Organizational Behavior Exam 2!!

Team

A special type of group in which members work interdependently over some period of time to accomplish a common goal

What percent of workers are members of a team and why does this number increase every year?

About half of workers are part of a work team, and that number increases every year because:

They boost intrinsic motivation, satisfaction, commitment (EX). Rudy)

They solve more complex problems (EX). even Shohei Ohtani can’t be an outfielder AND pitch at the same time)

They improve quality while reducing cost (EX). solo craftsman versus assembly line making Ferraris)

Why join a group?

-Safety

-Social Aspect

-Shared Interest

-Status

-Power

Task Interdependence

the degree to which team members interact with and rely on other team members for the information, materials, and resources needed to accomplish work for the team

Pooled Interdependence 

Lowest degree of required coordination in which members complete their work assignments independently (EX). each person writes one page, then staple the five pages together at the deadline)

Sequential Interdependence

Different tasks are done in a prescribed order and each member has a specialized task (EX). classic assembly line)

Reciprocal Interdependence

Each member has a specialized task but there is no clear sequence of activities (EX). custom homebuilder team has many interactions with each other - architect, salesperson, customer, and engineer constantly interacting)

Comprehensive Interdependence

The highest level of interaction and coordination among team members, involving the most member discretion about what they do and who they work with, and typically with highly diverse backgrounds and training (EX). IDEO product design teams, creative teams, research teams, NFL teams)

Goal Interdependence

When team members have a shared vision of the team’s goal and align their individual goals with that vision as a result (EX). everyone on the boat paddles in the same direction)

Outcome Interdependence

When team members share in the rewards that the team earns (EX). team pay increases, team bonuses). Higher outcome interdependence usually leads to more information sharing, learning and ultimately better team performance

Work Teams

Relatively permanent teams that provide goods or services, requiring a full-time commitment from their members (EX). assembly line work team)

Management Teams 

Relatively permanent teams that are responsible for coordinating the activities of organizational sub-units, such as departments or functional areas, in order to help the organization achieve long-term goals (EX). board of directors)

Parallel Teams

Typically temporary or part-time members from various jobs who meet non-routinely to solve organizational problems that crop up (EX). purchase new copy machine team).

Project Teams

Teams formed to take on “one-time” complex tasks that require a lot of input from members with different types of training and expertise (EX). new building planning team, electric toothbrush creation team)

Action Teams

Teams formed to take on “one-time” complex tasks that require a lot of input from members with different types of training and expertise (EX). new building planning team, electric toothbrush creation team)

Virtual Teams

Teams in which members are geographically dispersed and interdependent activity occurs primarily through electronic communication. There’s been 800 percent increase in virtual workers in the last decade, and 40% of IBM workers are virtual.

Multiple team Membership

Most knowledge workers are members of three to four teams, and they do not equally identify with, exert the same effort toward, nor commit the same level to each of their teams.

Team Development

Teams go through a progression as the members gain experience working together

Forming

Members orient themselves to team boundaries 

Storming

Conflict occurs because members remain committed they bring with them to the team

Norming

Members realize they need to work together and begin to cooperate

Performing

Members are comfortable in their roles, and the team makes progress towards goals

Adjourning

Members experience anxiety and other emotions as they disengage and separate from the team

Punctuated Equilibrium

The team development process marked by a major change to team processes at the midpoint of the the team project, marked by the realization that the team approach must dramatically change to complete the project on time (EX). a student team realizing they need to stop brainstorming and start doing the work right after midterms).

What type of task interdependence does your project team for this class exhibit?

Comprehensive Interdependence 

Team Composition

The mix of people who make up a team

Member Personality

Teams generally perform best if they have:

• At least one member who is extraverted, to start the conversation, or send the first text

• They have several highly agreeable members (although beware of groupthink!)

• None with extremely low conscientiousness (people retaliate with counterproductive work behaviors against the non-conscientious member)

Disjunctive Tasks

Tasks in which team performance is determined by the member with highest task-relevant ability (EX). team trivia games where “smartest” member dominates). Display of Strength

Conjunctive Tasks

Tasks in which team performance is determined by the member with the least task-relevant ability (EX). formula one pit stops where the slowest member matters most). CONstrained by the weakest link.

Additive Tasks

Tasks in which contributions from all members add up to determine team performance (e.g. girl scout troop cookie sales). ADD up everyone’s effort.

