Shared Flashcard Set

Details

OB Chapters 8 & 9
Chapter 8 & 9 Quiz
124
Psychology
Graduate
11/14/2009

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
A _______ is defined as two or more individuals, and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives.
Definition
group
Term
These groups behavior are stipulated by and directed toward organizational goals and objectives.
Definition
formal
Term
A good example of a friendship group is:
Definition
employees coming together who share a common interest in a popular rock band.
Term
______ are defined as a set of expected behavior patterns associated with a particular position in a social unit.
Definition
Roles
Term
Certain attitudes and actual behaviors consistent with a role are the:
Definition
role identity
Term
Our view of how we are expected to act in a given situation is a ________.
Definition
role perception
Term
General acceptable standards of behavior that are shared by the group's members are:
Definition
norms
Term
One of the primary contributions to understanding behavior from the Hawthorne studies was that:
Definition
norms have a significant place in determining individual worker behavior.
Term
Conformity was demonstrated in the now-classic studies undertaken by:
Definition
Solomon Asch
Term
_______ is meant to overcome pressures for conformity in the interacting group that retard the development of creative alternatives.
Definition
Brainstorming
Term

A group must have two or more members who come together to achieve particular objectives.

True or False

Definition
TRUE
Term

Informal groups are alliances that are formal in nature and organizationally determined.

 

True or False

Definition
FALSE
Term

Command and task groups are limited to its immediate hierarchical superior.

True or False

Definition
False
Term

Different groups provide different benefits to their members

True or False

Definition
True
Term

We often experience role conflict when compliance with one role requirement makes it difficult to comply with another.

True or False

Definition
True
Term
The Hawthorne researchers initial findings confirmed their anticipated results. True or False
Definition
False
Term

The conclusions drawn from the Asch studies suggest that there are group norms that press us to conformity in group situations.

True or FAlse

Definition
True
Term

Deviant workplace behavior decreases when we act independently as opposed to working in groups.

True or False

Definition
True
Term

Status is seen as a socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others and impacts all societies

True or False

Definition
True
Term

Evaluations of recent studies indicate that electronic meetings have had an adverse impact on group effectiveness.

True or False

Definition
True
Term
Groups
Definition

 

Two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who come together to achieve particular objectives
Formal – defined by the organization’s structure
Informal – neither formally structured nor organizationally determined
Term
Four Types of Groups
Definition

 

Command – determined by the organization chart
Task – working together to complete a job task
Interest – affiliate to attain a specific objective of shared interest
Friendship – members have one or more common characteristics
Term
Group Properties
Definition
 
Roles
Norms
Status
Size
Cohesiveness
Term
Roles
Definition

 

To engage in a set of expected behavior patterns that are attributed to occupying a given position in a social unit
Role Identity – attitudes and behaviors consistent with a role
Role Perception – our view of how we’re supposed to act in a given situation
 
Role Expectations – how others believe you should act in a given situation
Psychological contract – an unwritten agreement between employees and employer setting out mutual expectations
Role conflict – when an individual finds that compliance with one role requirement may make it more difficult to comply with another
Term
Norms
Definition

 

Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group’s members
Tell members of a group what they ought and ought not to do under
certain circumstances
Term
The Hawthorne Studies
Definition

 

A worker’s behavior and sentiments were closely related.
Group influences were significant in affecting individual behavior.
Group standards were highly effective in establishing individual worker output.

Money was less a factor in determining worker output than were group standards, sentiments, and security

Term
Conformity and the Asch Studies
Definition

 

Members desire to be one of the group and avoid being visibly different
Members with differing opinions feel extensive pressure to align with others

Level of conformity has
declined since 1950’s

Term
Deviant Workplace Behavior
Definition

 

Voluntary behavior that violates significant organizational norms and, in doing so, threatens the well-being of the organization or its members
Is likely to flourish where it is supported by group norms
Term
Status
Definition
A socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others
Term
What Determines Status?
Definition

 

The power a person wields over others
A person’s ability to contribute to a group’s goals
An individual’s personal characteristics
Term
Impact of Status
Definition

 

High-status members of groups often are given more freedom to deviate from norms
Interaction among members of groups is influenced by status
When inequity is perceived, it results in various types of corrective behavior

Cultural differences affect status

Term
How Size Affects a Group
Definition

 

Smaller groups are faster at completing tasks
Individuals perform better in smaller groups
Large groups are consistently better at problem solving
Social loafing - tendency to expend less effort in a group than as an individual
Term
Cohesiveness
Definition

