Essentials of

Organizational Behavior, 10/e

Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge

Chapter 9

Understanding Work Teams

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After studying this chapter, you

should be able to:
1.

Contrast groups and teams, and analyze the growing

popularity of using teams in organizations.

2.

Compare and contrast four types of teams.

3.

Identify the characteristics of effective teams.

4.

Show how organizations can create team players.

5.

Decide when to use individuals instead of teams.

6.

Show how the understanding of teams differs in a

global context.

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Why Are Teams So Popular?

Increased competition forced restructuring
for efficiency and effectiveness
Teams:
Better utilize employee talents
Are more flexible and responsive to change
Democratize and motivate

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Groups and Teams

Work Group
A group who interacts primarily to share
information and to make decisions to help
one another perform within each
members area of responsibility

Work Team
Generates positive synergy through
coordinated effort; individual efforts result
in a level of performance that is greater
than the sum of those individual inputs
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Comparing Work Groups and

Work Teams

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Four Types of Teams

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Problem-Solving Teams
Members often from the
same department
Share ideas or suggest
improvements
Rarely given authority to
unilaterally implement
any of their suggested
actions

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Self-Managed Work Teams

10-15 employees in highly-related jobs
Team takes on supervisory responsibilities:

Work planning and scheduling

Assigning tasks
Operating decisions/actions
Working with customers

May select and evaluate members

Effectiveness is situationally dependent
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Cross-Functional Teams
Members from same level, but diverse
areas within and between organizations
Exchange information
Develop new ideas and solve problems
Coordinate complex projects
Development may be time-consuming
due to complexity and diversity
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Virtual Teams
Computer technology
ties dispersed team
together

Special challenges:
Less social rapport
More task-oriented
Members less satisfied

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Key Components of
Effective Teams
Context
Composition
Work Design
Process

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Contextual Components

Presence of adequate resources

Effective leadership and structure
Climate of trust in the team
Performance evaluation and reward
system that reflects team contributions

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Team Composition
Components
Abilities of members
Technical expertise
Problem-solving
Interpersonal

Personality
Conscientious and open-minded

Diversity
Size of teams
Member preferences
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Work Design Components

Freedom
Autonomy
Skill variety
Task identity
Task significance

Enhances motivation
and team effectiveness
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Process Components
Common plan and
purpose
Specific goals
Team efficacy
Common mental
models
Low levels of conflict
Minimized social loafing
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Turning Individuals Into

Team Players
Selection
Need employees who have the interpersonal as well
as technical skills

Training
Workshops on problem-solving, communications,
negotiation, conflict-management and coaching skills

Rewards
Encourage cooperative efforts rather than individual
ones
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Teams Arent Always the

Answer: Three Tests
Complexity of Work:
Can the work be done better by more than one
person?

Common Purpose:
Does the work create a common purpose or set of
goals for the people in the group that is more than the
aggregate of individual goals?

Interdependence:
Are the members of the group interdependent?
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Global Implications
Teamwork is less pervasive in the United
States.
Self-managed teams may be difficult to
introduce globally power distance
problems.

Team cultural diversity creates difficulties in

the short run.
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Implications for Managers

Common characteristics of effective teams:
Have adequate resources, effective leadership,
a climate of trust, and suitable reward system
Composed of individuals with technical and
interpersonal skills
Work provides freedom, autonomy, and
opportunity to use skills
Members are committed to a common purpose
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Keep in Mind
Proper selection of members increases
likelihood of effective teams
Team should be constructed based on
ability, skill, and applicable member traits
given the situation
Non-personal conflicts can lead to better
team decisions
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Summary
1.

Contrasted groups and teams, and analyzed the

growing popularity of using teams in organizations.

2.

Compared and contrasted four types of teams.

3.

Identified the characteristics of effective teams.

4.

Showed how organizations could create team players.

5.

Decided when to use individuals instead of teams.

6.

Showed how the understanding of teams differed in a

global context.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher. Printed in the
United States of America.

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