MODULE 5

Meaning of Teams
• A team can be defined as a collective group of employees
who work interdependently to achieve a common goal or
purpose for an organisation. Companies are formally
made up of different kinds of teams with different skill
sets. You’ve got your functional teams, which are often
department-based, cross-functional teams that bring
together people from different areas, and self-managing
teams that operate independently. Chances are, you’ll be
part of various teams in your workplace. But your main
squad is typically your departmental team, the folks
responsible for delivering a specific product or service.
 Types of Teams
• Cross-functional teams
• Self-managed teams:
• Virtual teams
 Advantages of Teams
1. Better communication
2. Increased efficiency
3. Additional professional flexibility
4. Empowered professionals
5. Encourages innovation
6. More constructive competition
7. Increased teamwork
8. Larger sense of community
 Model of Team Effectiveness

• Team effectiveness models help us understand

the best management techniques to get
optimal performance from our teams.
 Rubin, Plovnick, and Fry's GRPI Model of Team
Effectiveness
This model of team effectiveness was proposed by Rubin, Plovnick, and
Fry as early as 1977. It is also known by the acronym GRPI, which
stands for Goals, Roles, Processes, and Interpersonal Relationships.
Represented as a pyramid diagram, this model outlines four parts
teams need to be effective:
• Goals: Well-defined objectives and desired results, plus clearly
communicated priorities and expectations
• Roles: Well-defined responsibilities and acceptance of a leader
• Processes: Clear decision-making processes as well as work
procedures
• Interpersonal relationships: Good communication, trust, and
flexibility
Because of its simplicity, the GRPI model is great when starting a team
or when encountering a team-related problem with an unknown
cause.
 The Katzenbach and Smith Model
After studying teams across several companies and their various work
challenges, authors Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith unveiled
this team effectiveness model in 1993. Their book, "The Wisdom of
Teams," lays out their model of efficient teams in a triangular
diagram with the three points representing the larger deliverables
of any team: collective work products, performance results, and
personal growth.
To reach these goals, productive teams must have three necessary
components. These make up the sides of the triangle:
• Commitment: Teams are committed when they have a meaningful
purpose, specific goals, and a common approach to their work
• Skills: Team members need skills in problem-solving, technical skills
to accomplish their craft, and interpersonal skills to enhance
teamwork
• Accountability: Team members must have personal and mutual
accountability
 The T7 Model of Team Effectiveness
In 1995, Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger developed the T7 Model to
define the factors that affect team effectiveness. They identified five
internal and two external factors, all starting with "T," hence the name.
The internal team factors are:
• Thrust: A common objective or goal
• Trust: The knowledge that your team has your back
• Talent: Skills to do the job
• Teaming skills: The ability to function as a team
• Task skills: The ability to execute tasks
The external team factors are:
• Team leader fit: Whether the leader works well with the team
• Team support from the organization: How the organization enables the
team to work
For a team to be high-performing, all five internal factors must be present.
However, no matter how complete the internal factors are, if leadership
and organizational support are lacking, the team's effectiveness will be
hampered.
 The LaFasto and Larson Model
Authors Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson proposed a model in 2001
called "Five Dynamics of Teamwork and Collaboration." They
gathered insights from investigating 600 teams across various
industries to answer the question, "What is an effective team?"
The resulting model features five layers or components that increase
the likelihood of team effectiveness:
• Team member: What are their skills and behaviors? Picking the
right person is the first step.
• Team relationships: The right behavior in a team builds healthy
working relationships between its members.
• Team problem-solving: Good team relationships make it possible
to work together to solve problems.
• Team leadership: The right leadership enhances a team's success.
• Organization environment: The right processes and company
