Team
Dynamics
Teams
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What is a team?
What makes a team effective?
What makes a team defective?
Why teams?
Stages of team/group development
What groups/teams do you
belong to?
What are Teams?
• Groups of two or more people
• Interact and influence each other
• Are mutually accountable for achieving
common objectives
• Perceive themselves as a social entity
What makes a team effective
Great Groups
vs “Not Great” Groups
How do we
define
effective?
Types of Teams
Permanent teams
– Team-based departments
– Self-directed teams
Task forces
– Temporary teams that investigate a
problem
Skunkworks
– Temporary teams
– Formed spontaneously, using
borrowed resources, to develop
products or solve problems
Virtual Teams
• Cross-functional teams that operate across space,
time and organizational boundaries using
electronic technology
• Increasingly possible because of:
– Technology
– Knowledge-based work
• Increasingly necessary because of:
– Globalization
– Knowledge management
– Need for team work
Why Informal Groups Exist
• Relatedness Needs
– Fulfil need for social interaction
– Social identity
• Goal accomplishment
• Emotional support
Team Effectiveness Model
Organizational and
Team Environment
Team Design
• Reward systems
•Task characteristics
• Communication
systems
•Team size
•Team composition
• Physical space
• Organizational
environment
• Organizational
structure
• Organizational
leadership
Team Processes
•Team development
•Team norms
•Team roles
•Team cohesiveness
Team
Effectiveness
• Achieve
organizational
goals
• Satisfy member
needs
• Maintain team
survival
Team Processes: Design Elements
• Task characteristics
– Better when tasks are clear, easy to implement
– Task interdependence
– Share common inputs, processes, or outcomes
• Team size
– Smaller teams are better
– But large enough to accomplish task
• Team composition
– Members motivated/competent to perform task in a
team environment
– Team diversity
Stages of Team Development
Performing
Norming
Storming
Forming
Existing teams
might regress
back to an
earlier stage of
development
Adjourning
Conformity
to
Team
Norms
100
Units
Pressed
per Hour
Day 12:
Peer
pressure
begins
75
Day 28:
Employee
has doubled
performance
50
25
0
Day 20:
Employee
begins
working alone
Day 1:
Employee
begins job
with team
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
Production Days
32
36
40
Changing Team Norms
1. Introduce norms when team formed
2. Select members with preferred norms
3. Discuss counterproductive norms
4. Rewards to support desired behaviours
5. Disband the team
Causes of Team Cohesiveness
Member
Similarity
External
Challenges
Team
Success
Member
Interaction
Team
Cohesiveness
Somewhat
Difficult Entry
Team
Size
Team Cohesiveness Outcomes
Members of cohesive teams:
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Want to remain members
Willing to share information
Strong interpersonal bonds
Want to support each other
Resolve conflict effectively
More satisfied and experience
less stress
J. Major, Ottawa Citizen
Cohesiveness and Performance
Team Norms
Support
Firm’s
Goals
Team Norms
Oppose
Firm’s
Goals
Moderately
High Task
Performance
High
Task
Performance
Moderately
Low Task
Performance
Low Task
Performance
Low Team
Cohesiveness
High Team
Cohesiveness
The Trouble With Teams
• Individuals better/faster on some tasks
• Process losses — cost of developing and
maintaining teams
• Companies don’t support best work
environment for team dynamics
• Social loafing
Conditions for Social Loafing
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Low task interdependence
Individual output not visible
Routine, uninteresting tasks
Low task significance
Low collectivist values
Types of Team Building
• Role definition
• Interpersonal process
• Goal setting
• Problem solving