1-1
Organizational Behavior
MBA-542
Instructor: Erlan Bakiev, Ph.D.
9-2
Essentials of
Organizational Behavior, 11/e
Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge
Chapter 9
Understanding Work Teams
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
9-3
1.
Contrast groups and teams, and analyze the growing
popularity of using teams in organizations.
2.
Compare and contrast four types of teams.
3.
Identify the characteristics of effective teams.
4.
Show how organizations can create team players.
5.
Decide when to use individuals instead of teams.
6.
Show how the understanding of teams differs in a global
context.
Why Are Teams So Popular?
9-4


Increased competition forced restructuring for
efficiency and effectiveness
Teams:
 Better
utilize employee talents
 Are more flexible and responsive to change
 Democratize and motivate
Groups and Teams
9-5

Work Group –
A group who interacts primarily to share
information and to make decisions to help one
another perform within each member’s area of
responsibility

Work Team –
Generates positive synergy through
coordinated effort; individual efforts result in
a level of performance that is greater than the
sum of those individual inputs
Comparing Work Groups and Work Teams
9-6
Four Types of Teams
9-7
Problem-Solving Teams
9-8



Members often from the
same department
Share ideas or suggest
improvements
Rarely given authority to
unilaterally implement any
of their suggested actions
Self-Managed Work Teams
9-9


10-15 employees in highly-related jobs
Team takes on supervisory responsibilities:
Work planning and scheduling
 Assigning tasks
 Operating decisions/actions
 Working with customers



May select and evaluate members
Effectiveness is situationally dependent
Cross-Functional Teams
9-10





Members from same level, but diverse areas
within and between organizations
Exchange information
Develop new ideas and solve problems
Coordinate complex projects
Development may be time-consuming due to
complexity and diversity
Virtual Teams
9-11


Computer technology ties
dispersed team together
Special challenges:
 Less
social rapport
 More task-oriented
 Members less satisfied
Key Components of Effective Teams
9-12

Context

Composition

Process
Contextual Components
9-13




Presence of adequate resources
Effective leadership and structure
Climate of trust in the team
Performance evaluation and reward system that
reflects team contributions
Team Composition Components
9-14

Abilities of members
Technical expertise
 Problem-solving
 Interpersonal


Personality





Conscientious and open-minded
Allocation of Roles
Diversity
Size of teams
Member preferences
Process Components
9-15






Common plan and purpose
Specific goals
Team efficacy
Common mental models
Low levels of conflict
Minimized social loafing
Turning Individuals Into Team Players
9-16

Selection –
Need employees who have the interpersonal as well as
technical skills

Training –
Workshops on problem-solving, communications,
negotiation, conflict-management and coaching skills

Rewards –
Encourage cooperative efforts rather than individual ones
Teams Aren’t Always the Answer: Three Tests
9-17

Complexity of Work:
Can the work be done better by more than one person?

Common Purpose:
Does the work create a common purpose or set of goals for the
people in the group that is more than the aggregate of
individual goals?

Interdependence:
Are the members of the group interdependent?
Global Implications
9-18
Teamwork is less pervasive in the United States.
Self-managed teams may be difficult to introduce
globally – power distance problems.
Team cultural diversity creates difficulties in the short
run.
Implications for Managers
9-19
Common characteristics of effective teams:
 Have
adequate resources, effective leadership, a climate
of trust, and suitable reward system
 Composed
of individuals with technical and interpersonal
skills
 Work
provides freedom, autonomy and opportunity to
use skills
 Members
are committed to a common purpose
Keep in Mind…
9-20



Proper selection of members increases likelihood of
effective teams
Team should be constructed based on ability, skill,
and applicable member traits given the situation
Non-personal conflicts can lead to better team
decisions
Summary
9-21
1.
Contrasted groups and teams and analyzed the growing
popularity of using teams in organizations.
2.
Compared and contrasted four types of teams.
3.
Identified the characteristics of effective teams.
4.
Showed how organizations could create team players.
5.
Decided when to use individuals instead of teams.
6.
Showed how the understanding of teams differed in a global
context.