Understanding Work Teamsg

Why Have Teams Become So Popular?y p

Teams typically outperform individuals.

Teams use employee talents better.

Teams are more flexible and responsive to changesTeams are more flexible and responsive to changes in the environment.

Teams facilitate employee involvement.p y

Teams are an effective way to democratize an organization and increase motivation.

Teams foster Synergy and Consensus Building among the team members

Definition

“A team is a small group of people with complimentary skills who work activelycomplimentary skills, who work actively together to achieve a common purpose for which they hold themselves collectivelywhich they hold themselves collectively accountable.”

Teams in OrganizationsTeams in OrganizationsTeams in OrganizationsTeams in Organizations

Teamwork is the process of Teamwork is the process of people working together inpeople working together inpeople working together in people working together in teams to accomplish common teams to accomplish common goalsgoalsgg

3

Pre-requisites for Team Building and Team W kWork

Common objectives TrustTrust Cooperation S tSupport Information sharing M lMutual respect Accountability Positive group- no back-biting or stabbing at the back

Team Versus Group: What’s the Difference?

Work Group

A th t i t t i il tA group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibility

Work TeamA group whose individual effortsA group whose individual efforts result in a performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputsindividual inputs

Work Group

Strengths:members work on the directive of a group leadermembers work on the directive of a group leaderperform within his/her area of responsibilityLimited opportunity to engage in collective work pp y g grequiring joint effortWeaknesses:

i i S ( f iNo positive Synergy ( performance is merely the summation of each members individual contribution.)Time-consuming-to pool all informationTime consuming to pool all informationDecision-making authority in a single person can be perilous

Work Team

A group whose individual efforts result in aA group whose individual efforts result in a performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs (generates positive

)synergy)Members with complimentary skills committed to a goalto a goalMutually accountableInteract with each other and the leader-highlyInteract with each other and the leader highly collaborativeDecisions reflect the know-how and experience of many-better decisions

Comparing Work Groups and Work Teams

SelfSelf--ManagedManaged

ProblemProblem--SolvingSolving ManagedManagedSolvingSolving

Types ofTypes ofTeamsTeamsTeamsTeams

CrossCross--FunctionalFunctionalVirtualVirtual FunctionalFunctional

Problem-solving Teamsg

Composed of 5–12 employees from the same p p ydepartment, who meet for a few hours each week to discuss, share ideas or offer suggestions

A special type of Employee Involvement team isthe “QUALITY CIRCLE” ( A small group ofthe QUALITY CIRCLE ( A small group of persons who meet periodically to discuss and develop solutions for problems relating to quality,

d ti it d t )productivity and cost.)

Characteristics

Ways of improving qualityWays of improving quality Efficiency Work environmentHow work processes and methods can be improvedNo authority to implement their suggested actions

Self-Managed Work Teamsg

Groups of 10 to 15 people empowered to handle a t k d k d i i d t d b i Mtask and make decisions on a day-to-day basis. May select their own leader and membersperforming highly related or interdependent jobsperforming highly related or interdependent jobsplanningscheduling of workassigning tasks to membersEvaluating performanceTraining for job-skills

Self-Managed Work Teams

Advantages

g

Advantages• Collective control over the pace of work• Making operating decisions

T ki ti bl• Taking action on problems. • Selecting their own members who evaluate each

other’s performance. Disadvantages• Higher levels of job satisfaction but also higher

b t i d t tabsenteeism and turnover rates.• The effectiveness is dependent on the situation

Cross-Functional Teams

Employees from about the same hierarchical level but from different work areas who comelevel, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task

• Task forces

• Committees

Cross-Functional Teams

Advantages• Exchange of information• Diverse inputs• New ideas• New solutions• Coordination of complex projectsp p j

Disadvantages• Difficult to setup• Time consuming• Time consuming• Trust formation takes time

Types of Teams (cont’d)

Virtual Teams

Teams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersedphysically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goalCharacteristics of Virtual Teams1. The absence of paraverbal and nonverbal cues2. A limited social context3. The ability to overcome time and space constraints4 Cost effectiveness and speed to teamwork4. Cost-effectiveness and speed to teamwork

HOW TO CREATE EFFECTIVE TEAMS?HOW TO CREATE EFFECTIVE TEAMS?

