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UnderstandingWork Teams

Chapter 9

Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 9/e

Stephen P. Robbins/Timothy A. Judge

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After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Explain the growing popularity of teams in organizations

2. Contrast teams with groups3. Identify four types of teams 4. Specify the characteristics of effective teams5. Explain how organizations can create team

players6. Describe conditions when teams are preferred

over individuals

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Why have teams become so popular?

• Outperform individuals on tasks requiring multiple skills, judgment, 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

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Work Group vs. Work Team

• 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

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Comparing Work Groups and Work Teams

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Four Types of Teams

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Problem-Solving Teams

• 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

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Self-Managed Work Teams

• Typically 10-15 employees• Team takes on supervisory responsibilities

in addition to job tasks• Select and evaluate

members• Effectiveness is

situationally dependent

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Cross-Functional Teams

• 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

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Virtual Teams

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

• Differentiating factors from other teams Absence of para-verbal and non-verbal cues Limited social context Ability to overcome time and space constraints

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Key Components of Effective Teams

• Context• Composition• Work Design• Process

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Context

• Presence of adequate resources• Effective leadership• Climate of trust• Performance evaluation and reward

system that reflects team contributions

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Composition

• Abilities of members• Personality• Allocating roles• Diversity• Size of teams• Member flexibility• Member preferences

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Work Design

• Freedom & Autonomy• Skill variety• Task identity• Task significance

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Process

• Member commitment to a common purpose

• Establishment of specific team goals• Team efficacy• Managed level of conflict• Minimizing social loafing

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Shaping Team Players

• 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

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Teams and Quality Management

• Teams provide the natural vehicle for employees to share ideas and to implement improvements

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Is a Team the Answer?

• Questions to consider when determining if work is better done by a team: Can the work be done better by more than one

person? 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?

Are the members of the group interdependent?

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Implications for Managers

• 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

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Summary

1. Explained the growing popularity of teams in organizations

2. Contrasted teams with groups3. Identified four types of teams 4. Specified the characteristics of effective teams5. Explained how organizations can create team

players6. Described conditions when teams are preferred

over individuals