culture in an organization promote commitment from teams.
 The Hackman Model of Team Effectiveness
Richard Hackman proposed an effectiveness model in his 2002 book, "Leading Teams: Setting
the Stage for Great Performances." It outlines five conditions that must be present for
teams to work together successfully.
Hackman's study of analytic teams in the U.S. intelligence community confirms the validity
and effectiveness of these five conditions:
• Being a real team as opposed to a nominal team: Effective teams have a boundary that
delineates who is a part of the team, the members are interdependent, and membership
is typically stable.
• Having a compelling direction that everyone works toward: This means setting goals that
are clear, challenging, and of sufficient consequence to motivate team members to strive
together.
• Having an enabling structure that allows for teamwork: The team's structure — its
conduct and the way it organizes and works on its tasks — has to enable teamwork and
not impede it. For example, if only one person gets to approve the work of 20 people,
then that structure is hampering the team's effectiveness.
• Having a supportive context within the organization that allows the team to work
efficiently: This means the team receives adequate resources, rewards, information, and
the cooperation and support needed to do their work.
• Having expert coaching and guidance available to the team: Effective teams in business
are those with access to a mentor or a coach who can help them through issues.
 The Lencioni Model
Patrick Lencioni's 2005 book "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" lays out a
work team effectiveness model based on the causes of dysfunctions,
conflicts, and political maneuverings in a workgroup. He mapped out five
qualities effective teams do not want. To know your team's dysfunction is
to understand how to cure it. The five dysfunctions are:
• An absence of trust: If team members are afraid to be vulnerable or afraid
to ask for help, then they won't turn to their teammates for assistance.
• A fear of conflict: If everyone tried to preserve peace at all costs, there
wouldn't be any dynamic conflicts that result in productive ideas.
• A lack of commitment: If people aren't committed to their work or team,
then they won't follow through on their decisions or deadlines.
• Avoidance of accountability: This is another drawback of the fear of
conflict where no one wants to hold others accountable for their work.
• Inattention to results: If personal goals become more important than the
success of the group, no one will monitor and optimize team performance.
Lencioni's team effectiveness leadership model is illustrated as a pyramid,
where you tackle each dysfunction one by one from the bottom up.
 Stages of Team Development
• Forming stage
• Storming stage
• Norming stage
• Performing stage
• Adjourning stage
 Power and politics
• Power and politics are pervasive aspects of
organizational life, impacting decision-making,
resource allocation, and interpersonal
relationships. Power refers to the ability to
influence others, while politics refers to the
use of power to achieve personal or
organizational goals. Both power and politics
can have positive and negative effects on
organizational outcomes.
 Sources of Power
• Legitimate power
• Expert power
• Referent power
• Coercive power
• Reward power
 contingencies of power
In organizational behavior, "contingencies of power" refer to the situational factors that
determine how much influence a person or department has within an organization,
primarily including factors like substitutability, centrality, discretion, and
visibility; essentially, the degree to which someone can be replaced, how critical their role is
to the organization's operations, their ability to make independent decisions, and how
visible their actions are to others within the company.
• Substitutability:
If a person's role or skills can be easily replaced by someone else, their power within the
organization is reduced.
• Centrality:
A person who occupies a central position in the organizational network, interacting with many
different departments and individuals, has greater power due to their ability to influence
information flow.
• Discretion:
The degree of autonomy a person has to make decisions without needing approval from others
directly impacts their power.
• Visibility:
If a person's work and contributions are highly visible to key decision-makers, they are more
likely to wield significant power.
 Consequences of Power, Politics in organisation

