Understanding Teams
Summary
TLDRThis script explores the popularity and effectiveness of teams in organizations, emphasizing their flexibility and ability to outperform individuals. It distinguishes between work groups and teams, highlighting the synergy of the latter. The script delves into various types of teams, such as problem-solving, self-managed, cross-functional, virtual, and multi-team systems, and discusses factors influencing their success, including leadership, trust, and team composition. It also addresses the importance of team processes and goals, and the role of training in enhancing team performance.
Takeaways
- 😀 Teams are popular because they are believed to be more effective than individuals when working on projects.
- 👥 Teams offer flexibility and responsiveness to changing events, making them more adaptable than traditional departments.
- 🤔 The effectiveness of teams is not guaranteed and can be influenced by groupthink and fads.
- 🔄 There's a difference between work groups and work teams; the former focuses on sharing information while the latter generates synergy through coordination.
- 💡 Problem-solving teams are small groups that meet to improve quality and efficiency, but their effectiveness can vary.
- 🌟 Self-managed work teams have a wider range of responsibilities and can lead to reduced supervisory roles, but their effectiveness can be hindered by internal conflicts.
- 🔄 Cross-functional teams combine diverse skills and perspectives to solve complex problems and generate innovative ideas.
- 🌐 Virtual teams use technology to collaborate remotely, and shared leadership can enhance their performance.
- 🔗 Multi-team systems consist of interdependent teams working towards a common goal, requiring coordination and boundary-spanning roles.
- 🛠 The key components of effective teams include resources, team composition, and process variables.
- 📈 Team effectiveness can be influenced by factors such as trust, leadership, team identity, and cohesion.
Q & A
Why are teams considered popular and effective in the workplace?
-Teams are popular because they are believed to be effective in achieving goals. They can outperform individuals when members are committed to a project and to each other, and they offer flexibility and responsiveness to changing events, as well as a means to democratize organizations and increase employee involvement.
What is the difference between a group and a team in a work setting?
-A group is primarily for sharing information, making decisions, and helping each member perform within their area of responsibility without necessarily engaging in collective work. A team, on the other hand, generates positive synergy through coordination, where individual efforts result in a performance level greater than the sum of individual inputs.
What are the common characteristics of effective teams?
-Effective teams have certain common characteristics such as clear goals, trust among members, good communication, proper resources, and a supportive environment. They also exhibit reflexivity, adaptability, and a strong sense of team identity and cohesion.
What is a self-managed work team and how does it differ from a traditional team?
-A self-managed work team is a group of employees who perform interdependent jobs and have responsibilities that include planning, scheduling, assigning tasks, making operating decisions, and interacting with suppliers and customers. Unlike traditional teams, self-managed teams may select their own members, evaluate each other's performance, and reduce the importance or even eliminate former supervisory positions.
What factors should be in place for self-managing teams to be advantageous?
-For self-managing teams to be advantageous, factors such as clear team goals, trust, appropriate team size, individual preferences, and a supportive organizational culture must be in place. Additionally, team members should be rewarded for team-promoting behaviors.
What is a cross-functional team and how does it benefit an organization?
-A cross-functional team consists of employees from different work areas who collaborate to accomplish a task. It benefits an organization by allowing diverse individuals to exchange information, develop new ideas, solve problems, and coordinate complex projects, leveraging the unique perspectives and skills of its members.
How do virtual teams operate and what enhances their performance?
-Virtual teams use computer technology to collaborate online, using tools like corporate social media, video conferencing, and email, regardless of geographic location. Shared leadership and the establishment of trust among members, close monitoring of progress, and publicizing team efforts can significantly enhance the performance of virtual teams.
What is a multi-team system and how does it differ from individual teams?
-A multi-team system is a collection of two or more interdependent teams that share a superordinate goal. Unlike individual teams, multi-team systems require coordination and collaboration among different sub-teams, with boundary spanners playing a crucial role in facilitating coordination.
What are the three general categories of key components for effective teams?
-The three general categories are resources and contextual influences, team composition, and process variables. Resources include information, equipment, and administrative support. Team composition involves the selection of members based on abilities, personalities, and skills. Process variables include team goals, identity, and cohesion.
How can organizations determine if a task is better suited for a team or an individual?
-Organizations can apply three tests: whether the work can be done better by more than one person, whether it creates a common purpose or set of goals, and whether there is interdependence among tasks where the success of the whole depends on the success of each part.
What is the importance of team training and what skills can it help employees improve?
-Team training is important as it helps employees experience the satisfaction of teamwork and improve their problem-solving, communication, negotiation, conflict management, and coaching skills. It has positive tangible effects on performance, despite the time and resources required.
