Comprehensive Study Guide on Team Dynamics, Leadership, and Decision Making

Classification and Attributes of Teams

• Team Defined ($p.\,352$): A group of people organized to work together to achieve specific goals.

• General Types of Teams ($Table\,11-1$):

  • Work Team ($p.\,353$): Focuses on the production of goods or providing services. They typically have a long life span and require high member involvement. Examples include self-managed work teams, production teams, maintenance teams, and sales teams.

  • Management Team ($p.\,353$): Responsible for integrating the activities of subunits across various business functions. They have a long life span with moderate member involvement. An example is the Top Management Team.

  • Parallel Team ($p.\,354$): Provides recommendations and resolves specific issues. Their life span varies, and they typically require low member involvement. Examples include quality circles, advisory councils, and committees.

  • Project Team ($p.\,355$): Produces a one-time output such as a product, service, plan, or design. Both life span and involvement vary. Examples include product design teams, research groups, and planning teams.

  • Action Team ($p.\,355$): Performs complex tasks that vary in duration and occur under highly visible or challenging circumstances. Both life span and involvement vary. Examples include surgical teams, musical groups, expedition teams, and sports teams.

• Team Characteristics and Membership:

  • Multiple Team Membership ($p.\,355$): The condition where individuals are members of more than one team simultaneously.

  • Virtual Team ($p.\,357$): Teams that work across time, space, and organizational boundaries using technology.

  • Stages of Team Development:

    1. Forming ($p.\,358$): Members orient themselves to the team.

    2. Storming ($p.\,358$): Conflict occurs as members compete for roles.

    3. Norming ($p.\,358$): Cooperation begins as norms/expectations develop.

    4. Performing ($p.\,358$): The team makes progress toward goals.

    5. Adjourning ($p.\,358$): Members experience anxiety and emotionality as the team disbands.

  • Punctuated Equilibrium ($p.\,359$): A model of development where teams settle into a pattern of behavior but then experience a sudden change in approach midway through the project to meet deadlines.

Team Interdependence and Composition

• Levels of Interdependence:

  • Task Interdependence ($p.\,359$): The degree to which team members interact with and rely on other team members for information, materials, and resources needed to accomplish work for the team.

    • Pooled Interdependence ($p.\,359$): Members work independently and combine work for the final output.

    • Sequential Interdependence ($p.\,359$): Tasks are done in a specific order; one member must finish before the next can begin.

    • Reciprocal Interdependence ($p.\,361$): Members are specialized but must interact back and forth to complete tasks.

    • Comprehensive Interdependence ($p.\,362$): Members have high levels of discretion in who they work with and how tasks are coordinated.

  • Goal Interdependence ($p.\,362$): Members share a vision of the team's objectives and align individual goals with that vision.

  • Outcome Interdependence ($p.\,363$): Members share in the rewards the team earns (e.g., pay, bonuses, feedback).

  • Hybrid Outcome Interdependence ($p.\,374$): A mix where members receive rewards based on both team performance and individual performance.

• Team Composition ($p.\,364$): The mix of people who make up the team.

  • Member Roles ($p.\,364$):

    • Leader-staff Teams ($p.\,365$): The leader makes decisions and provides direction while the staff performs the tasks.

    • Team Task Roles ($p.\,365$): Behaviors that directly facilitate task accomplishment.

    • Team-building Roles ($p.\,366$): Behaviors intended to influence the quality of the team's social climate.

    • Individualistic Roles ($p.\,366$): Behaviors that benefit the individual at the expense of the team.

  • Member Ability:

    • Disjunctive Tasks ($p.\,366$): Performance depends on the member with the highest level of relevant ability.

    • Conjunctive Tasks ($p.\,366$): Performance depends on the "weakest link" (the member with the lowest ability).

    • Additive Tasks ($p.\,367$): Performance is the sum of all members' abilities.

