Organizational Behavior Week 4 Managing Teams Class agenda Teams and Teamwork in Organizations Defining teams their role in orgs Advantages and disadvantages of teams Teams Their elements and roles Leadership in teams Challenges to teams 2 1 Defining teams and their role in organizations 3 What is a team A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose set of performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable Katzenbach and Smith The Discipline of Teams 4 The team concept is central to the design of the modern horizontal organization 5 Top Management Process Coordinators Team Team New product development process Process Coordinators Team Team Order fulfillment process Process Coordinators Team Procurement logistics process Team 6 Read your way to a better team 7 What kinds of teams exist Executive teams Off line problem solving teams Task forces Quality circles safety productivity On line production teams E g NUMMI Saturn Cross functional process teams Product development Boundary spanning Chrysler Strategic planning Customer service e g Xerox 8 One type of winning team borrowed from the New York Times photo by Vincent Laforet 9 and another 10 2 Advantages and disadvantages of teams 11 What is so good about teams Complementary skills and experiences Greater flexibility Motivation fun energizing and commitment Lowered resistance to change Empowered people Improved coordination cooperation Improved accountability responsibility Superior decision making 12 Teams contributions to organizational effectiveness Cost savings labor materials Productivity Quality quality circles Customer service Product development skunk works Process development NUMMI Speed and cycle time Safety Decreased absenteeism and turnover 13 Teams are key to Southwest Air s fast turnarounds 14 What are the downsides to teamwork Inefficiency slow to produce results Coordination costs mutual adjustment Increased uncertainty and risk Accountability responsibility problems free riders Politics division stalemate Groupthink 15 The myth of the executive team 16 Teams were a bad fit for Levi s 17 Congruence in the design of teams People Do people have the experience training motivation necessary for teamwork Culture Is there a culture of participation empowerment Leadership Is there genuine buy in from top management Is management heroic or developmental Coaches or bosses Tasks Are tasks and technology designed for teamwork Formal structure Are job designs reporting hierarchies adapted to teamwork Formal systems Are information systems designed for teamwork Are appraisal and pay systems designed for teamwork 18 3 Elements of teams and roles in teams 19 Designing teams The set up Clear goals well defined performance objectives Task interdependence meshing of roles Appropriate size The structure Thorough training Right mix of group and individual incentives Diversity in skills and demographics The resources Authority empowerment Sufficient material resources e g space Access to information 20 Roles that enhance team process Facilitator Moderator of group process Makes sure the group stays on target and points out issues that may derail the group Not the decision maker the group is so does not have final say on any decision Timekeeper In charge of making sure the group stays on track e g you don t stay up until 4 00am working on a marketing project Recorder In charge of taking notes Effectively the group memory charged with ensuring that good ideas are not lost Comic relief Self appointed position usually the person with the worst PowerPoint or Excel skills Helps the group keep a sense of humor about the fact that it is 4 00am you have just started phase II of the project that is due at 8 20am Please note that the timekeeper facilitator should be shot for this 21 Roles that impair team process Blocker Stubbornly resists all attempts by the team to move ahead is constantly negative and frequently returns to rejected issues ideas Recognition seeker Calls attention to him herself by boasting and acting as if he or she were superior Bully dominator Manipulates the team to pursue his her agenda interrupts others tries to gain attention Avoider Isolated passive resister 22 And now our feature presentation 23 Instrumental task oriented actions Initiating Stating the goal or problem making proposals Let s set up an agenda Seeking information or opinions What do you think would be the best approach to this Jack Providing information and opinions I worked on a similar problem last year and Clarifying Helping one another understand ideas and suggestions What you mean Sue is that we could Elaborating Building on Don s idea we could Summarizing Reviewing points covered ideas expressed so decisions are made on full information Appointing a recorder to take notes Consensus testing Testing if group is near decision or needs to continue discussion Is the group ready to decide about this 24 Maintenance expressive actions Harmonizing Mediating conflict reconciling differences relieving tensions Don I don t think you and Sue really see the question that differently Compromising Admitting error at times of conflict Well I d be willing to change if you provided some help on Gate keeping Making sure all members have a chance to express ideas and feelings Sue we haven t heard from you on this issue Encouraging Helping a member make his or her point creating climate of acceptance I think what you started to say is important Jack Please continue 25 Functional teams Process attributes Openness Members encourage flexibility experimentation and creativity Empathy Members attempt to listen and to understand each other s views and values Equality Members respect the positions of others and no one is made to feel inferior Spontaneity Members express ideas freely and honestly without hidden motives Problem orientation Members openly discuss mutual problems without rushing to give solutions or insist on agreement 26 Dysfunctional teams Process Attributes Evaluation Members manner of speech tone of voice or verbal content is perceived as critical or judgmental of others Control Communication is perceived as an attempt to manipulate or dominate the recipient Strategems Members are seen as operating from hidden motives playing games feigning emotion withholding information or having private access to sources of data Superiority Members convey an attitude of condescension toward