Team Dynamics
What are teams?
Groups
of two or more
people
Exist to fulfil a purpose
Interdependent - interact
and influence each other
Mutually accountable for
achieving common goals
Perceive themselves as a
social entity
Groups versus teams
All
teams are groups
Some groups are just people
assembled together
Teams have task interdependence
whereas some groups do not (e.g.
group of employees enjoying lunch
together)
Types of teams and groups
Permanent
Formal
teams
Informal
groups
Temporary
Production team
Management team
Task force
Friendship group
Communities
of practice
Why informal groups exist
 Innate drive to bond
– fulfil need for social interaction
– social identity
 Goal
accomplishment
 Emotional support
Team effectiveness model
Organisational and
team environment
Team design
• Reward systems
•Task characteristics
• Communication
systems
•Team size
•Team composition
• Physical space
• Organisational
environment
• Organisational
structure
• Organisational
leadership
Team processes
•Team development
•Team norms
•Team roles
•Team cohesiveness
Team
effectiveness
• Achieve
organisational
goals
• Satisfy member
needs
• Maintain team
survival
Team design features

Task characteristics
– better when tasks are clear, easy to implement
– share common inputs, processes or outcomes
– task interdependence

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
High
Levels of task
interdependence
A
Reciprocal
B
Sequential
A
C
B
C
Resource
Low
Pooled
A
B
C
Homogeneous vs. heterogeneous
teams
Homogeneous teams
Heterogeneous teams
Less conflict
More conflict
Faster team
development
Longer team
development
Perform better on
cooperative tasks
Perform better on
complex problems
Better coordination
More creative
High satisfaction of
team members
Better representation
outside the team
Stages of team development
Performing
Norming
Storming
Forming
Existing teams
might regress
back to an
earlier stage of
development
Adjourning
Team norms

Team establishes informal rules and
expectations to regulate member behaviours

Norms develop through:
– explicit statements
– critical events in team’s history
– initial team experiences
– beliefs/values members bring to the team
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

Introduce norms when forming teams

Select members with preferred norms

Discuss counter-productive norms

Reward behaviours representing desired
norms

Disband teams with dysfunctional norms
Influences on team
cohesiveness
Member
similarity
External
challenges
Team
success
Team
size
Team
cohesiveness
Somewhat
difficult entry
Member
interaction
Team cohesiveness outcomes
Members of cohesive teams:
want to remain members
 willing to share information
 strong interpersonal bonds
 resolve conflict effectively
 better interpersonal
relationships

Cohesiveness and
performance
Team norms
support
company
goals
Team norms
oppose
company
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

How to minimise social loafing

Make individual performance more visible
– form smaller teams
– specialise tasks
– measure individual performance

Increase employee motivation
– increase job enrichment
– select motivated employees