9WORK GROUPS AND TEAMS

206 Chapter 9: Work Teams and Groups

Chapter 9: Work Groups and Teams 165

9WORK TEAMS and GROUPS Chapter Scan

Groups and teams continue to play a vital role in organizational behavior and performance. Advanced technologies give organizations the ability to use virtual teams that may have members from anywhere in the world. This chapter offers a traditional discussion of group behavior and group development in the first two sections, a discussion of teams in the third section, and an exploration of issues such as empowerment, self-managed teams, and upper echelon teams in the final two sections.LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

1. Define group and work team.

2. Explain four important aspects of group behavior.

3. Describe group formation, the four stages of a group's development, and the

characteristics of a mature group.

4. Explain the task and maintenance functions in groups.

5. Identify the social benefits of group and team membership.

6. Discuss diversity and creativity in teams.

7. Discuss empowerment, teamwork, and self-managed teams.

8. Explain the importance of upper echelons and top management teams.

key TERMS

Chapter 9 introduces the following key terms:

group quality team

group cohesion self-managed team

integrated involvement social loafing

loss of individuality status structure

maintenance function task function

norms of behavior teamwork

psychological intimacy upper echelon

quality circle (QC) work team

THE CHAPTER SUMMARIZED

I.THINKING AHEAD: TOYOTA Trust is Job One for Toyota

II.GROUP BEHAVIOR

This is a good opening place to remind students of the differences between groups and teams. A group is two or more people having common interests, objectives, and continuing interaction. A team is a group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common mission, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

A.Norms of Behavior

The standards a work group uses to evaluate the behavior of its members are referred to as norms of behavior. Group members must understand both the stated and implied norms of the group(s) to which they belong.

B.Group Cohesion

Group cohesion is defined as the "interpersonal glue" that makes members of a group stick together. Highly cohesive groups are able to control and manage their membership better than those with low group cohesion.

C.Social Loafing

Social loafing refers to the failure of a group member to contribute personal time, effort, thoughts, or other resources to the group. Students can readily relate examples from their experiences of working in groups.

D.Loss of Individuality

Loss of individuality is a social process in which individual group members lose self-awareness and its accompanying sense of accountability, inhibition, and responsibility for individual behavior.

III.GROUP FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT

All groups go through predictable stages of development, and address three issues in the process: interpersonal issues, task issues, and authority issues.

A.Group Formation

Groups may be informal or formal. Ethnic diversity, gender diversity, culture diversity, and interpersonal diversity are important considerations in the formation of groups. Informal groups often evolve in order to meet inclusion and affection needs not met by formal groups.

B.Stages of Group Development

1.The Five-Stage Model

Bruce Tuckman proposes that groups progress through five stages of development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

In the forming stage, members are unclear about individual roles and responsibilities, and they have a strong dependence on the guidance and direction of others.

The storming is characterized by competition among members for position. Clarity of purpose increases, but uncertainties still exist. Members evaluate each others trustworthiness, emotional comfort, and acceptance.

Agreement and consensus characterize the norming stage. Roles and responsibilities become clear and accepted, and decisions about who will do what aspects of the groups work are made.

In the performing stage, the group can function on its own with very little interference or direction from a leader. A mature group controls the behavior of its members through the application of both positive and negative sanctions.

The adjourning stage occurs when the groups task is complete and members are ready to move on to other things. The adjourning stage applies primarily to task forces and other informal teams; many teams remain at the performing stage indefinitely.

2.Punctuated Equilibrium Model

Although widely cited, Tuckmans five-stage model may be unrealistic from an organizational perspective. Connie Gersick proposes that groups do not necessarily progress linearly from one step to another; rather, as work groups develop, periods of little progress are punctuated by bursts of energy in which the majority of the groups work is accomplished.

C.Characteristics of a Mature Group

1.Purpose and Mission

The purpose and mission may be assigned or it may emerge from within the group. A clear purpose and mission enhance performance in groups.

