1-1
Organizational Behavior
Chapter: 11
Understanding Work Teams
Copyright ©2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
Why Are Teams So Popular?
9-2
Increased competition forced restructuring for
efficiency and effectiveness
Teams:
Better utilize employee talents
Are more flexible and responsive to change
Democratize and motivate
Groups and Teams
9-3
Work Group –
A group who interacts primarily to
share information and to make
decisions to help one another perform
within each member’s area of
responsibility
Work Team –
Generates positive synergy through
coordinated effort; individual efforts
result in a level of performance that is
greater than the sum of those individual
Comparing Work Groups and Work Teams
9-4
Four Types of Teams
9-5
Problem-Solving Teams
9-6
Members often from the
same department
Share ideas or suggest
improvements
Rarely given authority to
unilaterally implement
any of their suggested
actions
Self-Managed Work Teams
9-7 10-15 employees in highly-related jobs
Team takes on supervisory responsibilities:
Work planning and scheduling
Assigning tasks
Operating decisions/actions
Working with customers
May select and evaluate members
Effectiveness is situation ally dependent
Cross-Functional Teams
9-8
Members from same level, but diverse
areas within and between
organizations
Exchange information
Develop new ideas and solve problems
Coordinate complex projects
Development may be time-consuming
due to complexity and diversity
Virtual Teams
9-9
Computer technology
ties dispersed team
together
Special challenges:
Less social rapport
More task-oriented
Members less satisfied
Key Components of Effective
9-10 Teams
Context
Composition
Process
Contextual Components
9-11
Presence of adequate resources
Effective leadership and structure
Climate of trust in the team
Performance evaluation and reward
system that reflects team contributions
Team Composition
9-12
Components
Abilities of members
Technical expertise
Problem-solving
Interpersonal
Personality
Conscientious and open-
minded
Allocation of Roles
Diversity
Size of teams
Member preferences
Turning Individuals Into Team
9-13
Players
Selection –
Need employees who have the
interpersonal as well as technical skills
Training –
Workshops on problem-solving,
communications, negotiation, conflict-
management and coaching skills
Rewards –
Encourage cooperative efforts rather than
individual ones
Implications for Managers
9-14
Common characteristics of effective teams:
Have adequate resources, effective
leadership, a climate of trust, and suitable
reward system
Composed of individuals with technical and
interpersonal skills
Work provides freedom, autonomy and
opportunity to use skills
Members are committed to a common
Implications for Managers
9-15
Common characteristics of effective teams:
Have adequate resources, effective
leadership, a climate of trust, and suitable
reward system
Composed of individuals with technical and
interpersonal skills
Work provides freedom, autonomy and
opportunity to use skills
Members are committed to a common
The Big Five Personality
9-16
Dimensions Characteristics of Person Scoring
Personality Dimension Positively on Dimension
1) Extraversion Outgoing, talkative, social, assertive
2) Agreeableness Trusting, good-natured, cooperative,
soft-hearted
3) Conscientiousness Dependable, responsible, achievement-
oriented, persistent
4) Emotional stability Relaxed, secure, unworried
5) Openness to experience Intellectual, imaginative, curious,
broad-minded