Management Chapter 14 Homework Critical events establish precedent and lead to the creation of a

(2) Shared goals. Agreeing on purpose and direction binds the team together.

(4) Presence of competition. When a team is in moderate competition with other

teams, its cohesiveness increases as it strives to win.

(5) Team success. When a team succeeds in its task and others in the

b. Consequences of Team Cohesiveness

(2) Productivity tends to be more uniform. The degree of productivity depends

on the relationship between management and the team.

Discussion Question #8: Some people argue that the presence of an outside threat correlates

with a high degree of team cohesion. Would you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.

C. Team Norms

1. A team norm is a standard of conduct that is shared by team members and guides

their behavior. Norms are informal and valuable because they define boundaries of

acceptable behavior.

2. Norms begin to develop in the first interactions among members of a new team. Four

common ways in which norms to develop for controlling and directing behavior

include:

Exhibit 14.7: Four Ways Team Norms Develop

a. Critical events. Critical events establish precedent and lead to the creation of a

norm.

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VII. MANAGING TEAM CONFLICT

INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Conflict refers to antagonistic interaction in which one party attempts to block the intentions or

goals of another. Of all the skills required for effective team management, none is more

important than handling conflicts.

A. Types of Conflict

1. Task conflict refers to disagreements among people about the goals to be achieved or

2. In general, research suggests that task conflict can be beneficial because it leads to

B. Balancing Conflict and Cooperation

1. A healthy level of conflict helps to prevent groupthink, which is the tendency for

people to be so committed to a cohesive team that they are reluctant to express

contrary opinions.

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2. Team leaders have to find the right balance between conflict and cooperation.

a. Too little conflict decreases team performance because there are no mixed

opinions.

Exhibit 14.8: Balancing Conflict and Cooperation

Business Blooper: Dell Computer

The University of Texas’s math department was having trouble with its Dell computers. Dell’s

excuse was that the school had put undue burden on the machines by trying to do complex math

C. Causes of Conflict

1. Scarce resources. Resources include money, information, and supplies. When

employees or teams must compete for scarce resources, conflict will occur.

3. Communication breakdown. Faulty communications result in misunderstandings

D. Styles to Handle Conflict

1. Teams and individuals develop specific styles for dealing with conflict, based on the

desire to satisfy their own concern versus the other party’s concern. Styles to handle

conflict include the following.

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a. Competing style. Reflects assertiveness to get one’s own way. It should be used

when quick, decisive action is vital on important issues or unpopular actions such

as during emergencies.

Exhibit 14.9: A Model of Styles to Handle Conflict

2. Research suggests that several techniques can be used as strategies for resolving

conflict.

a. Superordinate goals are goals that cannot be reached by a single party.

Conflicting parties realize they must work together to achieve the goal. A

powerful future vision of the organization compels people to resolve conflict.

Benchmarking: The Strokes

Forming a rock band has its challenges, but keeping that rock band together and successful at the

same time is even more difficult. The Strokes released their first album on 9/11/01 and it went

platinum. Getting to that point had included cramming in buses on tour, sharing beds, and living

“in each other’s pockets for several years straight”, according to lead guitarist Nick Valensi.

Their next recording experience was not as successful. Problems were erupting within the group

and lives were changing, causing the group to be splintered. Rehab, marriages, and solo

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E. Negotiation

1. Negotiation means that the parties engage in give-and-take discussions and consider

various alternatives to reach a joint decision that is acceptable to both parties.

New Manager Self-Test: Managing Conflict

Conflicting opinions and perspectives occur in every team. The ability to handle conflict and

disagreement is one mark of a successful new manager. New managers may initially be

accommodating to get along with people until they size up the situation. A competing style that

a. Integrative negotiation is based on a win-win assumption, in that all parties want

to come up with a creative solution that can benefit both sides of the conflict.

b. Distributive negotiation assumes the “size of the pie” is fixed and each party

attempts to get as much of it as they can.

