lecture8 ob teams

8/12/2019 Lecture8 OB Teams

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Organisational BehaviourABUS015-3-2

Lecture 8 - Teams


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Topic & Structure of the lesson

Types of teams

A model of team effectiveness

Team environment

Team design

Team processes

Team building


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Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, YOU should be able to:

Define teams

Describevarious types of teams

Outline the model of team effectiveness

Identify team environmental elements that influence

team effectiveness

Describethe influence of the teams task, size and

compositionon team effectiveness Identifyfactorsthat shape team norms

Explain factors that influence team cohesiveness

Illustrate how organisations minimise social loafing


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Key Terms you must be able to use

If you have mastered this topic, you should be able to use

the following terms correctly in your assignments and

exams:

Teams

Groups

Skunkworks

Virtual teams

NormsRoles

Cohesiveness

Social loafing

Team building


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Main Teaching Points

Types of teams


Team environment

Team design Team development

Team norms

Team roles

Team cohesiveness Social loafing

Team building


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Teams are: - groups of TWO OR MOREpeople who INTERACT AND

INFLUENCEeach other;

are MUTUALLY ACCOUNTABLEfor achieving common

objectives, and

perceive themselves as a SOCIAL ENTITYwithin an

organisation

(McShane and Von Glinow, 2003)

Introduction


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Types of Teams

There are many types of teams and other groups

in organisations, namely: -

- Permanent work teams

- Team based organisations (SDWT)

- Quality circles

- Task forces

- Skunkworks

- Virtual teams

- Informal groups


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Departments are PERMANENT WORK

TEAMSthat are responsible for a specific set

of tasks in the organisation

Types of Teams


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Some organisations have formed a TEAM-BASED ORGANISATIONS

Team-based organisations rely heavily on

SELF-DIRECTED WORK TEAMS(SDWTs)organised around work processes rather thanspecialised departments as core units

These teams complete an entire piece of work

requiring several interdependent tasks

Types of Teams


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They are: -

Fairly autonomous

Does not require supervision

Are cross-functional

SDWTs rely on people with diverse and

complementary skills, knowledge and

experience

Types of Teams


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QUALITY CIRCLESare: - small teams of employees who meet for a few hours each week

to identify quality and productivity problems,

propose solutions to management, and

monitor the implementation and consequences of these

solutions in their work area(McShane and Von Glinow, 2003)

Quality circles are: -

Usually permanent Typically include co-workers in the same work unit

Types of Teams


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TASK FORCESare temporary teams that

investigate a particular problem and disband

when the decision is made (McShane and Von

Glinow, 2003)

SKUNKWORKSare usually (but not always)

temporary teams formed spontaneously todevelop products or solve complex problems


Types of Teams


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VIRTUAL TEAMSare: -

cross-functional groups that operate across space,

time and organisational boundaries with members

who communicate mainly through electronictechnologies


Types of Teams


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INFORMAL GROUPSconsist of two or morepeople who interact mainly to meet theirpersonal needs

These groups emerge from the interactions ofindividuals, often within formal groups and areless likely to be far less structured

They may or may not be permanent, existingonly for as long as they continue to serve the

common interest or needs of their members Examples are family, friends, colleagues who go

out for a drink together etc

Types of Teams


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Team effectivenessrefers to the extent to

which a team: -

achievesits objectives,

achieves the needs and objectives of itsmembers, and

sustainitself over time


A Model of Team Effectiveness


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A Model of Team Effectiveness

Organisational and

team environment

Reward systems

Communicationsystems

Physical space

Organisational

environment

Organisational structure

Organisational

leadership

Team Design

Task characteristics

Team size

Team composition

Team Processes

Team development

Team norms

Team roles

Team cohesiveness

Team effectiveness

Achieve organisational

goals

Satisfy member needs Maintain team survival


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Task characteristics: -

Tasks are clear and easy to

implement as members can

learn their roles quickly High task interdependence

Team Design


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Team size

The size of the group will affect how the group

works together and tasks are completed

Team composition

Members must be highly motivated and able

Possess necessary skills and knowledge

Homogeneous teams vs heterogeneous

teams

Team Design


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This includes: -

Team development

Team norms

Team roles

Team cohesiveness

Team Processes


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1. FormingStage

2. Storming

Stage

4. Performing Stage

3. Norming Stage

5. AdjourningStage

Team development

The five-stage model of team

development is: -

Discovery and testing of

beaviour and attitudes

Resistance and

conflict

Conformity and

acceptance

Focus team

energy on task

completion

Goals

accomplish-

disband or end


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24


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Team development

Forming

Is concerned with finding out the NATURE OF THE

SITUATIONwith which the group is faced and WHATTYPES OF BEHAVIOUR AND INTERACTIONARE

APPROPRIATE

Members will test out attitudes and behaviour to find

out their acceptability with other members This may take some time

Team Processes


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Team development

Forming

This stage can create a lot of anxieties and often

there is some dependence on a powerful personalityto help establish the ground rules

At this stage, that person will assume a leadership

role which may or may not continue in later stages

Competing powerful personalities can also lead toproblems at this stage

Team Processes


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Team development

Storming

Leading on from the forming stage in which certain

ground rules are explored, it is likely that there will bea stage of conflict and disagreement

This is where different opinions and styles emerge

with competing sub-groups, challenges for leadership,

rebellions against control and resistance to thedemands of meeting task requirements

