Chapter 6: Groups and Teamwork

Question 1

Defining Groups/Teams

Answer 1

• Groups: two or more people with a common relationship
–Something similar between the people, affiliates you together
• Team: a small number of people working together to achieve a common objective
• We use these terms interchangeably in this course

Question 2

Four types of Teams

Answer 2

• Self-managed: Complete tasks without a supervisor
• Problem-solving: Solving problems etc…
• Cross-functional: Pull people from different functions and ask them to work together
• Virtual: problem-solving, self-managed, cross-functional all can be in virtual teams, difficult to develop cohesion in virtual teams though.

Question 3

An effective team model

Answer 3

• Context: Adequate resources, leadership/structure, climate of trust
• Composition: Abilities of members, personality, allocating roles
• Process: Common purpose, specific goals, team efficacy, team identity

Question 4

Team’s consist of 4 following

Answer 4

• Resources: What money is thrown into departments
• Leadership and structure: Given clear guidance?
• Climate of trust: Not being embarrassed to ask a question
• Evaluation and rewards: how you’re going to be rewarded

Question 5

Norms

Answer 5

• Acceptable standards of behaviour within a group that are shared by the group’s members
o Example: raising your hand
o Norms helps us learn what goes on in an organization
• How do norms develop?
o Develop from prior experiences
o Initial interactions can set the tone
• What makes norms important?
o Begin to understand what is important in an organization
o Ensures predictability
 Allows us to prepare better
• Danger of conformity
o Asch effect: 10 ppl in room, 9 working for him
o Put up a standard line, then like a, b, c
o Asch asked which line is close to ABC, C= wrong answer, b= right answer
o All 9 people working for him said C, last person 40% of the time said C

Question 6

Roles of members

Answer 6

• A role is a set of expected behaviour patterns attributed to someone occupying a given position in a social unit
o Role expectations
 What is expected in that role (example: police)
o Role conflict
 What someone is supposed to do in that role
o Role ambiguity
 Unclear whats expected of you
o Role overload/underload
 Too much in a role/Too little

Question 7

Status of members/Group size

Answer 7

• Status: A socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others
• Status Credits
o Example: Travis Scott, wealthy people
o Allows you to break norms everyone else has to follow
• Impact of group size on effectiveness
o Social Loafing: when working in a team you expend less effort than working alone
o If group is too big then it means not enough meaningful work is going around

Question 8

Diversity of Team

Answer 8

• Some diversity categories include age, gender ,race, tenure, occupation, personality, and work experience
• Pros and cons to having group diversity
o Pros: Different experiences, opinions, thinking
o Cons: Conflict
o Pros/cons of diversity can go either way

Question 9

Group Process Issues

Answer 9

• Common Purpose
• Team Cohesion
• Managed level of conflict

Question 10

Stages of Group Development

Answer 10

• Forming stage: A lot of uncertainty
• Storming: Hopefully where you can work through conflict and develop some order
• Norming: what others expect of you and what you expect of them
• Performing: Asking can we do the job properly
-Adjourning: The group disbanding
-Very linear model