1. Building Effective Work Teams and Maintaining Morale
Supervision:
Concepts and Practices
of Management,
Second Canadian Edition
Hilgert, Leonard,
Shemko, and Docherty
© 2005 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

2. Learning Objectives Explain why work groups form and function.
Classify work groups and their relevance for supervisors.
State some important research findings about work groups.
Discuss the importance of employee morale and its relationship to teamwork and productivity.

3. Learning Objectives
Understand the factors that influence employee morale and the supervisor’s role in dealing with with both external and internal factors.
Discuss techniques to assess employee morale, including observation and employee attitude surveys.
Understand why counselling is an important part of the supervisor’s job.

4. Learning Objectives
Identify programs that organizations use to assist employees with personal and work-related problems, including workplace violence.

5. Why Work Groups? Companionship and identification Behaviour guidelines
Problem solving
Protection

6. Cohesive Groups Members perceive they have higher status
Generally are small
Share similar personal characteristics
Are relatively distant from other groups
Form due to outside pressures or for self-protection
Can communicate relatively easily
Have succeeded in some group effort

7. Classifications of Work Groups
Command—based on authority relationships
Task—cross-functional team
Friendship—Based on similar personalities and social interests
Special interest—exist to accomplish something as a group

8. Hawthorne Studies
Relay assembly room experiment—primary reasons for improved performance were attitudes and morale
Bank wiring observation room experiment—a work group can negatively impact job performance

9. Team Research
Team members must be committed to the group and to the performance of the group.
Teams function better when they are small.
Teams should be composed of individuals who have complementary and sufficient skills.
Teams should be committed to specific and realistic objectives.
(Source: Katzenbach and Smith)

10. Team Research
Supervisors can feel threatened by a transition to teams; they need coaching, support, and encouragement.
Team members must be held accountable.
New team leadership roles for supervisors include coaching and facilitating.
Communication becomes more important.
(Source: Jones and Beyerlein)

11. Team Sports as a Model
“Team sports could not exist without, well, teams. Competent, superbly professional role players, the good soldiers who do what’s asked of them and don’t bask in anyone’s attention, are the sine qua non of the organizations that win year after year.”
– Kenneth Turan

12. Collaborative Workplace
Throughout the organization, employees and management share authority for decision making.
Teamwork processes promote trust, integrity, consensus, and shared ownership.
People want and need to be valued for their contributions.

13. Teams that Work
Focus on managing the team as a group and having the team manage its members.
Are designed to be effective both in terms of improving productivity and the satisfaction of team members.

14. 16 Keys Group members agree on and commit to team goals.
All members participate actively in meetings.
All team members follow team rules, guidelines, and procedures.
All members are valued.
Team members share vital information.

15. 16 Keys Members express their ideas without fear.
Use a systematic problem solving approach, but encourages creative thinking.
All members are included in problem solving and decision making.
Decisions are made by consensus.
The team is cohesive.

16. 16 Keys Conflict is viewed as healthy.
Groups members give honest feedback.
Team training and peer helping.
Team continually evaluates its performance.
Pride in team accomplishments.
Members enjoy their team affiliation.

17. Morale The attitudes and feelings of individuals and groups toward
their work
their environment
their supervisors
their top-level management
the organization

18. Workplace Spirituality
Organizational efforts to make the work environment more meaningful and creative by relating work to employees’ personal values and spiritual beliefs.

19. External Factors Influencing Morale
Family relationships
Care of children or elderly
Finances
Friends
Vehicle breakdowns
Sickness or death in family

20. Internal Factors Influencing Morale
Workplace incivility
Downsizing
Compensation
Job security
Nature of work
Relations with coworkers
Working conditions
Recognition

21. Workplace Incivility
Remember your purpose—eliminate the behaviour and preserve the team.
Pause and evaluate what was said—content, context, tone.
Be assertive—stay in control.
Take action—stop the behaviour when it happens.

22. Assessing Morale Observation and study
Exit interviews–interviews with individuals who leave a firm to assess morale and reasons for leaving

23. Assessing Morale
Employee attitude surveys - survey of employee opinions about major aspects of organizational life used to assess morale

24. Organizational Development
Meetings with groups under the guidance of a neutral conference leader to solve problems that are hindering organizational effectiveness

25. Counselling
Efforts by the supervisor to deal with on-the-job performance problems that are the result of an employee’s personal problems
May hold counselling interview to encourage employee to discuss problems openly and develop solutions

26. Assistance Programs
Employee assistance programs (EAP)–company programs to assist employees with certain personal or work-related problems that are interfering with job performance
Wellness programs–organized efforts by a firm to help employees to get and stay healthy in order to remain productive

27. Assistance Programs
Ombudsman–staff person who serves as a neutral mediator in resolving conflicts on the job