Chapter 11 Team Characteristics and Processes PDF

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Note of Chapter 11 Team Characteristics and Processes within Lecture...

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Team Characteristics and Processes Introduction to Teams: - Team: Two or more people interacting interdependently to achieve a common goal related to some taskoriented purpose o Interacting: § Makes clear who is and is not in the group § Need not be face-to-face or verbal § E.g., communicating by video conference o Interdependently: § Reliance on other group members to accomplish goals § E.g., doctors and nurses rely on one another as part of a health care group TEAM CHARACTERISTICS: Team Types: - 5 team types: o Work teams: relatively permanent teams in which members work together to produce goods or provide services § Relatively permanent, generally requires full-time commitment § Focus on the accomplishment of core operational-level production and service tasks § E.g., A maintenance team works together to clean an office building every night o Management teams: relatively permanent teams that participate in managerial-level tasks that affect the entire organization § Focus on managerial-level tasks that affect the entire organization § Usually consists of heads of departments, commitment to management team is offset somewhat by responsibilities in leading their unit § E.g., The managers of production, marketing, and human resources work together to make decisions that affect the organization as a whole o Parallel teams: teams composed of members from various jobs within the organization that meet to provide recommendations about important issues § Only part-time commitment, can be permanent or temporary § E.g., Faculty members from accounting, finance, and human resources work together to generate ideas about how to implement evidence-based management in the classroom o Project teams: teams formed to take on one-time tasks, most of which tend to be complex and require input from members from different functional areas § E.g., Project managers, software developers, and quality analysts work together to complete a project for a client o Action teams: teams of limited duration that perform complex tasks in contexts that tend to be highly visible and challenging § Stay together for however long it takes to complete tasks § E.g., A team of nurses and surgeons works together to complete a successful amputation; one season for a sports team; duration of a musical group

Type of Team Work Team

Purpose and Activities Produce goods or provide services

Life Span Long

Member Involvement High

Management Team Parallel Team

Integrates activities of subunits across business functions Provide recommendations and resolve issues Produce a one-time output (product, service, plan, design, etc.)

Long

Moderate

Varies

Low

Varies

Varies

Project Team

Action Team

Specific Examples Self-managed work team Production team Maintenance team Sales team Top management team Quality circle Advisory council Product design team Research group Planning team Surgical team Musical group Sports team

Perform complex tasks that vary in Varies Varies duration and take place in highly visible or challenging circumstances - Variations within team types: o Teams can vary with respect to the degree to which they have autonomy and are self-managed à when both are low, there are strict rules, managers make most decisions § Research has shown that high levels of self-management may be most advantageous for teams where members have high levels of team-relevant knowledge obtained from outside experts and others in their social networks o Virtual Teams: team in which the members are geographically dispersed, and interdependent activity occurs through e-mail, web conferencing, and IM o Can differ in the amount of experience they have working together (team development) Team Development: - Five-stage Model of Team Development: o Forming: Get to know one another and determine the group’s purpose § Orient themselves, understand boundaries and who is in charge/expectations o Storming: Deal with conflict and criticism with respect to roles and responsibilities § Members remain committed to the ideas they bring (initial unwillingness to accommodate others’ ideas), creates conflict, harm’s team progress o Norming: Resolve issues, develop consensus and cohesion, agree on norms § Begin to cooperate, roles are sorted out, norms develop o Performing: Focus on achievement, creativity, and task accomplishment § Comfortable working within roles, team makes progress towards goals o Adjourning: For some teams, disperse after achieving goals § Experience anxiety and other emotions as members disengage o This sequence is less applicable when teams are formed with clear expectations regarding what’s expected from the team and its members o Implications of the adjourning stage are likely to be more significant for team types with longer lifespans that require high member involvement - Punctuated Equilibrium Model:

Punctuated Equilibrium: a sequence of team development during which not much gets done until the halfway point of a project, after which teams make necessary changes to complete the project on time o Between first 2 phases: Hold meetings, gather information, little progress toward goals o Midpoint: Halfway through time together, approach changes à realize they have to change their task paradigm fundamentally to complete it on time à teams that don’t plan a new approach continue at the previous low inertia and likely don’t succeed o Between last 2 phases: Decisions from the midpoint play out, burst of activity occurs Which model is correct? o Neither is a perfect model o Perhaps the two models complement each other § E.g., Stages 1-2 are like Phase 1 o

