- most appropriate for complex tasks. Complex decision-making, or creative tasks - appropriate when the situation is variable, requiring the team to adapt to changing external conditions - innovation/creativity promotes - enable quick, effective development/delivery of products & services - work can be performed concurrently rather than sequentially

Process of adhering to group norms - maintains order & uniformity - extreme/repeated norm violations —> ostracism

Chapter 12 - Group Processes & Work Teams Flashcards by Jo Michael

Interdependent collection of individuals who share responsibility for specific outcomes for their organizations
- must share common goals that affect each other

Work Group

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Two or more people engaged in interaction with each other who are also working toward a common goal

Collaboration

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Work groups in which the actions of individuals are interdependent & coordinated; each member has a role; team has common goals/objectives

Work Teams

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Shared expectations about appropriate ways of responding in a group

Norms

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Distinguishable set of two or more people who interact dynamically, interdependently, and adaptively toward a common and valued goal/Objective/mission, who have each been assigned specific roles or functions to perform, and to have a limited life-span membership

Teams

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What are the 2 levels of analysis? Define them

Group - level
looking at the group as a whole
studying “the first, not the trees”
Individual - level
looking at the people in the group
studying “the trees, not the forest”

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Why do we use Teams?

most appropriate for complex tasks. Complex decision-making, or creative tasks
appropriate when the situation is variable, requiring the team to adapt to changing external conditions
innovation/creativity promotes
enable quick, effective development/delivery of products & services
work can be performed concurrently rather than sequentially

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What are the 2 types of norms? Define them.

Descriptive Norms
what most people do, feel or think in a particular situation
• violators are seen as unusual, different
Prescriptive Norms
what people should do, feel, or think in a particular situation
• violators are seen as dysfunctional, bad employees

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What are the purposes of norms?

facilitate group production
⬆️ prediction of group member behavior
provide a sense of identity to the group

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What is conformity?

Process of adhering to group norms

maintains order & uniformity
extreme/repeated norm violations —> ostracism

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Set of behaviors expected of a person who occupies a particular position in a group or organization
- not the same as personality

Roles

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What is role differentiation?

Process by which a group or organization establishes distinct roles for various group or organization members

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What are things that improve Cohesion?

equal status between group members
similarities between group members
stability of group membership

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What are the outcomes of cohesion?

members of cohesive groups are more satisfied than members of non-cohesive groups
cohesion is positively linked to performance, but only when it is work-related
can also lead to negative outcomes such as group think

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The strength of members motivation to maintain membership in a group & of the links or bonds that have developed among the members

Cohesion

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Degree of attraction anon group members
Viewed as:
- binding & combative force
- group unity, group goals above individual goals
- specific type of interpersonal attraction
-aspect of teamwork

Cohesion

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What are some examples of roles?

Leader
Follower
Outcast
Questioner
Motivator
Mistake catcher
Entertainer
Critic
Organizer

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Reduction in individual effort that occurs when people work in groups instead of alone

Social Loafing

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When are individuals most likely to “loaf”?

They believe their individual efforts will be identified

- others are going to be personally affected by their effort

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What could help you avoid social loafing(ers)?

-finding similarities(in class)
↪️ balance between active vs. non active
↪️ what classes students have taken(1st day)
- roles differentiates at front
- mid-way check-in to see where e/ member is
- more group work inside the classroom
- no leadership- quiz that hit better grade
- clear communication within teams
↪️ track -blackboard

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What are 3 types of social loading? Define them.

Free Riding- happens when employees perceive their efforts are not necessary to group success & rewards

Sucker effect- occurs when group members decide they will no longer be a “sucker” & reduce their effort

Social compensation - employees increase efforts bc they don’t anticipate much help

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What are Bruce Tuckman’s 5 stages of group development? Define them. (1960)

1) Orientation(Forming)- members get to know e/o
2) Conflict(Storming)- members question e/o, reveal more of who they really are
3) Structure(Norming)- group becomes more cohesive & United
4) Performance(Performing)- members are productive
5) Dissolution(Adjourning)- group is dissolved

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What are the 5 steps to effective group decision making?

1) diagnose the problem
2) generate solutions
3) evaluate solutions
4) choose a solution
5) develop an action plan & implementation of solution

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What do we mean by “diagnose the problem”? & what # is it in group decision making?

1 in group decision making

Group comes to agreement on problem, obstacles; prepares to overcome

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What do we mean by “Generate Solutions”? Give an example. & what # is it in group decision making?

Communication to process & goals while trying to identify solutions Ex: Brainstorming #2 in Group decision making

All members of group generate potential solutions without fear of criticism by other members

brainstorming

When is effectiveness of brainstorming reduced?

- members are delayed in sharing their ideas - members are apprehensive about voicing their ideas - members are motivated by how “good” they look to others

What is punctuated equilibrium?

