10
Chapter
Organizational
Behavior
15th Global Edition
Robbins and Judge
Understanding
Work Teams
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education
10-1
Chapter 10 Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
1. Analyze the growing popularity of using teams in organizations.
2. Contrast groups and teams.
3. Compare and contrast four types of teams
4. Identify the characteristics of effective teams.
5. Show how organizations can create team players.
6. Decide when to use individuals instead of teams.
7. Show how the understanding of teams differs in a global context.
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LO 1
Analyze the growing popularity of
using teams in organizations
 Teams typically outperform individuals when the
tasks being done require multiple skills,
judgment, and experience.
 Organizations turn to teams to utilize talents.
 Employee involvement as a motivator—teams
facilitate employee participation in operating
decisions.
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LO 2
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Contrast groups and teams
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LO 3
Compare and contrast four types of teams
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LO 4
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Identify the characteristics
of effective teams
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LO 4
Identify the characteristics
of effective teams
 Context
 Adequate Resources
 Leadership and Structure
 Climate of Trust
 Performance Evaluations and Rewards
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LO 4
Identify the characteristics
of effective teams
 Composition
 Abilities of members
 Personality
 Allocating roles
 Diversity
 Size of teams
 Member flexibility
 Member preferences
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LO 4
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Identify the characteristics
of effective teams
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LO 4
Identify the characteristics
of effective teams
 Composition
 Abilities of members
 Personality
 Allocating roles
 Diversity
 Size of teams
 Member flexibility
 Member preferences
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LO 4
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Identify the characteristics
of effective teams
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LO 4
Identify the characteristics
of effective teams
 Team Processes
 Common Plan and Purpose
 Specific Goals
 Team Efficacy
 Mental Models
 Conflict Levels
 Social Loafing
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LO 5
Show how organizations can
create team players
 Creating Team Players
 Selecting-Hire Team Players
 Training-Create Team Players
 Rewarding-Incentives to Be a Good Team
Player
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LO 6
Decide when to use
individuals instead of teams
 When not to use teams…Ask:
 Can the work be done better by one person?
 Does the work crate a common goal of
purpose?
 Are the members of the group independent?
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LO 7
Show how the understanding of
teams differs in a global context
 Research evidence indicates these elements of
diversity interfere with team processes, at least
in the short term.
 Cultural diversity does seem to be an asset for
tasks that call for a variety of viewpoints.
 Although newly formed culturally diverse teams
underperform newly formed culturally
homogeneous teams, the differences disappear
after about 3 months.
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Summary and Implications for Managers
 Few trends have influenced jobs as much as the
massive movement to introduce teams into the
workplace.
 The shift from working alone to working on
teams requires cooperation with others, sharing
information, confronting differences, and
sublimating personal interests.
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Summary and Implications for Managers
 Effective teams have common characteristics.
 They have adequate resources, effective
leadership, a climate of trust, and a
performance evaluation and reward system
that reflects team contributions.
 These teams have individuals with technical
expertise as well as problem-solving, decisionmaking, and interpersonal skills and the right
traits, especially conscientiousness and
openness.
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Summary and Implications for Managers
 Effective teams also tend to be small—with
fewer than 10 people, preferably of diverse
backgrounds.
 Members fill role demands and prefer to be
part of a group.
 The work provides freedom and autonomy, the
opportunity to use different skills and talents,
the ability to complete a whole and identifiable
task or product, and work that has a
substantial impact on others.
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Summary and Implications for Managers
 Finally, effective teams have members who
believe in the team’s capabilities and are
committed to a common plan and purpose, an
accurate shared mental model of what is to be
accomplished, specific team goals, a
manageable level of conflict, and a minimal
degree of social loafing.
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Summary and Implications for Managers
 Because individualistic organizations and
societies attract and reward individual
accomplishments, it can be difficult to create
team players in these environments.
 To make the conversion, management should try
to select individuals who have the interpersonal
skills to be effective team players, provide
training to develop teamwork skills, and reward
individuals for cooperative efforts.
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