1 of 10

Understanding Work Teams

2 of 10

  • Work Group
  • A group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibility.
  • Work Team
  • A group whose individual efforts result in a performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs.

3 of 10

  • Problem-Solving Teams
  • Groups of 5 to 12 employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment.

4 of 10

  • Self-Managed Work Teams
  • Groups of 10 to 15 people who take on the responsibilities of their former supervisors.

5 of 10

  • Cross-Functional Teams
  • Employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task.

6 of 10

  • Virtual Teams
  • Teams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.
  • Team Characteristics
  • 1. The absence of paraverbal and nonverbal cues
  • 2. A limited social context
  • 3.The ability to overcome time and space constraints

7 of 10

8 of 10

  • Group Demography
  • The degree to which members of a group share a common demographic attribute, such as age, sex, race, educational level, or length of service in the organization, and the impact of this attribute on turnover.
  • Cohorts
  • Individuals who, as part of a group, hold a common attribute.

9 of 10

  • The Challenges
    • Overcoming individual resistance to team membership.
    • Countering the influence of individualistic cultures.
    • Introducing teams in an organization that has historically valued individual achievement.
  • Shaping Team Players
    • Selecting employees who can fulfill their team roles.
    • Training employees to become team players.
    • Reworking the reward system to encourage cooperative efforts while continuing to recognize.

10 of 10

  • Team Effectiveness and Quality Management Requires That Teams:
  • Are small enough to be efficient and effective.
  • Are properly trained in required skills.
  • Allocated enough time to work on problems.
  • Are given authority to resolve problems and take corrective action.