Outlines
👥 The Power and Pitfalls of Teamwork
This paragraph discusses the popularity and perceived effectiveness of teams, emphasizing their flexibility and ability to outperform individuals when members are committed to a project and each other. It highlights the potential for teams to democratize organizations and increase employee involvement. However, it also warns of the risks of groupthink and the importance of distinguishing between work groups and work teams. Work groups focus on sharing information and individual performance, while work teams generate synergy through coordinated efforts, leading to collective performance that surpasses individual contributions. The paragraph also touches on the characteristics of effective teams and the different types of teams, such as problem-solving teams, self-managed work teams, and cross-functional teams, each with their own dynamics and effectiveness.
🌐 Virtual Teams and Multi-Team Systems
The second paragraph delves into the complexities of virtual teams, which rely on technology for dispersed members to collaborate towards a common goal. It suggests that shared leadership can significantly enhance the performance of virtual teams, and for them to be effective, trust must be established, progress closely monitored, and team efforts publicized. The paragraph also introduces multi-team systems, which are interdependent teams sharing a superordinate goal, and highlights the importance of coordination and boundary spanners in these systems. It discusses the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of such systems and contrasts them with traditional teams, noting that team size and the attention from organizational leaders can impact performance.
🛠️ Team Effectiveness Model and Composition
This section presents a model for team effectiveness, considering the resources, composition, and process variables that contribute to a team's success. It underscores the importance of external resources, clear roles, and leadership style, especially in multi-team systems. Trust and interpersonal relationships within the team are identified as foundational for cooperation and commitment to team goals. The paragraph also explores the impact of team composition on performance, including the balance of knowledge, skills, abilities, and personalities, and how these factors can be leveraged to enhance team dynamics. It advises on the selection of team members based on their preferences for teamwork, as well as their individual attributes, and the importance of training for effective collaboration.
🎯 Team Processes and Decision-Making
The final paragraph focuses on the process variables that are crucial for team effectiveness, such as setting goals, fostering team identity and cohesion, and the reflexivity to adapt to changing conditions. It emphasizes the need for teams to have a clear purpose and measurable objectives, and the importance of team efficacy in driving motivation and performance. The paragraph also discusses the role of team cohesion in predicting outcomes and the challenges of managing team conflicts and communication demands. It concludes with a set of tests to determine whether a task is better suited for individual or team effort, highlighting the conditions under which teamwork is most beneficial.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Teams
💡Effectiveness
💡Work Group
💡Synergy
💡Self-Managed Work Teams
💡Cross-Functional Team
💡Virtual Teams
💡Multi-Team Systems
💡Team Cohesion
💡Team Identity
💡Team Goals
💡Team Efficacy
💡Team Training
Highlights
Teams are popular because they are believed to be more effective than individuals when working on projects.
Teams offer flexibility and responsiveness to changing events, outperforming traditional departments.
The effectiveness of teams is not guaranteed and can be swayed by fads and herd mentality.
Work groups differ from work teams in their level of collective work and joint effort.
Work teams generate positive synergy through coordination, leading to higher performance levels.
Self-managed work teams take on responsibilities traditionally held by supervisors.
Research shows mixed results on the effectiveness of self-managed work teams.
Cross-functional teams combine diverse skills to solve complex problems and coordinate projects.
Virtual teams rely on technology for collaboration, requiring shared leadership to enhance performance.
Multi-team systems consist of interdependent teams sharing a superordinate goal.
Effective teams require resources, proper leadership, and trust among members.
Team composition, including member abilities and personalities, significantly impacts team performance.
Team goals, identity, and cohesion are crucial process variables for team effectiveness.
Team training is essential for improving problem-solving, communication, and conflict management skills.
There are three tests to determine if a group's work would be better done in teams, focusing on task interdependence and common goals.
Teamwork requires more time and resources than individual work, necessitating a balance of benefits and costs.
Racially diverse teams may face challenges in receiving necessary resources for performance.
Hybrid performance systems that incorporate group rewards can reinforce team effort and commitment.
