Teams vary in the manner in which they are led. Choose one type of team leadership and briefly describe it

Support: When group members support their fellow team members, their group

identity strengthens.

Satisfaction: Cohesion is correlated with how pleased group members are with

each other’s performance, behavior and conformity to group norms.

153. What is the difference between a group and a team?

A group is a collection of individuals who interact with each other such that one person’s actions have an impact on the others. A team is a cohesive coalition of people working together to achieve mutual goals. The difference is that teams are focused on a joint goal that gives them a common purpose, performance goal and approach for which they are mutually accountable.

154. Hackman identified three major classes of tasks. List those classes and describe them.

Production tasks are those involved with making something.

Idea generation tasks deal with creative tasks like brainstorming.

Problem-solving tasks refer to coming up with plans for action and making decisions.

155. Describe task interdependence levels as they relate to teams.

Task interdependence is the degree to which team members are dependent upon one another to get information, support, or materials from other team members to be effective. The three types of task interdependence are: pooled interdependence, sequential interdependence and reciprocal interdependence.

Pooled interdependence exists when team members work independently and combine their efforts to create a team’s output. Sequential interdependence exists when one person’s output is another’s input. Reciprocal interdependence exists when team members work on a task simultaneously.

Outcome interdependence is not specific to a task but exists when rewards received by an individual are dependent on the performance of others.

156. Describe the three general categories of work team roles and then give an example of each. Describe the nature of each example role given.

The three categories of team roles are: task roles, social roles and boundary spanning roles.

Task roles include: critic, completer, contributor, creator and contractor.

A critic is a “devil’s advocate”; a completer is one who transforms ideas into action; a contributor brings information and expertise to the team; a creator deals with changes in the team’s process and a contractor organizes the team’s work.

Social roles include: calibrator, communicator, and cooperator.

A cooperator supports those with expertise to aid in the team’s goals; a communicator includes behaviors targeted at collaboration like humor and good listening skills; and a calibrator keeps the team on track in terms of any changes needed to the team’s process.

Boundary spanning roles include: consul and coordinator.

A consul gathers information from the larger organization and informs those within the organization about the team’s activities, goals and successes; and a coordinator interfaces with others so that the team’s efforts are in line with other individuals and teams within the organization.

157. There are several types of temporary teams. Describe one such temporary team.

A task force is one designed to address a specific issue or problem until it is resolved.

A product development team is one that develops a product.

A cross functional team involves individuals from different parts of the organization staff.

158. Teams vary in the manner in which they are led. Choose one type of team leadership and briefly describe it.

Traditional manager led teams have a manager who is outside the team. The manager assigns work to team members and has the power to hire and fire team members. Manager led teams have little potential for autonomy.

Self-managed teams are those that manage themselves and do not report directly to a supervisor. Team members select their own leader and can even take turns in the leadership role. A self-managed team has the potential for low, medium or high autonomy.

Self-directed teams are a special form of self managed teams where members determine who will lead them with no external oversight. Thus, the team makes all decisions internally about how work is done. There is the potential for high autonomy in this team.

ESSAY

159. 

Think about a group that you belong or belonged to. Describe the phases of the Tuckman model that the group progressed through or the current phase at which it is now functioning.

Answers will vary. Students might discuss a group they are part of from one of their classes. Students are often quite willing to discuss the formation problems many groups have. The initial, and indeed early meetings are characterized by members being very polite and very general and noncommittal in most of their comments as they observe what is going on to figure out the direction the group might be headed. If a leader has been appointed for the group, that leader might be tested.

The group might have progressed to the storming stage and here the stories will really flow. As the name suggests there are battles fought during the storming stage as group members explore power and influence. There may be cliques, they may take sides, but whatever occurs, there will be chaos.

Though many groups in the workplace may not get out of the storming stage, class groups must progress because terms end and final projects or papers are ultimately due. So, while a group may get its project out while functioning in the storming phase, class groups move to adjournment. Some of the leave-taking in the groups is bittersweet, some joyful.

If a class group progressed out of the storming stage to norming, the analysis will discuss the ground rules and procedures agreed upon by the group. In the performing stage there will be discussion of how the work is getting done and the manner in which process issues or items that may impact the process (like conflicts) are addressed so the work of the group moves forward.

160. Marta has just been appointed a project team leader for the first time. She is interested in understanding key characteristics that could impact the success of her team. You are her supervisor and she is coming to see you tomorrow for advice. What are some of the key elements you will mention to her and what impact do they have upon a team?

One item you could mention is the notion of building cohesion in the team. Cohesive groups have a common identity, and members want to be part of the group. Help Marta understand how to build that notion in the team members.

Share with Marta that similarity, stability, size, support and satisfaction are all issues connected to cohesion. Discuss with her how groups that are similar in terms of gender, age, background, skills, attitudes and beliefs are more cohesive, but warn her of going too far that the group becomes involved in a groupthink situation. Stable groups are more cohesive. Small groups are easier for building cohesion.

161. One of the biggest complaints about college courses is often the requirement to work in groups. Many students are uncomfortable with group work because some of their colleagues do not fully participate in the assignments leaving individual members with extra work to do. What are some actions you can take the next time you are assigned to a group that will help prevent such social loafing in your group?

Carefully choose the number of people you work with if that number is not assigned by the instructor of the course. Obviously, the larger the group, the easier it is for a student to “hide.”

During the initial meetings, make certain that all members are aware of their roles and publicly acknowledge those roles. Be specific about the tasks assigned and make sure to assign them to individuals. Specificity provides for greater accountability.

Have a way to evaluate each person’s contribution to the group. Many courses create group feedback forms so individuals are aware of the expectations they must fulfill as well as the evaluation provided for completion of such.

Build a cohesive group. Recognize that mutual goals bond people. Work on building that shared experience.

Assign tasks that are engaging and rewarding.

Make sure everyone feels needed.

With these tips in mind, social loafing should be minimized in the group.

162. As part of a Fundamentals of Business Communication course, students are placed in four-person teams to engage in various team activities throughout the course. The first exercise the groups are required to complete is the development of a team contract. Discuss what some key elements of that team contract should be, given that work produced by the team will be evaluated and will impact the individual grade achieved by a student.

Some categories to include are:

Team goal: A mutually shared goal is paramount to building cohesion.

Team roles: Who is responsible for what in the team? When assigning roles, first ensure that the team covers all three key categories of roles (boundary spanning, task and social).

Team decisions: How are decisions made in the team?

Team communication: Who will be the individual to inform all group members of meetings or cancellations? What medium will be used to communicate?  

Team performance: What criteria will you use to evaluate your team members?  What is good performance of a team?

163. A second assignment for the Fundamentals of Business Communication is to be the leader of a team meeting held for a project. Offer some advice to a student taking the Fundamentals class on how to make his meeting the most effective possible.

The very first step is to ascertain whether a meeting actually needs to be held. While in the scenario above it will take place because a grade is awarded for the meeting project, in the workplace, sometimes meetings simply do not need to be held. If one is needed, before the meeting, make sure everyone has an agenda. And don’t forget to remind people of the meeting.

During the meeting make sure the meeting opens on time and that the meeting agenda is followed. If there is a time limit indicated for each agenda item, honor it. Make sure you get equitable participation from all group members. Summarize the meeting with specific action items. End the meeting on time.

After the meeting, follow up on action items. Send minutes of the meeting in a timely manner.