Group Development and Teams

These flashcards cover key concepts related to group development and team dynamics, focusing on Tuckman's stages, team roles, and conflict resolution techniques.

Tuckman stages

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning.

Forming stage signals

Unclear roles and purpose. Leader clarifies goals, sets expectations, and creates initial norms.

Storming stage signals

Conflict around task and power. Leader uses structure, norms, and quick wins to channel conflict into the task.

Norming stage signals

Growing cohesion and agreed norms. Reinforce high performance norms and role clarity.

Performing stage signals

High interdependence and task focus. Team self corrects and produces consistent results.

Adjourning focus

Project wrap up, knowledge capture, and recognition of contributions.

Role

A set of expected behavior patterns tied to a position in a social unit.

Formal group definition

A group that is defined by the organization structure.

Social loafing

Reduced individual effort in groups. Prevent with clear individual accountability and peer feedback.

Cohesiveness definition

The degree to which members are attracted to each other and motivated to stay in the group.

Raise cohesiveness

Smaller teams, more time together, clear shared goals, selective entry, physical isolation when needed.

Cohesion and performance

Best results when cohesion is high and performance goals are accepted. If norms are poor, high cohesion can hurt results.

Group decision advantage

More complete information and greater diversity of views. Use guardrails to avoid groupthink.

Work group vs work team

Work group shares information for individual output. Work team creates positive synergy for collective performance.

Problem solving team

Members meet to improve quality and processes. Often from the same unit.

Self managed team

Members share supervisory tasks and decision rights.

Cross functional team

Same level from different functions who work on a task together.

Virtual team

Members are distributed across time and place. Use rich media like video to increase participation.

Team composition must include

Interpersonal and problem solving skills plus the technical expertise required for the work.

Team rewards for durability

Reward both individual and team contributions to support long term effectiveness.

Conflict technique: superordinate goals

Create a shared goal that requires cooperation to reduce conflict.

Conflict technique: authoritative command

Leader uses formal authority to decide and end a dispute quickly.

Maximize participation globally

Use video conference rather than only text to add social context and engagement.

How to prevent groupthink quickly

Set decision criteria early, assign a devil advocate, and capture ideas anonymously before debate.

Positive synergy

Coordinated effort where total performance exceeds the sum of individual efforts.