Chapter 10: Understanding Work Teams

1. Why Have Teams Become So Popular?

Exam Q: Why is Team Approach is becoming so popular? Explain how the
organizations create effective team?
Exam Q: Why organizations prefer Teams? How can organizations select
and develop effective team. Explain (Three Times in 2015)?
A. Why Team Approach is becoming so Popular
Over the last decade, the uses of teams grow exponentially in
organizations.
There are a number of reasons why this is true. They are:

Teams typically outperform individuals.

Teams use employee talents better.
Teams are more flexible and responsive to changes in the environment.
Teams facilitate employee involvement.
Teams increase employee participation in decision making.
Teams democratize an organization and increase motivation.
Teams can quickly assemble, deploy, refocus (Change), and disband
(Scatter, Separate).
However, teams are not always effective and so it is important to take a
look at how to deploy teams effectively.

Chapter # 1 Exam Notes

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B. Identify the characteristics of effective teams (Creating Effective Team)

Effective teams have the following components:
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Context
Team Composition
Work Design
Process Variables

I.

Context (Background, Situation, Framework, circumstance)

Following contextual characteristics are related to team effectiveness and
performance and are necessary for creating effective teams:
a)
b)
c)
d)

Adequate resources
Effective Leadership and structure
Climate of Trust
Performance and Reward System

a) Effective Teams need the adequate resources or the tools to complete the
job.
b) Effective Teams need effective leadership and structure so that Team are
agreeing to the specifics of work and how the team fits together to
integrate individual skills. Even self-managed teams need leaders.
Leadership especially important in multi-team systems.
c) Effective teams need the Climate of Trust so that Members of effective
team must trust each other and the leader.
d) Effective teams need the Performance and Rewards System that reflect
team contribution cannot just be based on individual effort.

Chapter # 1 Exam Notes

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II.

Team Composition
Following Team composition is needed for creating effective teams:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Abilities of Members
Personality of Members
Allocating Roles and Diversity
Size of Team
Members Preference for Teamwork

Effective Teams need the Abilities of Members such as technical expertise,

problem-solving, decision-making, and good interpersonal skills.
Effective teams need Personality of Members that is Personality behaviors
like Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience, and Agreeableness all
relate to team performance and effectiveness.
Allocating Roles and Diversity is needed for creating effective teams as
teams have different needs, and members should be selected to ensure all
the various roles are filled.
Keeping size of teams small is a key to improving team effectiveness. The
most effective teams have five to nine members.
Effective Teams need Members Preference for Teamwork as Highperforming teams are likely to be composed of people who prefer working
as part of a team.
III.

Work Design
The following work design variables required for creating effective teams:
a)
b)
c)
d)

Freedom and Autonomy

Skill Variety
Task Identity
Task Significance

Freedom and Autonomy is the ability to work independently

Skill Variety is the ability to use different skills and talents in the team
Task Identity is the ability to complete a whole and identifiable task or
product
Task significance is the working on a task or project that has a substantial
impact on others
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IV.

Process Variables
The following process variables are required for creating effective teams:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)

Commitment to a Common Purpose

Establishment of Specific Team Goals
Team Efficacy
Mental Models
A Managed Level of Conflict
Minimized Social Loafing

Effective Teams create a commitment to common purpose that provides

direction. Effective Teams have reflexivity: willing to adjust plan if
necessary.
Successful teams translate their common purpose into specific,
measurable, challenging and realistic performance goals.
Effective Teams need Team Efficacy as Effective Team believes in its ability
to succeed
Effective Teams have an accurate and common mental model (map) of
how the work gets done.
Effective teams have a managed level of conflict as Task conflicts are
helpful; interpersonal conflicts are not in effective team.
Effective Team holds itself accountable both individually and as a team to
minimize the social loafing.

Chapter # 1 Exam Notes

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