Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Learning Module
Work Teams
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you should:
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Know what constitutes a work team, and be
familiar with different types of work teams.
Know why the use of work teams in organizations
is on the rise.
Understand the most common reasons for work
team failure.
Understand how I/O psychologists are helping to
make work teams more effective.
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
Psychologists & Groups
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There is a long history of psychologists
studying groups.
For example, topics studied include:
 Intimacy
among group members.
 Group composition.
 Group compatibility.
 Group motives & goals.
 Group process & productivity.
What is a Work Team?
Many different definitions, but most have
three elements:
1) An interdependent, intact social system.
2) One or more tasks to perform.
3) Operating within an organizational context.
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Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
Examples of Work Teams
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Work teams are pervasive in industry,
across all organizational levels.
 Quality
control circles.
 Task forces.
 Safety committees.
 Sales teams.
 R&D groups.
Work Team or Not?
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Which of the following are work teams?
 Students
living on the same dorm floor.
 Students taking the same psychology class.
 Students working on a team research
paper.
 Students on a committee charged with
making recommendations to curb binge
drinking.
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
Why are Work Teams on the
Rise?
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During the past decade, the use of teams in
organizations has increased dramatically.
 In
today’s hyper-competitive environment,
“old” organizational structures can be too
slow, too unresponsive and too expensive to
be competitive.
 Work teams can yield quality, productivity
and cost improvements.
 Workers can benefit from increased
autonomy and empowerment.
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
Are Work Teams Always the
Answer?
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The short answer - no!
Many organizations are jumping on the
“teams bandwagon.”
Organizations should ask themselves:
 Do
people need to work together to get the
task done effectively?
 Is expertise limited to a few people?
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
What is a Successful Work
Team?
A three-dimensional conception of work
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team effectiveness:
1) Quality/Quantity/Timeliness
2) The ability to work together again.
3) Personal growth & well-being.
 The relative weights that should be applied
to these dimensions will vary according to
the team’s circumstances.
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
Why Do Work Teams Fail?
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Anecdotal evidence indicates that teams
“work” only about half the time. Why?
 Inappropriate
use of teams.
 Lack of support from organizational leaders.
 Lack of good information.
 Lack of team member skills.
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Work team effectiveness study.
A work team’s success can be impacted as
much by what is happening “outside” the
team as it is by what is happening “inside.”
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
How do I/O psychologists help
organizations to use work
teams?
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Personnel Selection
Training
Performance Appraisal
Compensation
Organizational Development
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
The Future of Teams: Less
Physical, More Virtual
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In the wired, knowledge-based economy,
we’ll see less “neighborhood teams” and
more “virtual teams.”
Virtual teams can provide the organization
with the same benefits (as well as some
unique ones) as neighborhood teams, but
the challenges that they face are
magnified.
Team Decision-Making Exercise
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The importance of team decision-making.
Four team decision-making techniques:
 Majority
Vote
 Multivoting
 Unanimous Vote
 Consensus
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Where should we go for Spring Break?
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
Team Decision-Making Exercise
- Debrief
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Which decision-making method did you
use, and why?
What were some of the benefits of the
method that you chose?
What challenges did your team encounter,
and how did you overcome them?
How effective was the decision that you
reached? (and how did your team define
effectiveness?)
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP
Instructor Resources
The following books, book chapters and articles were used in preparation of the
Work Teams module - you may find them useful for your own preparation.
1) Fisher, K. (1994) Diagnostic issues for work teams. In A. Howard (Ed.),
Diagnosis for organizational change: Methods and models. (pp. 239-264).
New York: Guilford Press.
2) Mohrman, S.A, Cohen, S.G. & Mohrman, Jr., A.M. (1995) Designing teambased organizations: New forms for knowledge work. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
3) Hackman, J.R. (Ed.) (1990) Groups that work (and those that don’t): Creating
effective conditions for teamwork. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
4) Shaw, M.E. & Costanzo, P.R. (1982) Theories of Social Psychology (2nd ed.).
New York: McGraw-Hill. (Note: Chapter 13 on theories of group processes is
especially helpful)
5) Campion, M.A., Medsker, G.J. & Higgs, A.C. (1993). Relations between work
group characteristics and effectiveness: Implications for designing effective
work groups. Personnel Psychology, 46, 823-850.