OB lecture 20 team effectiveness

Elements of a Team Objectives Complementary Skills or Roles Accountability Performance Standard Team that avoid conflict often do so to avoid hurting team member feeling, and end up encourage tension. When team member do not openly debate and disagree about import ideas, they often go back channel – far nastier and harmful

20 Team Effectiveness

Team and Group

Group

Two or more people with common interest

or objectives

e.g Drinking partners,

a study group, a tour group

Why Team ?

Teams are every where

Some Tasks are to big, or too complex and cannot be accomplished by a single person

Drucker calls Team

A task focused structure where skills

(persons) come to a task

Unlike in functional structure, ‘work’ goes to Skill (person)

Social Loafing

When people exert less effort and perform at

A lower level when working in a team

than when working alone

-> contribution is noticeable

-> Smaller team size

Theories on Team

Tuckman (2001) – Page 234 Group Formation

1 Forming

2 Storming

3 Norming

4 Performing

Dysfunctions of Team

If you want to know more About team building, read….

1 Absence of Trust

Trust lies at the heart of a team Without trust,

team work is impossible

Trust is the confidence among team members

that theirs peers intention is good., and there is

reason to be protective or careful about the

group.

Team members must be feeling comfortable being vulnerable with one another

Absence of Trust

Invulnerability

When there is no trust

• Conceal their weaknesses

• Hesitant to ask for help

• Hesitant t to offer help

• Jump to conclusion

• Waste time and energy putting up a show

…

When there is trust

• Admit weakness

• Ask for help

• Take risk in offering feedback or

assistance

• Focus time and energy on important issues, not politics

……

2 Fear of Conflict

Is conflict good or bad ?

All great relationship, the one that last over time, require productive conflict in order to Grow This is true in marriage, friendship, and

business

Absence of Trust

Fear of conflict Artificial peace

Invulnerability

Team that avoid conflict often do so to avoid hurting team member feeling, and end up

encourage tension

When team member do not openly debate

and disagree about import ideas, they often

go back channel – far nastier and harmful

Healthy conflict is a time saver

Teams that fear conflict

Members of a team must have the courage and confidence to bring out sensitive issues and force team members to work through

3 Lack of Commitment

Or lack of it

Foot dragging …

Watch window of opportunity passes

If there is no ‘commitment’ on top, what is the division below?

A decision is better than no decision

It is better to make a decision and be

wrong - and then change direction with equal boldness – than it is to hesitate

Never seek consensus, But Buy-in

But buy-in

Reasonable human being do not need to get their ways in order to support a decision, but only need to know that their opinions have been heard and considered

4 Avoidance of Accountability

Unwillingness of members to tolerate the interpersonal discomfort that accompaniescalling a peer on his or her behavior and the tendencies to avoid difficult conversation

Accountability Low standards

How to build accountability

• Publication of goals and standards (Team rules)

• Simply and regular progress review (I did say report)

• Team Reward

Case Study

Simmons Laboratories

Investigate the factors that lead to effectiveteam work and the influences that threaten Success

What Dr William Goh, Brandon Newbridge

or Lester Zapf could have done better?