Chapter 12 Organizational Behavior

Taskwork Processes

The activities of team members that relate directly to the accomplishment of team tasks

Task coordinator activities

Syncing schedules with other departments

Scout activities

Researching new tools or market trends to inform work

What is the best known activity to foster creative behavior?

Brainstorming

Social Loafing

Members to exert less effort when working on team tasks than they would if they worked alone on those same tasks

Taskwork processes is comprised of what?

Creative Behavior, Decision Making, and Boundary Spanning

Components of a brainstorming session

1. Express all ideas that come to mind

2. Go for quantity over quality

3. Don’t criticize or evaluate the ideas of others

4. Build on the ideas of others

Team Process

The different types of communication, activities, and interactions that occur within teams that contribute to their ultimate end goals

Process Gain

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

Coordination Loss

Process loss due to the time and energy it takes to coordinate work activities with other team members

Production Blocking

A form of coordination loss resulting from team members having to wait on each other before completing their own part of the team task

Motivational Loss

The loss in team productivity that occurs when team members don’t work as hard as they could

Creative Behavior

Activities that are focused on generating novel and useful ideas and solutions

Decision Making

Involves multiple members gathering and considering information that is relevant to their area of specialization and then making recommendations to a team leader

Decision Informity

Reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities

Staff Validity

Refers to the degree to which members make good recommendations to the team leader

Hierarchical Sensitivity

Reflects the degree to which the leader effectively weighs the recommendations of the members

Boundary Spanning

Interactions among team members and individuals and groups who are not part of the team

Ambassador Activities

Communications that are intended to protect the team, persuade others to support the team, or obtain important resources for the team

Task Coordinator Activities

Communications that are intended to coordinate task-related issues with people or groups in other functional areas.

Teamwork processes

The interpersonal activities that facilitate the accomplishment of the team’s work but do not directly involve task accomplishment itself.

Transition Processes

Teamwork activities that focus on preparation for future work

Mission Analysis

An analysis of the team’s task, the challenges that face the team, and the resources available for completing the team’s work

Strategy Formulation

The development of courses of action and contingency plans and then adapting those plans in light of changes in the team’s environment

Goal Specification

The development and prioritization of goals related to the team’s mission and strategy.

Action Processes

Important as the taskwork is being accomplished.

Coordination

Refers to synchronizing team members’ activities in a way that makes them mesh effectively and seamlessly.

Affect Management

Refers to activities that foster a sense of emotional balance and unity

Conflict Management

Involves the activities that the team uses to manage conflicts that arise in the course of its work

Relationship Conflict

Disagreements among team members in terms of interpersonal relationships or incompatibilities with respect to personal values or preferences.

Task Conflict

Disagreements among members about the team’s task.

Communication

The process by which information and meaning gets transferred from a sender to a receiver

Information Richness

The amount and depth of information that gets transmitted in a message. Face to Face is the richest

Network Structure

The pattern of communication that occurs regularly among each member of the team

Team States

Specific types of feelings and thoughts that coalesce in the minds of team members as a consequence of their experience working together

Cohesion

The emotional attachment that team members have to each other and to the team itself

Groupthink

When members of highly cohesive teams develop strong emotional bonds to other members of the team and may strive toward consensus without offering, seeking, or seriously considering alternative viewpoints

Potency

Refers to the degree to which members believe that the team can be effective across a variety of situations and tasks

Mental Models

Refers to the level of common understanding among team members with regard to important aspects of the team and its task

Transactive Memory

Refers to how specialized knowledge is distributed among members in a manner that results in an effective system of memory for the team

Transportable Teamwork Competencies

Team training that involves helping team members develop general competencies related to teamwork activities

Cross Training

Involves training team members in the duties and responsibilities of their teammates

Personal Clarification

Members receive information regarding the roles of the other team members

Positional Modeling

Involves team members observing how other members perform their roles

Positional Rotation

Gives members actual experience carrying out the responsibilities of their teammates

Action Learning

Occurs when a team is given a real problem that’s relevant to the organization and then held accountable for analyzing the problem, developing an action plan, and carrying out the action plan

Team Building

Conducted by a consultant and intended to facilitate the development of team processes related to goal setting, interpersonal relations, problem solving, and role clarification

Teamwork processes has a…

Moderate positive impact on team performance and a strong positive impact on team commitment