Chapter 1: Teamwork - Video Notes (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Teamwork: Key Concepts

• Definition

  • Team: a group of individuals with complementary skills working together to achieve a certain goal.

  • Group: a collection of people working separately to meet/complete a common task.

• Team Characteristics

  • Sharing accountability

  • Working interdependently

  • Stability

  • Social interaction and sharing decision-making power

• Productivity/Quality Claims

  • Multiple organizations say teamwork increases productivity and decreases errors.

• Team Types

  • Manager-led: Manager is in charge of goals, task distribution, and overall team performance.

  • Self-managed: Autonomy on how tasks are completed.

  • Cross-functional teams: Members have different expertise and work across functional areas (e.g., Marketing, Accounting, Asset Management).

  • Virtual Team: Members may not work in the same location but collaborate from wherever to achieve the goal.

• Effective Teamwork

  • Interdependency

  • Trust

  • Encouragement

  • Enjoyment/fulfillment

  • Rotation of leadership

• Group Cohesiveness

  • Definition: The attraction people have to the group and their willingness to stay on the team.

  • Size effects: People tend to shy away from large teams; larger size can reduce cohesiveness.

  • Factors related to cohesiveness: similarity between teammates, perceived success, exclusiveness, competition.

  • Note: Cohesiveness contributes to the willingness to remain in or commit to the team.

• Group Cohesiveness vs Groupthink

  • Groupthink: Conforming to group pressure when making decisions, leading to a lack of critical perspective and not seeing alternative points of view.

Erosion of Team Performance

• Unwillingness to Cooperate

  • Entire team cannot commit to one goal.

• Lack of Managerial Support

  • Failure of the manager to delegate authority.

• Skills Needed by the Team

  • Technical skills: Abilities required to complete the task.

  • Problem-solving skills: Ability to analyze and resolve issues.

  • Interpersonal skills: Effective communication and collaboration.

• Team Roles

  • Task-facilitating leadership (a role focused on guiding tasks).

  • Relationship-building (non-leadership) (a role focused on fostering good interpersonal relations).

• Blocking (Negative Team Role)

  • Blocking refers to hindrance of progress and cohesiveness within the team.

• Implications

  • Without these elements (clear skills, supportive leadership, and constructive roles), team performance declines due to poor coordination and reduced trust.