CHAPTER 13: TEAMS IN ORGANIZATIONS
Learning Objectives
Module 13.1
Identify several reasons for the increasing use of teams in organizations.
Describe the types of teams that are commonly used in the workplace.
Module 13.2
Describe the input-process-output model of team effectiveness.
Identify the attributes of team members that can contribute to team performance.
Describe the team processes that are associated with team performance.
Module 13.3
Describe the challenges and opportunities presented by the use of team appraisal and
feedback.
Explain team-role theory and how it can be used to assess and develop teams.
Describe recent advances in team training.
Explain the role that culture plays in team processes and team effectiveness.
Chapter Outline
Module 13.1 Types of Teams
Groups and Teams: Definitions
Types of Teams
Quality Circles
Project Teams
Production Teams
Virtual Teams
Module 13.2 Input-Process-Output Model of Team Effectiveness
Team Inputs
Organizational Context
Team Task
Team Composition
Team Diversity
Team Processes
Norms
Communication and Coordination
Cohesion
Decision Making
Team Outputs
Module 13.3 Special Issues in Teams
Team Appraisal and Feedback
ProMES
Team Roles
Team Development
Team Training
Cultural Issues in Teams
Glossary Terms for Chapter 13
This list of key terms and important concepts from Chapter 13 can be used in conjunction
with reviewing the material in the textbook. After reviewing Chapter 13 in the textbook,
define each of the following key terms and important concepts fully. Check your
answers with the textbook, and review terms with which you have difficulty. Good luck!
Module 13.1
team
quality circle
project team
production team
autonomous work group
virtual team
virtual-collaboration behaviors
virtual-socialization skills
virtual-communication skills
Module 13.2
input-process-output model of team effectiveness
team composition
shared mental model
demographic diversity
psychological diversity
norms
coordination loss
social loafing
cohesion
groupthink
risky-shift phenomenon
group polarization
Module 13.3
ProMES
team-role theory
cross-training
team leader training
guided team self-correction training
team coordination training
time horizon
1. The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist (TIP) articles of interest:
Cohen, D. (January 2009). SHRM and SIOP mission focused: serving HR and I-O
professionals. The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 46 (3), 15-18. (Article
discusses teamwork between SHRM and SIOP)
Dickson, M.W., & Madigan, J. (April 2009). Good science-good practice. The IndustrialOrganizational Psychologist, 46 (4), 61-65. (Article discusses recent research on teams,
team dynamics, and a team’s reaction to a stressor)
Dickson, M.W., & Madigan, J. (October 2006). Good science-good practice. The
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 44(2), 69-73. (Discusses Team Mental Models
and Team Performance)
Debate Topic: Why do many college students try to avoid group work if they are given a
choice? Does the fear of social loafing play a role? What other factors in group or team
work play a role?
Critical Thinking Exercises (CTEs)
13.1 In the time you spend on the computer or the Internet, do you interact as part of a
group or team in any way? For example, have you worked interactively with team
members on projects through e-mail or the Internet? If so, what virtual team skills and
behaviors were important in enhancing team interactions and performance?
13.2 If you could choose your favorite team (whether it is in a sports, music, or business
setting), what would it be? Describe why you chose this particular team and describe the
ways in which it fits (or does not fit) the definition of a team provided in this chapter.
13.3 Describe a team in which you have been a member. Discuss whether the team
performed successfully. Would you attribute the team’s successful or unsuccessful
performance to team inputs or team processes? Be specific about which inputs (e.g.,
context, team composition) or processes (e.g., communication, coordination,
cohesiveness) affected whether your team’s performance was successful or unsuccessful.
13.4 When given a choice about how to work on a class project, some students decide to
work alone, while others decide to work in a team. Taking into account the discussion
about the relationships among team inputs, processes, and outputs, what are some of the
reasons that students might decide to work on a team? Alternatively, what are some of the
challenges of working on a team that might lead students to decide to work alone?
13.5 Think of a team in which you are or have been a member. Did members of the team
fill each of Belbin’s nine roles (see Table 13.3)? If yes, discuss whether having each of
the roles represented helped the team to perform well. If not, discuss which roles were
not represented by team members and if those missing roles had a negative impact on
team performance.
13.6 Major League baseball teams are increasingly composed of players who come from
a variety of different countries and cultures. What challenges are culturally diverse
baseball teams likely to face? Can you predict any problems that might occur in team
processes or team performance in such culturally diverse teams?