2.Behavioral Norms

Behavioral norms take time to develop, but are typically well understood by group members. They provide benchmarks by which group members evaluate one another. Attendance policies, dress codes, and ethical standards are examples of behavioral norms.

3.Group Cohesion

Low cohesion in a group results in low commitment to the groups goals. On the other hand, groupthink can result in poor decision making in highly cohesive groups. Conflict can cause problems in groups with low cohesion, but it can also contribute to a groups maturing process, eventually resulting in higher cohesion.

4.Status Structure

Status structure refers to the set of authority and task relations among a groups members. Effective resolution of authority issues creates a clearly understood status structure. Groups typically have one well-defined leader, while teams typically share leadership based on the characteristics of each group member.

D.Task and Maintenance Functions

A task function is an activity directly related to the effective completion of a team's work. Maintenance functions relate to satisfying interpersonal needs within the group or team. Some task functions are more important at one time in the life of a group, and other functions are more important at other times. Students might want to try to identify specific activities from their own personal experiences related to these functions.

IV.WORK TEAMS IN ORGANIZATIONS

A.Why Work Teams?

Teams are effective when work is complex, complicated, interrelated, or more extensive than one person can manage. Organizations must be careful, however, to provide adequate training and direction to any teams that are formed.

B.Work Team Structure and Work Team Process

The primary structural issues for work teams include goals and objectives, operating guidelines, performance measures, and specification of roles within the team and for managers who oversee the teams work. Process issues include management of both cooperative behaviors and competitive behaviors.

C.Quality Teams and Circles

A quality team is a formal group empowered to act on its decisions regarding product and service quality. Quality circles (QCs) are small groups of employees who work voluntarily on company time to address quality-related problems, such as quality control, cost reduction, production planning and techniques, and even product design.

D.Social Benefits

The social benefits of teams are psychological intimacy and integrated involvement. Psychological intimacy is emotional and psychological closeness to other team or group members. Integrated involvement is closeness achieved through tasks and activities.

V.DIVERSITY AND CREATIVITY IN TEAMS

A.Dissimilarity

Demographic dissimilarity influences employees absenteeism, commitment, turnover intentions, beliefs, workgroup relationships, self-esteem, and organizational citizenship behavior in both positive and negative ways. As a result, careful management of dissimilarity in teams is necessary.

B.Creativity

Team creativity appears to be an aggregate function of both time and individual members creativity.

VI.EMPOWERMENT AND SELF-MANAGED TEAMS

Teamwork can be implemented in organizations through self-managed teams. Self-managed teams deal with broader issues than just quality. Members of these teams are empowered to solve problems and take action, but must also be properly focused through careful planning and preparation.

A.Empowerment Skills

Empowerment through employee self-management is an alternative to empowerment through teamwork. Empowerment requires that employees demonstrate competence skills, process skills, cooperative and helping behaviors, and communication skills.

B.Self-Managed Teams

Research indicates that participation in self-managed teams positively influences employee attitudes, but not absenteeism or turnover. Self-managed teams can generate substantial results over time, but they rarely become fully functional and self-directed in the short term. VII.UPPER ECHELONS: TEAMS AT THE TOP

A top-level executive team in an organization is referred to as upper echelon. The background characteristics of the top management team can often predict organizational characteristics.

A.Diversity at the Top

Diversity in the top management team helps to sustain high levels of organizational performance. The top management team should be functionally, intellectually, demographically, and temperamentally diverse in order to complement each other.

B.Multicultural Top Teams

Multicultural diversity within a group may increase the uncertainty, complexity, and inherent confusion in group processes. However, diverse groups tend to generate more and better ideas, which may limit the risk of groupthink.