  • Team Diversity ($p.\,368$):

    • Value in Diversity Problem-solving Approach ($p.\,368$): Diversity provides a larger pool of knowledge and perspectives.

    • Similarity-attraction Approach ($p.\,368$): People are attracted to others who are similar, potentially leading to communication issues.

    • Surface-level Diversity ($p.\,368$): Observable attributes (age, race, gender). Effects diminish over time as members get to know each other.

    • Deep-level Diversity ($p.\,370$): Less observable attributes (values, personality). Effects increase over time.

    • Inclusion ($p.\,370$): The degree to which members feel valued and accepted.

• Relationships with Performance and Commitment:

  • Task interdependence has a moderate positive relationship with team performance.

  • Task interdependence has a weak relationship with team commitment.

  • Team Viability ($p.\,372$): The likelihood that a team can work together effectively into the future.

Team Processes and Communication

• Team Process ($p.\,392$): Reflects the different types of communication, activities, and interactions that occur within teams that contribute to their ultimate end goals.

  • Process Gain ($p.\,392$): Getting more from the team than you would expect based on individual capabilities (synergy).

  • Process Loss ($p.\,392$): Getting less from the team than you would expect.

    • Coordination Loss ($p.\,392$): Time spent coordinating instead of working.

    • Production Blocking ($p.\,392$): Waiting on others before a task can be finished.

    • Motivational Loss ($p.\,393$): Members don't work as hard as they could.

    • Social Loafing ($p.\,393$): Exerting less effort when in a group than when working alone.

• Taskwork Processes ($p.\,393$): Activities relating directly to task accomplishment.

  • Creative Behavior: Includes Brainstorming ($p.\,395$) and the Nominal Group Technique ($p.\,395$) which helps decrease social loafing and production blocking.

  • Decision Making: Factors include Decision Informity ($p.\,397$) (members possessing adequate info), Staff Validity ($p.\,397$) (members making good recommendations), and Hierarchical Sensitivity ($p.\,397$) (leader weighing member recommendations appropriately).

  • Boundary Spanning ($p.\,397$):

    • Ambassador Activities ($p.\,397$): Protecting the team, persuading others, and obtaining resources.

    • Task Coordinator Activities ($p.\,397$): Coordinating task-related issues with people in other functional areas.

    • Scout Activities ($p.\,397$): Obtaining information about technology, competitors, or the broader marketplace.

• Teamwork Processes ($p.\,398$): Interpersonal activities that facilitate task accomplishment.

  • Transition Processes ($p.\,398$): Focus on preparation (strategy, mission analysis).

  • Action Processes ($p.\,399$): Occur while the task is being performed (monitoring progress, coordination).

  • Interpersonal Processes ($p.\,399$): Managing relationships (conflict management, motivation building).

    • Relationship Conflict ($p.\,401$): Based on personal incompatibilities (detrimental).

    • Task Conflict ($p.\,401$): Based on disagreements regarding the work/tasks (can be beneficial in small doses).

• Communication ($p.\,402$): The process by which work is accomplished. Effectiveness is moderated by Information Richness ($p.\,403$) (the amount/depth of info transmitted) and Network Structure ($p.\,404$).

• Team States ($p.\,405$): Thoughts/feelings of team members.

  • Cohesion ($p.\,405$): Emotional bond between members. Can lead to Groupthink ($p.\,406$) if members prioritize consensus over critical thinking.

  • Potency ($p.\,406$): Degree to which members believe the team can be effective across tasks.

  • Mental Models ($p.\,406$): Level of common understanding among members regarding the team and its task.

  • Transactive Memory ($p.\,406$): How specialized knowledge is distributed among members so that the team has an effective system of memory.

• Correlations: Teamwork processes have a moderate positive relationship with team performance and a strong positive relationship with team commitment.

• Training Interventions:

  • Transportable Teamwork Competencies ($p.\,410$): Skills that can be applied across different team contexts.

  • Cross-training ($p.\,411$): Learning the duties of other team members.

