MODULE 21 MODULE GUIDE 21.1 Two heads can be better than one Why is an understanding of teams so important? What are the foundations of successful teamwork? Formal and informal groups are building blocks of organizations. Organizations use a variety of committees, task forces, and cross-functional teams. Virtual teams are increasingly common in organizations. Teams offer synergy and other benefits to their members and the organization. Teams can also suffer from common performance problems. 1 2 Team a collection of people who regularly interact to pursue common goals. Teamwork the process of people actively working together to accomplish common goals. Formal Group a group that is officially recognized and supported by the organization. Informal Group a group that is unofficial and emerges from relationships and shared interests among members. Committee people brought together outside of their daily job assignments to work in a small team for a specific task Types of Teams Project Team is convened for a specific purpose and disbands after completing its task. Cross-functional Team operates with members who come from different functional units of an organization. Employee Involvement Team meets on a regular basis to help achieve continuous improvement. 3 4 1
Types of Teams Quality Circle Team employees who meet periodically to discuss ways of improving work quality. Self-managing Teams work team having the authority to make decisions about how they share and complete their work. Virtual Teams Work together and solve problems through computer based interactions Benefits of Teams Synergy The creation of a whole greater than or equal to the sum of its parts Why Teams Are Good for Organizations More resources for problem solving Improved creativity and innovation Improved quality of decision making Greater commitments to tasks Increased motivation of members Better control and work discipline More individual need satisfaction 5 6 MANAGEMENT TIPS Characteristics of High Performance Teams Clear, elevating goals Results-driven structure Competent team members Unified commitments Collaborative climate Standards of excellence External support and recognition Principled leadership 7 Potential Problems With Teams Social Loafing the tendency of some people to avoid responsibility by free-riding in groups. Meetings (wasted time) Seven sins of deadly meetings: 1. People arrive late, leave early, and don t take things seriously. 2. The meeting is too long, sometimes twice as long as necessary. 3. People don t stay on topic; they digress and are easily distracted. 4. The discussion lacks candor; people are unwilling to tell the truth. 5. The right information isn t available, so decisions are postponed. 6. Nothing happens when the meeting is over; no one puts decisions into action. 7. Things never get better; the same mistakes are made meeting after meeting. 8 2
Foundations Of Teamwork MODULE GUIDE 21.2 Assessing the maturity of a team 9 Teams need the right members and inputs to be effective. Teams must use the right processes to be effective. Teams move through different stages of development. Team performance is affected by norms and cohesiveness. Team performance is affected by task and maintenance roles. Team performance is affected by use of communication networks. Team performance is affected by use of decision-making methods. Team performance suffers when groupthink leads to bad decisions. 10 Foundations Of Teamwork Stages of Development Forming Stage team development, one of initial task orientation and interpersonal testing. Norming Stage members of the team begin to coordinate their efforts as a working unit and tend to operate with shared rules of conduct. Performing Stage members are more mature, organized, and well functioning. Adjourning Stage the final stage for temporary committees, task forces, and project teams. 11 make use of alternative communication networks and decision-making methods to best complete tasks. Group Process The way members interact and work together to transform inputs into outputs TEAM EFFECTIVENESS EQUATION Team effectiveness = Quality of inputs x (Process gains - Process losses) 12 3
Group Norms Behaviors, rules or standards expected of team members Cohesion the attractiveness of the team to its members 13 14 Task and Maintenance Roles Task Activities contribute directly to the team s performance purpose Maintenance Activities support the emotional life of the team as an ongoing social system. Distributed Leadership every member is continually responsible for both recognizing when task or maintenance activities are needed and taking actions to provide them. 15 16 4
Communication Networks Decentralized Communication Network Allows all members to communicate directly with one another. Works well for tasks that require lots of creativity, information processing, and problem solving. Centralized Communication Network Requires members to communicate with each other via a central hub or port 17 18 Decision Making The process of making choices through choosing from alternative courses of action Groupthink a tendency of members of highly cohesive teams to lose their critical evaluative capabilities and make poor decisions. 19 5