BUS250 Chapter 10 - Managing Teams

work team

a small number of people with complementary skills who are mutually accountable for pursuing a common purpose, achieving performance goals, and improving interdependent work processes

cross-training

training team members to do all or most of the jobs performed by the other team members

social loafing

behavior in which team members withhold their efforts and fail to perform their share of the work

groupthink

when members feel the pressure not to disagree with each other

minority domination

when one or two people dominate team discussions

traditional work group

a group composed of two or more people who work together to achieve a goal

employee involvement team

a team that provides advice or makes suggestions to management concerning specific issues

semiautonomous work group

a group that has the authority to make decisions and solve problems related to the major tasks of producing a product or service

self-managing team

a team that manages and controls all of the major tasks of producing a product or service

cross-functional team

a team composed of employees from different functional areas of the organization; often used in conjunction with matrix and product organizational structures

virtual team

a team composed of geographically and/or organizationally dispersed coworkers who use telecommunication and information technologies to accomplish an organizational task; highly flexible and often temporary

project team

a team created to complete specific, one-time projects or tasks within a limited time

norms

informally agreed-on standards that regulate team behavior

cohesiveness

the extent to which team members are attracted to a team and motivated to remain in it

forming

the first stage of team development, in which team members meet each other, form initial impressions, and begin to establish team norms

storming

the second stage of development, characterized by conflict and disagreement, in which team members disagree over what the team should do and how it should do it

norming

the third stage of team development, in which team members begin to settle into their roles, group cohesion grows, and positive team norms develop

performing

the fourth and final stage of team development, in which performance improves because the team has matured into an effective, fully functioning team

de-norming

a reversal of the norming stage, in which team performance begins to decline as the size, scope, goal, or members of the team change

de-storming

a reversal of the storming phase, in which the team’s comfort level decreases, team cohesion weakens, and angry emotions and conflict may flare

de-forming

a reversal of the forming stage, in which team members position themselves to control pieces of the team, avoid each other, and isolate themselves from team leaders

stretch goals

goals that increase motivation and encourage innovation; for them to be effective, a high degree of autonomy, control of resources through empowerment, structural accommodation, and bureaucratic immunity must exist

structureal accommodation

the ability to change organizational structures, policies, and practices in order to meet stretch goals

bureaucratic immunity

the ability to make changes without first getting approval from managers or other parts of an organization

individualism-collectivism

the degree to which a person believes that people should be self-sufficient and that loyalty to oneself is more important than loyalty to team or company

team level

the average level of ability, experience, personality, or any other factor on a team; used to guide selection of teammates when teams need a particular set of skills or capabilities

team diversity

the variances or differences in ability, experience, personality, or any other factor on a team

interpersonal skills

skills, such as listening, communicating, questioning, and providing feedback, that enable people to have effective working relationships with others

skill-based pay

a compensation system that pays employees for learning additional skills or knowledge; most effective for self-managed or self-directed teams, complex tasks

gainsharing

a compensation system in which companies share the financial value of performance gains, such as increased productivity, cost savings, or quality, with their workers