Challenge for a Team

Finding a right balance between allowing individuals to show their unique talents whileindividuals to show their unique talents, while at the same time minimizing grudges, big egos, personality conflicts and g , p ymisunderstandings.

THE STRONGEST TEAMS SUCCESSFULLY BALANCE THE “I” AND THE “WE”

Individual attitudes are also critical for team success

Effectiveness means

Objective measures of the team’s productivityObjective measures of the team s productivityManagers’ ratings of the team’s performanceAggregate measures of member satisfactionAggregate measures of member satisfaction

A Team-EffectivenessA Team Effectiveness Model

Creating Effective Teamsg

Ad t RAdequate Resources

All work teams rely on resources outside theAll work teams rely on resources outside thegroup to sustain it

scarcity of resources reduces the ability of theteam to perform its job effectively

Leadership and Structure

On traditionally managed teams two factors influenceOn traditionally managed teams two factors influence team performance.– leader’s expectations.– leader’s mood.

Leaders who expect good things from their team are more likely to get them!more likely to get them!Self-managed work teams often perform better than teams with formally appointed leaders.y ppTeam members decide collectively.– Who is to do what?– Ensure equal sharing.

Performance Evaluation & Reward Systemsy

Indi id al performance e al ationsIndividual performance evaluationsIncentives/Rewards

T b d i lTeam-based appraisals– profit sharing/gain sharing– small-team incentives– system modifications that will reinforce team

ff t d it teffort and commitment

Creating Effective Teams (cont’d)g ( )

Abiliti f M bAbilities of Members

Teams require three different types of q ypskills– Technical expertise– Problem-solving and decision-making

skills– Interpersonal skills

The right mix is crucialMembers learn the skills in which the team is deficient to reach its full potential

Personality

Teams that rate higher in mean levels ofgextraversion,agreeableness,conscientiousness and emotional stability

fachieve higher team performanceThe variance in personality characteristics

b i t t th thmay be more important than the mean– One bad apple can spoil the basket

Allocating Roles and Diversity

Nine potential team roles.

Teams selected to ensure diversity

Select members for their strengths andallocate work assignments accordingly.

Key Roles on TeamsKey Roles on Teams

Ad i Li k C t

yy

Adviser Linker Creator

Promoter Assessor Organizer

Producer Controller MaintainerProducer Controller Maintainer

An adviser encourages the search for more information.

A linker coordinates and integrates team functions.g

A creator initiates creative ideas.

A promoter champions ideas after they are initiated.A promoter champions ideas after they are initiated.

An assessor offers insightful analysis of opinions.

An organizer provides structureAn organizer provides structure.

A producer provides direction and follow-through.

A t ll i d t il d f lA controller examines details and enforces rules.

A maintainer fights external battles.

Size of Teams

very small = under 4 or 5very large = over a dozeny g– Very small teams lack diversity of views– Large teams have difficulty getting g y g g

much work doneEffective teams = 5–12 peoplep p

Member Flexibility & Preferences

Members’ abilit to complete each other’sMembers’ ability to complete each other’s task improves adaptability and reduces in-dispensabilityin-dispensability Cross training leads to higher team performanceperformanceNot every employee is a team player -threat to team’s moralethreat to team s moraleHigh performing teams - people who prefer working in a teamp g

Creating Effective Teams (cont’d)

Work Design

Effective teams need to work together andtake collective responsibility to completesignificant tasksThis category includes– freedom and autonomy– Skill variety– Task identity– Task significance

these characteristics enhancemember motivation– member motivation

– increase sense of responsibilityhi f k– ownership of work

– makes work interestingi ff i– increases team effectiveness

Creating Effective Teams (cont’d)

PurposeA common and meaningful purpose

GoalsS f l t t l t th iSuccessful teams translate their common purposeinto specific measurable and realisticperformance goalsTeam goals should be challenging

Efficacyfid i h lTeam efficacy-teams confidence in themselves to

succeedTeam efficacy can be increased by y y– small successes – providing skill training

ConflictConflictNo conflict leads to apathetic and stagnant teamsEffective teams will be characterized by anEffective teams will be characterized by anappropriate level of conflictRelationship conflicts - make teams dysfunctionalTask conflicts - for teams performing non-routineactivities- reduce groupthink

S i l l fiSocial loafingIndividuals can hide inside a group.Eff ti t d i thi t d b h ldiEffective teams undermine this tendency by holdingthemselves accountable at both the individual andteam levelteam level.

