ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR CHAPTER 10

Robbins & JudgeOrganizational Behavior13th EditionChapter 10: Understanding Work TeamsStudent Study SlideshowBob StretchSouthwestern College10-* 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

Why Have Teams Become So Popular?Great way to use employee talentsTeams are more flexible and responsive to changes in the environmentCan quickly assemble, deploy, refocus, and disbandFacilitate employee involvementIncreases employee participation in decision makingDemocratize an organization and increase motivationNote: teams are not ALWAYS effective 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.10-*


Differences between Groups and Teams

Work GroupA group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibilityNo joint effort requiredWork TeamGenerates positive synergy through coordinated effort. The individual efforts result in a performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputsExhibit 10-1

2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.10-*


Types of TeamsProblem-solving TeamsGroups 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 environmentSelf-Managed Work TeamsGroups of 10 to 15 people who take on the responsibilities of their former supervisorsExhibit 10-2



More Types of TeamsCross-Functional TeamsEmployees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a taskVery commonTask forcesCommittees



A Final Type of TeamVirtual TeamsTeams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goalCharacteristicsLimited socializingThe ability to overcome time and space constraintsTo be effective, needs:Trust among membersClose monitoringTo be publicizedTeam Effectiveness ModelExhibit 10-3



Creating Effective Teams: ContextAdequate ResourcesNeed the tools to complete the jobEffective Leadership and StructureAgreeing to the specifics of work and how the team fits together to integrate individual skillsEven self-managed teams need leadersLeadership especially important in multi-team systemsClimate of TrustMembers must trust each other and the leaderPerformance and Rewards Systems that Reflect Team ContributionsCannot just be based on individual effort 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.10-*


Creating Effective Teams: CompositionAbilities of MembersNeed technical expertise, problem-solving, decision-making, and good interpersonal skillsPersonality of MembersConscientiousness, Openness to Experience, and Agreeableness all relate to team performanceAllocating Roles and Diversity (Exhibit 10-4)Many necessary roles that must be filledDiversity can often lead to lower performanceSize of TeamThe smaller the better: 5-9 is optimalMembers Preference for TeamworkDo the members want to be on teams?



Creating Effective Teams: Work DesignFreedom and AutonomyAbility to work independentlySkill Variety Ability to use different skills and talentsTask IdentityAbility to complete a whole and identifiable task or productTask SignificanceWorking on a task or project that has a substantial impact on others



Creating Effective Teams: ProcessCommitment to a Common PurposeCreate a common purpose that provides directionHave reflexivity: willing to adjust plan if necessaryEstablishment of Specific Team GoalsMust be specific, measurable, realistic, and challengingTeam EfficacyTeam believes in its ability to succeedMental ModelsHave an accurate and common mental map of how the work gets doneA Managed Level of ConflictTask conflicts are helpful; interpersonal conflicts are notMinimized Social LoafingTeam holds itself accountable both individually and as a teamExhibit 10-5 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.10-*


Turning Individuals into Team PlayersSelectionMake team skills one of the interpersonal skills in the hiring process.TrainingIndividualistic people can learnRewardsRework the reward system to encourage cooperative efforts rather than competitive (individual) onesContinue to recognize individual contributions while still emphasizing the importance of teamwork 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.10-*


Beware! Teams Arent Always the AnswerTeams take more time and resources than does individual work.Three tests to see if a team fits the situation:Is the work complex and is there a need for different perspectives: will it be better with the insights of more than one person?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?



Global ImplicationsExtent of TeamworkOther countries use teams more often than does the U.S.

Self-Managed TeamsDo not work well in countries with low tolerances for ambiguity and uncertainty and a high power distance

Team Cultural Diversity and Team PerformanceDiversity caused by national differences interferes with team efficiency, at least in the short runAfter about three months the differences between diverse and non-diverse team performance disappear 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.10-*


Summary and Managerial ImplicationsEffective teams have common characteristics:Adequate resourcesEffective leadershipA climate of trustAppropriate reward and evaluation systemsComposed of members with correct skills and rolesAre smallerDo work that provides freedom, autonomy, and the chance to contributeThe tasks are whole and significantHave members who believe in the teams capabilitiesManagers should modify the environment and select team-oriented individuals to increase the chance of developing effective teams 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.10-*


ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR CHAPTER 10

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specifics of work

individual inputsexhibit

individual efforts

different work areas

employee talentsteams

coordinated effort

team contributionscannot

types of teamscross