Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-1

Chapter 14Understanding Groups and

Teams

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-2

Learning Outline After you read this chapter you should know the following

learning objectives:.

•#1: What are the stages of team development?

•#2: How do individuals become team players?

•#3: How can groups become effective teams?

•#4: What are some of the current challenges in managing teams?

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-3

Understanding Groups• Group

– Two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve particular goals

• Formal groups– Work groups that have designated work assignments and tasks directed toward organizational goals

• Informal groups– Groups that are independently formed to meet the social needs of their members

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-4

Examples of Formal Groups

• Command• Task• Cross-functional• Self-managed

Exhibit 14.1Exhibit 14.1

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-5

Difference Between Groups and Teams

• Groups– Interact primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member do his or her job more efficiently and effectively

• Teams– Work intensely on a specific, common goal using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and complementary skills

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-6

What Is a Team?• Work Team

– A group whose members work intensely on a specific common goal using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and complementary skills

• Types of Teams– Problem-solving teams– Self-managed work teams– Cross-functional teams– Virtual teams

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-7

Stages in Team Development• Forming

– Members join and begin the process of defining the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership

• Storming– Intragroup conflict occurs as individuals resist control by the group and disagree over leadership

• Norming– Close relationships develop as the group becomes cohesive and establishes its norms for acceptable behaviour

• Performing– A fully functional group structure allows the group to focus on performing the task at hand

• Adjourning– The group prepares to disband and is no longer concerned with high levels of performance

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-8

Ex. 14.3 Stages of Team Development

Prestage 1 Stage IForming

Stage IIStorming

Stage IIINorming

Stage IVPerforming

Stage VAdjourning

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-9

Turning Individuals into Team Players

• Teams are affected by what the individual members bring to the group. Factors of interest include:– Member knowledge– Abilities– Skills– Personality characteristics

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-10

The Challenges of Creating Team Players

• Roles– The set of expected behaviour patterns attributed to someone who occupies a given position in a social unit; roles assist the group in task accomplishment or in maintaining group member satisfaction

– Role conflict: experiencing differing role expectations

– Role ambiguity: uncertainty about role expectations

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-11

Characteristics of Effective Teams

• Clear Goals• Relevant Skills• Mutual Trust• Unified Commitment• Good Communication• Negotiating Skills• Appropriate Leadership• Internal and External Support

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-12

Building Group Cohesiveness

• 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 align with organizational goals

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-13

Exhibit 14.5 The Relationship Between Cohesiveness and Productivity

Strong Increasein Productivity

Decrease inProductivity

No Significant Effecton Productivity

Moderate Increasein Productivity

CohesivenessHigh Low

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-14

Conflict Management

• Conflict– The perceived incompatible differences in a group resulting in some form of interference with or opposition to its assigned tasks• Traditional view: conflict must it avoided• Human relations view: conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group

• Interactionist view: conflict can be a positive force and is absolutely necessary for effective group performance

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-15

Exhibit 14.6

Conflict and Group Performanc

eSituation

Level ofGroup

Performance

Low

HighLevel of ConflictLow High

A CB

A CB

Level of Conflict

Group'sInternalCharacteristics

Type of ConflictLow or none Optimal HighDysfunctional Functional DysfunctionalApatheticStagnantUnresponsive to ChangeLack of New Ideas

ViableSelf-CriticalInnovative

DisruptiveChaoticUncooperative

Level of GroupPerformance

Low High Low

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-16

Conflict Management

• Categories of Conflict– Functional conflicts– Dysfunctional conflicts

• Types of Conflict– Task conflict: content and goals of the work

– Relationship conflict: interpersonal relationships

– Process conflict: how the work gets done

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-17

Conflict Management

• Techniques to Reduce Conflict:– Avoidance– Accommodation– Forcing– Compromise– Collaboration

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-18

Exhibit 14.7 Conflict Resolution Techniques

Source: Adapted from K.W. Thomas, “Conflict and Negotiation Processes in Organizations,” in M.D. Dunnette and L.M. Hough (eds.) Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, vol. 3, 2nd ed. (Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1992), p. 668. With permission

Uncooperative CooperativeCooperativeness

Avoiding

Forcing

Accommodating

Collaborating

Compromising

Resolving conflicts byeach party's giving upsomething of value.

Resolving conflicts bywithdrawing from orsuppressing them.

Resolving conflicts bysatisfying one’s ownneeds at the expense

of another’s.

Resolving conflicts byseeking an advantageous

solution for all parties.

Resolving conflicts byplacing another’s needs

and concerns aboveyour own.

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-19

Current Challenges in Managing Teams

• Managers need to determine when it is best to use a team, especially global teams. Issues associated with global teams include:– Group member resources in global terms– Group structure– Conformity– Status– Social loafing– Cohesiveness– Group processes– The manager’s role

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-20

Teams Are Not Always the Answer

• Three questions help determine whether a team fits a situation?– Can the work be done better by more than one person?

– Does the work create a common purpose or set of goals for the people in the group that is more than the sum of individual goals?

– Are the members of the group interdependent?

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-21

Summary and Implications

• What are the stages of team development?– Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

• How do individuals become team players?– Selecting the right people and training them and finally rewarding them appropriately

Chapter 14, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Ninth Canadian EditionCopyright © 2009 Pearson Education Canada 14-22

Summary and Implications

• How can groups become effective teams?– Through effective team characteristics

• What are some of the current challenges in managing teams?– Global team challenges