Steven McShane

1. © 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione
C H A P T E RC H A P T E R 88
TeamTeam
dynamicsdynamics

2. 2
Chapter learning objectivesChapter learning objectives
1. Define teams.
2. Distinguish departmental teams from team-based organisations.
3. Explain why virtual teams are becoming more common.
4. Outline the model of team effectiveness.
5. Identify six organisational and team environmental elements that
influence team effectiveness.
6. Explain the influence of the team’s task, composition and size on
team effectiveness.
7. Describe the five stages of team development.
8. Identify four factors that shape team norms.
9. List six factors that influence team cohesiveness.
10. Discuss the limitations of teams.
11. Explain how companies minimise social loafing.
12. Summarise the four types of team building.

3. 3
Australia’s submarine teamsAustralia’s submarine teams
Crews onboard Australia’s
new Collins-class
submarines have interesting
team dynamics due to their
unusual work environment,
challenging tasks and
difficult entry to this elite
team.
Courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy

4. 4
What are teams?What are teams?
Groups of two or more people
who interact and influence
each other are mutually
accountable for achieving
common objectives and
perceive themselves as a
social entity within an
organisation
Courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy

5. 5
Groups versus teamsGroups versus teams
 All teams are groups
 Some groups are just
people assembled
together
 Teams have task
interdependence whereas
some groups do not (eg
group of employees
enjoying lunch together) Courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy

6. 6
Types of teamsTypes of teams
Permanent teams
 team-based departments
 team-based organisation
 quality circles
Temporary teams
 task forces
› temporary teams that investigate a problem
 skunkworks
› formed spontaneously, using borrowed resources, to
develop products or solve problems

7. 7
Virtual teamsVirtual teams
 Cross-functional teams that operate across space,
time and organisational boundaries using
information technology
 Increasingly possible because of
 technology
 knowledge-based work
 Increasingly necessary because of
 globalisation
 knowledge management
 need for team work

8. 8
Why informal groups existWhy informal groups exist
 Relatedness needs
 fulfil need for social interaction
 social identity
 Goal accomplishment
 Emotional support

9. 9
Team effectiveness modelTeam effectiveness model
•Task characteristics
•Team size
•Team composition
Team designTeam design
• AchieveAchieve
organisationalorganisational
goalsgoals
• Satisfy memberSatisfy member
needsneeds
• Maintain teamMaintain team
survivalsurvival
TeamTeam
effectivenesseffectiveness
•Team developmentTeam development
•Team normsTeam norms
•Team rolesTeam roles
•Team cohesivenessTeam cohesiveness
Team processesTeam processes
Organisational andOrganisational and
team environmentteam environment
• Reward systemsReward systems
• CommunicationCommunication
systemssystems
• Physical spacePhysical space
• OrganisationalOrganisational
environmentenvironment
• OrganisationalOrganisational
structurestructure
• OrganisationalOrganisational
leadershipleadership

10. 10
Team design elementsTeam design elements
 Task characteristics
 better when tasks are clear, easy to implement
 task interdependence
 share common inputs, processes or outcomes
 Team size
 smaller teams are better
 but large enough to accomplish task
 Team composition
 members motivated/competent to perform task in a
team environment
 team diversity

11. 11
Homogeneous vs heterogeneous teamsHomogeneous vs heterogeneous teams
 Higher satisfaction
 Less conflict
 Faster team development
 More efficient coordination
 Performs better on simple
tasks
 More conflict
 Slower team development −
takes longer to agree on
norms and goals
 Better knowledge and
resources for complex tasks
 Tend to be more creative
 Higher potential for support
outside the team
Homogeneous teamsHomogeneous teams Heterogeneous teamsHeterogeneous teams

12. 12
Existing teams
might regress
back to an
earlier stage of
development
FormingForming
StormingStorming
NormingNorming
Performing
AdjourningAdjourning
Stages of team developmentStages of team development

13. 13
Team normsTeam norms
 Informal rules and expectations a team establishes
to regulate member behaviours
 Norms develop through
 explicit statements
 critical events in team’s history
 initial team experiences
 beliefs/values members bring to the team

14. 14
Changing team normsChanging team norms
 Introduce norms when forming teams
 Select members with preferred norms
 Discuss counterproductive norms
 Reward behaviours representing desired norms
 Disband teams with dysfunctional norms

15. 15
TeamTeam
cohesivenesscohesiveness
MemberMember
similaritysimilarity
MemberMember
interactioninteraction
TeamTeam
sizesize
SomewhatSomewhat
difficult entrydifficult entry
TeamTeam
successsuccess
ExternalExternal
challengeschallenges
Causes of team cohesivenessCauses of team cohesiveness

16. 16
Team cohesiveness at MitelTeam cohesiveness at Mitel
Trevor Pound couldn’t get away
for a planned vacation, so other
team members at Mitel turned his
work area into a mini paradise.
The practical joke illustrates how
members of cohesive teams
support each other.
©© J. Major,J. Major, Ottawa CitizenOttawa Citizen

17. 17
Team cohesiveness outcomesTeam cohesiveness outcomes
 want to remain members
 are willing to share information
 have strong interpersonal bonds
 want to support each other
 resolve conflict effectively
 are more satisfied and experience
less stress
Members of cohesive teams
©© J. Major,J. Major, Ottawa CitizenOttawa Citizen

18. 18
Team normsTeam norms
supportsupport
firm’sfirm’s
goalsgoals
Team normsTeam norms
opposeoppose
firm’sfirm’s
goalsgoals
High teamHigh team
cohesivenesscohesiveness
Low teamLow team
cohesivenesscohesiveness
Cohesiveness and performanceCohesiveness and performance
Low task
performance
ModeratelyModerately
high taskhigh task
performanceperformance
ModeratelyModerately
low tasklow task
performanceperformance
High
task
performance

19. 19
The trouble with teamsThe trouble with teams
 Individuals better/faster on some tasks
 Process losses − cost of developing and
maintaining teams
 Companies don’t support best work environment for
team dynamics
 Social loafing

20. 20
Conditions for social loafingConditions for social loafing
 Low task interdependence
 Individual output not visible
 Routine, uninteresting tasks
 Low task significance
 Low collectivist values

21. 21
Team building at Ericsson CyberlabsTeam building at Ericsson Cyberlabs
Employees at EricssonEmployees at Ericsson
Cyberlab in Singapore climbedCyberlab in Singapore climbed
over rock walls, inched acrossover rock walls, inched across
planks, scaled cargo nets andplanks, scaled cargo nets and
performed other dauntingperformed other daunting
tasks to improve teamtasks to improve team
dynamics.dynamics.
©© H.Y. How/H.Y. How/Sunday TimesSunday Times (Singapore)(Singapore)

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Types of team buildingTypes of team building
Role definitionRole definition
Goal settingGoal setting
Problem solvingProblem solving
InterpersonalInterpersonal
processprocess
©© H.Y. How/H.Y. How/Sunday TimesSunday Times (Singapore)(Singapore)

23. 23
Overview of the next chapterOverview of the next chapter
 The general model of decision making
 Challenges with problem identification, choosing the
best alternative and evaluating decisions
 Causes of escalation of commitment
 Forms, levels and contingencies of employee
involvement
 Self-directed teams and sociotechnical systems
theory
 Barriers to employee involvement

24. © 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione
C H A P T E RC H A P T E R 88
TeamTeam
dynamicsdynamics