VIII.MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: TEAMWORK FOR PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY

IX.LOOKING BACK: TOYOTA Diversity at the Top

YOU

9.1 HOW COHESIVE IS YOUR GROUP?This challenge could be assigned prior to class discussion on cohesiveness. During class discussion, students could be asked to share the experiences from the group they evaluated in the challenge to help illustrate the points related to cohesiveness.

9.2 ARE YOU AN EMPOWERED EMPLOYEE?

As you cover the material on empowerment in class, encourage students to share their experiences as empowered or unempowered employees.

DIVERSITY DIALOGUES

DIVERSITY DUO SEALS THE DEAL

It is possible that Merrill Lynch could have achieved success in moving the deal along without having someone who was demographically similar to the Brazilian investors as was Selma Bueno. The most important criteria for bridging cultural gaps are to have someone who has familiarity with certain cross-cultural business and social practices and who can use this knowledge to gain the trust of potential clients.

Students should address different types of dissimilarity in teams, including demographic, value, and functional dissimilarity in answering the second question. The chapter discusses both positive and negative effects of dissimilar teams and dissimilar members on teams (e.g., enhanced team creativity and involvement to increased conflict respectively).

CHAPTER SUMMARY

SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 12 \hGroups are often composed of diverse people at work. Teams in organizations are key to enhancing quality and achieving success.

SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 12 \hImportant aspects of group behavior include norms of behavior, group cohesion, social loafing, and loss of individuality.

SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 12 \hOnce a group forms, it goes through five stages of development. If successful, the group can function independently, with little interference from its leader.

SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 12 \hQuality circles, originally popularized in Japan, and quality teams contribute to solving technological and quality problems in the organization.

SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 12 \hTeams provide social benefits for team members, as well as enhancing organizational performance.

SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 12 \hFunctional and value dissimilarity may have positive or negative effects on teams. Managing dissimilarity in teams and being open to diversity is highly important for promoting creativity.

SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 12 \hEmpowerment and teamwork require specific organizational design elements and individual psychological characteristics and skills.

SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 12 \hUpper echelons and top management teams are key to the strategy and performance of an organization. Diversity and a devils advocate in the top team enhance performance.

SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 12 \hManaging in the new team environment places new demands on managers, teams, and individuals. Managers must create a supportive and flexible environment for collaborative teams and empowered individuals. Team leaders must nurture the team's development.

REVIEW QUESTIONS: suggested answers

1. What is a group? A work team?

A group is a collection of two or more people with common interests or objectives. A work team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common mission, performance goals, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.2. Explain four aspects of group behavior. How can each aspect help or hinder the group's functioning?

Norms of behavior are standards that a work group uses to evaluate the behavior of its members. Group cohesion is the interpersonal glue that makes members of a group stick together. Social loafing is the failure of a group member to contribute personal time, effort, thoughts, or other resources to the group. Loss of individuality occurs when group members lose self-awareness and its accompanying sense of accountability, inhibition, and responsibility for individual behavior. In general, norms are facilitative. Cohesiveness can have positive effects such as satisfaction, but it can also lead to problems such as groupthink. Social loafing is detrimental because it creates conflict. Loss of individuality, or deindividuation, can lead to aberrant behavior. 3. Describe what happens in each stage of a group's development according to Tuckmans Five-Stage Model. What are the leadership requirements in each stage?

In the forming stage, members are unclear about individual roles and responsibilities, and they need strong guidance and direction from the leader.

The storming stage is characterized by competition among members for position. Clarity of purpose increases, but uncertainties still exist. Members evaluate each others trustworthiness, emotional comfort, and acceptance. In this stage, leaders should employ a coaching style to deal with challenges from members.

Agreement and consensus characterize the norming stage. Roles and responsibilities become clear and accepted, and decisions about who will do what aspects of the groups work are made. The leader should use a facilitative style and share some of the leadership responsibilities with the team.

In the performing stage, the group can function on its own with very little interference or direction from a leader. A mature group controls the behavior of its members through the application of both positive and negative sanctions. The leaders role is to delegate and oversee the team.

