Effective Groups and Teamwork Chapter Nine Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All...

Effective Groups and Teamwork

Chapter Nine

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill/Irwin

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After reading the material in this chapter, you should be able to:

• Describe the five stages of Tuckman’s theory of group development.

• Contrast roles and norms, and specify four reasons norms are enforced in organizations.

• Explain how a work group becomes a team, and identify five teamwork competencies.

• List at least four things managers can do to build trust.

• Describe self-managed teams and virtual teams.• Describe groupthink, and identify at least four of

its symptoms.

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Fundamentals of Group Behavior

• Group - two or more freely interacting people with

shared norms and goals and a common identity

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Formal and Informal Groups

• Formal group - formed by the organization.

• Informal group - formed by friends

Formal Groups Fulfill Organizational and Individual Functions

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Table 9-1

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Tuckman’s Five-Stage Theory of Group Development

Figure 9-1

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Group Development Process

Stage 1: Forming• Group members tend to be uncertain and anxious about their roles, the people in charge and the group’s goals

• Mutual trust is low

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Group Development Process

Stage 2: Storming• Time of testing• Individuals try to determine how they fit into the power structure

• Procrastination may occur

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Group Development Process

Stage 3: Norming• Questions about authority and power are resolved through unemotional, matter-of-fact group discussion

• Group cohesiveness - a “we feeling” binding group members

together

Question?

A search committee has been created at ABC University to hire a new dean of College of Business. During which stage of the group development process would the search committee address role agreements and working as a team?

A.StormingB.PerformingC.AdjourningD.Norming

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Group Development Process

Stage 4: Performing• Activity focused on solving task problems• Climate of open communication, strong cooperation, and lots of helping behavior

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Group Development Process

Stage 5: Adjourning• Work is done• Time to move on to other things

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Group Member Roles

• Roles - expected behaviors for a given position

• Task roles - task-oriented group behavior- Keep the group on track

• Maintenance roles - relationship-building group behavior- Keep the group together

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Task and Maintenance Roles

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Question?

Bob's role in his work group is to promote greater understanding through examples or explanation of implications. Bob's role can be described as a(n):

A.InitiatorB.ElaboratorC.CoordinatorD.Energizer

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Norms

• Norms - shared attitudes, opinions, feelings, or actions

that guide social behavior

• Ostracism - rejection by other group members

How Norms are Developed

1. Explicit statements by supervisors or co-workers

2. Critical events in the group’s history3. Primacy4. Carryover behaviors from past situations

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Why Norms are Enforced

• Help the group or organization survive• Clarify or simplify behavioral expectations• Help individuals avoid embarrassing situations

• Clarify the group’s or organization’s central values and/or unique identity

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Teams

• Team - small group with complementary skills who

hold themselves mutually accountable for common purpose, goals, and approach.

- Task groups that have matured to the performing stage

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Teams

A group becomes a team when:1.Leadership becomes a shared activity2.Accountability shifts from strictly individual to both individual and collective

3.The group develops its own purpose or mission

4.Problem solving becomes a way of life, not a part-time activity

Team Building

• Team building - experiential learning aimed at better internal

functioning of groups

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Question?

As the new Department Chair, Melvin wanted his faculty members to engage in more collaboration. He decided to start by taking everyone to a Paintball course. This is called ___________.

A.Social loafingB.CohesivenessC.Team buildingD.Leadership

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Trust

• Trust - reciprocal faith in

other’ intentions and behavior.

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Three Dimensions of Trust

• Overall trust - expecting fair play, the truth, and empathy

• Emotional trust - having faith that someone will not

misrepresent you to others or betray you

Three Dimensions of Trust (cont.)

• Reliableness - believing that promises and appointments will

be kept and commitments met

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How to Build Trust

1. Communication2. Support3. Respect4. Fairness5. Predictability6. Competence

Question?

As quarterback at Alabama, Jay Barker won almost all of the games he started. When the team was in a tough situation, they trusted Barker to help them win. The team’s trust was built by Barker’s _______.

