1. MBS538 Organisational Behaviour and Management
MODULE 4: Dealing with organisational dynamics
S7 – How do you manage teams and make decisions?
S8 – How do you use power and lead effectively?

2. How do you Manage Teams and Make Decisions?
In this session we are exploring teams and decision-making.
 First, think of as many organisations as you can that do not use any teams.  It’s probable that your list will be quite short, if not empty. Increasingly, businesses are relying on teams in the belief that they can be more creative, productive and efficient than individuals working alone.  Despite this optimism, teams often fail to live up to their potential.  Effective teams are not a result of luck – they are a product of careful planning, effective leadership, and support from the broader organisation.
Second, think of how many decisions you make in a day.  You’re likely to have a large number. Decision-making is one of the most important things you do and it is particularly important in organisations. Decisions made throughout all organisation levels can impact the firm’s opportunities and performance.  Decisions are not just made by the senior executives; they are made at every level of the organisation.  Even seemingly small decisions can have significant impacts.

3. Learning Outcomes
Define group and work team and discuss types of each.
Explain the stages of group development and the factors that influence group behaviour.
Distinguish between cohesive and dysfunctional teams and discuss factors influencing team and teaming effectiveness.
Describe the nature of decision-making.
Explain various decision-making models.
Apply decision-making tools to individual circumstances.

5. Teamwork Challenge

6. 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

7. Groups vs. Teams A group may not have a clear and distinct purpose
share leadership roles
be jointly responsible for team performance
have a single collective outcome
solve problems amongst themselves
A group with a ‘strong’ leader is not necessarily a team
why not?

8. Effective groups#
What are some characteristics of well- functioning effective groups?

9. Why Teams?# What is the benefit of teams for individuals?
What is the benefit of teams for organisations?

10. Teamwork

11. How cohesive is your group and how diverse is your team?
In your group discuss your responses to the SAQs:
How cohesive is your group?
and
How much diversity is on your team?

12. The Team Member’s Dilemma
We have to work with people we did not chose!
We have to give up our independence
We have to put up with free riders/social loafers
Teams are sometimes disfunctional

13. Tuckman’s five-stage model of group development

14. Tuckman discussion
At what point(s) do you think the coach made a difference?
At what point(s) did a player make a difference?
Discuss with your group what you learnt/re-learnt from Tuckman’s model and this portrayal that will help you make a difference in the next team you work with? What will you do?

15. Cohesive Teams Require Produce Good interaction Shared goals
Team members like working in it
Competition with other teams
Favourable evaluation by outsiders
Produce
Morale: communication, loyalty, commitment, participation, satisfaction – a positive team climate
Productivity: more and better quality outcomes
More adaptable, resilient

16. Disfunctional Teams Scarce resources Jurisdictional ambiguities
Organisational or group causes of conflict:
Scarce resources
Jurisdictional ambiguities
Communication breakdown
Power and status differences
Goal differences
Lack of trust
Personal differences in conflict resolution style
Dependency on team leaders or charismatic, manipulative etc members
Conformity - groupthink, lack of originality
Coercion - peer pressure

18. Teamwork on the Fly

19. Teaming What are the characteristics of teaming?
What is one challenge and one benefit of using teaming?

21. Decision-Making

22. The nature of managerial decision-making
Decision-making is the process by which managers respond to opportunities and threats by analysing options and making decisions about goals and courses of action.
Decisions in response to opportunities: occur when managers respond to ways to improve organisational performance
Decisions in response to threats: occur when managers are impacted by adverse events that affect the organisation
PPTs to accompany Contemporary Management 2e by Waddell, Jones & George 
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

23. The Decision-Making Process
Programmed decisions: decisions made on simple, routine matters with an established decision rule
Nonprogrammed decisions: decisions made on new and complex decisions that require creative solutions

24. Decision-Making Process
Recognize the problem and the need for a decision
Identify the objective of the decision
Gather and evaluate data and diagnose the situation
List and evaluate alternatives, select the best course of action, and implement the decision
Gather feedback and follow up

25. Models of Decision Making
Rational Model
Outcome will be completely rational
Decision makers are consistent when choosing the best alternative
Decision makers are aware of all alternatives
Decision makers can calculate the probability of success for each alternative
Bounded Rationality
Managers select the first alternative that is satisfactory
Managers recognize that their conception of the world is simple
Managers are comfortable making decisions without determining all the alternatives
Managers make decisions by rules of thumb or heuristics
Managers satisfice

26. The Z Problem-Solving Model

27. Individual factors influencing decision making#
What are the individual factors that influence decision making?

28. Group Decision Making Synergy Social decision schemes Advantages
Positive force that stimulates new solutions to problems through mutual influence and encouragement within the group
Synergy
Rules that determine final group decisions
Social decision schemes
More knowledge and information through the pooling of group member resources
Increased acceptance of and commitment to the decision
Greater understanding of the decision
Advantages
Pressure within the group to conform and fit in
Domination of the group by one forceful member
Amount of time required to make a decision
Disadvantages

29. Techniques#
What are some group decision techniques?

30. Brainstorm the uses for paperclips.
Brainstorming#
Do not be constrained by convention
Do not be shy or hesitant
Do not criticise or shoot down others
Do not dismiss or ignore others’ contributions
Do not dwell and do not be boring
Do not give up after making contributions
Do not interrupt
Do not sub-group
Do not use unfamiliar acronyms or jargon
Brainstorm the uses for
paperclips.

31. Failure to Launch

32. Failure to Launch Video
Does “The Bird Problem” present Kit and Ace with a programmed or nonprogrammed decision? What features of their decision problem led to your choice?
Which steps in the decision-making process appear in “The Bird Problem?” Note the examples of each step that you see.
Assess the degree of certainty, uncertainty, and risk that Kit and Ace face in this decision problem. What factors set the degree of certainty, uncertainty, and risk?

33. Summary
A group consists of two or more people who share interests, objectives, and continuing interaction
Work team is a group of people with complementary skills with similar commitments
Working in teams encourages collaborations within the organization and encourages bonding between people
Factors affecting group behavior are norms of behaviour, group cohesion, social loafing, and loss of individuality

34. Summary Forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning
Groups can be formal or informal and have five stages of development
Forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning
Effective task and maintenance functions ensure social benefits of psychological intimacy and integrated involvement
Factors influencing group effectiveness
Work team structure, work team process, diversity, and creativity

35. Summary
Decision-making process starts from first recognising the problem and the need for a decision and ends with collecting feedback
The various models of decision making include, the rational model, the bounded rationality model, and the Z model
Individual influences affecting decision making are:
Comfort with risk, cognitive style, personality, intuition, and creativity

36. Summary
Groups make decisions using brainstorming, nominal group technique, devil’s advocacy, and dialectical inquiry
Organisations should cultivate a supportive organisational culture and a team-oriented work design to draw participation