The adjourning stage occurs when the groups task is complete and members are ready to move on to other things. The adjourning stage applies primarily to task forces and other informal teams; many teams remain at the performing stage indefinitely. The leaders role is to recognize the groups achievements.

4. Describe the four characteristics of mature groups.

A mature group has a clear purpose and mission, well-understood norms and standards of conduct, a high level of group cohesion, and a flexible status structure.

5. Why are work teams important to organizations today? How and why are work teams formed?

In addition to having creative ideas evolve from groups, employees become loyal to and psychologically intimate with team members. Teams can meet the needs for integrated involvement as well. Work teams may be formed by management to address specific organizational needs (formal teams), or they may develop as a means of meeting other unsatisfied employee needs for inclusion and affection (informal teams).

6. Describe at least five task and five maintenance functions that effective work teams must perform.

Task functions include initiating activities, seeking information, giving information, elaborating concepts, coordinating activities, summarizing ideas, testing ideas, evaluating effectiveness, and diagnosing problems. Maintenance functions include supporting others, following others' leads, gatekeeping communication, setting standards, expressing member feelings, testing group decisions, consensus testing, harmonizing conflict, and reducing tension.

7. Discuss diversity and creativity in teams.

Demographic dissimilarity influences employees absenteeism, commitment, turnover intentions, beliefs, workgroup relationships, self-esteem, and organizational citizenship behavior in both positive and negative ways. As a result, careful management of dissimilarity in teams is necessary. Team creativity appears to be an aggregate function of both time and individual members creativity.

8. Describe the necessary skills for empowerment and teamwork.

Competence skills and process skills are essential, as are the development of cooperative and helping behaviors and communication skills.

9. What are the benefits and potential drawbacks of self-managed teams?

Self-managed teams can positively impact employee attitudes and enhance productivity. They do not appear to positively impact absenteeism or turnover, are susceptible to problems such as groupthink, and may take long periods of time to reach their full potential.

10. What is the role of the manager in the new team environment? What is the role of the team leader?

The manager is responsible for creating an organizational environment that promotes and supports work teams. Managers set limits, remove barriers, and establish flexible charters for their work groups and teams. The team leader is responsible for nurturing the development and performance of the team. Team leaders teach, listen, solve problems, manage conflict, and enhance team functioning.

DISCUSSION AND COMMUNICATION QUESTIONS: suggested answers

1. Which was the most effective group (or team) of which you have been a member? What made that group (or team) so effective?

Students can use the characteristics from the chapter, and can probably name others. Issues of leadership, empowerment, cohesion, norms, and diversity are especially applicable.

2. Have you ever experienced peer pressure to act more in accordance with the behavioral norms of a group? Have you ever engaged in a little social loafing? Have you ever lost your head and been caught up in a group's destructive actions?

Students who have worked in groups that met outside class will have experience in peer pressure. Be sure to point out that social loafing and not meeting the requirements of the group are not the same thing. Destructive actions have also been referred to as "mob mentality." Both the Los Angeles riots and the spring break fiascoes in Florida are examples of destructive actions.

3. Name a company that successfully uses teamwork and empowerment. What has that company done that makes it so successful in this regard? Has its team approach made a difference in its performance? How?

The six focus companies from the textbook are logical suggestions for students who will not be able to single out individual organizations. The Ritz-Carlton is also a good example, because it is the only hotel that has ever won the Malcolm Baldrige Award.

4. Name a person you think is a particularly good team member. What makes him or her so? Name a person who is a problem as a team member. What makes this person a problem?

This can be constructive if properly managed, but care must be taken to avoid embarrassing students by pointing them out as problems. Students should identify the criteria they used in deciding whether a person is a good team member or a problem when discussing their examples.5. Think about your current work environment. Does it use quality circles or self-managed teams? What are the barriers to teamwork and empowerment in that environment? What elements of the environment enhance or encourage teamwork and empowerment? (If you do not work, discuss this question with a friend who does.)

