Introduction to management 13th schemerhorn bachrach chapter 17

17

John R. Schermerhorn, Jr.
Daniel G. Bachrach

Introduction to
Management
13th edition

Chapter 17
Teams and Teamwork


Planning Ahead — Key Takeaways
 Identify

the ways teams contribute to
organizations.
 Explain current trends in the use of teams in
organizations.
 Describe the key processes through which
teams work.
 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of
team decision making.

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Chapter 17 Outline
1.

Teams in Organizations
a)
b)
c)
d)

2.

Teamwork pros
Teamwork cons
Meetings, meetings, meetings
Organizations as networks of groups

Trends in the Use of Teams
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Committees, project teams, and task forces
Cross-functional teams
Self-managing teams
Virtual teams
Team building

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Chapter 17 Outline

3.

How Teams Work
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

4.

Team inputs
Stages of team development
Norms and cohesiveness
Task and maintenance roles
Communication networks

Decision Making in Teams
a)
b)
c)
d)

Ways teams make decisions
Advantages and disadvantages of team decisions
Groupthink
Creative team decision making
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Teams in Organizations
 Team


A small group of people with complementary
skills who interact and work with one another
to achieve shared goals

 Teamwork


The process of people actively working
together to accomplish common goals

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Teams in Organizations
Team and teamwork roles for managers:





Team leader— serving as the appointed head
of a team or work unit
Network facilitator — serving as a peer leader
an network hub for a special task force
Team member — serving as a helpful
contributing member of a project team

Coach or team developer — serving as a
team’s advisor on ways to improve processes
and performance
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Teams in Organizations

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Teams in Organizations
Synergy



The creation of a whole that is greater than
the sum of its individual parts
A team uses its membership resources to the
fullest and thereby achieves through
collective action far more than could be
achieved otherwise

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Teams in Organizations

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Teams in Organizations
Common problems in teams:






Personality conflicts
Individual differences in work styles
Ambiguous agendas
Ill-defined problems
Social loafing: tendency of some people to
avoid responsibility by “free-riding” in groups

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Teams in Organizations

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Teams in Organizations
Formal groups




Officially recognized and supported by the
organization
Specifically created to perform essential
tasks
Managers and leaders serve “linking pin”
roles

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Teams in Organizations
Informal groups








Not recognized on organization charts
Not officially created for an organizational
purpose
Emerge as part of the informal structure and
from natural or spontaneous relationships
among people
Include interest, friendship, and support groups
Can have positive performance impact
Can help satisfy social needs
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Trends in the Use of Teams
Committees, project teams, and task forces:


Committees
People outside their daily job assignments work together in a
small team for a specific purpose
 Task agenda is narrow, focused, and ongoing




Projects teams or task forces
People from various parts of an organization work together on
common problems, but on a temporary basis
 Official tasks are very specific and time defined
 Disbands after task is completed


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Trends in the Use of Teams
Cross-functional teams




Members come from different functional units
of an organization
Teams are created to knock down “walls”
separating departments
Functional chimneys problem – a lack of
communication across functions

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Trends in the Use of Teams
Self-managing teams



Have the authority to make decisions about
how they share and complete their work
Key feature is multitasking with an emphasis
on participation

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Trends in the Use of Teams
Characteristics of self-managing teams:

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Figure 17.1 Organizational and management

implications of self-managing work teams

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Trends in the Use of Teams
Virtual (distributed) teams


Teams of people who work together and solve
problems through largely computer-mediated
rather than face-to-face interactions

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Trends in the Use of Teams

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Trends in the Use of Teams

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Trends in the Use of Teams
Team Building



Activities that analyze teams and make
changes to improve performance
May include meetings, games and outdoor
activities

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Trends in the Use of Teams

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How Teams Work
Effective Teams




Perform tasks
Satisfy members
Remain viable for the future

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Figure 17.2 An open-systems model of team
effectiveness

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