Initial Postings: Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any ot

10 Jul Initial Postings: Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any ot

Posted at 14:30h in Business & Finance /Management by

Initial Postings: Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding in each assigned textbook chapter.

Your initial post should be based upon the assigned reading for the week, so the textbook should be a source listed in your reference section and cited within the body of the text. Other sources are not required but feel free to use them if they aid in your discussion.

Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:

You are on a team which features individuals high in openness and emotional stability. What is the likely result of task conflict within your team? Why is this?

[Your post must be substantive and demonstrate insight gained from the course material. Postings must be in the student's own words – do not provide quotes!]

[Your initial post should be at least 250+ words and in APA format (including Times New Roman with font size 12 and double spaced).

Book:

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. (2022). Essentials of Organizational Behavior. Student Value Edition. Pearson 15th Edition.

Chapter10.UnderstandingWorkTeams.pptx

Essentials of Organizational Behavior

Fifteenth Edition

Chapter 10

Understanding Work Teams

Learning Objectives

10.1 Contrast groups and teams.

10.2 Contrast the five types of team arrangements.

10.3 Identify the characteristics of effective teams.

10.4 Explain how organizations can create team players.

10.5 Decide when to use individuals instead of teams.

Groups and Teams Learning Objective 10.1

Work group: interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help one another perform within each member’s area of responsibility

Work team: generates positive synergy through coordinated effort; individual efforts result in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs

Groups and teams are not the same thing. A group is primarily there to share information and make decisions; no real joint effort is required. A team works in a more coordinated effort to achieve a goal.

Comparing Work Groups and Work Teams (Exhibit 10-1)

Work groups and work teams differ on their goals, level of synergy, accountability, and skills. Their function is different. Work groups share information, while work teams work together for a collective performance. The synergy in groups is neutral, whereas work teams have a positive synergy. Accountability can be individual in both, but it is more often mutual in teams. The skills in a group can be varied, whereas the skills on a team need to be complementary.

Long Description:

The details are as below:

Goal: Work Groups share information; Work Teams collective performance.

Synergy: Work Groups neutral (sometimes negative); Work Teams positive.

Accountability: Work Groups individual; Work Teams Individual and mutual.

Skills: Work Groups random and varied; Work Teams complementary.

Four Types of Teams (Exhibit 10-2) Learning Objective 10.2

There are four main types of teams: problem-solving, self-managed, cross-functional, and virtual.

Long Description:

The details are as below:

Problem-solving: The schematic is in the form of a converging radial diagram, where each member of the team comes together toward the problem, depicted by a question mark, in the center.

Self-managed: The schematic shows a pentagram within a pentagon and team members at its vertices.

Cross-functional: The schematic shows managers from the bottom of a hierarchical organizational chart connected to the team members of the self-managed schematic.

Virtual: The schematic shows people at various locations connected to each other via technology.

Problem-Solving Teams

Members often from the same department

Share ideas or suggest improvements

Rarely given authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggested actions

Problem-solving teams are a very popular method used in many organizations. Typically this type of team meets for a few hours each week to solve a particular problem.

Self-Managed Work Teams

10-15 employees in highly related jobs

Team takes on supervisory responsibilities:

Work planning and scheduling

Assigning tasks

Operating decisions/actions

Working with customers

May select and evaluate members

Effectiveness is dependent on the situation

Self-managed work teams are comprised of a group of people who perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on the responsibilities of their former supervisors.

The effectiveness of this type of team greatly depends on the situation and the goals of the team.

Cross-Functional Teams

Members from same level, but diverse areas, within and between organizations

Exchange information

Develop new ideas and solve problems

Coordinate complex projects

Development may be time consuming due to complexity and diversity

Cross-functional teams gather workers from many different work areas to come together to accomplish a task that needs to utilize multiple perspectives.

This type of team is good at developing new ideas and solving problems or coordinating complex projects. Given that their tasks are normally complex and diverse, it may take some time for the team to develop into an effective and productive team.

