LO 7-1 Distinguish between a team and a group.

A team is a group of people brought together to use their indi­vidual skills on a common project or goal. Regardless of the type of organization, most employees work in some form of team in today’s workplace. A group usually consists of three or more people who work independently to attain organizational goals.

LO 7-2 Compare the various types of teams in organizations today.

Many global companies now operate in virtual teams, whose members are from different locations and work together through e-mail, video conferencing, instant messaging, and other elec­tronic media. A self-managing team is a group of workers who manage their own daily duties under little to no supervision. A problem-solving team is a group of workers coming together for a set amount of time to discuss and resolve specific issues. A cross-functional team is a group of workers from different units with various areas of expertise.

LO 7-3 Apply the model of team effectiveness to evaluate team performance.

Team contextual influences include team resources, task char­acteristics, and organizational structures and systems. Team resources are the level of support provided by the organization, such as equipment, materials, training, information, staffing, budgets, and such. Task characteristics can be structured or unstructured; complex or simple; and measured by a degree of interdependence. Performance management systems, compen­sation and reward systems, and organizational and leadership structures must be aligned with team structures to maintain smooth running of operations.

Typically, a team has four main elements: team size, skills and abilities, personality of team members, and team diversity. Teams tend to consist of four to seven members. The skills and abilities of the team members are very important, but the way this talent interacts in the context of team processes is also important. Typically, teams need a balance between extraverts and introverts. Team members who share common interests or certain similarities tend to have positive social relationships with each other that help the team to be more effective.

LO 7-4 Explain how team processes affect team outcomes.

Process gains are factors that contribute to team effectiveness. They include a sense of shared purpose, plans, and goals; the confidence team members have in their own abilities to achieve objectives; a shared vision of how the work should be carried out; and constructive task-focused conflict that can help teams with their problem solving and decision making.

Process losses are factors that detract from team effectiveness. They include social loafing, wherein people in a group put in less effort than when working independently; personality clashes or conflict; and the inability to focus on certain tasks.

LO 7-5 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of different team decision-making approaches.

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon in which people in a cohesive group go along with the group consensus to preserve harmony rather than offering their own opinions.

Brainstorming generates creative, spontaneous ideas from all members of a group without any criticism or judgment.

The nominal group technique is a structured way for team members to generate ideas and identify solutions. Each mem­ber is asked the same question in relation to a work issue and requested to write as many answers as possible. Answers are read aloud and recorded for discussion. Then the ideas are put to the vote. No criticism or judgment of any ideas is allowed. The Delphi technique is a method of decision-making in which information is gathered from a group of respondents within their area of expertise.