    • Personal Clarification ($p.\,411$): Receiving information about others' roles.

    • Positional Modeling ($p.\,412$): Observing others performing their roles.

    • Positional Rotation ($p.\,412$): Actually doing other members' jobs.

  • Team Process Training ($p.\,412$): Training in the context of a team experience (e.g., Action Learning ($p.\,412$)).

  • Team Building ($p.\,413$): Activities to improve interpersonal relations.

Leadership: Power, Influence, and Politics

• Leadership ($p.\,430$): The use of power and influence to direct followers' activities toward goal achievement.

• Power ($p.\,430$): The ability to influence the behavior of others and resist unwanted influence.

• Major Types of Power:

  • Organizational Power (p. 431): the capacity of individuals or groups to influence others and shape decision-making within a workplace

    • Legitimate Power ($p.\,431$): Based on formal authority or position.

    • Reward Power ($p.\,431$): Based on control over resources or benefits (e.g., raises, promotions).

    • Coercive Power ($p.\,431$): Based on control over punishments (e.g., firing, demotion).

  • Personal Power ($p.\,432$):

    • Expert Power ($p.\,432$): Based on specialized knowledge/expertise.

    • Referent Power ($p.\,433$): Based on attractiveness, charisma, or desire to be associated with the leader.

• Contingencies of Power: Power is most effective when there is low Substitutability ($p.\,434$), high Discretion ($p.\,434$) (freedom to make decisions), high Centrality ($p.\,434$) (leader's role is important), and high Visibility ($p.\,434$).

• Influence Tactics ($p.\,434$):

  • Most Effective: Rational persuasion ($p.\,434$), Inspirational appeal ($p.\,435$), Consultation ($p.\,435$), and Collaboration ($p.\,435$).

  • Moderately Effective: Ingratiation ($p.\,436$), Personal appeals ($p.\,436$), Apprising ($p.\,436$), and Exchange tactic ($p.\,437$).

  • Least Effective: Pressure ($p.\,437$) and Coalitions ($p.\,437$).

• Responses to Influence:

  • Internalization ($p.\,437$): Target agrees and is committed to the request.

  • Compliance ($p.\,437$): Target is willing to perform the request but with mixed feelings/no commitment.

  • Resistance ($p.\,438$): Target refuses the request.

• Organizational Politics ($p.\,438$): Actions directed toward the goal of furthering one's own self-interests. High Political Skill ($p.\,438$) involves effectively understanding others and influencing them for personal or organizational goals.

• Conflict Resolution Styles:

  1. Competing ($p.\,441$): High assertiveness, low cooperation (win-lose).

  2. Avoiding ($p.\,441$): Low assertiveness, low cooperation (lose-lose).

  3. Accommodating ($p.\,441$): Low assertiveness, high cooperation (lose-win).

  4. Collaboration ($p.\,441$): High assertiveness, high cooperation (win-win).

  5. Compromise ($p.\,441$): Moderate assertiveness, moderate cooperation.

• Negotiation ($p.\,443$):

  • Distributive Bargaining ($p.\,443$): Zero-sum game (one person gains at the other's expense).

  • Integrative Bargaining ($p.\,443$): Problem-solving/win-win approach.

  • Negotiation Steps: Preparation ($p.\,445$), Exchanging information ($p.\,445$), Bargaining ($p.\,445$), and Closing and commitment ($p.\,445$). Note: BATNA ($p.\,445$) stands for Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution ($p.\,450$): Resolving conflicts via neutral third parties like Mediation ($p.\,450$) or Arbitration ($p.\,450$).

• Correlations: Power and influence have moderate positive relationships with job performance and organizational commitment.

Leadership Styles and Behaviors

• Leader-Member Exchange Theory ($p.\,463$): Relationships between leaders and followers differ in quality. Includes Role Taking ($p.\,463$) and Role Making ($p.\,463$).