Individualistic Roles

Behaviors that benefit individuals at the expense of the team

Aggressor

puts down or deflates fellow teammates

Recognition Seeker

takes credit for team success

Dominator

manipulates team members to acquire control and power ( we often wrongly think this is good)

Member Roles 

The pattern of behavior that a person is expected to display in a given context

Team Task Roles

Behaviors that directly facilitate the accomplishment of team tasks

Orienter

Establishes direction for the team

Devils Advocate

Offers challenges to the teams status quo; typically reducing groupthink (we often wrongly think this is bad)

Energizer

motivates team members to work harder toward team goals

Team-Building Roles

Behaviors that influence the quality of the team’s social climate. Simply having one team member going the extra mile inspires greater participation from other team members

Encourager

Praise the work of teammates

Harmonizer

helps resolve interpersonal difference between teammates

Compromiser

helps teammates see alternatives acceptable solutions

Process Gain

 Synonym for “team synergy” and involves teams being “more than the sum of their parts” and getting more from the team than you would expect according to the capabilities of its individual members

Process Loss

Getting less from the team than you would expect based on the capabilities of its individual members (EX). team of all-stars who don’t pass each other the ball and lose most games)

Groupthink 

the drive toward conformity and harmony at the expense of other team priorities such as considering other viewpoints and perspectives 

Fixed interval schedule 

Reinforcement is given after a set amount of time has passed; the interval does not change (EX)., clock based, employees receiving a paycheck every two weeks)

Variable Interval Schedule

Reinforcement is given at unpredictable or varying time intervals (EX)., clock based, a boss/pledgemaster stopping by at random times during the day to encourage good work)

Fixed Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement occurs after a set number of behaviors are performed (EX)., behavior based, a worker being paid for every 10 items they produce)

Variable Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement occurs after a set number of behaviors are performed (EX)., behavior based, a worker being paid for every 10 items they produce)

Continuous Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement occurs after a varying number of behaviors are performed, making it unpredictable but highly effective (e.g., behavior based, a salesperson earning commission, but only on actual sales)

Continuous Reinforcement

Providing a consequence every time the behavior is performed; “highest level of learning/performance but is impractical” (EX)., behavior based, flagging an employee every single time they make a mistake)

Ground-Up Learning

When people observe the behavior of others, recognize the consequences, and alter their own behavior as a result

Cohesion

Strong emotional bonds to other members of the team and the team itself, which can foster high levels of motivation and commitment to the team. Often involves socializing.

Social Learning Theory

Employees have the ability to learn through observation of others

Behavioral Modeling

Employees observing others, learning from these observations, and then repeating the observed behavior 

Attentional Processes

Learner focuses attention on the critical behaviors exhibited by the model (e.g. workers notice bosses admitting mistakes)

Retention Processes

Learner must remember the behaviors of the model once the model is no longer present (e.g. workers remember how to admit mistakes)

Production Processes

Learner must have the appropriate skill set and be able to reproduce the behavior (e.g. workers have skills to admit mistakes)

Reinforcement

Learner must view the model receiving reinforcement for the behavior and then receive it themself (e.g. worker gets rewarded or punished for admitting mistake)

Process Loss

Getting less from the team than you would expect based on the capabilities of its individual members (EX). team of all-stars who don’t pass each other the ball and lose most games).

Autocratic Style

Leader makes the decision alone without asking for the opinions or suggestions of the employees in the work unit (least follower control )

Consultative Style

Leader presents the problem to individual employees or a group of employees, asking for their opinions and suggestions before ultimately making the decision themselves.

Facilitative Style

Leader presents the problem to a group of employees and seeks consensus on a solution, making sure that the leader’s own opinion receives no more weight than anyone else’s.

Delegative Style

Leader gives an individual employee or a group of employees the responsibility for making the decision within some set of specified boundary conditions (most follower control)

(Transactional lLeadership Types)

Passive Management by exception

the leader waits around for mistakes and errors, then takes corrective action as necessary

Active Management by exception

the leader arranges to monitor mistakes and errors actively and again takes corrective action when required

Contingent Reward

a more active and effective brand of transactional leadership  in which the leader attains follower agreement on what needs to be done using promised or actual rewards in exchange for adequate performance

Scope Insensitivity Bias

is the inability to grasp the difference in magnitude between small and large numbers

ex). The difference between a trillion dollars and a billion dollars is basically a trillion dollars

Confirmation Bias

tendency to seek out, interpret, and remember information in ways that confirm one’s preexisting beliefs or expectations, while ignoring or discounting contradictory evidence

Decoy Bias

When people’s preferences between two options change when a third, less attractive (“decoy”) option is introduced