Team Processes


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Team development

Storming

A degree of compromise is necessary here

If major issues cannot be settled at this stage, thegroup is unlikely to be able to operate effectively and

may not develop further. It may even disband

As such, it may be necessary for the group to act

against members who will not compromise and evenreject them from the group to stop the disruption

caused

Team Processes


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Team development

Norming

As resistance is overcome and conflicts patched up,

groups move into the norming stage Individual members begin the process of internalising

those norms and identifying with the group, building

group cohesion

Member roles start to be clarified and accepted at thisstage

Team Processes


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Team development

Norming

The role of leader should be clearly established

Where there is no appointed leader, or the appointedleader is not accepted to the group, an informal

leader is likely to emerge

Team Processes


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Team development

Performing

This stage in development represents the position

where the groups energy is now available foreffective work in completing tasks and maintaining the

group

Team Processes


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Team development

Adjourning

Most work teams and informal groups eventually end

Task forces disband when their project is completed Teams may adjourn as a result of layoffs or plant

shutdowns

Team Processes


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Team norms

Norms are informal rules and expectations

that group establish to regulate the behaviour

of their members All groups possess a pattern of attitudes,

behaviours, values and beliefs to which

members are expected to conform

Norms will be established by both the formal and

informal groups in the organisation

Team Processes


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Team norms

To some extent, norms of expected behaviour

are defined by the organisation, in terms of

standards of quality and quantity of output,the use and allocation of resources and the

processes and procedures employed

In addition, there maybe formal codes ofdress, language and modes of interaction

Team Processes


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Team norms

Norms are not simply imposed forms of behaviour butthe shared internalised patterns of attitudes of thegroup members

They develop through the informal processes of socialinteractionto support the goals of the members of thegroup and these may not necessarily coincide with theorganisations goals for the group

In order for the organisations own values and expectedbehaviours to be adopted by the group, they must beaccepted as appropriate to the needs of the group

Team Processes


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Team roles

A role is a set of behavioursthat peopleareexpected to perform because they hold certainpositions in a team and organisation(McShane and Von Glinow, 2003)

Team Processes


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Team Processes

Team roles

Task-oriented roles

Role activities DescriptionInitiator Identifies goals for the meeting,

including ways to work on those goals

Information seeker Asks for clarification of ideas or

further information to support anopinion

Information giver Shares information and opinions

about the teams task and goals

McShane & Von Glinow (2003)


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Team Processes

Team roles

Task-oriented roles

Role activities DescriptionCoordinator Coordinatessubgroups and pulls

together ideas

Evaluator Assesses the teams functioning

against a standard

Summarizer Acts as the teams memory

Orienter Keeps the team focused on its goals



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Team Processes

Team roles

Relationship-oriented roles


Role activities DescriptionHarmoniser Mediates intragroup conflicts and

reduces tension

Gatekeeper Encouragesand facilitates

participationof all team membersEncourager Praises and supports the ideas of

other team members, thereby

showing warmth and solidarity to the

group


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Team cohesiveness

Cohesiveness within groups can also be calledespr i t de corp s(spirit of co-operation or teamspirit)

Cohesiveness is characterised by thecloseness the teamexperiences during itslifetime

The longer the team is together, the strongerthe feeling of cohesiveness

This togetherness causes the group to closeranks

Team Processes


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Team cohesiveness

Group cohesiveness is a gift that is reservedfor established groups

Newly formed groups are not party to this giftbecause individuals are in the process of gettingto know each other, their objectives and theirreasons for existence

Members of relatively cohesive groups tend towork better with and support each other

This promotes identification with the group and

increases satisfaction

Team Processes


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Team cohesiveness

On the other hand, highly cohesive groupscan be very protective of themselves and theirinterest

This can make them relatively closed anddifficult to deal with by outsiders

The extent of group cohesiveness can also

affect performance levels Members of cohesive groups tend to perform to

a similar level and standard, conforming to the

established group norms

Team Processes


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Team Processes

Team

Cohesiveness

Member similarity

External

competition &

challengesTeam size

Team success

Somewhat difficult

entry Memberinteraction


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Team cohesiveness

Social loafing

Refers to a situation in which people exert

less effort whenworking in groups thanworking alone

Likely to occur in large teams whenindividual output is difficult to identify

Less likely to occur if: - Task is interesting

the groups objective is important

Members have strong collectivist value

Team Processes


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Team cohesiveness

Social loafing

To minimise: -

Form smaller teams Specialise tasks

Measure individual performance

Increase job enrichment

Select motivated employees

Team Processes


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Team Building

Team building is any formal activity intended

to improve the development and functioning

of a work team(McShane & Von Glinow, 2003)

Most appropriate when there is highmembership turnoveror when member lose

sight of their respective roles and team

objectives


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Four main types of team building: -

Role definition

Goal setting

Problem solving Interpersonal processes

Team Building


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Quick Review Question

State the stages of team development. List the roles for team effectiveness.

What is team building?

Is team building effective?


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Follow Up Assignment

Read Chapter 8 of Organisational Behaviourby McShane & Von Glinow


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Summary of Main Teaching Points

Types of teams


Team environment

Team processes- Team development- Team norms

- Team roles

- Team cohesiveness

- Social loafing

Team building


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Q & A

Question and Answer Session


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Lecture 9Decision making

Next Session

lecture8 ob teams

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