D1. Team Dynamics & Groups

Team Dynamics

Refers to the behavioral, psychological, and social interactions within a group of people working towards a shared goal

Group Rewards

Membership must be rewarding for each individual in the group

Corresponding Effects

An event that affects one group should also affect all

Common Goal

An aim or purpose shared by members of a group

Formal & Informal

Two Types of Groups

Formal Group

Groups put together by an organization to perform certain tasks and handle specific responsibilities

Work Group

A formal interdependent collection of individuals who share responsibility for specific outcomes for their organization

Informal Groups

Groups that develop naturally, might include groups of workers who regularly get together after work to discuss their jobs

Teams

Consists of interdependent workers with complementary skills working toward a shared goal or outcome

Team Permanence

Refers to the stability and longevity of a team’s membership

Skill Diversity

Describes the range of different skills, knowledge, and expertise present within a team

Authority Dispersion

The distribution of decision-making power and control within a team

Identification

The degree to which individual members feel a sense of belonging and connection to the team

Power Differentiation

The extent to which there are clear distinctions in power and influence among team members

Social Distance

The perceived closeness or separation between team members

Departmental Teams, Self-Directed Teams, Task Force Teams, Production Teams, Management Teams, Advisory Teams, Skunkworks, Communities of Practice, & Virtual Teams

Types of Teams in an Organization

Departmental Teams

The most traditional and common teams, organized around specific functions or departments within an organization

Self-Directed Teams

Teams with a high degree of autonomy and are responsible for a complete work process or segment that delivers a product or service

Task Force (Project) Teams (Cross-Functional)

Temporary teams formed to address a specific, often complex, problem, project, or challenge

Production Teams

Teams that are responsible for the ongoing production of goods or services

Management Teams

Consist of individuals at various levels of management (who are responsible for the overall direction, strategy, and operations of the organization or a specific unit

Advisory Teams

A team composed of experts who provide guidance, recommendations, and specialized knowledge to decision-makers or other teams

Skunkworks

Often used to describe a small, typically independent, and often secretive team within a larger organization that is given a high degree of autonomy to work on innovative, often risky, projects

Communities of Practice

Groups of people who share a common concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis

Virtual Teams

Members are geographically dispersed and rely heavily on technology to communicate and coordinate

Process Losses

Teams have additional non-motivational costs and resources depending on the team development and maintenance, rather than performing the task

Brook’s Law

According to this law, adding more people to a project team when the project is already ongoing will make the project finish longer