 

The degree to which members of the group are attracted to each other and motivated to stay in the group
Related to the group’s productivity
Term
How Can Managers
Encourage Cohesiveness?
Definition

1.Make the group smaller
2.Encourage agreement with group goals
3.Increase the time spent together
4.Increase the status and perceived difficulty of group membership
5.Stimulate competition with other groups
6.Give rewards to the group rather than to individual members
7.Physically isolate the group

 

Term
Group Decision Making
Definition

 

Strengths

Generate more complete information and knowledge
Increased diversity of views
Increased acceptance of a solution
 

Weaknesses

Conformity pressures
Discussions can be dominated by one or a few members
Ambiguous responsibility for the final outcome
Term
Effectiveness & Efficiency
Definition

 

Effectiveness:
§Accuracy – group is better than average individual but worse than most accurate group member
§Speed – individuals are faster
§Creativity – groups are better
§Degree of Acceptance – groups are better

Efficiency – groups are generally less efficient

Term
Symptoms of Groupthink
Definition

 

Group members rationalize any resistance to their assumptions
Members pressure any doubters to support the alternative favored by the majority
Doubters keep silent about misgivings and minimize their importance
Group interprets members’ silence as a “yes” vote for the majority
Term
Groupthink occurs
most often when
Definition

- A clear group identity exists - Members hold a positive image of their group that they want to protect - The group perceives a collective threat to this positive image

Term
Minimizing Groupthink
Definition

 

Limit group size to 10 or less
Encourage group leaders to actively seek input from all members and avoid expressing their own opinions, especially in the early stages of deliberation
Appoint a “devil’s advocate”
Term
Groupshift
Definition

 

Decision of the group reflects the dominant  decision-making norm that develops during the group’s discussion
Exaggerates the initial
position of the
members and more
often to greater risk
Term
Group Decision-Making Techniques
Definition

 

Reduce common problems with:
§Brainstorming – technique to encourage any and all alternatives while withholding any criticism of the alternatives
§Nominal group technique – restricts discussion during the process to encourage independent thinking
§Electronic meetings – use computers to anonymously give honest input
Term
Performance Implications for Managers
Definition

 

Positive relationship between role perception and performance
Norms help explain behavior
Status inequities adversely impact productivity and performance
Set group size based on task at hand
Cohesiveness can influence productivity
Term

Group vs. Teams

What's the difference?

 

Note:  All teams are groups; not all groups are teams!

Definition

 Work Group:  Interacts primarily to share information and make decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibility.

Work Team:  Coordinates effort to create synergy -- where the resulting  performance (output) is greater than the sum of the individual inputs (parts).

Term
Satisfaction Implication for Managers
Definition

 

High congruence between boss and employee on perception of job shows significant association with employee satisfaction
Satisfaction is greater when job minimizes interaction with individuals of lower status
Larger groups are associated with lower satisfaction
Term
Summary
Definition

 

1.Differentiated between formal and informal groups
2.Described how role requirements change in different situations
3.Described how norms exert influence on an individual’s behavior
4.Explained what determines status
5.Defined social loafing and its effect on group performance
6.Identified the benefits and disadvantages of cohesive groups
7.Listed the strengths and weaknesses of group decision making
8.Contrasted the effectiveness of interacting, brainstorming, nominal and electronic meeting groups
Term
Comparing: Work Groups & Work Teams
Definition

Work Groups                                                       Work Team

Share Information          <-Goal->   Collective Performance

  Neutral (sometimes negative)     <-Synergy->             Positive

    Individual              <-Accountability->           Individual & mutual

Random & Varied           <-Skills->                    Complementary

Term
Types of Teams
Definition

 Problem-Solving Teams: Comprised of 5 to 12 employees, often  from the same department, who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment.

Self-Managed Work Teams: Comprised of 10 to 15 people who take on the responsibilities of their former supervisors.

Cross-Functional Teams:  Employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task (e.g., exchange info, generate ideas, solve a problem, coordinate complex projects). (ex:task force, committees)

Virtual Teams:  Use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.

 

Term
Characteristics of a Virtual Team
Definition

1) the absence of paraverbal and nonverbal cues

2) A limited social context

3) the ability to overcome time and space constraints

Term

Team Diagnosis:

Only four things can go wrong with a team

Definition

1) Goal Issues:  purpose of the team in the organization’s mission; the specific goal of the team.

2) Role Issues: understanding the roles of members; specifying help from members; leadership function.

