Maximizing Team Effectiveness in the 21st Century Workplace

1. Work in the 21st CenturyChapter 13 Teams in Organizations

2. Module 13.1:Types of Teams • Reasons for increased use of teams: • Work can be performed concurrently rather than sequentially • Innovation & creativity promoted • Enable quick, effective development/delivery of products & services • Organizations learn & retain learning more effectively

3. Groups & Teams: Definitions • Groups include members who may work together or may just share some resources • Teams include members whose tasks are interdependent; Work towards a common goal & share responsibility for outcomes • Groups & Teams have too much in common for any grand distinctions

4. Types of Teams • Quality circles • Typically involve 6-12 employees who meet regularly to identify problems/generate ideas • Positive outcomes in short term but gains not sustained over time (honeymoon effect) • They remain popular in Japan, but less so in United States

5. Types of Teams (cont’d) • Project teams • Created to solve particular problem • Disbanded after problem solved or project completed • Raise some organizational challenges – multiple reporting relationships.

6. Types of Teams (cont’d) • Production teams • Consist of front-line employees who produce a tangible output • Autonomous work group: Type of production team with control over a variety of functions • Research findings unclear, more research is necessary

7. Virtual Teams • Composed of widely dispersed members working together toward a common goal; linked through technology • Pose several advantages to organizations • Trust is a critical concern; Increase via: • Virtual-collaboration, virtual-socialization, and virtual-communication behaviors

8. A Specialized Team: Airline Cockpit Crew • Benefit from an organizational context that provides: • Challenging objectives • Prior training and education • A consistent information system

9. A Specialized Team: Airline Cockpit Crew • Airline cockpit crews have very real teamwork requirements, particularly in an emergency • A spectacular example was the Hudson River landing of US Airways flight 1549 in January 2009 • The pilot, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, has a master’s degree in I-O psychology and was professionally involved in crew resource management research and training.

10. Module 13.2: A Model of Team Effectiveness • Input-Process-Output Model • Enables understanding of how teams perform & how to maximize performance Figure 13.1 The Input-Process-Output Model of Team Effectiveness Source: Adapted from Gladstein (1984)

11. Organizational context Provide necessary resources Team task Task to be performed Team composition Attributes of team members Shared mental models Team diversity Demographic & psychological diversity Team Inputs

12. Team Outputs • Team performance • Often reflected in objective measures • Team innovation • Team member well-being

13. Shared Mental Model • Organized way for team members to think about the way a team will work. • Helps team members understand and predict the behaviors of their team members.

14. Team Diversity • Demographic diversity • Differences in observable attributes or demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and ethnicity • Psychological diversity • Differences in underlying attributes such as skills, abilities, personality characteristics, attitudes, beliefs, and values; may also include functional, occupational, and educational backgrounds

15. Norms Informal rules of a team Communication & coordination Social loafing Cohesion Degree of desire to remain in team Decision making Groupthink Team Processes

16. Groupthink Processes in Action?

17. Module 13.3:Special Issues in Teams • Team appraisal & feedback • Should provide team with information needed to identify team problems & further develop team capabilities • Extent to which team behaviors & outputs can be measured must be considered • ProMES

18. Team-role theory (Belbin, 1993) • Effective teams contain a combination of individuals capable of working in 9 team roles • Used predominantly in Europe & Australia • Plant • Resource investigator • Coordinator • Shaper • Monitor evaluator • Team-Worker • Implementer • Completer • Specialist

19. Team Development • Changes occur in teams as they develop over time • 5 stages of development 1. Orientation (forming) 2. Conflict (storming) 3. Structure (norming) 4. Work (performing) 5. Dissolution (adjourning) PhotoLink/Getty Images

20. Team Training • Involves coordinating performance of individuals who work together to achieve a common goal • 4 Strategies • Cross-training • Team coordination training • Team leader training • Guided Team Self-Correction Training

21. Cultural Issues in Teams • Applying Hofstede’s cultural dimensions • Implications for teams • Individualism vs. collectivism • Long-term vs. short-term orientation • Effect of cultural & national backgrounds of team members

22. Teams and Culture • Team horizon • Cultural dimension that affects whether managers & employees focus on short or long-term goals • Teams tend to be well-received in collectivistic cultures