• Positive Impact of Organizational Politics

• Organizational politics can create a positive
work environment by promoting healthy
competition and encouraging employees to
strive for excellence. It can motivate employees
to work harder and achieve their goals by
rewarding those who perform well and create a
culture of excellence. This can lead to increased
job satisfaction, employee engagement, and a
sense of camaraderie within the organization.
Negative Impact of Organizational Politics
• On the other hand, organizational politics can also have a
negative impact on the organizational environment. When
politics becomes toxic, it can lead to conflict, distrust, and
an unhealthy workplace environment. This can create a
toxic work culture that can negatively impact the
performance of employees and the overall success of the
organization.
• For example, when individuals or groups within an
organization use their power and influence to achieve their
own interests, it can create a culture of mistrust and
suspicion. Employees may feel that their colleagues are
working against them or that they are not being treated
fairly. This can lead to increased conflict, decreased
morale, and reduced productivity.
Conflict and Negotiation in the workplace

• Conflict can be a common part of many

workplaces. While conflict can encourage
change and inspire new ideas and processes,
it's important to know how to negotiate
during conflicts.
• Conflict negotiation is communication focused
on finding an agreement that addresses the
concerns of parties who want different
outcomes.
 Constructive & Relationship conflict
Constructive conflict occurs when individuals
engage in passionate debates and discussions
while maintaining respect and a shared goal of
finding the best solution. It is characterized by
open communication, active listening, and a
willingness to consider different viewpoints. Here
are some key features of constructive conflict:
1. Encourages Creativity and Innovation
2. Enhances Problem-Solving Skills
3. Builds Stronger Relationships
• Relationship conflict is a specific type of
organizational conflict that arises from
interpersonal differences among employees
within a workplace. Unlike other types of
conflict, like task conflict or process conflict,
which focus on work tasks and procedures,
relationship conflict in the workplace is rooted
in personal interactions and often involves
emotions, misunderstandings, and personality
clashes.
 Common Causes and Triggers
• Personality Clashes: Employees with different personalities or working styles
may find it challenging to collaborate. For example, a highly meticulous person
might struggle to work effectively with someone who prefers a more laid-back
approach, leading to friction.
• Miscommunication: Poor communication is a common trigger for relationship
conflict. Misunderstandings, unclear messages, or tone misinterpretations can
quickly escalate into significant disagreements.
• Differing Values and Beliefs: When employees hold conflicting values or beliefs,
especially about work ethics or social issues, it can create ongoing tension that
disrupts the workplace.
• Competition: A competitive atmosphere can breed jealousy and resentment,
particularly if team members feel they are not being recognized fairly. This can
lead to conflict where individuals feel undervalued or slighted.
• Task Interdependence: Task conflict often overlaps with relationship conflict,
especially when employees depend on one another to complete their work.
Delays or errors by one person can lead to frustration and blame.
• Process Conflicts: Disagreements about the methods or processes used to
complete work can also lead to relationship conflict, particularly when team
members have strong opinions about how tasks should be handled.
Conflict Process Model
• Integrative negotiation or win-win approach
In this approach, both parties achieve or exceed
their goals in a value-creating process. Both
parties look for solutions that benefit each
side, integrating the goals into one main
approach. An added benefit of this approach
is that it creates a positive connection for
future negotiations.
• Distributive negotiation or win-lose approach

• A distributive negotiation is when only one

party can gain benefits. This type of
negotiation is common when there's a limited
resource or the team can only try one
approach. Negotiating a specific price for a
product is often distributive negotiation, since
there can be only one agreed-upon price.
Lose-lose approach
In a lose-lose approach, neither party receives
the outcome they wanted. In some cases, each
side negotiates for part of their desired goal,
but they don't get everything they expected.
Compromise approach
In the compromise approach, both parties
attempt to avoid a lose-lose outcome by
acknowledging they could benefit from
accepting a result that limits negative
consequences.
 Structural sources of Conflict Management
• Power imbalances:
When one group or individual has significantly more power than others, it can lead to conflict
due to the ability to impose decisions without considering other perspectives.
• Resource scarcity:
When resources like budget, time, or personnel are limited, competition for access can cause
conflict between different groups.
• Incompatible goals:
If different departments or individuals within an organization have conflicting objectives, it
can lead to tension and conflict as they try to achieve their goals.
• Poor organizational design:
A poorly structured organization with unclear reporting lines or overlapping responsibilities
can create confusion and conflict.
• Lack of transparency:
When information is not readily available or is not shared effectively, it can lead to suspicion
and conflict among individuals or groups.
• Discriminatory practices:
Systemic biases or discriminatory policies within an organization can create conflict among
employees based on factors like race, gender, or ethnicity.
 Resolving conflict through negotiation

1. Clearly define goals

2. Consider the other party's background
3. Be proactive
4. Know your role
5. Use established forums for negotiating
conflicts
6. Be flexible with time
7. Focus on creating value
 Third-Party Conflict Resolution
• Third-party interventions are processes or
techniques that involve an external person or
group who assists the conflicting parties in
reaching an agreement or improving their
relationship. Third-party interventions can vary in
terms of their level of formality, neutrality,
authority, and involvement. For example, some
common types of third-party interventions are
mediation, arbitration, facilitation, coaching, and
consultation.