2. definition
A small group: 3-20 people who communicate via
personal interaction and who share a common objective
(Harris & Nelson, 2007).
Larger group: more formality, agreed rules and
regulations and enforced norms and standards. Although
‘formal’ they still may not appear on the organisation
chart .
Team: groups of 2+ who interact and influence each
other, are mutually accountable for the achievement of
a common goal and perceive themselves as a social
entity within the organisation (McShane et al., 2013).
Every team is a group but not every group is a team.
3. team types
work group or departmental team
high-involvement work team performance
self-managed work teams
integrating teams (cross departmental)
task force / project work teams
advisory / improvement teams
12. team effectiveness
• Rewards
• Communication
• Organisational
structure
• Org. leadership
• Physical space
environment
• Task
characteristics
• Team size
• Team composition
design
• Accomplish tasks
• Satisfy member
needs
• Maintain team
survival
effectiveness
• Team
development
• Team norms
• Team cohesion
• Team trust
process
13. effectiveness & agency
Effective Ineffective
Goals Clear; team/individual imposed
Communication 2-way 1-way
Leadership Distributed participation Delegated authority
Influence & power Ability and info.; shared power Position, obedience
Conflict Positive, constructive Ignore, deny, avoid, supress
Decisions Situation related, consensus Made by highest authority
Behaviour Interpersonal, inter-group,
individuality endorsed
Functions emphasised,
conformity & control
Problem solving Competence high Competence low
Effectiveness
evaluation
Members accomplishment Highest authority evaluates
Flexibility Interpersonal effectiveness,
self-actualisation, innovation
Organisational order, stability &
structure
Organic Mechanistic
agency
14. references
Finn, R. (2008). The language of teamwork: Reproducing professional divisions in the operating
theatre. Human Relations, 61(1), 103-130. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726707085947
Gelbard, R., & Carmeli, A. (2009). The interactive effect of team dynamics and organizational support
on ICT project success. International Journal of Project Management, 27(5), 464-470. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2008.07.005
Han, J., & Hovav, A. (2013). To bridge or to bond? Diverse social connections in an IS project team.
International Journal of Project Management, 31(3), 378-390. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2012.09.001
Harris, T. E., & Nelson, M. D. (2007). Applied Organizational Communication : Theory and Practice in
a Global Environment Retrieved from
http://UQL.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=299757
McShane, S. L., Travaglione, A., & Olekalns, M. (2013). Organisational Behaviour : Emerging
Knowledge : Global Insights (4 ed.). Australia: McGraw Hill.
Musson, G., & Duberley, J. (2007). Change, Change or Be Exchanged: The Discourse of Participation
and the Manufacture of Identity*. Journal of Management Studies, 44(1), 143-164. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00640.x
Editor's Notes
Small group – not work related
Informal
Self-managing
E.g. run at lunchtime
Discourse does not reflect meso-disourse of organisation
Small group – work related
Shared talent or qualification
Discourse reflects meso-discourses of organisation and macro-discourses of body of expertise
Larger organisational group
E.g. union members
Formality but not on org.chart
Cohesiveness is common aim – fair deal for members
Group participation
Passive – protection, benefits
Pro-active – agitate for common good
Team - achievement of a common goal provides the cohesiveness and defines the requisite roles of the team members
Examples – childhood sport
work groups; (department or functional unit e.g. unix team)
high-involvement work team performance; (traditional management; team members learn one another’s jobs; conflict and problem management shifted to team)
self-managed work teams (multi-skilled, flexible members, some management functions also shared, manager as a coach);
integrating teams. (work across departments)
project work teams (task based);
improvement teams (initiative based);
Examples :
Work groups
Unix team scope is the ongoing responsibility for all Unix systems within the organisation. Their common goal is provision of Unix services with a 98% uptime. The goal achievement is measured over time (monthly / quarterly / annually); development relates to the increasing skill-set of the team as well as the individual; success depends on collaboration of team members in addition to specialised personal contributions of individuals.
