FOUNDATIONS OF TEAM DYNAMICS

Definition:

Team dynamics are the unconscious, psychological forces that influence

the direction of a team’s behaviour and performance.

Team dynamics are created by the nature of the team’s work, the
personalities within the team, their working relationships with other people, and
the environment in which the team works.

TEAM
Group of two or more people who interact and influence each other, are
mutually accountable for achieving common goals associated with organizational
objectives, and perceive themselves as a social entity within an organization.

SEVERAL TYPES OF FORMAL TEAMS IN ORGANIZATION

 DEPARTMENTAL TEAMS – Employees have similar or complementary

skills and are located in the same unit of a functional structure; such teams
usually feature minimal task interdependence because each person works with
employees in other departments.
 PRODUCTION/SERVICE/LEADERSHIP TEAMS – typically multi-skilled
team members collectively produce a common product or service or make
ongoing decisions; production/service teams typically have an assembly line type
of interdependence, whereas leadership teams tend to have tight interactive
(reciprocal) interdependence.
 SELF-DIRECTED TEAMS – Similar with production/service teams
except (1) they produce an entire product or sub-assembly that has low
interdependence with other work units, and (2) they have very high autonomy
(they usually control inputs, flow and outputs with no supervision.
 ADVISORY TEAMS – these entities, such as committees, advisory
councils, work councils, and review panels, provide recommendations to decision
makers; they may be temporary but often permanent, some with frequent rotation
of members.
 TASK FORCE (PROJECT) TEAMS – These are usually multi-skilled,
temporary entities whose assignment is to solve a problem, realize an
opportunity, or develop a product or service.
 SKUNKWORKS – These usually multi-skilled entities usually located
away from the organization and are relatively free from its hierarchy; such teams
are usually initiated by a entrepreneurial team leader who borrows people and
resources to create a product or develop a service.

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 VIRTUAL TEAMS – members of this formal teams operate across time,
space, and organizational boundaries and are link through information
technologies to achieve organizational tasks; they may be temporary task force
or permanent service teams.

GROUPS
Groups are a social community, consisting of two or more people who
have something in common.

INFORMAL GROUPS
Formed by the members of such groups by themselves. They emerge
naturally, in response to the common interests of organizational members. They
are formed spontaneously, without any formal designation, and with common
interests such as self-defense, work assistance and social interaction.

WHY PEOPLE BELONG TO INFORMAL GROUPS

 Human Beings are Social Animals
 Individuals define themselves by their group affiliations
 To accomplish tasks that cannot be achieved by individuals working alone

TEAM EFFECTIVENESS
The extent to which a team achieves its objectives of its members, and
sustains itself over time.

Elements that define team success:

 Achieve Organizational Goals - obviously, did the team deliver meaningful
results?
 Satisfy Member Needs - were the needs of individual team members met?
 Maintain Team Survival - for continuing teams, do they survive outside
challenges and threats?

FACTORS AFFECTING TEAM EFFECTIVENES

 Reward systems – how members are at least partly rewarded for
participation;
 Communication systems – how the team communicated both internally
and externally, which is of special criticality for virtual teams;
 Physical space – the co-location and layout of physical space for the
team;
 Organizational environment – the collection of resources, policies,
procedures, expectations, and regulations that surround the team;
 Organizational structure – the relationship between the team and key
stakeholders, along with the reporting structure; and
 Organizational leadership – the degree of buy-in and support the team
can expect to receive from key leaders outside the team.
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A. TEAM DESIGN

TEAM DESIGN FEATURES:

1) TASK CHARACTERISTICS– a categorization of the work of the team in

terms of degree of interdependence: reciprocal, sequential, or pooled. A
task characteristics that is definitely important for teams is the TASK
INTERDEPENDENCE.

 TASK INTERDEPENDENCE- The extent to which team members must

share common inputs to their individual tasks, need to interact while performing
their work, or receive outcomes (such as rewards) that are partly determined by
the performance of others.

2) TEAM SIZE – the number of people on the team (theories abound as to the
ideal number; the best number is the amount necessary to do the work,
and no more); and

3) TEAM COMPOSITION – the balance between homogeneity (to unify) and

diversity (to broaden possibilities).

TEAM DIVERSITY – important dimension of team composition

 HOMOGENOUS TEAMS - would include people who are as similar as

possible, with similar points of view, learning abilities and life experiences.
 Higher satisfaction
 Less conflict
 Faster team development
 More efficient coordination
 Performs better on simple tasks

 HETEROGENOUS TEAMS - include a mixture of races, genders, cultures and

ages that provides a wider range of life experiences and opinions.
 More conflict
 Slower team development -- takes longer to agree on norms and goals
 Better knowledge and resources for complex tasks
 Tend to be more creative
 Higher potential for support outside the team

FORMS OF DIVERSITY

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  DEEP-LEVEL DIVERSITY- surface level of diversity can be
distinguished by appearance. Examples include sex, age, race,
ethnicity, etc.
 SURFACE-LEVEL DIVERSITY - Deep level of diversity in contrast is
difficult to judge from appearance. It includes internal characteristics such
as personality, attitudes, habits, values professional background, skill
level, etc.