3) Procedural Issuesoperating methods (e.g., decision-making, project format, problem-solving, conflict resolution, etc.); involvement of all members.

4) Interpersonal Issuesfeelings of trust, support, and communication; interdependence of members; strong group ties (cohesiveness). 

Term
Team Effectiveness Model
Definition

Inclues 4 Categories:

 

1) Context:  Adequate resources; leadership and structure; climate of trust; performance evaluation and reward systems

 

2) Composition:  abilities of members; personality; allocating roles; diversity; size of teams; member flexibility; member preferences

 

3) Work Design: autonomy; skill variety; task identity; task significance

 

4) Process: common purpose; specific goals; team efficacy; conflict levels; social loafing

Term
Creating Effective Teams:  CONTEXT
Definition

CONTEXT:

  • Adequate Resources: teams must receive the necessary support from mgt and the larger org if they are going to succeed.  A scarcity in resources directly reduces the ability of the team to perform its job effectively.
  • Leadership & Structure: team members must agree on who is to do what and ensure that all members contribute equally in sharing the workload. 
  • Climate of Trust: Interpersonal trust amongst team members facilitates cooperation, reduces the need to monitor each others's behaving, and bonds members around the belief that others on the team won't take advantage of them.  In addition, team members are more likely to take risks and expose vulnerabilities when they feel they can trust their team.
  • Performance Evaluation and reward systems: traditional evaluation system must be modified to reflect team performance. (ex: group based appraisals, profit sharing, small group incentives)
Term
Creating Effective Teams:  COMPOSITION
Definition

COMPOSITION

  • Ability of members: part of team's performance depends on the knowledge, skills, and abilities of its indiviudal members.
  • Personality:  many of the dimensions of the Big Five personality model have been shown to be relevant to team effectiveness (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and emotional stability).
  • Allocating Roles: Teams have different needs and people should be selected to ensure all roles are filled.
  • Diversity: It would be reasonable to conclude that heterogenous teams - those composed of dissimilar individuals - would be more likely to have diverse abilities and information and would be more effective.  Essentially, diversity promotes conflict, which stimulates creativity, which leads to improved decision making.
  • Size:  most effective teams have 10 members or less.
  • Flexibility:  teams made up of flexible individuals have members that can complete each other's tasks.
  • Preference:  not every employee is a team player.  When selecting a team, individual preferences should be considered as well as abilities, personalities, and skills. 
Term

Creating Effective Teams:     

WORK DESIGN

Definition

WORK DESIGN

  • Autonomy and Freedom: (seperate/ independent)
  • Skill Variety: opportunity to use different skills and talents
  • Task Identity: ability to complete a whole and identifiable task or product.
  • Task Significance: working on a task or project that has substantial impact on others.

These characteristcs enhance member motivation and increase team effectiveness.

Term

Creating Effective Teams:

 PROCESS

 

 

Definition

PROCESS

  • Common Purpose: purpose is a vision, it is more broad than specific goals
  • Specific Goals: successful teams translate their common pupose into specific, measureable, and realistic performance goals.  Team goals should be challenging.
  • Team Efficacy: effecivte teams have conficence and believe they can succeed.
  • Conflict: conflict can improve team effectiveness as they stimulate discussion, promote critical assessment of problems and options, and can lead to better team decisions.
  • Social Loafing: when individuals hide inside a group.
Term
Typology of Deviant Workplace Behavior
Definition

Production: leaving early, Intentionally working slowly, wasting resources

Property: Sabotage, lying about hours worked, stealing from the organization

Political: Showing Favoritism, Gossiping and spreading rumors, blaming coworkers

Personal Aggression: Sexual Harassment, verbal abuse, stealing from coworkers

Term
An Alternative Model:
Temporary Groups with Deadlines
Definition

 

Punctuated-Equilibrium Model

- Temporary groups under time constrained deadlines go through transitions between inertia and activity.

- At the half-way point, they experience an increase in productivity.

 

Sequence of actions:

1.Setting group direction
2.First phase of inertia
3.Half-way point transition
4.Major changes
5.Second phase of inertia
6.Accelerated activity
Term
Effects of Group Processes
Definition

ACTUAL GROUP EFFECTIVENESS = Potential Group Effectiveness + Process Gains - Process Losses

GOAL:

 Maximize Process Gains While Minimizing Process Losses!

Term
KEY ROLES OF TEAMS
Definition
[image]
Term
TEAM PROCESS LOSSES
Definition

 

ANYTHING that slows down the process of the team’s work is a “Process Loss.”  

