Chapter 11 – Developing and Leading Effective Teams
11–16
(b) Some managers view self-managed teams as a threat to their job
security.
(3) Cross-Functionalism
(a) Cross-functionalism: team made up of technical specialists from
different areas.
(b) Cross-functionalism is a common feature of self-managed teams.
(4) Are Self-Managed Teams Effective? The Research Evidence See
Slide 11-33
(a) A review of three meta-analyses covering 70 individual studies
concluded that self-managed teams had:
(i) A positive effect on productivity.
(ii) A positive effect on specific attitudes relating to self-management.
(iii)No significant effect on general attitudes.
(iv)No significant effect on absenteeism and turnover.
(b) The trend toward self-managed work teams will likely continue upward
in North America because of a strong cultural bias in favor of direct
participation.
(c) Table 11-8: There Are Many Ways to Empower Self-Managed
Teams provides insights into how to empower self-managed teams.
See Slide 11-35
IV. Team Building and Team Leadership
Chapter 11 – Developing and Leading Effective Teams
11–17
i) Team Building
(1) Team Building Overview
(a) Team building: experiential techniques aimed at improving the
internal functioning of groups. See Slide 11–34
(b) Team-building workshops strive for greater cooperation, better
communication, and less dysfunctional conflict.
(c) Active learning rather than passive learning is recommended and
experiential learning techniques such as interpersonal trust exercises,
conflict role-play sessions, and competitive games are commonly
used.
(d) The Real World/Real People: McDonald’s Uses Team Building to
Develop Leaders in China profiles one firm’s use of team building
exercises.
(e) Team building sessions need clear goals, proper leadership, careful
attention to details, and transfer of learning back to the job.
(2) The Goal of Team Building: High-Performance Teams
(a) There are eight attributes of high-performance teams: See Slide
11–36
(i) Participative leadership.
(ii) Shared responsibility.
(iii)Aligned on purpose.
Chapter 11 – Developing and Leading Effective Teams
11–18
(iv)High communication.
(v) Future focused.
(vi)Focused on task.
(vii) Creative talents.
(viii) Rapid response.
(b) These eight attributes effectively combine many of today’s most
progressive ideas on management.
(3) Assessing the Effectiveness of Team Building See Slides 11-37,
11–38
(a) Managers are accountable for knowing if their team-building activities
are effective.
(b) Four evaluation levels can be used to evaluate team building:
(i) Reaction: how the participants felt about the activity.
(ii) Learning: if the experience increased knowledge or improved
skills.
(iii)Behavior: if participants’ on-the-job behavior improved as a result
of the activity.
(iv)Results: if participants subsequently achieved better measurable
results.
(c) Managers should not settle for a quick post-activity survey of
participants.
Chapter 11 – Developing and Leading Effective Teams
11–19
ii) Leading Teams See Slide 11–39
(1) Leading a team is not the same as leading individuals.
(2) Managers need to be able to lead both individuals and teams.
(3) Managers sometimes erroneously equate the management of their team
with managing the individuals on the team and pay little or no attention to
team culture and performance.
(4) Team leaders need to be versatile and flexible when adapting their style to
the following dynamic web of relationships: leader ↔ each individual;
leader ↔ team as a whole; team member ↔ team member; and subgroup
↔ subgroup.
BACK TO THE CHAPTER-OPENING CASE
1. What type of team, according to Table 11-2, delivered the excellent customer
service at the Paris Four Seasons? Explain your choice. What are
management’s greatest challenges with this sort of team?
a. The four general types of work teams are advice, production, project, and
11–20
2. What role does trust play in customer-service teams and how can management
build that trust?
a. Trust is a critical element of success for teams, including customer-service
teams. Success on a task is interrelated with the individual contributions
3. If you worked at one of Steve Wynn’s hotels or resorts, what sort of team building
activities would you use for your employees to make sure each of your guests
experienced great customer service?
1. Using Table 11-1 as a guide, what needs to be done to turn Google’s HR
group into a true team?
a. According to Table 11-1, there are 5 stages for work group to become
Chapter 11 – Developing and Leading Effective Teams
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2. Should Google’s HR team members have been instructed ahead of time in
the teamwork competencies in Table 11-3? Explain how it should have been
done.
a. The teamwork competencies in Table 11-3 include: (1) orients team to
3. How important is trust with this sort of cross-functional team? Explain how to
quickly build trust among cross-functional team members who bring a diverse
array of backgrounds and perspectives to the table.
a. Trust is a reciprocal faith in another’s intentions and behavior. Given
4. Which type of cohesiveness, socio-emotional or instrumental, is more
important in this type of cross-functional team? Explain.
a. Cohesiveness is a sense of “we–ness” that helps group stick together.
Chapter 11 – Developing and Leading Effective Teams
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important than socio-emotional cohesion in the relationship between
5. What advice would you give Google’s Laszlo Bock about managing a cross–
functional team, team building, and team leadership?
a. Figure 11-2 presents reasons why work teams fail. Mistakes typically
made by management and problems typically experienced by team
1. The idea today is to work smarter, not harder. Kilburg is a good role model for
using information technology to achieve a healthy work-life balance. Explain
your ethical reasoning.
