978-0132729833 Chapter 9 Solution Manual

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C H A P T E R N I N E

Group Processes and

Work Teams 9

Lecture Outline

Groups at Work: Their Basic Nature

What Is a Group?

Types of Groups

The Basic Building Blocks of Group

Dynamics

Roles: The Hats We Wear

Norms: A Group’s Unspoken Rules

Status: The Prestige of Group

Membership

Cohesiveness: Getting the Team

Spirit

Individual Performance in Groups

Social Facilitation

Social Loa+ng

Teams: Empowered Work Groups

What is a Team?

Impressive Claims About Team

Performance

What Is It About Teams That May

Make Them E.ective?

How Successful Are Teams?

Potential Obstacles to Team

Success

Guidelines for Developing

Successful Teams

A Cautionary Note: Developing

Successful Teams Requires

Patience

The concepts of groups and teams are introduced in

the chapter. A group is a collection of two or more

interacting individuals with a stable pattern of

relationships between them. Four characteristics are

associated with the de+nition of groups: social

interaction, stability, common interests, and

recognition as a group. Formal and informal groups

are de+ned and explained. Formal groups are created

by the organization for a speci+c purpose. Informal

groups formed by members for social purposes or

common interests. There are four basic building

blocks of groups examined in the chapter: (1) roles,

(2) norms, (3) status, and (4) cohesiveness. Two

phenomena occur in groups. Social facilitation is the

tendency for people to perform better in the

presence of another. Social loa+ng is found when

members are pooling their e.orts toward an additive

task. Each individual’s performance seems to be less

than when that task is done alone. Teams are

di.erentiated from groups. Members of teams have

complementary skills and are committed to a

common purpose. They are typically organized

around processes rather than functions; own the

product, process, or service on which they work; have

a variety of skills and knowledge; are involved in

company decision making; and have a great deal of

autonomy. There are several di.erent types of teams

in work organizations. These include: work teams,

improvement teams, temporary or permanent teams,

self–managed work teams, cross-functional teams,

and virtual teams. The chapter examines recent

research on the e.ectiveness and productivity of

teams. The chapter concludes with obstacles to team

performance and suggestions for making teams

e.ective.

ANNOTATED OUTLINE

1. GROUPS AT WORK: THEIR BASIC NATURE

A. What is a group?

1. A group is a collection of two or more interacting individuals with a

stable pattern of relationships between them who share common goals

and who perceive themselves as being a group

a. Elements of groups:

