Chapter three:

Group Behavior Team & Conflict

What benefits does the workplace reap from teams?

• Accomplish projects an individual cannot do

• Brainstorm• More Solution Options

• Detect Flaws in Solutions • Build a Workplace Community

• Many projects in the workplace are too large or too complex for one individual to finish alone.

• Different people looking at the same problem will find different solutions. A team can review ideas and put together a final solution which incorporates the best individual ideas.

• A team looking at different proposed solutions may also find pitfalls that an individual might miss. The final solution is that much stronger.

• Members of effective teams can form personal bonds which are good for individual and workplace morale. In the university setting, students on teams may form bonds which extend beyond the classroom.

The definition of team

• A team is a small group of people with complementary skills committed to a common purpose and set of specific performance goals.

Katzenbach, Jon. The Wisdom of Teams, p.21

• A team may be defined as a group whose members have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose or set of performance goals for which they hold themselves mutually accountable(p291)

Effective Team

ClearGoal

CompetentTeam-members

Result-drivenStructure

Unifiedcommitment

GoodCommunication

External andInternal Support

PrincipledLeadership

Collaborative

Key points about team

• True teams are very different from other kinds of work groups( the differences between group and team ,see p292)

• Team effectiveness is measured by useful output, not good feelings

• Effective teams are skilled at dealing with internal problems such as conflict

• Diversity and complementarity of style and expertise make teams stronger

• Effective team leaders practice facilitational leadership rather than controlling leadership

• Teams benefit from the output of all members • Mutual respect and mutual accountability are the basis of tea

m effectiveness. Soete, George. eorganizing for a Changing Information World..112

Team Norms

• All ideas are given a fair hearing • Everyone will have an opportunity to

contribute information and opinions • Open and honest opinions are welcome • Members are expected to actively listen to

one another • Rank does not have its privileges

Parker, Glenn. Cross-Functional Teams. p.116

Types of team(P293-298)

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

Problem-solving teams

• Problem-Solving Teams share ideas and suggest improvements to work processes and methods; however, such teams rarely have the authority to implement their suggestions.

Self-managed work teams

Self-Managed Work Teams are autonomous, select their own members, and implement and take responsibility for their suggestions.

Cross-functional teams

• On cross-functional teams, equally ranked employees from different functional areas work together to accomplish a task.

Virtual teams

• Virtual teams use computer technology to enable physically dispersed team members to achieve a common goal.

Creating Teams: A Four-Stage Process(P299)

• Stage 1: Pre-work• Stage 2: Creating Performance Conditions

• Stage 3: Forming and Building the team

• Stage 4: Providing ongoing assistance

Tuckman ‘s team model (A model of Team Process1965)

• ‘Forming’

• ‘Storming’

• ‘Norming’

• ‘Performing’

Storming

Forming

Norming

Performing

The Johari Window(A model of Team Working)

The area of free activity

The avoided or hidden areas

Areas of unknown activity

The blind area

Known to self Not Known to self

Known to others

Not Known to others

How to developHow to developSuccessful teamsSuccessful teams

Provide Provide TrainingTraining

Select Select teamteam

membersmembers

PromotePromoteEmployeeEmployeeSupportSupport

ProvideProvideManagerialManagerial

SupportSupport

PromotePromoteCooperationCooperation

CompensateCompensateTeamTeam

PerformancePerformance

Internal Issues of Team

• Conflict resolution, the ability of team to discuss and resolve differences

• Open communication and trust, the degree to which team members feel free to express their views

Parker , Glenn. Cross-Functional Teams, p. 160

Conflicts

• As the traditional hierarchical organization gives way to group-based structures, conflicts on teams will become more prevalent.

• Group Differentiation------Conflicts

TYPES OF TEAM CONFLICT

• Relationship conflict exists when there are interpersonal incompatibilities among group members which typically includes tension, animosity, and annoyance.

• Task conflict exists when there are disagreements among group members about the content of the tasks being performed, including differences in viewpoints, ideas and opinions.

