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Groups and Teams Two or more people with common interests, objectives, and continuing interaction Group Group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common: Mission Performance goal Approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable Work team

Why Teams? Teamwork Benefit for organizations Benefits for individuals Joint action by a team in which individual interests are subordinated to team unity Teamwork Encourages collaboration Benefit for organizations Psychological intimacy: Emotional and psychological closeness to other team or group members Integrated involvement: Closeness achieved through tasks and activities Benefits for individuals

New vs. Old Team Environments

Group Behavior Norms of behavior Group cohesion Social loafing Group standards used to evaluate member’s behaviors Norms of behavior Interpersonal glue that makes group members stick together Group cohesion Failure of a member to contribute personal time, effort, thoughts, or other resources Social loafing Individual group members' loss of self-awareness, sense of accountability, inhibition, and responsibility for individual behavior Loss of individuality

Cohesion Factors influencing cohesion Problems with: groupthink Time Size Prestige External pressure Internal competition Problems with: groupthink

Types of Groups Formal groups Informal groups Official or assigned groups gathered to perform various tasks Informal groups Groups that evolve in the work setting to meet needs not met by formal groups Ethnic, gender, cultural and interpersonal diversity is critical to all types of groups

9.1 Tuckman’s Five-Stage Model of Group Development

Mature Groups Characteristics Purpose and Mission Behavioral Norms Groups Cohesion Status Structure

9.2 Task and Maintenance Functions in Teams or Groups

Factors Influencing Group Effectiveness Goals and objectives, guidelines, performance measures, and role specification Work team structure Managing cooperative and competitive behaviors Work team process Enhances group effectiveness Types of member contribution - Contributor, collaborator, communicator, and challenger Diversity Enhanced through encouraging greater diversity within the team Creativity

Cooperative and helping behaviors Empowerment Skills Competence skills Process skills Cooperative and helping behaviors Communication skills

Self-Managed Teams Self-directed teams or autonomous work groups Make decisions that are otherwise reserved for managers Help implement empowerment in organizations

Self-managed teams at the top-level of an organization Upper Echelons Self-managed teams at the top-level of an organization Upper echelon theory Background characteristics of top management team predict organizational characteristics Set standards for values, competence, ethics, and unique characteristics in the organization Key to the strategic success of the organization

Upper Echelons (continued) Help sustain high levels of organizational performance at the peak Help maintain the CEO’s vitality Diversity at the top Diversity increases uncertainty, complexity, and inherent confusion in group processes Culturally diverse groups generate more and better ideas and limit groupthink Multicultural top teams

5 Seasons of CEO Tenure Response to a mandate Experimentation Selection of an enduring theme Convergence Dysfunction

Executive Tenure and Organizational Performance 24