Download - Lecture 9 - Teams and Communication
MGT 120 – Organizational BehaviorTeams and Communication
Lecture 9
Week 10
Outline• The Difference: Groups vs. Teams• Types of Teams• Effective Teams and their Processes• Team Players• Communication and Communication Process• Direction of Communication• Interpersonal Communication• Organizational Communication• Communication Channels: Choosing the Correct One• Barriers to Communication• Improving Communication.
Understand how to utilize teams and communication to optimize organizational
performance
The Difference: Groups vs. Teams
Work Groups
Work Teams
The Difference: Groups vs. Teams
Types of Teams
Characteristics?
Challenges?
Beware: Teams Aren’t Always the Answer
• Three tests to see if a team fits the situation:– Is the work complex and is there a need for
different perspectives?– Does the work create a common purpose
or set of goals for the group that is larger than the aggregate of the goals for individuals?
– Are members of the group involved in interdependent tasks?
Effective Teams and their Processes
• Key Components of Teams to Manage
Composition
Work Design
Process
ContextWhere?
How?
What?
Which?
Effective Teams and their Processes
• Key Components of Teams to Manage
– Presence of adequate resources– Effective leadership and structure– Climate of trust in the team– Performance evaluation and reward system
that reflects team contributions
Where?Context
Effective Teams and their Processes
• Key Components of Teams to Manage
– Abilities of members• Technical expertise• Problem-solving• Interpersonal
– Personality• Conscientious and open-minded
– Diversity– Size of teams– Member preferences
Which?Composition
Effective Teams and their Processes
Key Roles of Teams
Effective Teams and their Processes
• Key Components of Teams to Manage
– Job Characteristics Model?
What?Work Design
FeedbackAutonomySkill varietyTask identityTask significance
Enhances Motivation
Effective Teams and their Processes
• Key Components of Teams to Manage
– Common plan and purpose– Specific goals– Team efficacy– Common mental models– Low levels of conflict– Minimized social loafing
Process How?
Potential Effectivenes
sProcess Gains
Process Losses
Actual Effectivenes
s
Effective Teams and their Processes
A Team-Effectiveness
Model
Team Players
• Selection– Make team skills one of the interpersonal skills in
the hiring process.• Training
– Individualistic people can learn• Rewards
– Rework the reward system to encourage cooperative efforts rather than competitive (individual) ones
– Continue to recognize individual contributions while still emphasizing the importance of teamwork
Team Players – Contemporary Issues
– Extent of Teamwork• Although work teams are pervasive in India, some
evidence suggests that most Indians are individual players rather than team players
– Self-Managed Teams• Do not work well in countries with low tolerance for
ambiguity and uncertainty and a high power distance– Team Cultural Diversity and Team Performance
• Diversity caused by national differences interferes with team efficiency, at least in the short run
• After about three months, the differences between diverse and non-diverse team performance disappear
Effective teams have common characteristics such as???
Communication and Communication Process
• Communication Functions– Control member
behaviour– Foster motivation for
what is to be done– Provide a release for
emotional expression– Provide information
needed to make decisions
Communication
Communication and Communication Process
• Communication Process– The steps between a source and a receiver that result
in the transference and understanding of meaning
Downward CommunicationGoals, StrategiesJob RestructuringPolicies and ProceduresPerformance Feedback
Influence
Direction of CommunicationFormal and Informal Communication
Upward CommunicationProblemsSuggestionsReportsFinancial and Accounting Information
Interpret
Formal: Endorsed/Controlled
Informal: Not Officially Authorized
Interpersonal Communication
• Oral Communication– Advantages: Speed and feedback.– Disadvantage: Distortion of the message.
• Written Communication– Advantages: Tangible and verifiable.– Disadvantages: Time consuming and lacks feedback.
• Nonverbal Communication– Advantages: Supports other communications and provides
observable expression of emotions and feelings.– Disadvantage: Misperception of body language or gestures
can influence receiver’s interpretation of message
Organizational Communication
Three Common Formal Small-Group Networks
Gives best accuracy
Facilitates leadership
development
Provides satisfaction
Organizational Communication
Small-Group Networks and Effectiveness
Organizational Communication
• Grapevine– Not controlled by management– Largely used to serve the self-interests of
those who use it– Advantages?
• Electronic Communication– Computer-Aided Communication– Emoticons– Slangs – YOLO, LOL
Communication Channels: Choosing the Correct One
• Characteristics of Rich Channels– Handle multiple cues
simultaneously.– Facilitate rapid feedback.– Are very personal in
context
Channel Richness
Communication Channels: Choosing the Correct One
Routine Nonroutine
Barriers to Communication• Filtering
– A sender’s manipulation of information so that it will be seen more favourably by the receiver
• Selective Perception– People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their
interests, background, experience, cultures, and attitudes• Information Overload
– A condition in which information inflow exceeds an individual’s processing capacity
• Emotions– How a receiver feels at the time a message is received will influence
how the message is interpreted• Language
– Words have different meanings to different people
Barriers to Communication Men vs. Women
• Men talk to:–Emphasize status,
power, and independence.–Complain that
women talk on and on.–Offer solutions.–To boast about
their accomplishments.
• Women talk to:–Establish
connection and intimacy.–Criticize men for
not listening.–Speak of problems
to promote closeness.–Express regret and
restore balance to a conversation.
Improving Communication – Global Implications
• Knowledge Management• Cross-cultural factors increase communication
difficulties• Cultural Barriers:
• Semantics: some words aren’t translatable• Word Connotations: some words imply multiple meanings
beyond their definitions• Tone Differences: the acceptable level of formality of
language• Perception Differences: language affects worldview
• Cultural Context: • The importance of social context to meaning• Low-context cultures (like the U.S.) rely on words for meaning• High-context cultures (like India) gain meaning from the
whole situation
Improving Communication – Global Implications
10-29
• Removing the uncertainty leads to greater satisfaction:– Communicate via multiple channels– Reduce distortion and incongruities for clarity
• Use electronic media wisely and carefully• Cultural communication barriers can be
overcome with understanding
Improving Communication – Global Implications
DISCUSSION
Article: Why don’t Teams Work Like They’re Supposed To?
TEAM ACTIVITYDrop the Ball
• Supplies per Team:• 1 ball• 8 Straws• Tape
TEAM ACTIVITY – 5 CP MARKSDrop the Ball
• Instructions• Each team receives 8 straws and 12 inches
of tape. You get ten minutes to build a container that will catch a ball dropped from about ten feet
• Select a ‘ball dropper’ at eye level. The team places its container on the floor under where it thinks the ball will land.
• Each group gets one attempt. • The team that gets a ball to go in and stay
in its container will receive 5 marks in their CP
TEAM ACTIVITYDrop the Ball
• What did you learn?
• Team Effectiveness• Communication• Barriers?