TEAM CONFLICT

• Interpersonal Conflict• Task-Based Conflict

1) Routine task

2) Non-Routine task

Interpersonal Team Conflict

• The limited cognitive processing resulting from relationship conflict reduces the ability group members to assess new information provided by other members

• The interpersonal conflict makes members less receptive to the ideas of other group members

• The time and energy that should be devoted to working on the task is used to discuss, resolve, or ignore conflicts

Jehn, Karen. Multimethod Examination of the Benefits and Detriments of Intrgroup Conflict? p. 258

BENEFITS OF CONFLICT FOR NON-ROUTINE TASKS

• Diverse ideas of group members introduce superior alternatives

• Critical evaluation facilitated by task conflict • Encourages creativity by focusing on innovative

ideas rather than consensus • Increases the understanding of the task by

identifying and discussing diverse perspectives • Allows for a more thorough evaluation of criteria

needed for sound decision-making

Dealing With Team CONFLICT

• Team training must include sessions on conflict resolution

• Top management as well as functional department managers must be helped to form realistic expectations of the potential outcome of cross-functional teams

• In some cases, teams may need expert help in facilitating team processes

Parker , Glenn. Cross-Functional Teams, p. 163.

• Team structures have the potential to mitigate the negative impacts of group stratification

• They draw out the benefit of skills available in all our staff to achieve better outcomes

• Valuing and respecting the contributions of all staff, regardless of their employee group, enhances the quality of our decision-making

• Conflicts are what we want to push us to creative solutions. It is how we handle these conflicts that is the test.

• It is vital that in the training and preparation for teamwork that we include conflict resolution skills

• Establish team norms that make conflict work for the organization. • Different types of tasks produce different types of conflict • Since we cannot make conflict go away, we should work with it to

maximize its benefits.

The problems of Team- Working

Probable problems, such as

1) Resistance and understanding from workforce

2) Resistance and understanding from managers

3) Employees and managers confused by the volume and breadth of change

4) Problem: Poorly performing teams

5) Dealing with employees no longer required

Problem1 Resistance and understanding from workforce

Possible solutions:• Open communications and Consultation • Clear vision and explanation of business strategy • Genuine and visible commitment from senior

managers • Visit other companies with successful team-

working

Possible solutions:• open communication and consultation • clearly define management roles at all levels • make sure vision and business strategy is

clearly understood • provide adequate training in new roles • be honest about any and take action promptly• visit other companies with successful team-

working

Problem2 : Resistance and understanding from managers

Problem3: Employees and managers confused by the volume and breadth of change

Possible solutions:• explain how all change contribute to vision

and overall business strategy• set up steering group to oversee progress

and interrelated effects of change• plan and sequence change but be flexible

Problem4: Poorly performing teams

Possible solutions:• constant communication of progress and achievements • encourage and act on new ideas • continue to develop self-regulation of teams • make sure that mistakes are not dealt with negatively -

encourage risk taking • team building exercises • further training • change team members: benchmark against successful

teams • visit other organizations to find ideas for new chances

Problem5 : Dealing with employees no longer required

Possible solutions:• retrain • develop long-term strategy to improve employees‘

job mobility • use for other roles – e.g.: training, special projects • early retirement/severance packages with

consultation on possible redundancies • where redundancies are unavoidable, ensure

selection is fair

Questions for Critical Thinking

1. Define what is meant by a group and identify different types of groups operating within organizations.

2. Define what teams are and describe the various types of teams that exist in organizations.

3. Understanding the evidence regarding the effectives of teams in organizations.

4. Explain the factors responsible for the failure of some teams to operate as effectively as possible and identify steps that can be taken to build successful teams.

Case study-A virtual team at T.A. STEARNS

• T.A. Stearns is a national tax accounting firm whose main business is tax preparation services for individuals. Stearns’ superior reputation is based on the high quality of its advice and the excellence of its service. Key to the achievement of its reputation is the state-of-the-art computer data-bases and analysis tools that its people use when counseling clients. These programs were developed by highly trained individuals.

• The programs that these individual produce are highly technical, both in terms of the tax laws they cover and the code in which they are written. Perfecting them requires high levels of programming skill as well as the ability to understand the law. New laws and interpretations of existing laws have to be integrated quickly and flawlessly into the existing regulations and analysis tools.

• … …

Questions

• Why is this group a team?• Has anyone in this case acted unethically?• What, if any, characteristics of groupthink are m

anifested in the work team?• Has Dave been an effective team leader? Explain

your position.• What should Dave do now?