Chapter 5

Working in Teams
 Groups and Teamwork
Questions for Consideration
Questions for Consideration
1. Why select a team?
2. Does everyone use teams?
3. Do teams go through stages while they work?
4. How do we create effective teams?
5. Does trust make a difference?
6. What if there is a lot of diversity on the team?
7. How do virtual teams work?
8. Are teams always the answer?
 Teams vs. Groups: What’s the
Difference?
• Groups
– Two or more individuals, interacting and
interdependent, who have a stable relationship, a
common goal, and perceive themselves to be a group
- long term

• Teams
– Groups that work closely together toward a common
objective, and are accountable to one another – short
term
 Exhibit 5-1
Stages of Group Development

Prestage I Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV Stage V

Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning
Stages of Group Development
• Stage I: Forming
– The first stage in group development,
characterized by much uncertainty
• Stage II: Storming
– The second stage in group development,
characterized by intragroup conflict
• Stage III: Norming
– The third stage in group development,
characterized by close relationships and
cohesiveness
 Stages of Group Development
• Stage IV: Performing
– The fourth stage in group development, when
the group is fully functional
• Stage V: Adjourning
– The final stage in group development for
temporary groups, characterized by concern
with wrapping up activities rather than task
performance
 Putting the Five-Stage Model
Into Perspective
• Groups do not necessarily progress
clearly through the stages one at a time
• Groups can sometimes go back to an
earlier stage
• Conflict can sometimes be helpful to the
group
• Context can matter: airline pilots can
immediately reach performing stage
 The Punctuated-Equilibrium
Model
• First phase
– The first meeting sets the group’s direction.
– The first phase of group activity is one of inertia.
• Transition
– A transition takes place at the end of the first phase, which
occurs exactly when the group has used up half its allotted
time.
– The transition initiates major changes.
• Second phase
– A second phase of inertia follows the transition.
• Last meeting is characterized by markedly accelerated
activity
Exhibit 5-2 The Punctuated-
Equilibrium Model

(High)
Performance

Phase 2
Completion
First
Meeting
Transition
Phase 1
(Low)
A (A+B)/2 B
Time
Exhibit 5-3 Characteristics of an
Effective Team
1. Clear Purpose 7. Open communication
2. Informality 8. Clear rules and work
3. Participation assignments
4. Listening 9. Shared leadership
5. Civilized 10. External relations
disagreement 11. Style diversity
6. Consensus decisions 12. Self-assessment
 Characteristics of Ineffective
Teams
• Not sharing issues and concerns
• Overdependence on the leader
• Failure to carry out decisions
• Hidden conflict
• Not resolving conflict
• Subgroups
 Exhibit 5-4
A Model of Team Effectiveness
Work design Composition

• Autonomy • Ability
• Skill variety • Personality
• Task identity • Roles and diversity
• Task significance • Size
• Flexibility
• Preference for teamwork
Team
effectiveness
Process Context

• Common purpose • Adequate resources

• Specific goals • Leadership
• Team efficacy • Performance
• Conflict evaluation
• Social loafing and rewards
 Abilities
• Teams need the following skills to perform
effectively
– Technical expertise
– Problem-solving and decision-making skills
– Interpersonal skills
 Roles in Groups
• Task-oriented roles
– Roles performed by group members to ensure that
the tasks of the group are accomplished
• Maintenance roles
– Roles performed by group members to maintain good
relations within the group
• Individual roles
– Roles performed by group members that are not
productive for keeping the group on task
Exhibit 5-5 Roles That Build Task
Accomplishment
Initiating Stating the goal or problem, making proposals
about how to work on it, setting time limits

Seeking information and Asking group members for specific factual

opinions information related to the task or problem

Providing information and Sharing information or opinions related to the task

opinions or problems

Clarifying Helping one another understand ideas and

suggestions that come up in the group

Elaborating Building on one another’s ideas and suggestions

Summarizing Reviewing the points cover ed by the group and the

different ideas stated so that decisions can be
based on full information

Consensus Testing Periodic testing about whether the group is nearing

a decision or needs to continue discussion
Exhibit 5-5 Roles That Build and
Maintain a Team
Harmonizing Mediating conflict among other members,
reconciling disagreements, relieving tensions

Compromising Admitting error at times of group conflict

Gatekeeping Making sure all members have a chance to express

their ideas and feelings and preventing members
from being interrupted

Encouraging Helping a group member make his or her point.

