Chapter 9 - Leadership in Teams

Question 1

Team

Answer 1

Commonplace to describe every work unit as a team.

In many causes, it is about leading. Leadership not necessarily performed by an individual - in team structure it is distributed/ shared.

Managers outside teams set targets but team is self managing to a significant extent.

Question 2

Teams make decisions about?

Answer 2

How to deliver products/ services
Allocation of work
Rules

Question 3

Historical roots of team based work

Answer 3

Scientific management (production systems) and bureaucracy (organisational structures and processes).

Question 4

Scientific management

Answer 4

Division of labour -work divided into narrowest possible tasks, Based on efficiency, hierarchical structure and dividing tasks. Rational approach, popular and adapted in many organisations.

Time and motion studies - scientific system for calculating one best way to do task effectively.

Simple performance pay systems - workers paid based on output with money as only motivator.

Managers plan and control production - managers highly trained heads and workers as ignorant hands

Question 5

Influence of Scientific Management

Answer 5

Spread through world in early 20th century, created basis for mass production

Spread form manufacturing to clerical work to health and public admin

Applied by Ford to development of production line manufacturing - boring for employees

Delivered massive productivity gains

The basis for so called Fordist mass production

The dominant approach until the 1970s and 80s

Question 6

Taylorism

Answer 6

Application of apparently neutral, rational and scientific rules and procedures to work

Question 7

Bureaucracy

Answer 7

Involves the application of Taylorism rules to who organisation.

Organisations structured hierarchically. Clear division of labour. Documented rules and procedures. Dominant organisational form in 20th century.

Question 8

Problems with Taylorism and Bureaucracy

Answer 8

Rigidity of hierarchical structures and formal positions, rules and procedures restrict innovative problem solving. Only based on efficiency, automatisation, lacks care for employees.

Limits to division of labour - any efficiency gains from division of labour finite, limits creativity/ innovation, difficult to come up with new ideas

Boredom, frustration and demotivation of employees due to narrow repetitive jobs with little discretion.

Question 9

Human Relations

Answer 9

Concerned with productivity but recognised limits of Taylorism, created basis for teamwork structure.

Limits in terms of productivity gains.

Bad for workers and may lead to industrial unrest.

Question 10

Questioned if there was a better way to organise work?

Answer 10

e.g. Hawthorne experiments: set out to test effects of better illumination on productivity.

Almost incidentally found that workers who could work in groups and make some of their own decisions about production were happier and more productive.

Led to new way of thinking about what drives productivity. Shifted thinking about organising groups.

Question 11

Key insights on human relations and group based work

Answer 11

Employees need groups to give their work meaning

Groups must have capacity to make meaningful decision, more autonomy and to develop own rules, norms and values.

If work is organised on a group basis, workers will be happier and more productive.

Question 12

Rise of teams

Answer 12

Since 1990s there has been massive growth in popularity of team based work influenced by ideas of human relations - with maintenance of Taylorism and bureaucracy in many organisations.

Question 13

Teams have potential to?

Answer 13

Deliver performance gains
Increase worker well being
Reduce managers’ workloads

Question 14

Why are teams effective?

Answer 14

Problem solving: groups solve complex problems better than individuals.

Meet human needs and interact with others of different backgrounds e.g. cooperation, task variety, discretion, whole job, therefore increases satisfaction commitment and motivation.

Synergies between skills of different team members

Question 15

Advantages of teams

Answer 15

Increased productivity
Job satisfaction and security
Easier to fix problems at a base level
Increased communication and support throughout business

Question 16

Disadvantages of teams

Answer 16

Unclear job roles
Lack of understanding of teaming 
Lack of accountability 
Resistance to change
Increased training and learning 
More spending and costs faced by firm

Question 17

Myth of creativity

Answer 17

innovation/creativity often based on teamwork rather than individuals.

sometimes teams can be more creativity than individuals because
Diversity of ideas, expertise and perspectives
Newer groups, newer ideas
New team members, new ideas

Question 18

Designing creative teams

Answer 18

High levels of intrinsic motivation - set goals
Balanced diversity
Appropriate expertise and knowledge
Clear yet fluid roles
Appropriate team size
Non-hierarchichal and decentralised
Autonomy- responsible for own decision making
Effective communication

Question 19

External dynamics that effect teams

Answer 19

Supportive work environment

Physical space that promotes collaboration and flexibility

Question 20

How to contribute as a team member

Answer 20

Share unique information and expertise
Dont’ shoot an idea down immediately
Ensure everyone is heard
Trust and respect

Question 21

Potential problems in teams

Answer 21

Too much cohesiveness- group think (all same opinion, no new ideas developed)

Too much diversity - too much conflict, leads to cultural misunderstandings.

Lack of communication

Not sharing unique information

Question 22

Challenges of teams

Answer 22

Teams are like any social system - conflict and cooperation; free riding can occur.

Team activities need to be coordinated to ensure everything gets done. Needs guidance, prevent too broad discussions.

Effective teams are largely or wholly autonomous. But some structure to roles needed. Too many team members make it difficult to integrate all ideas.

Could be questioned who leadership can be exercised when there is no leader. No formal leadership but leadership activities are still needed and carried out by various team members.

Question 23

Distributed leadership in teams

Answer 23

Each kind of leadership requires different kind of expertise. Two sorts of activities that must take place include task activities and maintenance/ process activities

Question 24

Task Activities

Answer 24

Planning, scheduling, allocation and completion of tasks e.g. ensuring deadlines are met

Question 25

Maintenance/ Process Activities

Answer 25

Maintenance of functional relationships and processes in a team e.g. developing a shared team vision and team cohesion. Work environment, conflict etc.

Question 26

4 Kinds of Leadership in Self Managing Teams

Answer 26

According to Barry
Envisioning
Organising 
Spanning 
Social

Each kind of leadership requires different kinds of expertise. Different people have different kinds of expertise & few individuals have all skills necessary to perform all types of leadership.

Therefore, leadership is shared/distributed among team members. Different kinds of teams will need different ‘mixes’ of leadership. The distribution of leadership is likely to change over time as the team evolves.

Question 27

Envisioning

Answer 27

Facilitating shared vision, create mutual understanding of goals

Question 28

Organising

Answer 28

Bringing order to team’s activities, coordinating work, allocating tasks

Question 29

Spanning

Answer 29

Facilitating links with other teams and individuals, teams don’t operate in a vacuum, link to other organisational stakeholders, managers, other teams to present ideas

Question 30

Social

Answer 30

Facilitating good relations, managing conflicts, developing positive work environment

Question 31

Distributed Leadership is Emergent

Answer 31

Not imposed/engineered but develops organically as team function.

It is based on expertise/ skills rather than formal position in a hierarchy.

Distributed leadership is more than just activities of individuals - it is a collective activity which is enacted as group members interact.

Question 32

Role of Senior Managers

Answer 32

Management from above may stifle autonomy which is necessary to team effectiveness

Highlights importance of top management in creating a vision and a direction for the organisation

Shift in activities of managers outside team from monitoring and controlling to coaching and facilitating

One of the biggest obstacles to effective teamwork is the reluctance of senior managers to let go. They should provide overall vision but not control day-to-day activities.

Question 33

What facilitates distributed leadership in teams?

Answer 33

Shared purpose
Social support
Communication and participation
coaching rom senior managers external to the team

Question 34

Does distributed leadership work?

Answer 34

Strong association between distributed leadership and team performance in consulting teams, as judged by clients.