How teams are made why teams are made

TEAMS

IMRAN S. MALIK

Work Group

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

Understanding Groups

– Formal groups

• Work groups defined by the organization’s structure that have designated work assignments and tasks.

– Appropriate behaviors are defined by and directed toward organizational goals.

– Informal groups

• Groups that are independently formed to meet the social needs of their members.

Stages of Group Development

Group Structure: Group Size

• Small groups – Complete tasks faster

than larger groups.

– Make more effective use of facts.

• Large groups – Solve problems better

than small groups.

– Are good for getting diverse input.

– Are more effective in fact-finding.

• Social Loafing – The tendency for

individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when work individually.

Group Structure (cont’d)

• Norms

– Acceptable standards or expectations that are shared by the group’s members.

– Common types of norms

• Effort and performance

– Output levels, absenteeism, promptness, socializing

• Dress

• Loyalty

Group Structure (cont’d)

• Conformity

– Individuals conform in order to be accepted by groups.

– Group pressures can have an effect on an individual member’s judgment and attitudes.

– The effect of conformity is not as strong as it once was, although still a powerful force.

– Groupthink

• The extensive pressure of others in a strongly cohesive or threatened group that causes individual members to change their opinions to conform to that of the group.

Group Structure (cont’d)

• Status System

– The formal or informal prestige grading, position, or ranking system for members of a group that serves as recognition for individual contributions to the group and as a behavioral motivator.

• Formal status systems are effective when the perceived ranking of an individual and the status symbols accorded that individual are congruent.

Group Structure (cont’d)

• Group Cohesiveness

– The degree to which members are attracted to a group and share the group’s goals.

• Highly cohesive groups are more effective and productive than less cohesive groups when their goals aligned with organizational goals.

The Relationship Between Cohesiveness and Productivity

Team: • a special work group whose

members are joined together in a

united and coordinated effort

towards a goal and whose work is

mutually dependant with mutual

accountability.

Benefits of a Team

• Less stress

• Responsibility is shared

• Sharing of ideas

• More creative ideas

• Less fear of failure

• Sense of accomplishment

• Reward and recognition

Increase Productivity

Increased Employee Morale

Reduced Cost

Increased Quality

Decreased Losses

Increased Profits

When to Form a Team

• A specific, measurable objective that is best achieved through the coordinate efforts of different people with different skills

• An organizational structure and culture that encourages and provides for the team concept

• Adequate time for needed training, deliberation, and discussions

• Knowledge and use of various problem-solving and decision making techniques

Team selection criteria

• Technical abilities: training, skills, experience

• Personal attributes: standards, values, initiatives,

organizational identification

• Interpersonal behaviors: influence, sensitivity,

supporting others, trustworthiness

• Communication skills: dialogue skills, presentation

skills, writing skills, reading skills

• Administrative skills: planning, organizing,

implementing, delegating, evaluating

Ref: Manager’s official guide to Teamworking, Spiegel & Torres, pp. 19-23

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

Comparing Work Groups and Work Teams

Share information

Neutral (sometimes negative)

Individual

Random and varied

Collective performance

Positive

Individual and mutual

Complementary

Goal

Synergy

Accountability

Skills

Work groups Work teams

Four Types of Teams

Problem-Solving Teams

• Share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved

Problem-Solving Teams

• Rarely given authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggested actions

• Typically composed of 5-12 hourly employees from the same department

• Example: Quality Circles

Self-Managed Work Teams

• Collectively control pace of work

• Determine work assignments

• Organize breaks

Self-Managed Work Teams

• Collectively choose inspection procedures

• Select their own members and evaluate each other’s performance

• Generally composed of 10-15 people

Cross-Functional Teams

• Members from diverse areas within and between organizations

• Exchange information

• Develop new ideas and solve problems

Cross-Functional Teams

• Coordinate complex projects

• Development is time-consuming due to complexity and diversity

• Examples: Task Force and Committees

Virtual Teams

• Computer technology ties physically dispersed members together to achieve a common goal