In class, students with experience in teams have an opportunity to tell other students their frustrations and their rewards in working with teams. Cultural differences are relevant, and international students from collectivist cultures can be encouraged to share their views of teamwork.

6. Prepare a memo describing your observations about work teams and groups in your workplace or your university. Where have you observed teams or groups to be most effective? Why? What changes might be made at work or in the university make teams more effective?

Encourage students to consider different types of teams that they might observe, particularly those at different levels in the organization. Students should draw on the material from the text in discussing the effectiveness of the teams.

7. Develop an oral presentation about what the most important norms of behavior should be in an academic community and workplace. Be specific. Discuss how these norms should be established and reinforced.

In addition to outlining important norms, students should also provide support for why those norms are important. Discuss whether norms should be the same for faculty, staff, administration, and students. If there has been a recent debate on your campus regarding a particular norm and how it is reinforced, this is a good opportunity to discuss the issue.

8. Interview an employee or manager about what he or she believes contributes to cohesiveness in work groups and teams. Ask the person what the conclusions are based on. Be prepared to discuss what you have learned in class.

If the comments of the person interviewed differ from the text material, students should probe as to why this is the case. During class discussion, compare and contrast the different perspectives of the people interviewed.

9. Do you admire the upper echelons in your organization or university? Why or why not? Do they communicate effectively with groups and individuals throughout the organization?

Students should consider whether others in the organization or university share their opinion about the upper echelons. Discuss why there might be differences in perspectives between individuals and groups.

ETHICal dilemma

1. How would Gregs promise to support Michele still hold given Micheles behavior?

Gregs promise to support Michele was based on his prior knowledge of her personality and behaviors. If Michele is no longer acting like that person, many would argue that Gregs promise is no longer valid.

2. Evaluate Gregs decision using rule, virtue, rights, and justice theories.

Rule Clearly in this case, the greatest good is achieved by Greg speaking out and being honest about the situation.

Virtue Greg needs to have the courage to speak the truth to Michele even if the outcome is Micheles anger.

Rights We would want everyone to speak out in a situation like this. No one is served by allowing Micheles behavior to continue.

Justice Both the process and the outcome will be better if Greg speaks the truth. Withholding his true feelings would only ensure a continued unfair process and an unfair outcome, at least in the opinion of the members of the team.

EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES

9.1TOWER BUILDING: A GROUP DYNAMICS ACTIVITY

This exercise gives students an opportunity to examine group dynamics in a task-oriented situation. Students must take responsibility to bring materials to class for building a tower. All materials must fit into a box no greater than eight cubic feet. This exercise is a favorite exercise for many to uncover the dynamics of group and leadership behavior. The advantage of this exercise is that it takes far less time than game-oriented simulations.

9.2DESIGN A TEAM

This exercise provides students with an excellent opportunity to apply much of the material from the text and to think in depth about how teams should be formed. As groups share their responses to the questions be sure and discuss similarities and differences in responses. At the conclusion of the group presentations, try to reach agreement as a class on the ideal profile for this team.

Alternative Experiential Exercise

Putting the Beat Back in Groups

Instructor's Notes:This exercise may be discussed in at least three ways. (1) Students may use this opportunity to review or teach the chapter components to each other in the group, (2) this serves as a team development exercise, where the instructor may ask how cohesive the group is and where the group development is on this project, and (3) this is a lighthearted avenue to receive different contributions from students than are normally provided. Creativity is a difficult subject to convince students that they utilize throughout their lives. This exercise provides an avenue for students to risk being creative among their peers.

* SOURCE: Adapted from Donald D. Bowen, The University of Tulsa.

