Principles of Management Chapter 8 ( Day 1 Study Guide)

Why are teams important? (3 reasons)

Sustainable competitive advantage; creativity and innovation; happiness and success.

Group

Two or more members, with a clear leader, who perform independent jobs with individual accountability, evaluation, and rewards.

Team

A small number of members, with shared leadership, who perform interdependent jobs with individual AND group accountability, evaluation, and rewards.

Group managers vs. team leaders (leadership style)

Group managers are directive leaders; team leaders are empowering leaders.

Are all groups teams?

No. All teams are groups, but not all groups are teams.

Group–team continuum

Management-directed (a group) → Semiautonomous (in between) → Self-managed/self-directed (a team).

Which organizations tend to use management-directed groups?

Mechanistic organizations (e.g., McDonald's); organic organizations lean toward teams (e.g., Amazon's small customer-focused teams).

Group performance model

Group performance is a function of organizational context, group structure, group process, and group development stage.

Five components of group structure

Group type, size, composition, leadership, and objectives.

Formal groups

Departments and their subparts created by the organization as part of its formal structure; all employees have formal group membership.

Informal groups

Not created by the organization; members join voluntarily because of similar interests and develop social structures/network communities.

Functional (vertical) groups

Members perform jobs within one limited area, e.g., a work unit or department.

Cross-functional (horizontal) groups

Members come from different areas and possibly different levels; they help specialized departments understand and coordinate with each other.

Command groups

Consist of managers and the employees they supervise.

Task groups

Employees selected to work on a specific objective. Two types – task forces and standing committees.

Task force (ad hoc committee)

A temporary task group formed for a specific purpose.

Standing committee

A permanent task group that works on continuing organizational issues.

Global virtual teams

Members are physically located in different places but work together as a team using technology.

Ideal group size

About 5 to 9 members (some say 5, others 6, is ideal for participation and discussion). Groups are larger than teams.

Problems with groups that are too small vs. too large

Too small – limits ideas and creativity. Too large – slow, less innovative, not everyone participates, consensus slows down.

Group composition

The mix of members' skills and abilities. Include diverse individuals with complementary (not identical) skills.

Leadership & objectives – management implications

Ensure the group's size and composition fit the situation and that the group or team has clear objectives.

Group process (group dynamics)

The patterns of interactions that emerge as members perform their jobs.

Six components of group process

Roles, norms, cohesiveness, status, decision making, and conflict resolution.

Group task roles

Played by members who do and say things that directly aid in accomplishing the group's objectives.

Group maintenance roles

Played by members who do and say things to develop and sustain the group process through cooperative behavior.

Self-interest roles

Played by members who do and say selfish things that help themselves at the expense of other members or the group.

How roles affect group performance

Effective groups have members playing task and maintenance roles while minimizing self-interest roles. No task roles = job doesn't get done.

Management implications of roles

Be aware of members' roles, play a missing role yourself, make members aware of needed roles, and create win-win by balancing personal and organizational interests.