Virtual Teams

• Differentiating factors from other teams

–Absence of para-verbal and non-verbal cues

–Limited social context

–Ability to overcome time and space constraints

Key Components of Teams

• Context

• Composition

• Work Design

• Process

Context

• Presence of adequate resources

• Effective leadership

• Climate of trust

• Performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions

Composition

• Abilities of members

• Personality

• Allocating roles

• Diversity

• Size of teams

• Member flexibility

• Member preferences

Work Design

• Freedom & Autonomy

• Skill variety

• Task identity

• Task significance

Process

• Member commitment to a common purpose

• Establishment of specific team goals

• Team efficacy

• Managed level of conflict

• Minimizing social loafing

Process

• Member commitment to a common purpose

• Establishment of specific team goals

• Team efficacy

• Managed level of conflict

• Minimizing social loafing

Stages of Team Development

• Stage 1: Forming

• Stage 2: Storming

• Stage 3: Norming

• Stage 4: Performing

Forming

• Teams members uncertain about roles and expectations

• Team members try to assess themselves and others

• Reliance on strong, formal leadership

• Guidelines for a successful forming stage:

- Provide structure to the team by assigning and clarifying task/role

- Encourage participation

- Share all relevant information

- Encourage open, honest communication among team members

Storming

• Deals with power and decision making

• Members challenge the differences in an attempt to gain their individuality

and influence

• The team members need control and sense of direction.

• To help through this stage, some guidelines are:

- Assist the team members to establish methods that support the

communication of their different points of view.

- Determine within the team how the team will make decisions

- Encourage members to share their ideas about issues

- Facilitate methods to resolve conflicts

Norming

• Members produce as a cohesive unit

• Functional relationships are established

• Members work collaboratively to gain and share insight

• To best facilitate this stage, some guidelines are:

• Talk openly and honestly about team issues and the members’

concerns

• Encourage feedback

• Assign tasks for consensus decision making

Performing

• Members have learned to work together

• Members skills to define tasks, manage conflict, and work towards

producing results.

• The members are committed to the team and its goals.

• Guidelines for this stage are:

- Jointly set goals that are challenging and accepted to all members

- Continue to look for ways to promote the team’s chances to excel

- Keep an ongoing assessment of the team

- Acknowledge each member’s contribution

- Develop members to their fullest potential

PRIDE principles

• Purpose: have a common purpose and goal

• Respect: act with mutual respect, trust and

support

• Individuals: recognize and respect the

difference which enhances creativity and

collective imagination

• Discussion: should have open, honest and

frequent discussions

• Excellence: team should strive for excellence

A Team-Effectiveness Model

Key Roles of Teams

Turning Individuals Into Team Players

• The Challenges

– Overcoming individual resistance to team membership.

– Countering the influence of individualistic cultures.

– Introducing teams in an organization that has historically valued individual achievement.

• Shaping Team Players

– Selecting employees who can fulfill their team roles.

– Training employees to become team players.

– Reworking the reward system to encourage cooperative efforts while continuing to recognize individual contributions.

Team Roles

• Sponsor: supports, empowers team

• Leader/coordinator: organizes team activities

• Facilitator: helps team members function as team

• Evaluator: looks at the big picture

• Recorder: documents teamwork

• Team worker: engages in the task completion

A Team that Works

• Commitment to the team

• Team members are cooperative and collaborate

• Honest and open communication

• Effective method for decisions-making

• Have a process for managing conflict

Key elements

Commitment to the Team

• Team members

• Manager

• Organization

Commitment from:

Collaboration and Cooperation

Listening: hear, interpret

Questioning: interact, discuss and pose questions

Persuading: exchanging, defending and rethinking ideas

Respecting: respect the opinion of others. Encourage and support

the ideas and efforts of others

Helping: offer assistance

Sharing: offering ideas and reporting their findings to each

other

Participating: contributing to the project

Effective Skills

Contemporary Issues in Managing Teams

• Team Effectiveness and Quality Management Requires That Teams:

1. Are small enough to be efficient and effective.

2. Are properly trained in required skills.

3. Allocated enough time to work on problems.

4. Are given authority to resolve problems and take corrective action.

5. Have a designated “champion” to call on when needed.

Team and Workforce Diversity: Advantages and Disadvantages of Diversity

Reinvigorating Mature Teams

• Problems of Mature Teams

– Becoming stagnant and complacent as cohesiveness increases.