• Leader Effectiveness ($p.\,465$): Judged by profit, productivity, retention, and employee satisfaction.

• Leader Emergence ($p.\,465$): Predictors include extraversion, openness, and self-confidence.

• Decision-Making Styles:

  • Autocratic Style ($p.\,466$): Leader makes the decision alone.

  • Consultative Style ($p.\,467$): Leader asks for input but makes the final call.

  • Facilitative Style ($p.\,467$): Leader seeks consensus on a solution.

  • Delegative Style ($p.\,467$): Leader gives the responsibility for decision making to employees.

• Time-driven Model of Leadership ($p.\,469$): Suggests the choice of style depends on seven factors: decision significance, importance of commitment, leader expertise, likelihood of commitment, shared objectives, employee expertise, and teamwork skills.

• Daily Behaviors:

  • Initiating Structure ($p.\,471$): Task-oriented behaviors (initiation, organization, production).

  • Consideration ($p.\,472$): People-oriented behaviors (membership, integration, communication, recognition, representation).

• Life Cycle Theory of Leadership ($p.\,473$): The optimal combination of initiating structure and consideration depends on the Readiness ($p.\,473$) of the employees.

  • Telling ($p.\,474$): High structure, low consideration.

  • Selling ($p.\,474$): High structure, high consideration.

  • Participating ($p.\,474$): Low structure, high consideration.

  • Delegating ($p.\,475$): Low structure, low consideration.

• Transformational Leadership ($p.\,475$): Inspiring followers to commit to a shared vision. Includes the "Four I's":

  1. Idealized Influence ($p.\,477$): Earning trust and respect; being a role model.

  2. Inspirational Motivation ($p.\,479$): Fostering enthusiasm for the shared vision.

  3. Intellectual Stimulation ($p.\,479$): Challenging followers to be creative and innovative.

  4. Individualized Consideration ($p.\,479$): Helping followers achieve potential through coaching/mentoring.

• Laissez-faire Leadership ($p.\,477$): Hands-off approach; the absence of leadership.

• Transactional Leadership ($p.\,477$): Carrot-and-stick approach.

  • Passive Management-by-exception ($p.\,477$): Waiting for mistakes to happen before taking action.

  • Active Management-by-exception ($p.\,477$): Monitoring for mistakes and correcting them.

  • Contingent Reward ($p.\,477$): Using rewards to get performance.

• Substitutes for Leadership Model ($p.\,483$): Certain situations can replace or neutralize the leader's influence.

  • Substitutes ($p.\,483$): Factors that reduce the importance of the leader while providing a benefit (e.g., job satisfaction).

  • Neutralizers ($p.\,483$): Factors that hinder the leader's influence without replacing it.

• Correlations: Transformational leadership has a moderate positive relationship with job performance and a strong positive relationship with organizational commitment.

Learning and Decision Making

• Learning ($p.\,242$): A relatively permanent change in knowledge or skill resulting from experience.

• Decision Making ($p.\,242$): Generating and choosing from a set of alternatives to solve a problem.

• Expertise ($p.\,243$): The knowledge and skills that distinguish experts from novices.

• Types of Knowledge:

  • Explicit Knowledge ($p.\,243$): Easily communicated and available to everyone (e.g., manuals).

  • Tacit Knowledge ($p.\,243$): Learned only through experience; difficult to articulate.

• Contingencies of Reinforcement ($p.\,243$): How consequences affect behavior (Positive reinforcement, Negative reinforcement, Punishment, Extinction).

• Decision Types:

  • Programmed Decisions ($p.\,246$): Automatic decisions based on previous knowledge/experience.

  • Nonprogrammed Decisions ($p.\,246$): Made when a problem is new or complex; processed via the rational decision-making model.

• Barriers to Decision Making: Limited information, faulty perceptions (stereotypes, heuristics), faulty attributions, and escalation of commitment.

• Correlations: Learning has a moderate positive relationship with job performance and a weak positive relationship with organizational commitment.