1. Texas State University Leadership Institute “Building Effective Teams”
Dr. Robert Konopaske
Management Department
February 12, 2011

2. Get ready for teamwork! Teams can make magic!
U.S. organizations use teams for a variety of reasons
80% of companies with more than 100 employees use teams
90% of all U.S. employees work part of their day in a team
Chances are…you’ll be a member of one (or more) teams at your work!

3. Advantages of teams Improved customer satisfaction
Improved product & service quality
Increased speed & efficiency
Higher job satisfaction
Better decision making
More creative problem solving

4. Disadvantages of teams
Initially high employee turnover
Social loafing
Lowered quality of group decision making
Groupthink
Inefficient meetings
Domination by a few members
Lack of accountability

5. Why people withhold effort in teams
The presence of someone with expertise
The presentation of a compelling argument
Lacking confidence in one’s ability to contribute
An unimportant or meaningless decision
A dysfunctional decision-making climate
Again, social loafing can be an issue

6. When to use teams (or not)!

7. Continuum of autonomy in work groups
Self-
designing
Teams
Self-
managing
Teams
Semi-
autonomous
Work
Groups
Employee
Involvement
Groups
Traditional
Work
Groups
Autonomy

8. Self-designing Teams Same as self-managing teams except:
Control and change design of team
Control resources for task accomplishment
Impose discipline on team members:
Hire and fire
Divide rewards
Decide on penalties (ex: tardiness)
Can change task of team

9. Special type of team: Virtual
Geographically and/or organizationally dispersed coworker who use telecommunication & IT to accomplish an organizational task
Tips for creating successful virtual teams:
Select self-starters and strong communicators
Keep the team focused on clear, specific goals
Provide frequent feedback
Periodically bring team members together & use team building
Improve communications & ask team members for feedback on how well team is working

10. Work team characteristics
Size
Conflict
Development
Norms
Cohesiveness

11. Team norms Informally agreed-on standards that regulate team behavior
Powerful influence on work behavior
Regulate the everyday behaviors of teams
e.g., soldiering

12. Team cohesiveness
The extent to which members are attracted to the team and motivated to remain in it
Cohesive teams:
retain their members
promote cooperation
have high levels of performance
Promote team cohesiveness by:
Make sure all team members are present at team meetings
Create additional opportunities for teammates to work together
Engage in nonwork activities as a team
Make employees feel that they are part of a “special” organization

13. Team size & performance: A U-shaped relationship
(6-9 members)
Performance

14. Team conflict C-type Conflict A-type Conflict
cognitive conflict
focuses on problems and issues
associated with improvements in team performance
A-type Conflict
affective conflict
emotional, personal disagreements
associated with decreases in team performance
Both types often occur simultaneously

15. Team Development: Stages
Forming – 1st stage of team development; get to know other members; set ground rules
Storming – 2nd stage; conflict over what should be done & how to do it; team leader nudges group toward team goals
Team will be ineffective if it gets stuck here
Norming – 3rd stage; informal rules; members get used to roles; group cohesion grows
Performing – 4th stage; performance high b/c team has matured; it’s fully functioning now

16. Decision Making and Problem Solving Training for Team Leaders
Types of team training
Conflict
Interpersonal Skills
Decision Making and Problem Solving
Technical Training
Training for Team Leaders

17. Causes of Unproductive Teams
Power struggles
Individual behavior
Unequal Workload
Lack of top management support
Poor leadership
Lack of focus
Capability issues
Groupthink

18. Team Compensation & Recognition