– Developing groupthink.

– Confronting more difficult issues.

• Reinvigorating Teams

1. Prepare members to deal with problems of maturity.

2. Offer refresher training.

3. Offer advanced training.

4. Encourage teams to treat their development as a constant learning experience.

– The number of employees who can be effectively

and efficiently supervised by a manager – Width of span is affected by:

• Skills and abilities of the manager and the employees • Characteristics of the work being done • Similarity of tasks • Complexity of tasks • Physical proximity of subordinates • Standardization of tasks • Sophistication of the organization’s information system • Strength of the organization’s culture • Preferred style of the manager

Span of Control

Locus of Control

Locus of Control

The degree to which people believe they are masters of their own fate.

Internals Individuals who believe that they

control what happens to them.

Externals Individuals who believe that

what happens to them is controlled by outside forces

such as luck or chance.

Common Characteristics

Functional

Operating

Cross

Functional

Self

Managing

Self

Defining

Top

Executive

Autonomy-

mission Low Low-Mod Low High High

Autonomy-

procedure Low-Mod High High High High

Authority-

internal High High Low Low High

Duration High Low-Mod High Variable High

Stability High Low-Mod High Variable High

Functional

diversity Low High Low Variable High

Trust: The Foundation of Team

Trust

A positive expectation that another will not—through

words, actions, or decisions—act

opportunistically.

Trust is a history-dependent process

(familiarity) based on relevant but limited

samples of experience (risk).

Dimensions of Trust

• Integrity

– honesty and truthfulness.

• Competence

– an individual’s technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills.

• Consistency

– an individual’s reliability, predictability, and good judgment in handling situations.

• Loyalty

– the willingness to protect and save face for another person.

• Openness

– reliance on the person to give you the full truth.

Relationships among Team Members

Source: Reprinted by special permission of the publisher, Psychological

Assessment Resources, Inc., from Making Vocational Choices, copyright 1973,

1985, 1992 by Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. All rights reserved.

Advantages of Using Teams

• Teams outperform individuals.

• Teams provide a way to better use employee talents.

• Teams are more flexible and responsive.

• Teams can be quickly assembled, deployed, refocused, and disbanded.

Characteristics of Effective Teams

• Have a clear understanding of their goals.

• Have competent members with relevant technical and interpersonal skills.

• Exhibit high mutual trust in the character and integrity of their members.

• Are unified in their commitment to team goals.

• Have good communication systems.

• Possess effective negotiating skills

• Have appropriate leadership

• Have both internally and externally supportive environments

Characteristics of Effective Teams

A Team That Does NOT Work

Reasons

Confused and conflicting goals

Unresolved roles and

responsibilities

Lack of team trust

Lack of support

Lack of communication

Critical/negative attitude

Key Areas of Resistance

Resistance

Organization Individual Management

• top-down structure with

many formal levels

• bureaucratic practices

• rigid and cautious

corporate culture

• one-way information

flow

• department

segregation

• fear of losing control

• fear of not being needed

• failure to support team

initiatives and members

• failure set clear goals

• failure to understand the

issues/project/team

• unwilling to take risk

• Too passive and does no

hold members

accountable

• fear of losing

individuality and

individual recognition

• lack of confidence in

abilities

• fear of sharing ideas to

protect own interest

• inability to express ideas

• fear of conflict

Teams higher level of success for companies