Virtual Teams

Computer technology ties dispersed team together

Managing virtual teams:

Ensure trust is established among members

Monitor progress closely

Publicize the efforts and products of the team throughout the organization

Virtual teams are increasing in their use. This type of team uses computer technology to bring people together to achieve a common goal. Typically these types of teams get right to work with little socializing, but they need to overcome time and space constraints to accomplish the task. In order to be effective, virtual teams need to find ways to establish trust among the members, have close monitoring, and results need to be publicized.

Multiteam Systems

Collections of two or more interdependent teams that share a superordinate goal

A ‘team of teams’

Can be the best choice

Research shows that multiteam systems perform better when they have “boundary spanners” whose job is to coordinate with members of other subteams.

Multiteam systems can be the best choice when teams are too large to be effective, or when teams with distinct functions need to be highly coordinated.

Team Effectiveness Model (Exhibit 10-3) Learning Objective 10.3

The three key components of effective teams are context, composition, and processes and states. Next we will look at each one of these components individually.

Long Description:

The factors that contribute to and result in team effectiveness are detailed as below:

Context: Adequate resources; Leadership and structure; Climate of trust; and Performance evaluation and reward systems.

Composition: Abilities of members; Personality; Allocating roles; Diversity; Size of teams; Member flexibility; and Member preferences.

Process: Common purpose; Specific goals; Team efficacy; Conflict levels; and Social loafing.

Context Factors in Team Success

Presence of adequate resources

Effective leadership and structure

Culture or climate

Performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions

Crises and extreme contexts

Understanding the context is important for teams to be effective. The team needs the right resources to do the job well. Members also need effective leadership and structure to facilitate a process that will help the team succeed. It is important that teams fit together, so they can successfully utilize the individual skills present in the group. Teams can have their own cultures and climates that influence their effectiveness. A shared sense of vision; a sense of being able to share; a concern for quality; encouragement of innovative solutions; and regular, frequent interaction are important. Perceptions of fair and just policies, practices, and procedures are also important. The reward system needs to be equitable and based on team contributions. Crises and extreme contexts can test the merits of team. They can unlock potential or lead to unraveling and ultimate disaster. Recent research has suggested leaders, team structure, positive affectivity and informed decision making play an important role in team success during crises.

Team Composition and Success

Abilities of members

High-ability

Adaptability

Personality of members

Conscientious and open-minded

Allocation of roles

Diversity of members

Organizational demography

Cultural differences

Size of teams

Member preferences

A manager must pay close attention to how a team is put together to assure group cohesiveness and effectiveness. Each member should be selected based on the type of skills and abilities needed to accomplish the task at hand. However, abilities are not the only characteristic that managers need to pay attention to; personality is also important so that the team can bond and form trust. In addition, the manager must be sure to assign the right people to fill the roles needed, but maintain adequate diversity so that idea generation still occurs. The manager must also pay attention to the size of the team and ensure that members want to be on the team and enjoy teamwork.

Organizational demography suggests that diversity in attributes such as age or the date of joining should help us to predict turnover.

Potential Team Member Roles (Exhibit 10-4)

We can identify nine potential team member roles. Teams that are successful select people to play all of these roles based on their experience and preferences.

Long Description:

At the center of the diagram is the “team” which has various roles converging at it. The details are as below:

Linker: Coordinates and integrates

Creator: Initiates creative ideas

Promoter: Champions ideas after they are initiated

Assessor: Offers insightful analysis of options

Organizer: Provides structure

Producer: Provides direction and follow through

Controller: Examines details and enforces rules

Maintainer: Fights external battles

Adviser: Encourages the search for more information.

Effects of Group Processes (Exhibit 10-5)

Teams should create outputs greater than the sum of their inputs. This exhibit shows how group processes can have an impact on a group’s actual effectiveness.