A.RespectB.FairnessC.PredictabilityD.Competence

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Self-Managed Teams

• Self-managed teams - groups of employees granted administrative

oversight for their work

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Indirect Influence Tactics of Self Managed Teams

• Relating• Scouting• Persuading• Empowering

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Teams

• Cross-functionalism - team made up of technical specialists from

different areas

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Question?

The work team at More 4 Babies, Inc. is made up of technical specialists from different areas of the company. This feature of the work team at More 4 Babies is referred to as

A.Cross-functionalism.B.Administrative alignment.C.Cohesiveness.D.Groupthink.

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Are Self Managed Teams Effective?

• Have a positive effect on productivity• Have a positive effect on specific attitudes relating to self-management

• No significant effect on general attitudes• No significant effect on absenteeism or turnover

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Virtual Teams

• Virtual team - allows group members in different locations

using information technology to conduct business.

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Research Insights

• Virtual groups formed over the Internet follow a group development process similar to that of face-to-face groups

- Meaningful face-to-face contact during early phases of group development process is essential

• Internet chat rooms create more work and yield poorer decisions than face-to-face meetings

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Threats to Group and Team Effectiveness

• Groupthink - Janis’s term for cohesive in-group’s

unwillingness to realistically view alternatives.

Read an article on groupthink

Symptoms of Groupthink

• Invulnerability• Inherent morality• Rationalization• Stereotyped views of opposition

• Self-censorship• Illusion of unanimity• Peer pressure• Mindguards

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Social Loafing

• Social Loafing - decrease in

individual effort as group size increases

Reasons for Social Loafing

• Equity of effort• Loss of personal accountability• Motivational loss due to sharing of rewards• Coordination loss as more people perform the task

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Question?

The Principles of Management class has a project that counts for 50% of the class grade. Groups of 10 have been assigned to complete it. Duane thinks that he will not have to work very hard because the group is so large. This is called _______.

A. GroupthinkB. CohesivenessC. Social loafingD. Collective groupthink

Supplemental Slides

• Slides 41-46 contain extra non-text examples to integrate and enhance instructor lectures

- Slide 41: Recent Research on Trust- Slide 42: Management in the Movies: 13 Going on 30- Slide 43: Virtual Teams - Slide 44: Tips for Working on Virtual Teams- Slide 45-46: Video discussion slides

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Recent Research on Trust

• Schweitzer, Hershey, and Bradlow (2006) – conducted laboratory study and found…..

- When trust is broken by untrustworthy actions, it can be restored through consistent trustworthy actions

- A promise to act in a trustworthy way helps facilitate the regaining of trust

- Deception does serious long-term damage to trust and makes it very difficult to restore, even when followed by trustworthy actions

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Management in the Movies13 Going on 30

• In this scene, Jenna is at a Poise magazine party.

• How does the group on the dance floor move through the stages of group development?

• What type of group is the dance floor group?

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Virtual Teams – Quotes from the Front Line

• “Since I don’t know those people in [other cities], getting their stuff done is a low priority. My priorities are about things that are in my face, like when people I see every day are standing there looking at me, waiting for me to get their stuff done.”

• “Everybody is so busy that you know they’re all multitasking during the call. When I’m the one leading a meeting, I’m pretty sure half of them are checking their e-mails. Nobody pays much attention.”

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Tips for Working on Virtual Teams

• Meet face-to-face to start a project and for major milestones

• Assume positive intent- If an e-mail's tone sounds off-putting, withhold

judgment until you learn more or talk to them directly via phone

• Engage in positive predictable behavior- Honor commitments, attend meetings on time,

don’t send terse emails

Video Case: United Airlines Employees Learn from Nascar

• What types of things can a ground crew member working for an airline company learn from a NASCAR pit crew?

• Why are the lessons learned from Pit Crew U so universally applicable across many jobs and industries?

• How could United justify the costs of sending 1200 employees to Pit Crew U - will they save that much time?

• What is United’s goal in sending the employees to Pit Crew U? 9-45

Video Case: Teamwork: Team Activities for Coworkers

• What types of activities are being used today for team building and skills development? Why do these types of activities work?

• Are companies able to justify sending employees to fun training programs? How?

• Are corporate training programs such as those described in the video case growing in popularity?

• What benefits do you think you would get from attending training programs like those described in the case?

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