A Team-EffectivenessA Team Effectiveness Model

Turning individuals into team players

All team members mustha e no interpersonal/comm nicationhave no interpersonal/communication barriersbe able to confront differencesbe able to confront differencesresolve conflicts

f fsublimate personal goals for the good of the team

What can go wrong in teams?What can go wrong in teams?What can go wrong in teams?What can go wrong in teams?

–– social loafingsocial loafing–– social loafingsocial loafing–– personality conflictspersonality conflicts

task ambiguitytask ambiguity–– task ambiguitytask ambiguity–– poor readiness to workpoor readiness to work

t kt k–– poor teamwork poor teamwork

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Beware! Teams Aren’t Always the Answer

Th P blThe Problems•Teamwork takes more time R i•Requires more resources.

•Teams increase communication demands, fli t t b d d ti t bconflicts to be managed, and meetings to be run.

•Some managers have introduced teams into it ti h th k i b tt d bsituations where the work is better done by

individuals.

Beware: Teams Aren’t Always the Answer

Three tests to see if a team fits the situation:

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

– Does the work create a common purpose or set of– 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?

Contemporary Issues in Managing Teams

H d t f ilit t th• How do teams facilitate the adoption of total quality management?management?

• What are the implications of workforce diversity on team performance?y p

• How does management reenergizestagnant teams?

Teams and Quality Management

Team Effectiveness and Quality Managementrequires that teams:q

– Are small enough to be efficient and effective.

– Are properly trained in required skills– Are properly trained in required skills.

– Are allocated enough time to work on problems.

A i th it t l bl d t k– Are given authority to resolve problems and take corrective action.

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

Creating Effective Teams: Diversity

Group Demography

The degree to which members of a group share a common demographic attribute, such as age, sex, race, educational level, or length of service , , , gin the organization, and the impact of this attribute on turnover

Cohorts

Individuals who, as partIndividuals who, as part of a group, hold a common attribute

Reinvigorating Mature TeamsReinvigorating Mature Teams

Ho does management re energi e stagnantHow does management re-energize stagnant teams?

Effective teams can become stagnant due to – Familiarity breeds apathy.– Success can lead to complacency.– Maturity brings less openness to novel ideas

and innovation.– Mature teams are susceptible to groupthink.

Suggestions for reinvigorating Teams

– Prepare members to deal with the problems of maturity

– refresher training– advanced trainingg– development to be treated as a constant

learning experience

Chapter Check-up: Teams

What kinds of things have you experienced in a team setting that could be considered as process loss? Choose two and write them downChoose two and write them down.

Possibilities include: Too much socializing, coordinating work flow, lag ti i t il littime in responses to emails, personality conflicts, attendance and timeliness problems etcproblems, etc.

Chapter Check-up: Teams

If you were asked to choose people from your class right nowpeople from your class right now to make up a team for a class project, list five individuals youproject, list five individuals you would choose.

Now that you have your list, consider what the composition of your team would look like. H h di it ld th b ? GiHow much diversity would there be? Given what we learned in this chapter, what would the pros and cons of your composition be?the pros and cons of your composition be?

Chapter Check-up: Teams

Is conflict in a team good or bad? Discuss.

Conflict can be both good and bad. Task conflict is beneficial for a team because it helps protect against groupthink. Relationship conflict is bad for a team’s morale.

What, specifically, can you do to create task conflict in a group? Think about the reality of

i “ i h ” d i dtrying to “stir the pot” . . . and write down a phrase you could say (e.g., you would feel comfortable saying to your peers) to create task y g y p )conflict.