Common observations and misperceptions of teams
- Teams are not always the answer
- Managers fault the wrong cause for team failure
- Managers fail to recognize their team building responsibilities
- Experimenting with failures lead to better teams
- Conflict among team members is not always a bad thing
- Strong leadership is not always necessary for strong teams
- Good teams can fail under the wrong circumstances
- Retreats will not fix all the conflicts between team members
5 defining characteristics of a team
- Teams exist to achieve a shared goal
- Team members are interdependent regarding some common goal
- Teams are bounded and stable over time
- Team members have the authority to manage their own work and internal processes
- Teams operate in a social system context
Most frustrating aspects of team work
Developing and sustaining high motivation, followed by minimizing confusion and coordination problems
Essential conditions for successful team performance
- Possess the relevant expertise to perform the task
- Be engaged and motivated to perform the task
- Execute the task by coordinating with other team members
Suggestions for enhancing successful team performance
Increase identifiability Promote involvement Reward team members for performance Strengthen team cohesion Increase personal responsibility Use team charters Provide team performance reviews and feedback Maintain the right staffing levels
Performance criteria for evaluating team effectiveness
Productivity (does the team have a goal?)
Cohesion (does the team enjoy working together?)
Learning(do individuals grow and develop as a result of the team exp)
Integration ( how does the team benefit the larger organization)
3 key factors the form the internal dynamics
- The task (goal)
- The people (roles)
- The processes
Why large groups are less effective than small ones
Less cohesion
Less satisfied w/ team membership
Less participation
Groups form within the team
Tactical team
Executes a well defined plan -direct -task focused -clear roles -well defined operation -accurate Ex: surgery teams , SA spurs , navy seals
Ways leaders can help build cohesion
Help the team build an identity Make it easy for the team to be close together Focus on similarities among team members Put a positive spin on team performance Challenge the team
Behavior differences between cohesive and non cohesive teams
Cohesive teams…
- Sit together
- Show natural signs of affection
- Display coordinated signs of behavior
- More likely to give credit to their partner
Trust and respect measured in teams
I trust my teammates
I have little faith that my teammates will consider my needs when making decisions
I believe my teammates are truthful and honest
Possible biases and error in the team communication system
- Sender may fail to send a message
- The message maybe sent but it is inaccurate or distorted
- Accurate message is sent but it is distorted or not received by the recipient
Effective practices to avoid communication information effect
Nonoverlapping case- each partner has unique information about each candidate
Distributed, partial overlap- each partner not only knows something bout each candidate that others also know but also know some unique information
Fully shared case- each partner knows full information about each candidate
Impact of hidden profile
- Gain a complete picture of the qualifications of each candidate
- Info known to only one or a few members will be omitted
- More likely not only to mention info if it was known to all before discussion but also to bring it up repeatedly and dwell on it
- The decision will often reflect the common knowledge shared by members before discussion rather than the diverse knowledge emanating from their unique perspectives and experiences