2. Rules for reaching a win-win solution.

a. Separate the people from the problem. Stay focused on the problem and don’t

attack each other.

Discussion Question #5: If you were the leader of a special-purpose team developing a new

computer game and conflicts arose related to power and status differences among team

members, what would you do? How might you use the various conflict-resolution techniques

described in the chapter?

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VIII. WORK TEAM EFFECTIVENESS

INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

A. Productive Output

1. One aspect of effectiveness relates to whether the team’s output meets the

requirements of customers or clients in terms of quality, quantity, and timeliness.

2. Effective teams unleash enormous energy and creativity from workers.

a. Social facilitation refers to the tendency for the presence of others to enhance

B. Satisfaction of Members

2. Participative teams can also reduce boredom, increase feelings of dignity and self–

worth, and contribute to skill development.

3. People who have a satisfying team environment cope better with stress, enjoy their

C. Capacity to Adapt and Learn

1. In effective work teams, members anticipate one another’s actions and respond

Discussion Question #10: In one company, 40 percent of workers and 20 percent of managers

resigned during the first year after they had been reorganized into teams. What might account

for this dramatic turnover? How might managers ensure a smooth transition to teams?

Answers to Discussion Questions

1. Volvo went to self-directed teams to assemble cars because of the need to attract and keep

workers in Sweden, where pay raises are not a motivator (high taxes) and many other jobs

are available. Are these factors good reasons for using a team approach? Discuss.

This seems to be a valid reason for using a team approach. The team approach can provide a

2. Discuss how the dilemmas of teamwork might be intensified in a virtual team. What

dilemmas do you feel when you have to do class assignments as part of a team? Discuss.

There are three primary reasons teams present a dilemma for most people. First, people have to

give up their independence. When people become part of a team, their success depends on the

3. Suppose you are the leader of a team that has just been created to develop a new registration

process at your college or university. How can you use an understanding of the stages of

team development to improve your team’s effectiveness?

As a leader of an employee group charged with development of a new registration process would

be challenging. As a leader of this project, it will be important to develop stage one “forming” to

4. Imagine yourself as a potential member of a team responsible for designing a new package

for breakfast cereal. Do you think interpersonal skills would be equally important if the team

is organized face-to-face versus a virtual team? Why or why not? Might different types of

interpersonal skills be required for the two types of teams? Be specific.

Although students may have differing opinions, it is likely that interpersonal skills would be

5. If you were the leader of a special-purpose team developing a new computer game and

conflicts arose related to power and status differences among team members, what would

you do? How might you use the various conflict-resolution techniques described in the

chapter?

The leader of a special purpose team of formulating and innovating a computer game would

evolve from the creativity of this group. The intuition and idea generation would come from

6. Experts say that for teams to function well, members have to get to know one another in some

depth. What specifically would you do to facilitate this in a co-located team? What about in

a global virtual team?

One good way to facilitate team members getting to know one another in a co-located team is to

7. When you are a member of a team, do you adopt a task specialist or socioemotional role?

Which role is more important for a team’s effectiveness?

Students may see themselves as adopting either role or both roles about equally. With respect to

which role is more important, many students will argue that the task specialist role makes a

8. Some people argue that the presence of an outside threat correlates with a high degree of

team cohesiveness. Would you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.

9. Do you believe that admitting ignorance is a good way for a team leader to earn respect?

Would this cause some people to disrespect the leader and question his or her suitability for

team leadership? Discuss.

The answer to this question is not as simple as it might seem. There are times when it is

10. In one company, 40 percent of workers and 20 percent of managers resigned during the first

year after they had been reorganized into teams. What might account for this dramatic

turnover? How might managers ensure a smooth transition to teams?