Team Processes and Success (1 of 2)

Common plan and purpose

Specific goals

Team efficacy

Team identity

Team cohesion

A team’s processes can have a big impact on its effectiveness. Teams must have a strong commitment to a common purpose that provides direction, and yet incorporates reflexivity so that plans can be adjusted if necessary. The goals of the team must be set so they are specific, measurable, and realistic yet challenging in order to keep the team members engaged.

Successful teams share a common belief that they can succeed at their tasks. Members also identify with their teams and are emotionally attached to each other and motivated toward the team because of that attachment.

Team Processes and Success (2 of 2)

Mental models

Conflict

Cohesion

Social loafing

Trust

Members must believe they can succeed and have a mental map of how to get the work done to assist in the process of accomplishing their task. Members must navigate through conflict and social loafing to encourage a healthy and effective group. Cohesive teams tend to perform better than non-cohesive teams. Effective teams undermine the tendency to engage in social loafing by making members individually and jointly accountable for the team’s purpose, goals, and approach.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was clear just how important trust is to the successful operation of teams. Team trust evolves over time as members share with one another, put effort into the team, and monitor one another’s performance.

Turning Individuals into Team Players Learning Objective 10.4

Selecting: need employees who have the interpersonal as well as technical skills

Training: workshops on problem-solving, communications, negotiation, conflict-management, and coaching skills

Rewarding: encourage cooperative efforts rather than individual ones

Many organizations have historically gone to great lengths to hire, train, and reward team players, given how important teams are to the success of organizations.

When formulating teams it is important to carefully select the right employees who are more attuned to teamwork. Managers should also carefully craft a reward system to encourage cooperative efforts rather than competitive ones. In addition, managers need to recognize individual contributions to the team.

Teams Aren’t Always the Answer Learning Objective 10.5

Complexity of Work: Can the work be done better by more than one person?

Common Purpose: Does the work create a common purpose or set of goals for the people in the group that is more than the aggregate of individual goals?

Interdependence: Are the members of the group interdependent?

We have looked at a number of ways to make teams effective and to encourage good teamwork. However, teams are not always the answer. There are three questions to ask to assess whether teams fit the situation.

Is the work complex, and is there a need for different perspectives?

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?

Are members of the group involved in interdependent tasks?

If these three questions all can be answered with a yes, then a team might be the solution!

Implications for Managers (1 of 2)

Effective teams have adequate resources, effective leadership, positive cultures and climates, and a performance evaluation system that reflects team contributions.

Effective teams tend to be small.

Effective teams have members who believe in the team’s capabilities, are committed to a common plan and purpose, and have an accurate shared mental model of what is to be accomplished.

There are a number of common characteristics of effective teams such as a need for trust, smaller in size, a chance to contribute, significant tasks, and a team who believes in itself.

Managers do need to modify the environment to help the team succeed and pay careful attention to the makeup of the team members to ensure success.

Implications for Managers (2 of 2)

Select individuals who have the interpersonal skills to be effective team players; provide training to develop teamwork skills; and reward individuals for cooperative efforts.

Do not assume that teams are always needed.

Discussion Questions (1 of 2)

During COVID-19, many organizations moved their workforces to a remote environment utilizing virtual teams. Describe how shifts occurred in how these teams were managed.

With the expectation of a growing remote workforce, what team player training might organizations consider?

Discussion Questions (2 of 2)

Experts suggest that the most effective team size is about 5 to 9 members. Why do you think this recommendation is often disregarded? What is the downside of ignoring this?

This work is protected by United States copyright laws and is provided solely for the use of instructors in teaching their courses and assessing student learning. Dissemination or sale of any part of this work (including on the World Wide Web) will destroy the integrity of the work and is not permitted. The work and materials from it should never be made available to students except by instructors using the accompanying text in their classes. All recipients of this work are expected to abide by these restrictions and to honor the intended pedagogical purposes and the needs of other instructors who rely on these materials.

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10 Jul Initial Postings: Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any ot

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