CH5 - Teamwork

Question 1

Team vs Group

Answer 1

Team

• Small # of people with complementary skills committed to common purpose and goal
• help mutually accountable
• info is shared

Group

• group that are directed by a supervisor
• info in hoarded and power flows downward

Question 2

5 stages of team development

Answer 2

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning

Question 3

Dangers of Group think

Answer 3

1. Pressure for conformity
2. self censorship
3. Illusion of morality - ex. terrorist
4. Illusion of invulnerability

Question 4

abilene paradox

Answer 4

• someone throws something out and everyone agrees

Question 5

group polarization

Answer 5

groups make more extreme decisions when they realize others have the same opinions

Question 6

avoiding group think

Answer 6

• open discussion
• accountability
• creative cont. improvement
• credibility
• trust

Question 7

punctuated equilibrium model

Answer 7

phase 1 - meet and divide tasks but everyone will put off
transition - big burst of initiative and productivity
phase 2 - plans are implemented,final push

Question 8

team effectiveness factors

Answer 8

1 Content
2 Composition
3 Process
4 Work Design

Question 9

team effectiveness Content

Answer 9

1. resources
2. leadership and structure
3. Trust
4. Team / individual rewards (dependent on trust)

Question 10

team effectiveness Composition

Answer 10

1. skills
2. personality
   3 members preference for teamwork
3. size (optimal is 5-9)

Question 11

Size of groups

Answer 11

• optimal 5-9
• reduces social loafing
• coordination and control issues
• BUT problem solving = bigger groups is better

Question 12

team effectiveness Work design

Answer 12

1. need to work and take responsibility together
2. job characteristic model
   - skill variety
   - task identification
   - task sig.
   - autonomy
   - feedback

Question 13

team effectiveness Process

Answer 13

1. common process
2. specific goals
3. team efficacy
   - higher cohesion often leads to higher efficacy `
   - self fulfilling prophecy
4. mental models
5. level of conflict (not all conflict is bad!)
6. accountability

Question 14

Social loafing and solutions

Answer 14

• people who expend less effort in a team
• individual effort can be hidden in a team

SOLUTIONS

• smaller teams
• team norms
• indic are accountable
• call it out! ( but conflict?)

Question 15

Diversity (2)

Answer 15

1. Functional diversity
   - people with different specialties
   - stimulates creativity and ideas
   - improved decision making
2. Cultural Diversity
   - Leads to more difficulties in cohesions and less satisfaction
   - increased view points is good but have to wait for the problems to blow over