1. Social interaction ― members of a group must have

some in?uence on each other

i. Stable structure

ii. Common interests or goals

iii. Recognition as being a group ― individuals

involved must perceive themselves as a group

B. Types of groups

1. Formal groups

a. Formal group ― created by the organization and are

intentionally designed to direct members toward some

important organizational goal

b. Command group ― group determined by connections

between individuals who are a formal part of the organization

c. Task group ― group composed of individuals with special

interest or expertise regardless of their positions

d. Standing committee ― permanent structures

e. Ad hoc committee ― temporary structures

2. Informal groups

a. Informal group ― develops naturally among an organization’s

personnel without any direction from the management of the

organization

b. Interest group – can unite workers at di.erent levels of the

organization

c. Friendship group – may extend beyond the workplace

2. THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF GROUP DYNAMICS

A. Roles: the hats we wear

1. Roles ― the typical behaviors that characterize a person in a social

context

a. Role incumbent – the person holding the role

b. Role expectations – the behaviors expected of the role

incumbent

c. Role di’erentiation – members play di.erent roles

i. Task-oriented role

ii. Socio-emotional role

iii. Self-oriented role

B. Norms: a group’s unspoken rules

1. Norms ― agreed upon informal rules that guide group members’

behavior

a. Injunctive norms – re?ect people’s views about what

constitutes appropriate and inappropriate behavior

i. Prescriptive norms ― dictate the behaviors that

should be performed

ii. Proscriptive norms ― dictate speci+c behaviors that

should be avoided

C. Status: the prestige of group membership

1. Status ― the relative social position or rank given to groups or group

members by others

a. Formal status ― di.erentiate between the degrees of formal

authority given employees by an organization

i. Status symbols ― job title, perks, luxurious working

conditions

b. Informal status ― prestige accorded individuals with certain

characteristics that are not formally recognized by the

organization

2. In,uence ― the capacity to a.ect others in some fashion

D. Cohesiveness: getting the team spirit

1. Cohesiveness ― strength of group members’ desires to remain part

of their groups

2. Determinants of cohesiveness:

a. Severity of initiation

b. External threat

c. Group size

d. History of success

3. Cohesiveness can be problematic.

a. Group’s goals are contrary to the organization’s goals

3. INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE IN GROUPS

A. Social facilitation: working in the presence of others

1. Social facilitation – tendency for the presence of others to enhance

an individual’s performance at times and to impair it at other times

a. Presence of others increases performance when the task is well

known

b. Presence of others decreases performance when the task is

unfamiliar

B. Social loa+ng: “free riding” when working with others

1. Additive tasks are those where each person’s contribution can be

added together with another’s

2. Social loa-ng ― the more individuals who are contributing to an

additive task, the less each individual’s contribution tends to be

3. Overcoming social loa+ng:

a. Make each performer identi+able

b. Make work tasks more important and interesting

c. Reward individuals for contributions to the group’s performance

d. Threaten punishment

4. TEAMS: EMPOWERED WORK GROUPS

A. What is a team?

1. Team ― group whose members have complementary skills and are

committed to a common purpose or set of performance goals for which

they hold themselves mutually accountable

a. Organized around work processes rather than functions

b. “Own” the product, service, or processes

c. Members are trained in several di.erent areas and in a variety

of skills

i. Cross-training ― involves e.orts to learn the jobs

performed by one’s team members

ii. Shared mental models ― common understanding

regarding how their team operates, including how people

are expected to work together and who does what at

particular points in time

d. Members are empowered to govern themselves

e. Support sta. and responsibilities are built in

f. Involved in making company-wide decisions

Self-Assessment Exercise Are You Ready For Some Teamwork?

Students should consider the following upon completion of the exercise.

1. What was you score and how did it compare to those of others in your class?

2. How well do you believe this questionnaire describes your readiness to work in

teams?

3. What does this questionnaire reveal about the particular factors that would keep you

from working well in teams? What do you think can be done to overcome these

barriers?

B. Types of teams

1. Work teams and improvement teams

a. Work teams ― primarily concerned with work done by the

b. Improvement teams ― primarily oriented toward increasing

2. Temporary and permanent teams

a. Temporary teams – established for a speci+c project with a

b. Permanent teams – remain intact as long as the organization

3. Work groups and self-managed work teams

a. Work groups ― leaders make decisions on behalf of group

b. Virtual teams ― operate across space, time, and

Winning

Practices

“Virtual Troops” Usher Girl Scouts into the Digital Era

Use Winning Practices Case for class discussion.

C. Impressive claims about team performance

D. What is it about teams that may make them e.ective?

1. Teams must coordinate their e.orts in order to accomplish team goals.

a. Peer-based normative control – the desire to be part of a

E. How successful are teams? Considering the evidence:

1. Highly regarded in companies where they have been used

F. Potential obstacles to team success: Why some teams fail

1. Lack of cooperation

G. Guidelines for developing successful teams

1. Provide training in team skills

a. Team building – formal e.orts directed toward making teams

2. Compensate team performance

a. Gainsharing – rewarding teams for developing procedures that

lead to savings as a result of improved performance

You Be the Consultant Suggested Answers

1. What would you tell the company president about the overall record of teams – both

successful and unsuccessful – in being able to improve organizational performance?

Student answers will vary. Key points are presented in bullet form.

2. The company president notes that the current employees tend to have relatively

poor skills and are generally disinterested in acquiring new ones. Will this be a

problem when it comes to using teams? Why or why not?

3. The company president tells you that several people in the company ― including

some top executives ― are a bit concerned about relinquishing some of their power

to teams. Is this likely to be a problem, and if so, what can be done to help alleviate

it?