BUS 302 “Gateway”:
A simple case study for MGT 360
Wayne Smith, Ph.D.
Department of Management
CSU Northridge
[email protected]
Structure
(i.e., why and how individuals in
an organizational context exhibit
such wide variation matters
greatly)
Descriptive Statistics:
Typical BUS 302 Class
Mean
Standard Deviation
Start of Class
(using incoming GPA)
2.801
.4765
End of Class
(using final letter grade)
2.618
.9772
Teams
(i.e., why and how individuals
change team performance over
time matters greatly)
Teams and Performance
• Team Assignment Issues
– I tried my best to make all teams as equal as I can.
– I split up Sex and Major; Also, I made each team have the same GPA
• As part of a team, do men and women offer different qualities to succeed approximately
equally? Or are any differences more stereotype than substance?
• As part of a team, do students with different majors contribute and consume different
perspectives to succeed approximately equally? Can anyone know at this early point?
• As team members, does GPA (most of which was at the individual-level) explain or
predict performance? What about Native v. Transfer? What about aspirations?
• Also, what about diverse work experiences and diverse cultural backgrounds?
• Team Performance Issues
– In the “real world”, rewards vary:
• Professionals are primarily rewarded for their own work.
• Managers are primarily rewarded for the work of others.
– In BUS 302, rewards vary:
• Each student needs to start strong and stay strong at the individual-level.
• Each student needs to start strong and stay strong at the team-level.
Summary of Learning Intensity
from Peer, Qualitative
Evaluations
(i.e., the breadth and depth of
skill-based learning within a team
by the end of the semester)
“What did you learn from
another team member?”
Learning Intensity
Evaluatee
(Contributor)
Evaluator
(Learner)
Student1
Student1
Student2
Student2
Student3
Student3
Student4
Student4
Student5
Student5
Student6
Student6
Learning Intensity–Least Successful Team
Evaluatee
(Contributor)
Evaluator
(Learner)
Student1
Student1
Student2
Student2
Be creative
Student3
Student4
Write better
Hard work is key
Student3
Student4
Student5
Student5
Student6
Student6
Learning Intensity–Most Successful Team
Evaluatee
(Contributor)
Time management
Mix hard work w/ fun
Evaluator
(Learner)
Student1
Always be prepared
Student1
Student2
Improved my writing
Student2
Student3
Ask good questions
Student3
Leadership
Student4
Student4
Don’t get frustrated
Student5
Student6
Be organized
Math/Stat/Excel
Positive Attitude
Student5
Student6
Team Characteristics
•
Contributing to the Team’s Work
– Strong: Does more or higher-quality work than expected.
– Weak: Does not assist teammates. Quits if the work becomes difficult.
•
Interacting with Teammates
– Strong: Asks for and shows an interest in teammates’ ideas and contributions.
– Weak: Complains, makes excuses, or does not interact with teammates.
•
Keeping the Team on Track
– Strong: Watches conditions affecting the team and monitors its progress.
– Weak: Avoids discussing team problems, even when they are obvious.
•
Expecting Quality
– Strong: Motivates the team to do excellent work.
– Weak: Doubts that the team can meet its requirements.
•
Having Relevant Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
– Strong: Demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do excellent work.
– Weak: Unable to perform any of the duties of other team members.
Conflict
(i.e., why and how individuals
develop discussions and resolve
challenges matters greatly)
Managing Conflict
Conflict
– A disagreement between people on:
• Substantive issues regarding goals and tasks, allocation of
resources, distribution of rewards, policies and procedures,
and job assignments
• Emotional issues arising from feelings of anger, distrust,
dislike, fear, and resentment, as well as personality clashes
– Functional Conflict (vigorous discussion and debate)
that is well managed can help promote creativity and
high performance
– Dysfunctional Conflict (unproductive arguments and
unresolved issues) that isn’t well managed can lead
to a substantively less-cohesive team (and weak
performance and lost points for the entire team)
Communication
(i.e., why and how individuals in
an organizational context design
and develop discourse matters
greatly)
Avoiding “Process Losses” and “Fault
Lines” in Teams
• The simplest tips prevent small problems from becoming large
problems.
• “Free-riding”
– Review your trust and contract assignments
– Team-based feedback—objective and subjective
• Manage “air time”
– Does everyone have a chance to speak and contribute?
– “social—professional—social” —> 5%—85%—10%
• Information Processing
– Discuss non-common, privately-held, non-agreed-upon data too
– Inadvertent filtering by perceived status or cognitive biases
Difficult Conversations
• Professionals don’t need much help when things are going well.
• But everyone needs help when things aren’t going well. Teams
need to learn to discuss—openly and honestly—topics such as:
– Clarifying Expectations
• Review the Team Trust assignment (and expand upon it as necessary).
• Perhaps revisit the Team Contract assignment (and extend it as needed).
– Evaluating Performance
• Understand how the work of even a single individual (in-class or out-of-class) can
negatively impact the team and reduce the scores of all team members.
• Help others create a culture of ownership.
– Adjusting Behavior
• Focus on recurring behavioral issues fist.
• Link individual attitudes with demonstrable action.
• Learn how to be objective even on topics involving personality and perspective.
• Remember….it is possible to be “voted off the island (team)”
– The team needs to keep good documentation for the instructor.
– The student(s) will then earn an automatic “F”.
Communication Channels and Information
Richness
Motivation
(i.e., why and how individuals
initiate and respond to feedback
and incentives matters greatly)
How do you learn to improve yourself?
• You need to learn to ask others (subordinates, professional peers,
and bosses/managers/faculty) to provide you with constructive
feedback.
– You initiate that dialogue.
• You need to learn how to 1) learn from others’ constructive
feedback, 2), develop a action plan, and 3), change your behavior
based on that action plan.
– You are responsible for evaluating the changes and results of your
plan.
• You need to learn how to provide constructive feedback to others
(especially professional peers and teammates).
– You 1), choose the right time and place, 2), ensure that the feedback
is reliable (is consistent) and valid (reflects reality), 3), make it direct
and specific, and, 4), provide it in relatively small doses.
• You need to learn to ask others (especially professional peers and
teammates) how you can help them?
– You initiate that dialogue.
Leadership
(i.e., how individuals change team
performance over time)
Situational Leadership