Managing Teams Flashcards
What are work teams?
Helps businesses increase customer satisfaction, speed and efficiency in product development, product and service quality, employee job satisfaction, and decision making.
What are work team characteristics?
- Team member.
- Team conflict.
- Team size.
- Team cohesiveness.
- Team norms.
What are team norms?
Informally agreed-on standards that regulate team behavior and allow teams to function effectively, i.e. not having to think before acting.
What are some examples of team norms?
- Improvement and change norms.
- Ethics norms.
- Organizational and personal norms.
- Support and helpfulness norms.
- High-achievement norms.
*Negative norms = Negative behavior.
What is team cohesiveness?
The extent to which team members are attracted to a team and motivated to remain in it.
How is team cohesiveness fostered?
- Making sure that all team members are present at team activities.
- Engaging in non-work activities.
- Making sure employees feel they are part of a special organization.
- Creating additional opportunities for teammates to work together.
What are the two types of contributions to team management?
- Task contributions.
- Maintenance contributions.
What are examples of task contributions?
- Summarizing discussions.
- Giving information.
- Seeking information.
- Clarifying suggestions.
- Offering ideas.
What are examples of maintenance contributions?
- Encouraging others.
- Inviting.
- Offering agreement.
- Expressing standards.
- Reconciling differences.
What is the down side of a large group?
Members find it difficult to get to know one another, as teams can splinter into sub-groups. Advantage of small groups.
What is the downside of small groups?
Lack of diversity and knowledge found in large teams.
What is the optimal team size?
4-7 members.
What are some disadvantages that come with teams?
- Initial high turnover.
- Social loafing.
- Group decision making problems.
When should teams be used?
- When there is a clear, engaging purpose of reason.
- Ample resources are available.
- The job cannot be done unless people work together.
- Rewards can be provided for teamwork and team performance.