Alternative model in which groups fluctuate more quickly between the stages of development -rapid change due to crisis of half-way point

Stage model describes _________

The continuous manner in which a groups structure changes over time

Punctuated equilibrium describes ________

Discontinued changes in a group’s pacing & task activities over time

Any non motivational element of a group situation that detracts from the group’s performance

Process loss

Sally is working on a group project for class & does less than he share of the work bc she perceives her efforts are necessary for her & the group to achieve an “A” grade on the project. Sally has engaged in... _______

Free riding

According to Tuckman, the stage of group development when members become more cohesive, increase trust, establish unity, & develop standards is called _______

Norming

Informal groups serve many functions, including __________

Satisfied the need to feel safe & connected

____________ describes the discontinuous changes in a group’s pacing & task activities over time

Punctuated equilibrium

___________ teams monitor & control the process or product, as well as team members’ assignments

Self-managed work

Groupthink is more likely to occur in groups that ____________

Are isolated from others with dissenting opinions

Organized knowledge structures that combine the knowledge, beliefs, & understanding of group members & help coordinate efforts are known as ____________

Shared mental models

What is shared information & what is it a part of?

Information held by all group members Part of process loss

What do we mean by “evaluate solutions”? & what # is it in group decision making?

Group critically evaluates each of the solutions 3 in group decision making

What do we mean by “choose a solution”? What are the common approaches & what # is it in group decision making?

Group compares the remaining solutions, chooses one: Common approaches: delegating, averaging individual inputs, majority rules, group consensus 4 in group decision making

What do we mean by “develop an action plan & implementation of solution”? & what # is it in group decision making?

Develop detailed action steps & methods for monitoring/evaluation progress 5 in group decision making

What is unshared information & what is it a part of?

Information held by only one group member Part of process loss

Any non motivational element of a group situation that detracts from the group’s performance • actual productivity = potential productivity - losses due to faulty processes

Process Loss

What are some antecedents of group think?

Cohesion Isolation from dissenting opinions Strong/biased leadership High decisional stress

Mode of thinking that individuals engage in when the desire to agree becomes so dominant in a cohesive group that it tends to override the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action

Groupthink

What are some symptoms of Group think?

- Feelings of invulnerability & unanimity if Group - direct pressure on dissenters - mind guarding - rationalizing - stereotyping - self-censorship - illusions of morality

How can we prevent group think?

- De-emphasize agreement - Quickly correct misperceptions/biases rather than assuming accuracy - Follow basic steps for effective decision making

A member of a cohesive group whose job it is to protect the group from outside information that is inconsistent with the group’s views

Mindgaurd

Behavior by a person/group intended to inhibit the attainment of goals by another person or group

Conflict

What are some negative outcome of conflict?

* reduces group cohesiveness * less efficient communication * lower team/job/Group satisfaction * sabotage * higher stress * group goals can become secondary

What are some positive outcomes of conflict?

* innovation * creative performance * energize group members * ⬆️work motivation * ⬆️ organizational Commitment * improved decision-making quality

What are some sources of conflict?

* scarcity of important resources * individual & Group interdependence * the “we-they” feeling (ex: unions vs.managers) * interpersonal conflicts * younger workers are more conflict-prone than older workers * personality factors may lead some individuals to be more conflict- prone

An organized knowledge structure that enhances the interaction of an individual w/ his or her environment • allow people to make sense if the world around them- describe, explain, & predict the attitudes & behaviors of team

Mental Model

Organized structure combing the knowledge, beliefs, & understandings of 2 or more individuals that help coordinate their efforts

Shared Mental Methods

Work teams that are composed of members from diverse departments of the organization, e/ with its own function; also called project teams

Cross-functional teams

A work team that is responsible for monitoring & controlling the overall process of product, as well as for doling our specific tasks to team members

Self-managed work team (SMWT)

What are the 2 types of groups in Organizations? Define them

* Formal groups - subunits established by the organization * Informal groups - develop apart from the official organizational structure; exist relatively independent of the organization

What is taskwork?

- task - oriented aspects of the work | Ex: Knowing & doing the task

What is teamwork?

Actions, events, & behaviors taken to accomplish a team goal - process oriented aspects of the work Ex: how members work together

What are 6 ways you promote team effectiveness?

1) compose the team membership-selection 2) enhance individual team member capabilities 3) modify team tasks, workflow, structure 4) improve team interactions/processes 5) build team competencies (KSAs) 6) provide support, resources, performance aids

Task - specific skills

How capable members are in performing the task at hand

How well members interact with others (ex: effective, respectful, supportive)

Interpersonal skills

What are 3 ways to improve teams? Give examples.

1) team training • focus on improving coordination • cross-training is particularly helpful 2) team building • less structured than team training • focus on fixing affective problems • can improve team functioning if used correctly 3) Organizational support • group reward systems • technology to support team interaction