Transcripts
[Music]
let's take a look at why teams have
become so popular
why are teams so popular in short
because we believe they're effective
a team of people happily committed to a
project and one another will outperform
a brilliant individual every time they
can quickly assemble deploy refocus and
disband
teams are more flexible and responsive
to changing events than traditional
departments or other forms of permanent
groupings they're an effective means to
democracize organizations and increase
employee involvement
the fact that organizations have
embraced teamwork doesn't necessarily
mean that teams are always effective
team members may be swayed by fads and
herd mentality that can lead them astray
to the best decisions
groups and teams are not the same thing
a work group is a group that interacts
primarily to share information make
decisions and help each group member
perform within their area of
responsibility
work groups have no need or opportunity
to engage in collective work with a
joint effort so the group's performance
is merely the summation of each member's
individual contribution
a work group is a collection of
individuals doing their work albeit with
interaction and some dependency
a work team on the other hand generates
positive synergy through coordination
the individual efforts result in a level
of performance greater than the sum of
the individual inputs
in both work groups and work teams there
are often behavioral expectations of
members active group dynamics and some
level of decision making
the extensive use of teams creates the
potential for an organization to
generate greater outputs with no
increase in employee headcount however
merely calling a group a team doesn't
automatically improve its performance
effective teams have certain common
characteristics
problem-solving teams are work groups of
five to 12 employees who meet for a few
hours each week
their goal is to discuss ways of
improving quality efficiency and the
work environment
if their recommendations include
implementation processes great
improvements can be realized
self-managed work teams are groups of
employees who perform highly related or
interdependent jobs
the responsibilities usually include
planning and scheduling work assigning
tasks to members making operating
decisions taking action on problems and
working with suppliers and customers
fully self-managed work teams even
select their own members who evaluate
each other's performance when these
teams are established former supervisory
positions take on decreased importance
and are sometimes eliminated
research on the effectiveness of
self-managed work teams has not provided
uniformly positive results
self-managed teams may be more or less
effective based on the degree to which
the team promoting behaviors are
rewarded
some research indicates that
self-managed teams are not effective
when there's conflict when disputes
arise members often stop cooperating in
power struggles and ensue
which lead to lower group performance
and learning
although individuals on teams report
higher levels of job satisfaction than
others studies indicate that sometimes
these higher levels also include
absenteeism and turnover
for self-managing teams to be
advantageous a number of facilitating
factors must be in place
in a cross-functional team employees
from different work areas come together
to accomplish a task
cross-functional teams are an effective
means of allowing people from diverse
areas within or even between
organizations to exchange information
develop new ideas solve problems and
coordinate complex projects
due to the high need for coordination
cross-functional teams are not simple to
manage power shifts occur when expertise
is needed because the members are at
roughly the same level in the
organization
it takes time to build trust and
teamwork especially among people with
different experiences and perspectives
the strength of traditional
cross-functional teams is the
collaborative effort of individuals with
diverse skills from a variety of
disciplines
when the unique perspectives of these
members are considered these teams can
be very effective
virtual teams use computer technology in
order for dispersed members to achieve a
common goal
they collaborate online using
communication links like corporate
social media video conferencing and
email whether members are nearby or
countries apart nearly all teams do at
least some of their work remotely
because of the complexity of
interactions research indicates that
shared leadership of virtual teams may
significantly enhance team performance
although the concept is still in
development
for virtual teams to be effective
management should ensure that trust is
established among members progress is
monitored closely and the efforts of the
team are publicized throughout the
organization
as virtual teams become the norm
managers should maintain an oversight
role
as tasks become more complex teams often
grow in size increases in team size are
accompanied by higher coordination
demands
multi-team systems are collections of
two or more interdependent teams that
share a super ordinance goal
to picture a multi-team system imagine
the coordination of response needed
after a major car accident there is
emergency medical services an emergency
room team followed by a recovery team
although they're technically independent
their activities are interdependent and
the success of one depends on the
success of others they all share the
higher goal of saving lives
some factors that make smaller more
traditional teams effective do not
necessarily apply to multi-team systems
and can even hinder their performance
one study showed that multi-team systems
performed better when they had boundary
spanners whose jobs were to coordinate
with members of the other sub-teams
research has also indicated that teams
receiving more attention and engagement
from the organization's leader felt more
empowered which made them more effective
as they sought to solve their own
problems
a multi-team system is best when teams
with distinct functions need to be
highly coordinated
teams are often created deliberately but
sometimes evolve organically
many people have tried to identify
factors related to team effectiveness to
help some studies have organized what
was once a large list of characteristics
into a relatively focused model
in considering the team effectiveness
model remember that teams differ in form
and structure the model attempts to
generalize across all varieties of teams
but avoids rigidly applying its
predictions on all teams
second the model assumes that teamwork
is preferable to individual work
creating effective teams when
individuals can do the job better is