One of the difficult experiences for companies that begin the revolution toward empowerment

and teamwork is that many employees are not comfortable in the new culture. Approximately

TEACHING NOTES FOR LEARNING EXERCISES

Self Learning: This and That: Best Team—Worst Team

Students consider the behaviors of two teams of which they have been members – the best team

Group Learning: Teams on TV

Students form groups of three to five members, choose a TV show in which teams are central to

Action Learning: Team Feedback Exercise

Students form groups of three to four, think about recent experiences working in teams at work

TEACHING NOTE FOR ETHICAL DILEMMA

One for All and All for One?

1. Vote to exonerate the three group project members who didn’t cheat. You’re convinced they

had no reason to suspect Paul Colgan of dishonesty. Exonerating them is the right thing to

do.

This may be a viable option for two primary reasons. First, the professor’s policy is open to

interpretation in that it may have simply been intended to mean that each member of the group

2. Vote in support of Hank Zierden’s decision to hold each member accountable for the entire

project. The professor clearly stated his policy at the beginning of the semester, and the

students should have been more vigilant. The committee should not undercut a professor’s

explicit policy.

3. Vote to reduce each of the three students’ penalties. Instead of a zero, each student will

receive only half the possible total points for the project, which would be an F. You’re still

holding students responsible for the group project, but not imposing catastrophic

punishment. This compromise both undercuts the professor’s policy and punishes

“innocent” to some extent, but not as severely.

CASE FOR CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Calgary Oil Shale Technologies, Inc.

1. Algoma Howard and Carlos Debrito phased in permanent cross-functional teams in Alberta.

What types of teams are the “fireside chats” and “problem–busting teams”? Through what

stage or stages of team development did these groups evolve?

The fireside chats are informal teams made up primarily of employees from about the same

2. What role did Carlos Debrito play in the success of the Alberta team-based productivity

project? What leadership approach did he employ to help reduce conflict between labor and

the professionals? Do you agree with Algoma Howard that if she just had a Carlos Debrito

in Colorado the project would succeed? Explain your answer.

Carlos Debrito played a dual role at Alberta. In the task specialist role, he helped the team reach

its goals by getting them talking to each other and initiating ideas. In the socioemotional role, he

3. What advice would you give Algoma Howard and her team for improving the employee-

involvement climate, containing costs, and meeting production goals at the Colorado

facility?

One important difference between Alberta and Colorado is that the processes of Alberta are

being imposed on the people in Colorado, unlike in Alberta where the team processes evolved

ON THE JOB VIDEO CASE

Holden Outerwear: Leading Teams

1. Is Design Manager Nikki Brush a part of a group, or part of a team? Explain the difference.

2. What type of team did Nikki Brush participate in when she was a freelancer? What type of

team does she participate in as a full-time employee at Holden?

When Nikki Brush was an outside freelancer working on Holden projects, she was a member of

a virtual team. Virtual teams are comprised of members who are geographically dispersed but

3. What are potential disadvantages of teams for Holden’s apparel designers? What can

managers do to help avoid these downsides?

Answers will vary, but apparel design is highly creative work, and poorly managed teams are

susceptible to negative performance issues that can stifle creativity. Top downsides of teams

BIZFLIX VIDEO CASE

Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins

Video Case Synopsis

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Hollywood talk-show host Roscoe Jenkins (Martin Lawrence) returns to his Georgia home for

his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. Cultures clash between the big-city Roscoe and other

Video Case Discussion Questions and Suggested Answers

1. Based on your understanding of a team as described in this chapter, do Roscoe Jenkins and

his brother Sheriff Otis Jenkins form a team in this film sequence? Why or why not?

For the short time it takes to carry the galvanized tub of fish and ice from Monty’s butcher

2. This chapter defined conflict as “antagonistic interaction in which one party attempts to

block the intentions or goals of another.” Does the interaction in this film sequence show

this definition in action? Give examples from the sequence.

The casual walking and discussion would not suggest that conflict will emerge between the

3. Which conflict handling style best fits the behavior shown in this film sequence? Give some

examples from the sequence.