Putting the Beat Back in Groupwork

You and the members of your team are lyricists for a major must publishing house, Country & Western, Inc. (CWI). CWI specializes in country music, and has developed a unique approach to the creative business of developing hit country songs. In contrast to the normal approach to song writing, artists under contract to CWI provide only the music to their songs. CWI employs specialists in lyrics (you and your teammates) to write the titles and words.When a musician submits a new melody to CWI, the Vice President of Creativity listens to the tune, identifies a topic he believes to be appropriate for the melody, then assigns one of the lyric production teams to develop a catchy title for the song including the words (or variations of them) the Vice President used to designate the topic of the song. For example, if the assigned topic was "love", acceptable titles might include:

"I ain't had a beer since breakfast so what I'm feelin' must be love,

or

"Lovin' you sure beats punchin' cows.

The Vice President of Creativity has just assigned the following topics for titles. Make a creative country and western song title out of as many as possible in the time allotted.

Topic

Proposed Title1. Empowerment

2. Group cohesion

3. Team

4. Group development

5. Quality circles

6. Social loafing

7. Upper echelon

8. Psychological intimacy

EXTRA EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISESThe following exercises to supplement the material in the textbook can be obtained from:

Marcic, Dorothy, Seltzer, Joseph, & Vaill, Peter. Organizational Behavior: Experiences and Cases, 6th Ed. South-Western College Publishing Company, 2001.

Prisoners Dilemma: An Intergroup Competition. p. 135-136. Time: 50 minutes.

Purpose: To explore trust and its betrayal between group members through demonstrating the effects of interpersonal competition.

Windsock, Inc. p. 95-97. Time: 50 minutes or more.

Purpose: To explore intergroup relationships.

CASE QUESTIONS: SUGGESTED ANSWERS

STRYKERS USE OF TEAMWORK IN REDESIGNING SURGICAL EQUIPMENT

Linkage of Case to Chapter Material

The Stryker Corporation is one of the leading companies in the worldwide market for orthopedic devices. One of Strykers recent orthopedic innovations is a navigation system for hip replacement surgery that permits surgeons to observe via a computer screen the precise positioning of a hip replacement prosthesis. This piece of medical equipment is extremely complex and has many inter-related parts that need to withstand a variety of stresses. Field testing of the navigation system revealed numerous problems that had to be solved as quickly as possible. A team was assembled at Strykers Freiburg, Germany facility to solve the problems with the hip replacement navigation system. Within this problem context, the case focuses on the formation of the Freiburg team, the team members characteristics, and the team approach to problem solving.

Chapter 9 focuses on work groups and teams and their usage in organizations. Several topics in this chapter are very relevant to the Stryker case. First, teamwork is essential for developing effective solutions for the navigation systems problems. Second, the characteristics of well-functioning, effective groups are relevant to how the Freiburg team should operate. Third, the Freiburg team members must effectively perform both task functions and maintenance functions if they are to be successful. Finally, diversity and creativity can make important contributions to the effective functioning of the Freiburg team.

Suggested Answers for Discussion Questions1. Using Table 9.1, discuss the extent to which the characteristics of well-functioning, effective groups accurately describe the Freiburg hip replacement navigation system team.

Table 9.1 outlines eight characteristics of a well-functioning, effective group, which are as follows:

The atmosphere tends to be relaxed, comfortable, and informal.

The groups task is well understood and accepted by the members.

The members listen well to one another; most members participate in a good deal of task-relevant discussion.

People express both their feelings and their ideas.

Conflict and disagreement are present and centered around ideas or methods, not personalities or people.

The group is aware and conscious of its own operation and function.

Decisions are usually based on consensus, not majority vote.

When actions are decided, clear assignments are made and accepted by members of the group.

