Group and Team Effectiveness

MHR 3200 Dr. Larry Inks Department of Management and Human Resources Fisher College of Business The Ohio State University

Overview
Characteristics and Development Processes Characteristics of High-Performance Teams Group/Team Dynamics Group/Team Processes Team Building Maximizing Your Success in a Group/Team KNOW difference between grop and team
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Benefits of Groups
For the individual: Greater availability of, and access to, resources, etc. Affiliation Security and protection Self-esteem and sense of identity Problem solving For the organization: Task accomplishment (e.g., that couldnt be done by one person) Increased creativity and innovation Increase collaboration (e.g., cross-functional, etc.) (Usually) better decision making (e.g., for complex decisions) Helps socialize newcomers

These benefits arent a given; they come with good planning, etc.
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Group Basics
Definition of a Group: Two or more interdependent individuals who influence one another through social interaction. Formal groups Informal groups Group members can play a variety of different roles: Task-oriented roles Maintenance roles Individual roles

Common Roles Played in Group Settings

Task-Oriented Roles Initiator Maintenance Roles Harmonizer Individual Roles Blocker

Energizer
Information Seeker Opinion Giver Elaborator Evaluator Recorder

Compromiser
Encourager Expediter Gatekeeper Commentator

Recognition Seeker
Dominator Evader

Group members can play more than one role at a time

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Models of Group Development

Tuckman Model (5 stages) Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning (for temporary teams) Punctuated Equilibrium Model: from Evolution First meeting Inertia (typically doing very little) Increased level of activity at halfway point More inertia/constancy in behavior until close to deadline Frenzied activity to complete project

Productivity of group/process heavily dependent on initial meeting(s)

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Team Basics
Definition of a Team: A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. In comparison to a group, a team has the following characteristics: Leadership is an activity shared by everyone in the group Group members are held accountable for individual and team results

The group defines its own mission, objectives, etc.

The group is focused on problem solving and continuous improvement The group views effectiveness and success in terms of their collective productivity, outcomes, etc. (We win or lose together!)
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Some Common Types of Teams

Production teams

Problem solving teams (e.g., task forces)

Management/leadership teams (e.g., Board of Directors, etc.)

Cross-functional teams
Self-managed work teams Virtual teams: should meet face-to-face in the beginning

Under special circumstances, can have high-performance teams

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Characteristics of High-Performance Teams

Relatively small (10-12 members)

Members have specific skills - Some are shared, some are complementary
Roles are allocated across team members

Commitment to a common purpose and set of goals

Reward systems reinforce team vs. individual behavior High levels of trust within the team Shared pride and esprit de corps

An Investigation of High-Performance Teams

Larson and LaFasto (1989) evaluated 30 high-performance teams, including, among others: Boeing 747 Project team IBM PC Development team Mt. Everest Expedition team CDC Epidemiology teams Presidential Cabinet teams Challenger Disaster Commission
Research yielded eight dimensions related to team effectiveness
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Eight Dimensions of Team Effectiveness

1) A Clear, Elevating Goal 2) Results-Driven Structure 3) Competent Team Members 4) Unified Commitment 5) A Collaborative Climate 6) Standards of Excellence 7) External Support and Recognition 8) Principled Leadership
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How to Build a High-Performance Team

Communicate high performance standards Set the tone in the first meeting(s) Create a sense of urgency and importance of the team

Make sure members have the right skills

Establish clear rules/norms for team behavior and model them as a leader

Find ways to create and communicate early successes

Give positive feedback and reward high performance Focus on building group cohesiveness
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Group/Team Decision Making

Advantages More information More diversity/breadth of perspective Division of labor/sharing of resources Greater chance for high quality decisions Increased acceptance of solution by group members Higher perceived legitimacy and objectivity Disadvantages Takes more time than individual decision making Decision may not be reached in extreme cases

Potential for interpersonal conflict

Potential pressure to conform: - To group/group norms - To dominant individuals Can have diffusion of responsibility Potential for groupthink
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Factors Influencing Group/Team Dynamics

Team composition issues (size, diversity, etc.) Deindividuation: losing of self-awareness, personal responsibility Social Loafing: putting forth less effort when in a group Social Facilitation (simple vs. complex tasks): people do better on simple tasks in the presence of others Cohesiveness: the attraction of the group to its members Groupthink: desire for conformity suppresses alternative thoughts Conformity (e.g., to group norms and influence) Obedience (based on authority and perceived lack of responsibility) Trust (in one another and in you)
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Factors Related to Group/Team Cohesiveness

Severity of initiation into the group

High external threat or competition

Time spent together High skill levels (both core and complementary) Shared respect for each others skills and capabilities Smaller (vs. larger) groups Longer (vs. shorter) duration of group existence History of success

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Groupthinka Real-Life Example

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Groupthinka Real-Life Example (cont.)

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Groupthinka Real-Life Example (cont.)

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Avoiding Groupthink
Assign the role of Evaluator to each group member Have the leader avoid seeming partial to one specific course of action Create subgroups to work on the same problem; compare their results Have group members discuss issues with outsiders and report back

Invite outside experts to observe and react to groups dynamics

Assign someone to be a devils advocate at each meeting Hold second chance discussions/meetings after consensus is apparently achieved

Can also use some of these ideas for regular, everyday group discussions
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Brainstorming
Brainstorming A technique to increase group creativity and productivity by encouraging group members to express their ideas in a noncritical and safe environment. Four basic rules to follow for successful brainstorming Avoid criticizing other peoples ideas (dont VOJ) Share all suggestions, even if theyre far out Offer as many comments as possible Build on others ideas to create your own

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Summary Thoughts
Groups and teams are an absolutely essential aspect of organizational behavior and success Potential benefits gained from using groups are significant but so is the potential additional situational complexity Group dynamics/processes are pretty well understood and lots of tools, techniques, etc. exist to make them effective You should be thinking about two things: 1) How can you be the best team member possible? 2) What will you need to do to effectively lead a team? When done well, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

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What Questions Do You Have?

Additional Material for YOU

Maximizing Your Success in Groups/Teams

Understand the objectives, goals and direction of the group. Understand what will be easy and what will be challenging. Get a sense for the people involvedtheir personalities, quirks, etc. Understand and be aware of the political undercurrents (e.g., cliques, relationship issues, past history, etc.). Pull your weight and do more than your fair share of the work. Speak your mind and express your ideas, but beware of any high need for airtime. When disagreeing, do so in an appropriate (and functional) way Strive to add value to whatever discussion you are in
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Conducting a Group Meeting

Before the Meeting Prepare a meeting agenda and distribute it in advance Talk with people to ensure their preparation/get a sense of their thoughts During the Meeting Review the agenda and time constraints Keep the discussion focused Get participation from all meeting participants Encourage open discussion of different ideas Discourage/punish personal attacks Listen well and keep control of the group Bring closure to the meeting and review next steps Debrief meeting successwhat went well, what could have been better

After the Meeting Follow up as necessary (e.g., distribute materials, etc.) Communicate and involve others as appropriate
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Guidelines for Building Group Consensus

Dont argue blindly; consider others reactions to your points

Dont change your mind just to reach quick agreement Try to involve everyone in the decision making process

Use established techniques to get feedback (e.g., multivoting)

Allow disagreements to surface so that information and opinions can be discussed vs. repressed to surface later

Dont focus on winning vs. losing; seek a win-win solution

Seek first to understand, then be understood Recognize that you wont always get 100% consensus
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