Team dynamics

1. Team dynamics

2. Chapter learning objectives • Define teams. • Distinguish departmental teams from team-based organisations. • Explain why virtual teams are becoming more common. • Outline the model of team effectiveness. • Identify six organisational and team environmental elements that influence team effectiveness. • Explain the influence of the team’s task, composition and size on team effectiveness. • Describe the five stages of team development. • Identify four factors that shape team norms. • List six factors that influence team cohesiveness. • Discuss the limitations of teams. • Explain how companies minimise social loafing. • Summarise the four types of team building.  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

3. Australia’s submarine teams Crews onboard Australia’s new Collins-class submarines have interesting team dynamics due to their unusual work environment, challenging tasks and difficult entry to this elite team. Courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

4. What are teams? Groups of two or more people who interact and influence each other are mutually accountable for achieving common objectives and perceive themselves as a social entity within an organisation Courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

5. Groups versus teams • All teams are groups • Some groups are just people assembled together • Teams have task interdependence whereas some groups do not (eg group of employees enjoying lunch together) Courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

6. Types of teams Permanent teams • team-based departments • team-based organisation • quality circles Temporary teams • task forces • temporary teams that investigate a problem • skunkworks • formed spontaneously, using borrowed resources, to develop products or solve problems  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

7. Virtual teams • Cross-functional teams that operate across space, time and organisational boundaries using information technology • Increasingly possible because of • technology • knowledge-based work • Increasingly necessary because of • globalisation • knowledge management • need for team work  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

8. Why informal groups exist • Relatedness needs • fulfil need for social interaction • social identity • Goal accomplishment • Emotional support  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

9. Organisational and team environment Team design Team effectiveness • Reward systems • Communication systems • Physical space • Organisational environment • Organisational structure • Organisational leadership • Task characteristics • Team size • Team composition • Achieve organisational goals • Satisfy member needs • Maintain team survival Team processes • Team development • Team norms • Team roles • Team cohesiveness Team effectiveness model  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

10. Team design elements • Task characteristics • better when tasks are clear, easy to implement • task interdependence • share common inputs, processes or outcomes • Team size • smaller teams are better • but large enough to accomplish task • Team composition • members motivated/competent to perform task in a team environment • team diversity  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

11. Higher satisfaction Less conflict Faster team development More efficient coordination Performs better on simple tasks More conflict Slower team development  takes longer to agree on norms and goals Better knowledge and resources for complex tasks Tend to be more creative Higher potential for support outside the team Homogeneous vs heterogeneous teams Homogeneous teams Heterogeneous teams  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

12. Performing Norming Storming Existing teams might regress back to an earlier stage of development Adjourning Stages of team development Forming  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

13. Team norms • Informal rules and expectations a team establishes to regulate member behaviours • Norms develop through • explicit statements • critical events in team’s history • initial team experiences • beliefs/values members bring to the team  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

14. Changing team norms • Introduce norms when forming teams • Select members with preferred norms • Discuss counterproductive norms • Reward behaviours representing desired norms • Disband teams with dysfunctional norms  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

15. Causes of team cohesiveness Member similarity Team cohesiveness External challenges Member interaction Team success Team size Somewhat difficult entry  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

16. Team cohesiveness at Mitel Trevor Pound couldn’t get away for a planned vacation, so other team members at Mitel turned his work area into a mini paradise. The practical joke illustrates how members of cohesive teams support each other. © J. Major, Ottawa Citizen  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

17. Team cohesiveness outcomes • want to remain members • are willing to share information • have strong interpersonal bonds • want to support each other • resolve conflict effectively • are more satisfied and experience less stress Members of cohesive teams © J. Major, Ottawa Citizen  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

18. Cohesiveness and performance Moderately high task performance High task performance Team norms support firm’s goals Moderately low task performance Low task performance Team norms oppose firm’s goals Low team cohesiveness High team cohesiveness  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

19. The trouble with teams • Individuals better/faster on some tasks • Process losses  cost of developing and maintaining teams • Companies don’t support best work environment for team dynamics • Social loafing  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

20. Conditions for social loafing • Low task interdependence • Individual output not visible • Routine, uninteresting tasks • Low task significance • Low collectivist values  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

21. Team building at Ericsson Cyberlabs Employees at Ericsson Cyberlab in Singapore climbed over rock walls, inched across planks, scaled cargo nets and performed other daunting tasks to improve team dynamics. © H.Y. How/Sunday Times (Singapore)  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

22. Types of team building Role definition Goal setting Problem solving Interpersonal process © H.Y. How/Sunday Times (Singapore)  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

23. Overview of the next chapter • The general model of decision making • Challenges with problem identification, choosing the best alternative and evaluating decisions • Causes of escalation of commitment • Forms, levels and contingencies of employee involvement • Self-directed teams and sociotechnical systems theory • Barriers to employee involvement  2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

24. Team dynamics