What type of team is formed when employees from about the same hierarchical level but from different work areas come together to accomplish a task?

Home

Student Resources

Chapter 10: Understanding work teams

Chapter Review

Summary

Teams are growing in popularity because they typically outperform individuals, particularly when the tasks being performed require multiple skills, judgment, and experience. Teams are more flexible and responsive to changing events, as they have the capability to quickly assemble, deploy, refocus, and disband. They are an effective means for management to democratize their organizations and increase employee motivation.

It is important to note that groups and teams are not the same. A group is two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives. A work group is a group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility. In contrast, a work team generates positive synergy through coordinated effort. Members’ individual efforts result in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs.

Types of teams include problem-solving teams (where members share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved), self-managed teams (groups of employees who perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on many of the responsibilities of their former supervisors), cross-functional teams (teams made up of employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task), and virtual teams (teams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal).

The key components making up effective teams can be grouped into four general categories: context, composition, work design, and process.

Group effectiveness is dependent on contextual factors such as presence of adequate resources, effective leadership and structure, a climate of trust, and a performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions.

Group effectiveness also depends on the composition of the group, including factors such as the abilities of members, personality, allocation of roles, diversity, size, and member preferences. A diversity of skills is necessary to ensure an adequate knowledge base within the team. These include technical expertise, problem-solving and decision-making skills and interpersonal skills. Individual level variables that contribute to effective team performance include higher mean levels of extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability. The effectiveness of a team is also dependent upon matching individual preferences with team role demands. Teams are more likely to be more effective with 10 or less members and when they are composed of individuals who are cross-trained and who prefer being members of a group.

In terms of work design, freedom and autonomy, the opportunity to use different skills and talent, the ability to complete a whole and identifiable task or product, and working on a task or project that has substantial impact on others are associated with higher levels of member motivation and team effectiveness.

Additionally, group effectiveness is dependent upon process variables such as the commitment to a common purpose, establishment of specific team goals, team efficacy, mental models, a managed level of conflict, and a minimization of social loafing.

If an organization is to be based around teams and workgroups then managers need to appoint, create and reward team players. Some people already possess the interpersonal skills to be effective team players. When hiring team members, in addition to the technical skills required to fill the job, care should be taken to ensure that candidates can fulfil their team roles as well as technical requirements.

People can also undergo training to ‘make them into team players’. Training specialists conduct exercises that allow employees to experience the satisfaction that teamwork can provide. Employees may also benefit by learning the five-stage group development model described in Chapter 9. Note, however, that some employees will resist being team players and may be untrainable.

Employees also need incentives to be good team players. An organization’s reward system needs to be reworked to encourage cooperative efforts rather than competitive ones.

What type of team is made up of employees from about the same hierarchical level but different work areas who come together to accomplish a task?

What are the 4 types of teams?

What is cross hierarchical teams?

What type of team consists of groups of employees who perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on many of the responsibilities of their former supervisors?