Establishing a climate of acceptance in the group
 Group Size
• Research Evidence
– Smaller groups faster at completing tasks
– When problem-solving, larger groups do
better
 Roles of Team Leaders
• Creating a real team
• Setting a clear and meaningful direction
• Making sure that the structure will support
working effectively
• Ensuring that the team has a supportive
organizational environment
• Providing expert coaching
 Exhibit 5-6
Dimensions of Trust
 Dimensions of Trust
• Integrity
– Honesty and truthfulness
• Competence
– Technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills
• Consistency
– Reliability, predictability, and good judgment in handling
situations
• Loyalty
– Willingness to protect and save face for a person
• Openness
– Willingness to share ideas and information freely
 Building Trust
• Demonstrate that you’re working for others’
interests as well as your own.
• Be a team player.
• Practice openness.
• Be fair.
• Speak your feelings.
• Show consistency in the basic values that guide
your decision making.
• Maintain confidence.
• Demonstrate competence.
 Exhibit 5-7 Advantages and
Disadvantages of Diversity
Advantages Disadvantages
• Multiple perspectives • Ambiguity
• Greater openness to new • Complexity
ideas • Confusion
• Multiple interpretations • Miscommunication
• Increased creativity • Difficulty in reaching a
• Increased flexibility single agreement
• Increased problem- • Difficulty in agreeing on
solving skills specific actions
Teams and Workforce Diversity
• Impact of diverse groups
– Diversity in personality age, gender and experience
promotes conflict, which stimulates creativity and idea
generation, which leads to improved decision making
– Cultural diversity in groups initially leads to more
difficulty in building cohesion, gaining satisfaction,
being productive
• Problems pass with time (certainly by three months)
• Culturally diverse groups bring more viewpoints out
 Virtual Teams
• Teams that use computer technology to tie
together physically dispersed members in order
to achieve a common goal.
• Advantages
– Can do all the things other teams do, but at a distance
• Disadvantages
– Lack paraverbal and nonverbal cues, and have limited
social contact
Building Trust on Virtual Teams
• Start with an electronic “courtship” and provide
some personal information
• Assign clear roles so members can identify with
each other
• Have good attitudes (eagerness, enthusiasm,
and intense action orientation) in messages
• Address feelings of isolation
• Provide recognition and feedback
 Beware! Teams Aren’t Always
the Answer
• Questions to determine whether a team
fits the situation:
– Can the work be done better by more than
one person?
– Does work create a common purpose or set
of goals for the people in the group that is
more than the aggregate of individual goals?
– Are members of the group interdependent?
 Summary and Implications
• The introduction of teams into the workplace has
greatly influenced employee jobs
• Factors affecting group performance
– Norms control group member behaviour by establishing standards of
right and wrong.
– Status inequities create frustration and can adversely influence
productivity.
– The impact of size on a group’s performance depends upon the type of
task in which the group is engaged.
– A group’s demographic composition is a key determinant of individual
turnover.
 Summary and Implications
• High-performing teams have common
characteristics:
– They contain people with special skills
– They commit to a common purpose, establish specific
goals
– They have the leadership and structure to provide
focus and direction
– They hold themselves accountable at both the
individual and team levels
– There is high mutual trust among members
 Summary and Implications
• It is difficult to create team players. To do
so, managers should:
– Select individuals with interpersonal skills
– Provide training to develop teamwork skills
– Reward individuals for cooperative efforts
OB at Work
 For Review
1. How can teams increase employee motivation?
2. Describe the five-stage group development model.
3. What is the punctuated-equilibrium model?
4. What are the characteristics of an effective team?
5. What are the characteristics of an ineffective team?
6. What is the difference between task-oriented roles and
maintenance roles?
7. How can a team minimize social loafing?
8. What are the five dimensions that underlie the concept of
trust?
9. Contrast the pros and cons of having diverse teams.
10. What conditions favour creating a team, rather than letting an
individual perform a given task?
 For Critical Thinking
1. How could you use the punctuated-equilibrium model
to better understand team behaviour?
2. Have you experienced social loafing as a team
member? What did you do to prevent this problem?
3. Would you prefer to work alone or as part of a team?
Why? How do you think your answer compares with
that of others in your class?
4. What effect, if any, do you expect that workforce
diversity has on a team’s performance and
satisfaction?
 Sports Teams as Models
• Good Models • Poor Models
– Successful teams integrate
– All sport teams aren’t alike
cooperation and competition
– Successful teams score early – Work teams are more varied
wins and complex
– Successful teams avoid losing – A lot of employees can’t relate
streaks to sports metaphors
– Practice makes perfect – Workteam outcomes aren’t
– Successful teams use halftime easily defined in terms of wins
breaks and losses
– Winning teams have a stable
membership
– Successful teams debrief after
failures and successes
 Breakout Group Exercises
• Form small groups to discuss the following
topics.
1. One of the members of your team continually arrives late for
meetings and does not turn drafts of assignments in on time.
In general this group member is engaging in social loafing.
What can the members of your group do to reduce social
loafing?
2. Consider a team with which you’ve worked. Was there more
emphasis on task-oriented or maintenance-oriented roles?
What impact did this have on the group’s performance?
3. Identify 4 or 5 norms that a team could put into place near
the beginning of its life that might help the team function
better over time.
 Paper Tower Exercise
• Each group will receive 20 index cards, 12 paper clips,
and 2 marking pens (1 red, 1 green)
• Using these materials you will build a paper tower that
will be judged on: height, stability, and beauty
• Stage 1 (12 minutes). Plan your construction. No
building allowed.
• Stage 2 (15 minutes). Construct the tower. Be sure to
put your group # somewhere on the tower.
• Towers will be delivered to the front of the room,
where they will be judged by the class.
 Paper Tower Questions
• What percent of the plan did each member of group
contribute, on average
• Did your group have a leader? Why or why not?
• How did the group respond to ideas during the planning
stage?
• Did you have task-oriented roles? Maintenance-oriented
roles? How helpful and/or effective were these roles?
• To what extent did you follow the five-step model of
group development?
• What were helpful behaviours? Non-helpful behaviours?
Why?
 Conducting a Team Meeting
• 12 steps to more efficient and effective meetings:
– Prepare a meeting agenda
– Distribute the agenda in advance
– Consult with participants before the meeting
– Get participants to go over the agenda
– Establish specific time parameters
– Maintain focused discussion
– Encourage and support participation of all members
– Maintain a balanced style
– Encourage the clash of ideas
– Discourage the clash of personalities
– Be an effective listener
– Bring proper closure