B. TEAM PROCESSES

I. TEAM DEVELOPMENT - The five-stage model of team development

provides a general outline of how teams evolved by forming, storming,
norming, performing and eventually adjourning.

STAGES OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT

1. FORMING – the first stage is a period of testing and orientation in w/c members
learn about each other & evaluate the benefits and costs of continued
membership.
2. STORMING – the storming stage is marked by interpersonal conflict as
members become more proactive and compete for various team roles.
3. NORMING – the team develops its first real sense of cohesion as roles are
established and a consensus forms around group objectives.
4. PERFORMING – the team becomes more task-oriented in the performing stage.
5. ADJOURNING – Most work teams and informed groups eventually end.

II. TEAM NORMS - the informal rules and shared expectations that groups
establish toregulate the behavior of their members.

III. TEAM ROLES - is a set of behaviors that people are expected to perform
because they hold certain positions in a team and organization.

BELBIN’S TEAM ROLES- People have a natural preference for one role or
another, although they can adjust to a secondary role. Belbin’s model
emphasizes that all nine roles must be engaged for optimal team performance.
Moreover, certain team roles should dominate over others at various stages of
the team’s project or activities.

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  Resource Investigator - Uses their inquisitive nature to find ideas to bring
back to the team.
 Teamworker - Helps the team to gel, using their versatility to identify the
work required and complete it on behalf of the team.
 Co-ordinator - Needed to focus on the team's objectives, draw out team
members and delegate work appropriately.

 Plant - Tends to be highly creative and good at solving problems in

unconventional ways.
 Monitor Evaluator - Provides a logical eye, making impartial judgements
where required and weighs up the team's options in a dispassionate way.
 Specialist - Brings in-depth knowledge of a key area to the team.
 Shaper - Provides the necessary drive to ensure that the team keeps
moving and does not lose focus or momentum.
 Implementer - Needed to plan a workable strategy and carry it out as
efficiently as possible.
 Completer Finisher - Most effectively used at the end of tasks to polish
and scrutinise the work for errors, subjecting it to the highest standards of
quality control.

IV. TEAM COHESIVENESS - is a set of behaviors that people are expected

to perform because they hold certain positions in a team and organization.

CAUSES OF TEAM COHESIVENESS

 Member Similarity - Earlier in this chapter we learned that highly diverse

teams potentially tend to experience more conflict, leading to factious
subgroups and higher turnover among team member.
 Team Size - Smaller teams tend to be more cohesive than larger teams
because it is easier for a few people to agree on goals and coordinate
work activities.
 Member Interaction - Teams tend to be more cohesive when team
members interact with each other fairly regularly.
 Somewhat Difficult Entry - Teams tend to be more cohesive when entry
to the team is restricted.
 Team Success - Cohesiveness increases with the team’s level of success
because people feel more connected to teams that fulfill their goals.
 External Competition and Challenges - Team cohesiveness tends to
increase when members face external competition or a challenging
objective that is valued.
 Consequences of Team Cohesiveness - Every team must have some
minimal level of cohesiveness to maintain its existence.

THE TROUBLE WITH TEAMS

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 i. PROCESS LOSSES – resources including time and energy expended
toward team development and maintenance rather than the task.

ii. SOCIAL LOAFING – a situation in which people exert less effort when
working in groups rather than working alone.

HOW TO MINIMIZE SOCIAL LOAFING

 Keep it small. The smaller the number of people on any team, the harder
it is to hide. Smaller numbers also make it more likely people will believe
that what they do will matter.
 Establish accountability. When you ensure that every group member
has clear responsibilities and tasks to accomplish as part of the overall
effort, they are more likely to feel valued and motivated to do their part for
the team. Accountability is key.
 Set clear, challenging goals. Objectives for the group should challenge
their ability to accomplish them. Clear objectives that are specific,
quantifiable, and easy to, measure will help ensure accountability,
encourage progress, and improve commitment to the group.
 Match the skills. When you put the teams together, focus on getting the
people with the right skills. This way each will see how they can
meaningfully contribute to the overall effort.
 Build in a feedback loop. Potential “loafers” will be more likely to
contribute if they believe that they will be found out. There are several
ways you can incorporate feedback, whether it is to have each member
present the results of their work at intervals, conduct regular feedback
sessions, or even having group members participate in a peer
evaluation process.
 Develop team cohesion. People who feel a personal loyalty and
connection with their group are much less likely to slack off. As the
strength of group identity increases, so will the desire to be a
productive part of it.

REFERENCE/S:

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