Work Teams 101

Overview The Popularity of Work Teams Types of Work Teams Characteristics of High-Performance Teams Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Quick Write What experience have you had as part of a team? Why do you think your team succeeded or failed? Chapter 8 Lesson 1 Courtesy of Clipart.com

Popularity of Work Teams Chapter 8 Lesson 1 Courtesy of Comstock Images

What is a Team? A team is a collection of individuals identified by themselves and others as a group, who work together to accomplish a common goal Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Benefits of Teams Teams do better than individuals on tasks that require multiple skills, judgment, and experience Teams have shown themselves to be a more flexible and responsive way of organizing employees than more-traditional departments Organizations can assemble teams quickly, give them their assignments, put them to work, disband them when a project is over, and reorganize the members into new teams to handle new challenges Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Stages of Team Development Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning Chapter 8 Lesson 1 Courtesy of Comstock Images

Forming Forming is the first stage of work-team development, when everyone tends to be unsure about the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Storming Storming is the second stage of work-team development, characterized by conflict within the group Chapter 8 Lesson 1 Courtesy of BananaStock Images

Norming Norming is the third stage of work-team development, in which close relationships develop and members begin to demonstrate cohesiveness Chapter 8 Lesson 1 Courtesy of Comstock Images

Performing Performing is the fourth stage of work-team development, in which the structure is fully functional and team members accept it Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Adjourning Adjourning is the fifth and final stage of a temporary work team, in which the team prepares to disband Chapter 8 Lesson 1 Courtesy of Photos.com

Comparing Work Groups and Work Teams Positive Collective Performance Individual and Mutual Complimentary Goal Skills Share Information Synergy Accountability Neutral Sometimes Negative Random and Varied Adapted from Fundamentals of Management, 5th Ed. By Robbins/DeCenzo, p. 296 Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005 Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Types of Work Teams ? Technology Virtual Functional Problem Solving Cross-functional Self-managed Adapted from Fundamentals of Management, 5th Ed. By Robbins/DeCenzo, p. 297 Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005 Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Five Types of Work Teams Functional Problem-Solving Self-Managed Cross-Functional Virtual Chapter 8 Lesson 1 Courtesy of Clipart.com

Quality Circles A quality circle is a problem-solving work team composed of eight to 10 employees and supervisors who share an area of responsibility and who meet regularly to discuss quality problems, recommend solutions, and suggest corrective actions—but generally have no authority to implement change on their own Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Optional Exercise Work Teams Team One – Plan a Class Picnic Team Two – Plan a Class Field Trip Team Three – Plan a Class Fund Raiser Team Four – Plan a Class Service Project Team Five – Plan a Class Presentation Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Optional Exercise Work Teams Did you form, storm, norm, and perform? How would you describe yourselves as a team? Functional? Problem-solving? Self-managed? Cross-functional? Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Entrepreneurs and Teams Because they operate in especially dynamic environments, entrepreneurial firms use teams even more than do other firms Teams help the entrepreneurial firms make products faster, cheaper, and better Teams let a firm tap into the wisdom of all the employees of the firm For team efforts to work, though, entrepreneurs—or any managers, really—have to give up whatever top-down style of management they may still cling to Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Characteristics of High-Performance Teams Adapted from Fundamentals of Management, 5th Ed. By Robbins/DeCenzo, p. 301 Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005 Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Optional Exercise Evaluate your team performance on each of the nine characteristics of high-performance teams. Use the following scale: 1 = poor 2 = fair 3 = adequate 4 = good 5 = excellent Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Review A team is a collection of individuals identified by themselves and others as a group, who work together to accomplish a common goal Forming is the first stage of work-team development, when everyone tends to be unsure about the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership Storming is the second stage of work-team development, characterized by conflict within the group Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Review Norming is the third stage of work-team development, in which close relationships develop and members begin to demonstrate cohesiveness Performing is the fourth stage of work-team development, in which the structure is fully functional and team members accept it Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Review A work group is a group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions that will help members perform within their individual areas of responsibility A work team is a group that engages in collective work that requires joint effort and generates a positive synergy Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Review A functional team is a work team made up of a unit manager plus his or her employees, seeking ways to improve workflow or solve specific problems within the unit A problem-solving team is a work team typically composed of five to 12 hourly employees from the same department who meet regularly to discuss how to improve quality, efficiency, and the work environment Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Review A self-managed work team is a formal group of employees that operates without a manager and is responsible for a complete work process or segment that delivers a product or service to an external or internal customer A cross-functional work team is a team composed of employees on about the same level but from different work areas who are brought together to accomplish a particular task Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Review A virtual team is a team that meets electronically High-performance work teams have clear goals, a unified commitment, relevant skills, negotiating skills, mutual trust, good communication, effective leadership, and operate in a supportive climate Chapter 8 Lesson 1

Summary The Popularity of Work Teams Types of Work Teams Characteristics of High-Performance Teams Chapter 8 Lesson 1

What’s Next… Managing Teams Chapter 8 Lesson 1 Courtesy of Comstock Images