Key Concepts in Team Dynamics

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions related to team dynamics and group development.

Accommodation

An attempt to adjust our views to play down differences between parties.

Adjourning

The final stage when individuals either leave the team or have no reason to be in further contact with their teammates.

Affiliation

A person’s perceived connection to a group based on purpose, demographics, function, and other intangible dimensions.

Avoidance

An attempt to suppress a conflict and pretend it doesn’t exist.

Cohesiveness

The degree to which individuals in a working group exhibit loyalty and norm consistencies.

Collaboration

A joint effort by multiple parties to find a solution beneficial to everyone.

Competition

An attempt to gain victory through force, skill, or domination, in which one side wins and the other side loses.

Compromise

A situation in which each party concedes something of value.

Conflict

A clash between individuals or groups because of different opinions, thought processes, and perceptions.

Cross-functional team

A group of workers from different units with various areas of expertise to work on certain projects.

Dysfunctional conflict

Disputes and disagreements that negatively affect individuals and/or teams.

Formal group

A working group formed by an organization's management to achieve specific, agreed-upon strategies, plans, or outcomes.

Forming

The first stage of group development, where team members meet each other for the first time and get a feel for the type of team they have joined.

Functional conflict

Productive and healthy disputes between individuals or groups.

Group

Consists of three or more people who work independently to attain organizational goals.

Informal group

A group formed by people who decide to interact among themselves for social purposes.

Norming

The stage where team members have settled into their roles.

Norms

The expectations implicitly or explicitly defined by a group that results in a consistent set of behaviors or beliefs being established.

Performing

The stage at which the team is working at its optimal level.

Problem-solving team

A small group of workers who come together for a set amount of time to discuss and resolve specific issues.

Process conflict

The clash in viewpoints about how to carry out work.

Project team

A group of people assembled to solve problems and complete tasks.

Psychological safety

A shared belief held by team members as to whether it is safe to trust each other enough to take risks.

Punctuated equilibrium

A method of understanding organizational change by illustrating where change is relatively stable and where it becomes more volatile.

Relationship conflict

Personality conflicts between two or more individuals in the workplace.

Role

A behavioral and performance expectation that is consciously or unconsciously defined by a group.

Role ambiguity

The confusion that arises from an employee not understanding the role expectations.

Role structure

A prescribed set of behavioral and performance expectations for a position or job.

Self-managing team

A group of workers who manage their own daily duties under little to no supervision.

Socialization

The processes by which individuals attain the knowledge, skills, cultural distinctions, and values to adapt to a group’s norm.

Socioemotional roles

The behaviors that build and maintain relationships between team members.

Storming

The stage where team members start to push the boundaries established during the forming stage.

Task conflict

A clash between individuals about the direction, content, or goals of a work assignment.

Task roles

The behaviors necessary for getting the work done.

Team

A collection of people brought together to apply their individual skills to a common project or goal.

Value conflict

The clash between identities and values, such as differences in politics, religion, ethics, norms, and other deeply held beliefs.

Virtual team

A group of individuals who work together from different geographic locations and rely on communication technology to collaborate.

Working team

A formal, long-standing working group organized around specific tasks, processes, or roles.