    Which of these happens to you most often?

Ø- Too much socializing,
Ø- Difficulties in coordinating work flow,
Ø- Lag time in responses to emails or phone calls,
Ø- Personality conflicts,
Ø- Attendance and timeliness problems,
Ø- Others?  
Term
Turning Individuals into Team Players
Definition

 

ØThe Challenges
Overcoming individual resistance to team membership.
Countering the influence of individualistic cultures, especially in introducing teams to an organization that has historically valued individual achievement.
ØShaping Team Players
Selecting employees who can fulfill their team roles.  Training employees to become team players.
Reworking the reward system (to encourage cooperative efforts while continuing to recognize individual contributions).
Re-emphasize the mission of the organization.
Term

Three tests to see if a team fits the situation

 

Beware:  Teams are not always the answer!

Definition

 

Is the work complex and is there a need for different perspectives?  Can the work be done better by more than one person?
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?
Term
Which of the following explains the current popularity of teams?
Definition
 
 
Term
A work group is best defined as:
Definition
Term
What single factor separates work teams from work groups?
Definition
Term
In _______, members share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved.
Definition
Term
Organizations relying on these types of teams have significantly decreased the importance of supervisory positions.
Definition
Term
The success of the C-17 program at Boeing was in part due to the formation of _________.
Definition
Term
________ teams use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.
Definition
Term
The key components making up effective teams include all of the following EXCEPT:
Definition
Term
When discussing leadership and group structure on traditionally managed teams, two factors deemed important in influencing team performance are:
Definition
Term
Creating team players would be easiest in:
Definition
Term

True or False:

The evidence suggests that teams typically outperform individuals when the tasks being done require multiple skills, judgment, and experience.

Definition
 
 
Term

True or False:

Work groups have no need or opportunity to engage in collective work that requires joint effort.

Definition
 
 
Term

True or False:

Work groups generate positive synergy while a work team does not.

Definition
 
 
Term

True or False:

Problem-solving teams are not only autonomous but they have the ability to solve problems, implement, solutions, and assume full responsibility for outcomes.

Definition
 
 
Term

True or False:

Self-managed work teams have dramatically decreased the importance of supervisory positions, even to the point of eliminating those positions.

Definition
 
 
Term

True or False:

Cross-functional teams represent employees from various hierarchical levels within organization.

Definition
 
 
Term

True or False:

Virtual teams use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.

Definition
 
 
Term

True or False:

Research studies indicate that homogeneous teams perform more effectively than do those that are heterogeneous.

Definition
 
 
Term

True or False:

Many dimensions identified in the Big Five personality model have been shown to be relevant to team effectiveness.

Definition
 
 
Term

True or False:

For the most part, individuals raised in an individualistic society readily accept the concept of team membership.

Definition
 
 
Term
Why have teams become so popular?
Definition
  • Outperform individuals on tasks requiring multiple skills, judgement, and experience.
  • Better utilization of employee talents
  • More flexible and responsive to changing events
  • Effective way for management to democratize the organization and increase employee motivation
Term
Work Group vs. Work Team
Definition

 

Work Group - A group who interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help one another perform within each member’s area of responsibility 
Work Team - Generates positive synergy through coordinated effort; Individual efforts result in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs
Term
Problem-Solving Teams
Definition

 

Share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved
 
Rarely given authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggested actions
Term
Self-Managed Work Teams
Definition
  • Typically 10-15 employees
  • Team takes on supervisory responsibilities in addition to job tasks
  • Select and evaluate team members
  • Effectiveness is situationally dependent
Term
Cross-Functional Teams
Definition
  • Members from diverse areas within and between organizations
  • Exchange Information
  • Develop new ideas and solve problems
  • Coordinate complex projects
  • Development may be time-consuming due to complexity and diversity
Term
Virtual Teams
Definition

Computer technology ties physically dispersed members together to achieve a common goal

Differentialting factors from other teams

 §Absence of para-verbal and non-verbal cues

   §Limited social context

    §Ability to overcome time and space constraints

Term
Key Components of
Effective Teams
Definition
  • Context
  • Composition
  • Work Design
  • Process
Term
Context
Definition
  • Presence of adequate resources
  • Effective Leadership
  • Climate of Trust
  • Performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions
Term
Composition
Definition
  • Ability of members
  • personality
  • allocating roles
  • diversity
  • size of teams
  • member flexibility
  • member preferences
Term
Work Design
Definition
  • Freedom and Autonomy
  • Skill Variety
  • Task Identity
  • Task Significance
Term
Process
Definition
  • Member commitment to a common purpose
  • Establishment of specific team goals
  • Team Efficacy
  • Managed level of conflict
  • minimizing social loafing
Term
Shaping Team Players
Definition