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Team Interdependence: - The ways in which members of a team are linked to one another. (3 general types) - Task interdependence: degree to which team members interact with and rely on other members for information, materials, and resources needed to accomplish work for the team (4 types) o Pooled: LOWEST degree of coordination required § Group members complete work independently and then compile work o Sequential: § Tasks are done in a prescribed order, members specialize in different parts § Interaction only occurs between members who perform tasks that are next to each other in sequence § Member performing latter part depends on the member performing earlier part of sequence, but NOT the other way o Reciprocal: § Members are specialized to perform specific tasks § Members interact with a subset of other members to complete the team’s work o Comprehensive: HIGHEST degree of coordination required § Each member has a great deal of discretion in terms of what they do and with whom they interact o Important to recognize the trade-offs associated with different types § One hand, as the level of task interdependence increases, members must spend increasing amounts of time communicating and coordinating with other members to complete tasks à can result in decreased productivity § Other hand, increases in task interdependence increase the ability of the team to adapt to new situations (low adaptability in pooled, high in comprehensive) - Goal interdependence: degree to which team members have a shared goal and align their individual goals with that vision o To increase goal interdependence: formalized mission statement (creates a sense of commitment and urgency) o Creating the mission statement as a group helps members identify with the goals and increase feelings of ownership towards it o Teams of students experience significantly greater effectiveness if they invest time and effort into doing so soon after the team first forms

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Outcome interdependence: degree to which team members share equally in the feedback and rewards that result from the team achieving its goals o High outcome interdependence also implies that team members depend on the performance of other team members for the rewards that they receive o Low outcome interdependence exists when individual members receive rewards and punishments on the basis of their own performance, without regard to the performance of the team o Research shows that higher outcome interdependence increases amount of info shared, promotes learning and team performance Team Composition: - Team composition: mix of the various characteristics that describe the individuals who work in the team (5 aspects) o Member roles: § Role: a pattern of behaviour a person is generally expected to display in a given context § Team task roles: behaviours that directly facilitate accomplishment of team tasks à importance of roles depends on nature of task • E.g., energizer, initiator-contributor, devil’s advocate § Team-building roles: behaviours that influence the quality of the team’s social climate à help manage conflict that may hinder team effectiveness • E.g., encourager, follower § Individualistic roles: behaviours that benefit the individual at the expense of the team à foster negative feelings among team members, hinder ability to function and perform effectively • E.g., slacker, recognition seeker

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Team Task Roles Description Initiator-contributor Proposes new ideas Devil’s advocate Offers challenges to the team’s status quo Energizer Motivates the team to strive to do better Team-Building Roles Description Encourager Praises the contributions of other team members Follower Accepts the ideas of teammates Individualistic Roles Description Recognition Seeker Brags and calls attention to himself/herself Slacker Acts cynically, or nonchalantly, or goofs off Member ability: § Additive: Group performance = add performances of individual members (e.g., fighting fires) • Contributions resulting from the abilities of every member add up to determine team performance § Disjunctive: Group performance = performance of the best member (e.g., finding an error in a computer program) • The member who possesses the highest level of ability relevant to the task will have the most influence on the effectiveness of the team § Conjunctive: Group performance = limited by poorest performer (e.g., packing boxes on an assembly line) • Team performance depends on the abilities of the “weakest link” Member personality: § Agreeableness: • It has an important influence on team effectiveness • Agreeable members promote harmony and cooperation • BUT, too many highly agreeable members can be detrimental à may be less apt to speak up and offer constructive criticism/high conformity § Conscientiousness:

Conscientious members are dependable and work hard Even one member low in conscientiousness can be detrimental à can divert attention away from accomplishing work responsibilities, and also some uncomfortable and timeconsuming interpersonal conflicts § Extroversion: • Extroverts tend to perform more effectively in interpersonal contexts and are more positive and optimistic in general • BUT, too many extroverts can be detrimental à due to extraverts’ tendency to be assertive and dominant; power struggles and unproductive conflict occur more frequently Team diversity: § Team diversity: degree to which team members are different from one another § Can include values & beliefs, knowledge & expertise, and social status & power § Perspectives on diversity: • Value in diversity problem-solving approach: A theory that supports team diversity because it provides a larger pool of knowledge and perspectives o Stimulates the exchange of info, fosters learning o Benefits are more likely to occur when the team includes members who are able and willing to put in the effort o Teams that engage in complex tasks requiring creativity benefit most from diversity • Similarity-attraction approach: A theory explaining that team diversity can be counterproductive because people tend to avoid interacting with people who are unlike them o Research has shown that diversity on attributes such as cultural background, race, and attitudes are associated with communication problems and poor tam effectiveness § Surface-level diversity: diversity of observable attributes such as race, gender, ethnicity, and age. • Has a negative impact early on because of similarity-attraction • Negative effects tend to disappear as members become more knowledgeable about one another • One complication: fault lines occur in diverse groups; informal subgroups develop based on similarity in surface-level attributes such as gender or other characteristics à offset by diversity training § Deep-level diversity: diversity of attributes that are inferred through observation or experience, such as values or personality • Time increases the negative effects of deep-level diversity à differences relating to underlying values and goals becomes apparent • Shown to have positive effects on team creativity when asked to take teammates’ perspectives • Reduced when team leaders provide explicit direction Team size: § The most effective team size depends on team type--more members are beneficial for management and project teams but not for production tasks. • Management and project teams engage in work that is complex and knowledge intensive à benefit from additional resources and expertise • Production teams engage in routine tasks that are less complex à additional members result in unnecessary coordination and communication problems § Students tend to be most satisfied with their team when the number of members is between four and five. • •