In the case, Klaus Welte, vice president and plant manager for Strykers Freiburg, Germany facility, was assigned responsibility for assembling a team that would work on solving the hip replacement navigation system. Weltes first challenge was assembling a team of the best people at Freiburg in operations, computer-aided design, engineering, and research. Welte believed that the teams success would require both a clear view of what had to be accomplished and a deep understanding of each team members abilities. One team member was talented in structural analysis, communication, and follow-through. Another member provided the social glue for the team and would never stop until all tasks were complete. Still another team member was an organizer who helped keep the team on task and from rushing ahead before it was ready. Yet another team member was especially knowledgeable regarding how a product design will successfully survive the manufacturing process. Another person was noted for highly innovative ( indeed visionary ( product design ideas. Although each team members abilities were important, how those abilities fit together was equally important.

This evidence suggests that the following characteristics of a well-functioning, effective group very likely are present in the Freiburg team:

The groups task is well understood and accepted by the members.

The members listen well to one another; most members participate in a good deal of task-relevant discussion.

Conflict and disagreement are present and centered around ideas or methods, not personalities or people.

The group is aware and conscious of its own operation and function.

Decisions are usually based on consensus, not majority vote.

When actions are decided, clear assignments are made and accepted by members of the group.

Little evidence exists to clearly support the presence of the other two characteristics ( namely, that (a) the atmosphere tends to be relaxed, comfortable, and informal; and (b) people express both their feelings and their ideas.

2. Explain why teamwork is important to effectively solve the problems which field testing of the hip replacement navigation system revealed.

The chapter indicates that teamwork becomes important when the work is more complicated, complex, interrelated, and/or voluminous than one person can handle. All of these characteristics are relevant to the problems uncovered during field testing of Strykers navigation system for hip replacement surgery. The navigation system permitted surgeons to observe via a computer screen the precise positioning of a hip replacement prosthesis. Due to the nature of hip replacement, the navigation system had to have the capability of withstanding the various physical stresses put on the equipment, including pounding with a surgical hammer. In addition, the navigation system ( especially its sophisticated electronics ( had to survive repeated sterilization under 270-degree-Fahrenheit steam pressure. Field testing of the hip replacement navigation system revealed that the systems precision electronics frequently failed and metal parts were broken or damaged. As a medical tool, the navigation system consisted of a complex, complicated, inter-related set of metal parts and precision electronic components.

In addition, finding solutions to the various navigation system problems required multiple perspectives and talents. Thus, a team had to be formed to address the problems. Finding a solution to the navigation system problems was assigned to Klaus Welte, vice president and plant manager for Strykers Freiburg, Germany facility, which already had applied its magnetic imaging navigation system technology and expertise to developing orthopedic equipment.

3. Using Table 9.2, describe how the task functions and maintenance functions are operating within the Freiburg team. Task functions include the following: initiating activities, seeking information, giving information, elaborating concepts, coordinating activities, summarizing ideas, testing ideas, evaluating effectiveness, and diagnosing problems. Several examples of task functions occur in the case. These examples include the following:

One team member was talented in structural analysis, communication, and follow-through.

Another team member was an organizer who helped keep the team on task and from rushing ahead before it was ready.

A third team member was especially knowledgeable regarding how a product design will successfully survive the manufacturing process.

A fourth person was noted for highly innovative ( indeed visionary ( product design ideas.

Maintenance functions include the following: supporting others, following others leads, gatekeeping communication, setting standards, expressing member feelings, testing group decisions, consensus testing, harmonizing conflict, and reducing tension. Only one example of maintenance functions can be found in the case. This example focuses on the member who provided the social glue for the team and would never stop until all tasks were complete.

