Lecture 8: Groups and Teams

Question 1

The five stages of group development

Answer 1

1. Forming - members feels much uncertainty
2. Storming - lots of conflict between members of the group
3. Norming - members have developed close relationships and cohesiveness
4. Performing - the group is finally fully functional
5. Adjourning- in temp groups, characterised by concern with wrapping up activities rather than performance

Question 2

Properties of Group performance

Answer 2

• Diversity
• Norms
• Roles
• Status
• Size
• Cohesiveness

Question 3

Roles (Group Property)

Answer 3

Role

- A set of expected behaviour patterns attributed to someone occupying in a given position in a social unit

Question 4

Norms (Group Property)

Answer 4

Acceptable standards of behaviour 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

Question 5

Status (Group Property)

Answer 5

A socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others - it differentiates group members

Question 6

Group Size (Group Property)

Answer 6

Issues with group size
Social Loafing
- The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually

Question 7

Cohesiveness (Group Property)

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Diversity (Group Property)

Answer 8

Diversity in the group’s membership - the degree to which members of the group are similar to, or different from, one another

Question 9

Groupthink

Answer 9

• Situations where group pressures for conformity deter the group from critically appraising unusual, minority or unpopular views
• Hinder performance

Question 10

Groupshift

Answer 10

• When discussing a given set of alternatives and arriving at a solution, group members tend to exaggerate the initial positions that they hold.
• Causes a shift to more conservative or more risky behaviour

Question 11

Work group

Answer 11

A group that interacts primarily to share info and to make decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibility

Question 12

Work team

Answer 12

Generates positive synergy through coordinated effort. The individual efforts result in a performance that is greater than the sum of individual inputs

Question 13

Types of teams

Answer 13

• Problem solving teams
• Self-managed work teams
• Cross-functional teams
• Virtual teams

Question 14

Problem solving teams

Answer 14

Groups of 5 to 12 employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency and the work environment

Question 15

Cross-functional teams

Answer 15

Employees from about the same hierarchical level but from different work area, who come together to accomplish a task

Question 16

Virtual teams

Answer 16

Teams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal

Question 17

Team effectiveness model

Answer 17

• Context
• Composition
• Process

Question 18

Context (TEM)

Answer 18

Adequate resources
- Needs the tools to complete the job
Effective leadership and structure
- Agreeing to the specifics of work and how the teams fits together to integrate individual skills
- Even self managed teams need leaders
- Leadership especially important in multi-team systems
Climate of trust
- Members must trust each other and the leader
Performance and rewards systems that reflect team contributions

Question 19

Composition (TEM)

Answer 19

Abilities of members
- High ability members perform better when the tasks are complex and require more thought
Personality of members
- Conscientiousness, openess to experience and agreeableness all relate to team performance
Allocating roles and diversity
-Many necessary roles must be filled
- Diversity can often lead to lower performance
Size of team
-The smaller the better: five to nine is optimal
Member’s preference for teamwork

Question 20

Process (TEM)

Answer 20

Commitment to a common purpose

• Create a common purpose that provides direction
• have reflexibility: willing to adjust plan if necessary

Establishment of specific team goals
- Must be specific, measurable, realistic and challenging

Team efficacy
- team believes in its ability to succeed

Mental Models
- have an accurate and common mental map of how the work gets done

A managed level of conflict
Minimised social loafing