 

Selection – in addition to technical skills, managers must select employees who have the interpersonal skills to be team players
 Training – workshops on problem-solving, communications, negotiation, conflict-management and coaching skills help build team members
  • Rewards – rework to encourage cooperative efforts rather than competitive ones
Term
Teams and Quality Management
Definition

 

Teams provide the natural vehicle for employees to share ideas and to implement improvements
Term
Is a Team the Answer?
Definition

 

Questions to consider when determining if work is better done by a team:
1) Can the work be done better by more than one person?
2) Does the work create a common purpose or set of goals for the people in the group that is more than the aggregate of individual goals?
3) Are the members of the group interdependent?
Term
Implications for Managers (teams)
Definition

 

Common characteristics of effective teams: 
§Individuals with technical and interpersonal skills
§Have 10 or fewer members with diverse backgrounds
§Members fill roles but are flexible and prefer to be part of a group
§Members are committed to a common purpose
Term
Group Properties
Definition

Factors impacting the internal structure of the group, which affect member behavior.

ØRoles

ØNorms
ØStatus
ØSize
ØCohesiveness

 

Term
Group Properties - Roles
Definition

 

Definition:  A set of expected behavior patterns attributed to someone occupying a given position in a social unit.

 

INCLUDES:

- Role Identity:  attitudes/ behaviors   consistent with a role. 

- Role Perception:  how one perceives they are supposed to act in a situation. 

- Role Expectations:  how others think a person should act in a situation.

- Role Conflict:  divergent role expectations.

Term
Group Properties - Norms
Definition

 

Norms:

Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group’s members.

 

Classes of Norms:

Performance norms
Appearance norms
Social arrangement norms
Allocation of resources norms
Term
Group Norms & The Hawthorne Studies
Definition

 

ØA series of studies designed to increase productivity undertaken by Mayo at Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works in Chicago  (1924 - 1932).

Though critics later questioned procedures and analyses of data, the Hawthorne Studies remain a landmark work in scope as well as inspiring interest in studying human behavior in organizations.

Coincidentally, the “Hawthorne Effect” in industrial engineering/management and the “Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle” in physics were posited at the same time in two entirely different fields:

- Hawthorne Effect:  Observing humans      changes their behavior.

- Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle:  That which is measured -- changes.

 

ØResearch Conclusions:
Worker behavior and sentiments were closely related.
Group influences (norms) were significant in affecting individual behavior.
Group standards (norms) were highly effective in establishing individual worker output.
Money was less a factor in determining worker output than group standards, sentiments, security.
Term
Social Loafing
Definition

The #1 Complaint for Teams

Other Conclusions:

ØAn odd number of group members is better than an even number.
ØThe task or goal of the groups affects the ideal group size (i.e., taking action vs. data gathering with smaller groups being more effective for taking action).    
ØOn the whole -- a group size of 5 - 7 members performs better overall than larger or smaller groups.
Term
Group Properties - Cohesiveness
Definition

 Definition:  Degree to which group members are attracted to each other and are motivated to stay in the group.

 

Increasing group cohesiveness:

1.Make the group smaller.
2.Encourage agreement with group goals.
3.Increase time members spend together.
4.Increase group status and admission difficultly.
5.Stimulate competition with other groups.*
6.Give rewards to the group, not individuals.
7.Physically isolate the group.
Term
Group Decision Making
Definition

 

ØPerformance In General
Large groups facilitate the pooling of information about complex tasks.
Smaller groups are better suited to coordinating and facilitating the implementation of complex tasks.
Simple, routine standardized tasks REDUCE the requirement that group processes be effective in order for the group to perform well.
Term
Group Decision Making
Definition

 

ØStrengths
More complete information
Increased diversity of views
Higher quality of decisions (more accuracy)
Increased acceptance of solutions
 
ØWeaknesses
More time-consuming  (slower)
Increased pressure to conform
Domination by one or a few members
Ambiguous responsibility
Term
Two Phenomena of Group Decision Making
Definition

 

Groupthink:  Phenomenon in which the norm for consensus overrides the realistic (or critical) appraisal of alternative courses of action. 

ANTIDOTES = Group Size < 10, Impartial Leader, “Devil’s Advocate”   

 

Groupshift:  A change in decision risk between the group’s final decision and the individual decision that member within the group would make; can be either toward conservatism or greater risk. 