4. Explain why diversity and creativity are important to the effective functioning of the Freiburg team.

Diversity is important to the Freiberg team in that multiple talents and perspectives were necessary to develop effective solutions for the navigation systems problems. This is demonstrated by the following excerpts from the case. Welte believed that the teams success would require both a clear view of what had to be accomplished and a deep understanding of each team members abilities ( in short, a genuine appreciation for the diversity of talent within the team. Welte assembled a team of the best people at Freiburg in operations, computer-aided design, engineering, and research. One team member was talented in structural analysis, communication, and follow-through. Another member provided the social glue for the team and would never stop until all tasks were complete. Still another team member was an organizer who helped keep the team on task and from rushing ahead before it was ready. Yet another team member was especially knowledgeable regarding how a product design will successfully survive the manufacturing process. Another person was noted for highly innovative ( indeed visionary ( product design ideas. According to Welte, Creating an effective team requires more than just filling all the job descriptions with someone who has the right talent and experience. ( By no means can you substitute one engineer for another. There are really very, very specific things that they are good at ( and how well the team members abilities combine is as important as the abilities themselves.

Creativity is important to the Freiburg team because of the number of problems with the hip replacement navigation system. The team used a novel approach to developing solutions to the various problems. The team addressed each problem separately, beginning with the most crucial issue and working down to the relatively minor problems. The solution for each problem was thoroughly tested before moving on to the next issue. Consequently, the team did not have a fully assembled prototype until all the problems were addressed. This approach proved successful, such that in the first nine months after the redesigned hip replacement navigation system was released, the company did not receive a single complaint from surgeons ( an incredible achievement for complex surgical equipment.

TAKE 2

BIZ FLIX

APOLLO 13 (1995)

This Apollo 13 scene shows many complexities of group dynamics and their management. Two conflict episodes occur. The first centers on Jack Swigerts (Kevin Bacon) reentry calculations, which Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) views suspiciously. It is not immediately clear why he distrusts Swigert. The second episode about the tank stirring makes it clearer. Such complex, intertwined group dynamics can happen in work organizations as well as in a spacecraft.

Earlier events triggered the conflict episodes shown in this scene. Jack Swigert followed mission controls instructions for stirring the oxygen tanks. Shortly after he finished that procedure, an explosion occurred that led to their decision to abort the lunar landing and return to Earth. The manifest conflict (observable conflict behavior) between Haise and Swigert came from that earlier event.

Mission commander Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) manages the manifest conflict with force and clear direction. The quasi-military structure of NASA allows the use of such direction and force, which might not always occur in other types of organizations. Lovell defines a superordinate goal for the astronauts and himself: staying alive for a safe return to Earth. A superordinate goal is one that is unreachable by a group unless all members help reach it.

WORKPLACE VIDEO

Teamwork, Featuring Cold Stone Creamery

1. What norms of behavior would you expect to find among team members working in a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream store?Norms of behavior for teams at Cold Stone Creamery stores include the following: positive attitude, high energy, proper dress, quality service, good hygiene, humor, responsibility, cooperation, punctuality, and high standards.

2. What are some of the challenges involved in creating a global team at Cold Stone?Global teams present many challenges. When people from different cultures form a team, not everyone will agree on norms for communication, decision making, authority, and scheduling. Conflicts also may arise over what constitutes appropriate work behaviors. Cultural and language differences present additional barriers and often lead to miscommunication. Reliance on telecommunications technology creates IT challenges. To overcome these and other challenges, members of global teams must be tolerant, willing to embrace diversity, and able to develop a consensus for team behavior.

3. What characteristics of a team may influence group effectiveness, and what role does diversity play in team success?According to the video, team size, diversity of team members, and team member roles are the team characteristics that help determine effectiveness. Teams made up of seven members or less tend to be more effective, as members find it easier to reach agreement, share opinions, and ask questions. Larger teams produce more disagreements; they also foster less individual participation. Diversity contributes to team success by endowing groups with a broad range of knowledge, perspectives, skills, and experiences. Finally, team member rolesincluding task specialist roles and socioemotional rolesaddress the psychological and task-related needs of the team.189This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from the U.S. Edition. This may not be resold, copied, or distributed without the prior consent of the publisher.This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from the U.S. Edition. This may not be resold, copied, or distributed without the prior consent of the publisher.This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from the U.S. Edition. This may not be resold, copied, or distributed without the prior consent of the publisher.