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TEAM PROCESSES: - Team process: different types of activities and interactions that occur within a team as the team works toward its goals o Process gain: Achievement of team outcomes greater than those one would expect on the basis of the capabilities of individual members (synergy) § Most critical in situations with high complexity or tasks that require members to combine knowledge, skills, and efforts to solve a problem o Process loss: Achievement of team outcomes less than those one would expect on the basis of the capabilities of the individual members § Coordination loss: members have to work at coordinating their activities alongside completing their tasks • Production blocking: when members have to wait on one another before they can do their part of the team task § Motivation loss: loss in productivity that occurs when team members don’t work as hard as they could à uncertainty regarding “who contributes what” results in team members feeling less accountable for team outcomes • These feeling cause social loafing: members exert less effort when working on team tasks than they would if they worked alone on those same tasks - 3 branches of team processes: o Taskwork processes o Teamwork processes o Team states Taskwork Processes: Creative - Taskwork processes: the activities of team members that relate directly to Behavior the accomplishment of team tasks à occurs anytime that team members Decision interact with the tools or technologies that are used to complete their work Taskwork Making Processes - Creative Behaviour: o Activities are focused on generating novel and useful ideas/solutions Boundary o Creativity in teams my be affected by characteristics such as Spanning conformity and attention to detail o Brainstorming: an attempt to increase the number of creative solutions to a problem by focusing on idea generation à usually face-to-face, members offer as many ideas as possible about some focal problem or issue o Research suggests that team members would be better off coming up with ideas on their own, as individuals, before pooling ideas o Brainstorming rarely works as well as intended because of... § Social loafing à may not work as hard at thinking up ideas as they would if they had to turn in an individually generated list § Hesitancy to express ideas à members may be hesitant to express ideas that seem silly or not well thought out § Production blocking à members have to wait their turn to express ideas o The nominal group technique may be used instead § Starts by bringing the team together and outlining the purpose of the meeting § Members have a set period of time to write down their own ideas § Members share their ideas, followed by discussing and building on ideas

§ Members then individually rank ideas, submit to a facilitator, who tabulates § Decreases social loafing & production blocking through writing down ideas - Decision Making: o Decisions result from the interaction among team members à in some cases, decisions are consensus, and others are decided by the leader o Consensus: a general agreement among members regarding the final solution o Effective decision making in teams involves knowing one’s own responsibilities, making good recommendations to the leader, and having a leader who effectively weighs the recommendations of the members o What factors account for a team’s ability to make effective decisions? § Decision informity: reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities § Staff validity: refers to the degree to which members make good recommendations to the leader § Hierarchical sensitivity: reflects the degree to which the leader effectively weighs the recommendations of the members - Boundary Spanning: o Activities with individuals who are not part of the team à going beyond your group to make contact with other individuals or groups o Scout activities: things team members do to obtain information about technology, competitors, or the broader marketplace Teamwork Processes: - Teamwork processes: the interpersonal activities that promote the accomplishment of team tasks but do not involve task accomplishment itself à the behaviours that create the setting or context in which taskwork can be Transition Action Transition Action Processes Processes Processes Processes carried out Teamwork - Transition processes: teamwork processes that focus on Processes Interpersonal preparation for future work in the team Processes o E.g., Mission Analysis: An analysis of the team’s TIME task, the challenges that face the team, and the resources available for completing the team’s work § A transition process (i.e., focuses on preparation for future work in the team) o Relevant before the team actually begins to conduct core aspects f its work; may also be important between periods of work activity - Action processes: teamwork processes that aid in the accomplishment of teamwork as the work is actually taking place o Important as the taskwork is being accomplished o E.g., Coordination: Synchronizing team members’ activities in a way that makes them mesh effectively and seamlessly § Poor coordination results in members having to wait on others for information or resources, decreases productivity and efficiency - Interpersonal processes: teamwork processes that focus on the management of relationships among team members o Important before, during, or between periods of taskwork o E.g., Conflict Management: The activities that the team uses to manage conflicts that arise in the course of its work § 2 types of conflict: • Relationship: disagreements in terms of interpersonal relationships à centers on issues that are not directly connected to the team’s tasks à tends to result in reduced team performance • Task: disagreements about the team’s work

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Task conflict can be beneficial under certain conditions à if it stimulates conversations that result in the development and expression of new ideas Task conflict results in reduced team effectiveness unless: • 1. Members need to trust one another and be confident that they can express their opinions openly without fear of reprisals, • 2. Members engage in effective conflict management, and • 3. As long as they are composed in certain ways (most beneficial to teams composed with members who are emotionally stable or open to new experiences)

Team States: - Team states: specific types of feelings and thoughts that combine in the minds of Cohesion team members as a consequence of their experience working together - Helps teams increase their process gain while minimizing their process loss Potency Team - Cohesion: States Mental Models o A team state that occurs when members of the team develop strong emotional bo...