Chapter 13 Groups & Teams MGMT

Final Exam Chapter

What is the definition of a group?

Two or more freely interacting individuals who share norms, share goals, and have a common identity.

What is a formal group?

A group defined by the organization’s structure.

What is an informal group?

A group that is neither formally structured nor organizationally determined.

What is the definition of a team?

A group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

What are work teams?

Permanent teams with a clear purpose that all members share, requiring full commitment to the team’s purpose.

What are project teams?

Teams assembled to solve a particular problem or complete a specific task.

What are cross-functional teams?

Teams that include members from different areas within an organization, such as finance, operations, and sales.

What are self-managed teams?

Groups of workers who are given administrative oversight for their task domains.

What are virtual teams?

Teams that work together over time and distance via electronic media to achieve common goals.

What is the purpose difference between teams and groups?

Teams focus on achieving a mutual goal; groups have varied purposes.

What is the size difference between teams and groups?

Teams are relatively small; groups vary in size.

What is the nature difference between teams and groups?

Teams rely on collaborative action; groups focus on influencing members.

How do rewards differ between teams and groups?

Teams receive rewards based on team performance; group rewards are unclear.

How do skills differ between teams and groups?

Teams have complementary skills; groups have random and varied skills.

How does synergy differ between teams and groups?

Teams have positive synergy; groups have neutral synergy.

How does teamwork increase productivity?

Example: A GE factory using teamwork was 20% more productive than comparable GE workforces.

How does teamwork increase speed?

Guidant Corp. cut product-to-market time in half.

How does teamwork reduce costs?

Boeing developed the 777 at far lower costs using teamwork.

How does teamwork improve quality?

Westinghouse improved quality in its truck, trailer, and electronic components divisions.

How does teamwork reduce destructive internal competition?

Men’s Warehouse fired a salesman who hoarded customers; total sales increased.

How does teamwork improve workplace cohesiveness?

Cisco tied 30% of bonuses to teamwork and achieved record profits in 3 years.

What happens in the forming stage?

Members ask, “How do I fit in?” and “Why are we here?”

What happens in the storming stage?

Individual personalities, roles, and conflicts emerge.

What happens in the norming stage?

Members begin to cooperate and agree on roles and work.

What happens in the performing stage?

Members focus on solving problems and completing tasks.

What happens in the adjourning stage?

Members ask, “What’s next?” and help each other transition out.

What is punctuated equilibrium in teams?

Teams experience periods of inertia, then a burst of activity at the midpoint, followed by another period of inertia.

What are the essential considerations for building an effective team?

Collaboration, trust, performance goals & feedback, composition, roles, norms, and effective team processes.

What is collaboration?

Sharing information and coordinating efforts to achieve a collective outcome.

What is trust?

Reciprocal faith in others’ intentions and behaviors.

What is team composition?

The collection of jobs, personalities, values, knowledge, experience, and skills of team members.

What is a role?

A socially determined expectation of how an individual should behave in a specific position.

What are task roles?

Roles focused on getting the team’s tasks done (initiator, information seeker, opinion giver, elaborator, coordinator, evaluator, recorder).

What are maintenance roles?

Roles that foster constructive relationships (encourager, harmonizer, compromiser, standard setter, follower).

What are norms?

General guidelines or rules of behavior that most group or team members follow.

Why are norms followed?

A:
• To help the group survive
• To clarify role expectations
• To help individuals avoid embarrassment
• To emphasize group importance and identity

What is conflict?

A process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.

What is functional conflict?

Conflict that benefits the organization’s purposes and serves its interests.

What is dysfunctional conflict?

Conflict that hinders organizational performance or threatens its interests.

What are personality conflicts?

Interpersonal opposition based on personal dislike, disagreement, or differing styles. Includes personality clashes, competition for scarce resources, time pressure, and communication failures.

What are intergroup conflicts?

Conflicts caused by inconsistent goals, ambiguous jurisdictions, and status differences (“we vs. them”).

What are multicultural conflicts?

Conflicts arising from clashes between cultures in the global economy.

What five behaviors help people handle conflict better?

A: • Openness • Equality • Empathy • Supportiveness • Positiveness