- Occurs because of a diffusion of individual responsibility.

Term
Symptoms of Groupthink
Definition

 

ØGroup members rationalize any resistance to the assumptions they have made.
ØMembers apply direct pressures on those who  express doubts about shared views or who question the alternative favored by the majority.
ØMembers who have doubts or differing points of view keep silent about misgivings.
ØThere appears to be an illusion of unanimity.                               
Term
Group Decision Making Techniques
Definition

 

Interacting Groups  (face-to-face)

- Brainstorming  (idea generation technique that

      follows four specific rules)

- Nominal Group Technique or NGT  (idea  

      prioritization technique)

- Electronic Meetings

- The Delphi Technique  (Established at the

                                                  Rand Corporation)

 

Term
Evaluating Group Effectiveness
Definition
[image]
Term
Group Properties - Norms
Definition
[image]
Term
Group Properties - Social Loafing
Definition
[image]
Term
Group Properties  Status
Definition
[image]
Term
Groups and Deviant Behavior
Definition
[image]
Term
Relationship between Group Cohesiveness, Performance Norms and Productivity
Definition
[image]
Term
Stages of Group Development
Definition
[image]
Term
The Punctuated Equilibrium - Graphic
Definition
[image]
Term
A team must posess the following different skills in order to perform effectively:
Definition

1) People with technical expertise

2) People with the problem-solving and decision-making skills who can identify problems, generate alternatives, evaluate those alternatives, and make competent choices

3) People with good listening, feedback, conflict resolution, and other interpersonal skills.

Term
Group Demography
Definition

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

Term
Cohorts
Definition
Individuals that hold a common attribute, share common experiences
Term
Summary - Chapter 9
Definition

Few trends have influenced employee jobs as much as the massive movement to introduce teams into the workplace.  The shift from working alone to working on teams requires employees to cooperate with others, share information, confront differences, and minimize personal interests for the greater good of the team.  Effective teams have common characteristics:

 

1) Adequate Resources

2) Effective Leadership

3) A Climate of Trust

4) A performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions.

 

Effective Teams have individuals with technical expertise, as well as problem-solving, decision-making, and interpersonal skills; team members also have high scores on the personality characteristics of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability.  Effective teams also tend to be small - with fewer than 10 people - preferably made up of individuals with diverse backgrounds.  They ahve members who fill role demands, are flexible, and prefer to be part of a group.  The work that members do provides freedeom and autonomy, the opportunity to use different skills and talents, the ability to complete a whole and identifiable task or product, and work that has a subtantial impact on others.  Also, effective teams have members committed to a common purpose, specifice team goals, members who believe in the team's capabilities, a manageable level of conflict, and a minimal degree of social loafing.

 

Because indivudalistic organizations and societies attract and reward individual accomplishments, it is more difficult to create team players in these environmnets.  To make the conversion, management should selct individuals with the interpersonal skills to be effective team players, provide training to develop teamwork skills, and reward individuals for cooperative efforts.

Term
Quality Management (QM)
Definition
The essence of quality management programs is process improvement, and employee involvement is the linchpin of process improvement.  In other words, QM requires management to give employees the encouragement to share ideals and act on what they suggest.
Term

What can management do to increase Team Efficacy?

 

(Efficacy = power or capacity to produce a desired effect; effectiveness)

Definition

1) Help the team achieve small successes.  Small successes build team confidence.  As a team develops a stronger peformance record, it also increases the collective belief that future efforts will lead to success.

 

2) Providing skill training.  Managers should consider providing training to improve memebers technical and interpersonal skills.  The greater the abilities of team members, the greater the likelihood that the team will develop confidence and the capability to deliver on that confidence.

Term
Challenges to creating team players:
Definition

1) national culture is highly individualistic

 

2) teams are being introduced into an established organization that has historically valued individual achievement.

Term
Shaping Team Players
Definition

1) Selection:  when hiring team members, managers should ensure that in addition to technical skills required to fill the job, candiats can also fulfill both their team roles and technical reqmts.

 

2) Training:  large proportion of people raised on the importance of individual accomplishments can be trained to become team players.

 

3) Rewards: the reward system must be reworked to encourage cooperative efforts rather than competitive ones. 

Term
Managers have 3 options when job candidates do not have team skills:
Definition

1) Have candidates undergo training to make them into team players

2) Transfer the individual to another unit within the org, without teams

3) Don't hire the candidate

Supporting users have an ad free experience!