like perfectly solving the wrong problem
we can organize the key components of
effective teams into three general
categories first are the resources and
other contextual influences that make
teams effective the second relates to
the team's composition
third process variables are the events
within the team that influence
effectiveness
teams are part of a larger system every
work team relies on resources outside
the group to sustain it
they need timely information proper
equipment adequate staffing
encouragement and administrative
assistance
racially diverse teams are less likely
to be provided with the resources
necessary for team performance
teams can't function if they can't agree
on who's to do what and ensure that all
members share the workload leader
personality engagement and leadership
style also have an impact on team
effectiveness
leadership is especially important in
multi-team systems here leaders need to
delegate responsibilities to teams and
play the role of facilitator making sure
the teams work together
trust is the foundation of leadership it
allows the team to accept and commit to
the leaders goals and decisions members
of effective teams exhibit trust in
their leaders they also trust one
another
interpersonal trust among team members
facilitates cooperation reduces the need
to monitor each other's behavior and
bonds individuals through the belief
that members won't take advantage of
them
in addition to evaluating and rewarding
employees for their individual
contributions management should utilize
hybrid performance systems that
incorporate a group reward to recognize
positive team outcomes
team appraisals profit sharing and small
group incentives can reinforce team
effort and commitment
team composition categories include
variables that relate to how teams
should be staffed
as you can expect opinions vary widely
about the types of members leaders want
on their teams and some evidence
suggests that composition may be more
important at different stages of team
development
a team's performance depends in part on
the knowledge skills and abilities of
individual members abilities set limits
on what members can do and how
effectively they will perform as part of
a team
when solving a complex problem high
ability teams composed of mostly
intelligent members do better than low
ability teams high ability teams are
also more adaptable to changing
environments
smart team leaders help less intelligent
team members when they struggle with a
task a less intelligent leader can
conversely neutralize the effect of a
high ability team
personality significantly influences
individual behavior
conscientious people are good at backing
up other team members and sensing when
their support is truly needed
team composition can be based on
individual personalities to good effect
task conflict enhances performance for
teams with high levels of emotional
stability
open team members communicate better
with one another and throw out more
ideas which makes teams composed of open
people more creative and innovative
teams have different needs and members
should be selected to ensure that all
various roles are filled
most experts agree that keeping teams
small is key to improving group
effectiveness
not every employee is a team player
given the option many employees will
select themselves out of team
participation so managers should
consider individual preferences along
with abilities personalities and skills
high performing teams are likely to be
composed of people who prefer working as
part of a group
team effectiveness includes process
variables like team goals team identity
and team cohesion
why are processes important to team
effectiveness
teams should create outputs greater than
the sum of their inputs
effective teams begin by analyzing the
team's mission developing goals to
achieve that mission and creating
strategies for achieving the goals
members of successful teams put
tremendous amounts of time and effort
into discussing shaping and sharing a
purpose that belongs to them
collectively and individually
effective teams show reflexivity meaning
they reflect on and adjust their purpose
when necessary a team must have a good
plan but team members need to be willing
and able to adapt when conditions call
for it
successful teams translate their common
purpose into specific measurable and
realistic performance goals specific
goals facilitate clear communication
they help teams maintain their focus on
getting results
effective teams have confidence in
themselves they believe they can succeed
we call this team efficacy
teams that have successful rise in their
beliefs about future success which in
turn motivates them to work harder
managers should pay special attention to
fostering team identity in virtual teams
team identity may be lower in virtual
teams which can lead to lower effort on
part of virtual team members
the term team cohesion describes a
situation in which members are
emotionally attached to one another and
motivated towards the team because of
their attachment
team cohesion is a useful tool to
predict team outcomes
some people already possess the
interpersonal skills to be effective
team players
when hiring team members be sure
candidates can fulfill their team roles
as well as technical requirements
creating teams often means resisting the
urge to hire the best talent no matter
what
traits appear to make some people better
candidates for working in diverse teams
training specialists help employees to
experience the satisfaction that
teamwork can provide
workshops help employees improve their
problem solving communication
negotiation conflict management and
coaching skills
it takes time but good team training has
positive tangible effects on performance
teamwork takes more time and often more
resources than individual work
teams have increased communication
demands conflicts to manage and meetings
to run so the benefits of using teams
have to exceed the costs and that's not
always possible
there are three tests you can apply to
help you know whether the work of your
group would be better done in teams
first can the work be done better by
more than one person simple tasks that
don't require diverse input are probably
better left to individuals
does the work create a common purpose or
set of goals for the people in the group
that is more than the aggregate of
individual goals
using teams makes sense when there's an
interdependence among tasks the success
of the whole depends on the success of
each one and the success of each one
depends on the success of the others
there are groups whose performance is
aggregate summations of their individual
performance
[Music]
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