2. Virtual leadership may sound good in theory, but well-run businesses rely on
trust built with lots of face-to-face teamwork. Electronic interaction cannot
adequately replace face-to-face communication and problem solving. Explain
your ethical reasoning.
3. This elitist style of leadership could breed resentment, damage employee morale,
erode trust, and dampen team spirit. (Is going to the coast and leaving your
employees to sweat out an Arizona summer a good way to build trust?) Explain
your ethical reasoning.
4. Invent other options. Discuss.
Discussion:
Advances in information technology are making it easier for many types of workers to
have greater control over the timing and location of their work responsibilities. Give
than Bill Kilburg’s job involves analytical thinking to direct the strategic growth of the
Chapter 11 – Developing and Leading Effective Teams
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company, there are many elements of his job that can be done anywhere, even on the
shores of Mission Beach. His six-week relocation to San Diego may even allow him to
do his job better by allowing him time to clear his head and time to rejuvenate.
American managers take far fewer vacation days than managers from most other
foreign countries. It would not be usual for a European manager to take six weeks
completely off from work, not just the off at 1:00 p.m. model that Bill is using. It would
be beneficial for American firms if more employees could successfully strike a healthier
work-life balance.
The downside of telecommuting is that nothing can replace face-to-face interaction.
There are likely elements of Bill’s job performance that do suffer when he is away from
the office for an extended period. If he were to permanently re-locate to San Diego, his
job performance and the company’s performance would likely suffer. If summer is a
slow time for planning group meetings in Phoenix, Bill’s performance would not likely be
negatively impacted by just a six week absence.
In most American firms, CEOs and upper-level managers enjoy perks and benefits that
rank-and-file employees do not, including oversized pay packages, access to a
corporate jet, etc. Although most employees accept that CEOs should be rewarded for
their hard work and long hours with monetary compensation, a large disparity between
the benefits and compensation package of the CEO compared to the rest of the
organization is likely to foster resentment. This likely to be true in the current situation if
Bill’s six–week sabbatical is viewed as negatively impacting the firm’s performance.
Perhaps one solution is for the company to rent another house in Mission Beach and
allow the firm’s employees to take turns staying there during the summer. This would
give the employees a chance to escape the Arizona heat and a way to interact with Bill
in more casual surroundings.
INTERNET EXERCISE
http://www.gore.com
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/snapshots/31.html
This chapter discussed the use of teams and self-managed teams in organizations.
One of the pioneering firms in the use of team-based approaches to job design is W. L.
Gore & Associates. Gore has made Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work
For” list for 14 consecutive years. It is one of only 3 firms that have made every list
published by Fortune.
The purpose of this exercise is to give you more insight about the working environment
at this unique company. First, go to http://www.gore.com and read the material in the
“About Gore,” “Diversity at Gore,” “Gore at a Glance” and “Our Culture” sections under
the “About Gore” heading. Then review material in the “Careers” section, paying
Chapter 11 – Developing and Leading Effective Teams
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particular attention to the section devoted to “Students and New Graduates.” Review the
material in the “Careers” section under “What We Offer” for “Compensation,” “Benefits,”
and “Growth & Development at Gore.” Watch some of the “Associate Stories” videos
posed under “Associate Videos.” You can also consult the profile of W. L. Gore on
Fortune’s 2011 list. It is posted at:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/snapshots/31.html
Questions:
1. How is the corporate culture of Gore different than other firms?
2. How do associates function at Gore?
3. How is the compensation program of Gore related to the concept of pay for
performance discussed in Chapter 9?
4. Would you like to work at Gore? Why or why not?
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
1. See “Topic 9: Groups and Teams” in “An Instructor’s Guide to an Active
Classroom” by A. Johnson and A. Kinicki (McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006).
2. See “Using a Dual Role Assignment to Improve Group Dynamics and
Performance: The Effects of Facilitating Social Capital in Teams” by K. Aquino
and M. Serva in Journal of Management Education, 2005, Vol. 29(1), pp. 17-38.
3. For an excellent tool for deconstructing the essentials of teamwork for your class
see “Team Players and Teamwork” by G. M. Parker (Jossey-Bass, 2009).
4. See “Teaching With and Through Teams: Student-Written, Instructor-Facilitated
Case Writing and the Signatory Code” by J. Bailey, M. Sass, P. Swiercz, C. Seal,
and D. Kayes in Journal of Management Education, 2005, Vol. 29(1), pp. 39-59.
5. See “Exploring Attributes of Trustworthiness: A Classroom Exercise” by R. Mayer
and P. Norman in Journal of Management Education, 2004, Vol. 28, pp. 224-249.
6. See “Teamxchange: A Team Project Experience Involving Virtual Teams and
Fluid Team Membership” by B. Dineen in Journal of Management Education,
2005, Vol. 29, pp. 593-616.
7. See “Understanding and Transcending Team Member Differences: A Felt–
Experience Exercise” by S. Gugal and M. Eriksen in Journal of Management
Education, 2004, Vol. 28, pp. 492-508.