit together. • Trust – Facilitates cooperation, reduces the need to monitor each other’s behavior, and bonds members. • Performance evaluation and Reward System – Managers should consider group based appraisals, profit- sharing, and others. Composition • Team member ability – Need people with technical expertise, problem solving and decision making skills, and interpersonal skills. • Personality – People with high conscientiousness, openness to experience and agreeableness are more effective. Composition (cont…) Composition (cont…) • Diversity – Diverse teams perform better. • Size – The most effective teams have five to nine members. • Preferences – Some people prefer not to work on teams. If forced, it creates direct threat to the team’s morale and to individual member satisfaction. Work Design • Important work design elements include autonomy, using a variety of skills, being able to complete a whole and identifiable task or product, and working on a task or project that has a significant impact on others. Team Processes • Common plan and purpose – Provides direction, momentum and commitment. • Specific Goals – Facilitate clear communication and help teams maintain their focus on getting results. • Team efficacy – When teams believe in themselves and believe they can succeed. • Managed conflict – It can be beneficial because they may stimulate discussion, promote critical assessment of problems and options, and lead better team decisions. • Minimal social loafing – Successful teams make members individually and jointly accountable for team’s purpose, goals, and approach. Contemporary Issues in Managing Teams Contemporary Issues in Managing Teams (cont…) • Team composition factors affect on managing global team – Unique cultural characteristics represented by members of a global team. – Need to recognize team member’s abilities, skills, knowledge, and personality. – Managers need to be familiar with and clearly understand the cultural characteristics of the groups and the group members they manage. Contemporary Issues in Managing Teams (cont…) • Team structure affect on managing global team – Conformity to social norms tends to be higher in collective cultures but less of a problem because members are less likely to pressured to ideas, conclusions, and decisions. – Managers need to understand who and what holds status when interacting with people from different culture. Contemporary Issues in Managing Teams (cont…) – Social loafing is consistent with individualistic cultures like US and Canada which are dominated with self-interest. – Cohesiveness is difficult to achieve because of higher levels of mistrust, miscommunication, and stress. Contemporary Issues in Managing Teams (cont…) • Team processes affect on managing global team – Communication problems that lead to inaccuracies, misunderstandings, and inefficiencies. – If it’s virtual teams, conflict can happen with how information is used by the team.