Project
the federally funded project to provide optical fibre internet connections to 200 Queensland schools
Improvement - software licence review to ensure conformance and reduce costs
Phasic model – Fisher 70 – orientation, conflict, emergence, reinforcement
Tuckwell 65 – slide
There are other models of team development but most teams will go through the steps outlined(Harris & Nelson, 2007).
Alternatives are Poole’s Multiple Sequence Model (1983) which provides a complex analysis of group decision making and
Gersick’s Punctuated Equilibrium Model (1988,1989,1990) which has only two phases with a single transition point which marks the stage where the group changes from a state of inertia to one of working together to achieve the common goal. (Harris & Nelson, 2007)
Micro discourses related to the common goal
Establishment of team identity
Concensus
Team identity
Time of conflict and resistance, power, leadership status
Roles may be defined skill-set as in roles in the operating theatre or on a building team
Discourse emphasises collective nature of team vs. difference between individuals
Individual identity reinforced by role clarity – acknowledgement of contribution, skills
Roles may change as talents and abilities emerge but clarity up front helps alleviate conflict at a later date
Clarity assists ‘belonging’ encourages participation, communication
Strengthens group cohesiveness
Initiation of defining set of norms, goals, shared standards & values
Construct the ‘reality’ of the team
Sharing of mental models
Make sense of team objectives and path to achievement
Tream develops a sense of certainty, a social identity – team prototype.
Emphasis on consensus and follow-through to achievement
Balance individual & team identities – prevent groupthink
(where group members go along with a team communication or decision rather than questioning its validity. )
Groupthink has been known to lead to some disastrous organisational decisions e.g. Xerox decision not to exploit the fax machine (Harris & Nelson, 2007).
The phasic model is spatio-temporal; the team evolves and changes over time. Team discourse occurring at multiple levels helps define and redefine the team.
task related (cooperating and coordinating) or team maintenance (communication, comfort and conflict resolution).
Cooperate - work together, share resources, flexible, adapt and accommodate
Mutual interdependency and collaboration is required to achieve an outcome (Finn, 2008).
Positive relations within the team promote eudaimonia
Coordinate - Manage work efficiently and harmoniously,
This requires a combination of technical competence (techne) plus wise management of the process (phronesis) to enable environmental mastery and effective goal delivery
Communicate - Exchange information; actively listen, dialogism, alterity
understanding the other person’s frame of meaning
deep subjective understanding of each other
Comfort - psychologically beneficial environment, showing empathy, building self-confidence and self-worth in colleagues. In addition to dialogism and alterity this includes skill recognition, constructive criticism, and rewarding of successes.
Conflict resolution - recognition of dysfunctional behaviour; analysis of the conflict; and identification of resolutions, recognising that some conflict is inevitable and some is beneficial
ENVIRONMENT
Rewards, recognition, appreciation
Communication – information exchange
Org structure reflecting team structure
Org leadership
‘Employees reciprocate perceived organizational support with greater work effort, job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, low levels of voluntary quitting, and positive work behaviours.’ (Gelbard & Carmeli, 2009)
Physical space – promotes bonding, co-location minimises the ‘grapevine’ comms
DESIGN
Complex tasks require multiple skills and knowledge, and can only be effectively accomplished by team collaboration. The degree of collaboration required increases with task interdependence.
Smaller teams are more cohesive, and can make efficient and prompt decisions but generally size is determined by the skills required.
Team members need requisite skills, self-leadership and the ability to work in a team. Diversity -a broad outlook and a wide pool of technical competency facilitating better problem analysis and decision making
PROCESS
Team development – phasic model
Team norms – shared experiences & observed behaviours
Cohesiveness - degree of attraction people feel towards the team and their motivation to remain
Trust facilitates cooperation and collaboration - Effectiveness – see slide
The greater the degree of employee / team participation and agency then the greater the team effectiveness should be.