Chapter 10: Nature of Work Groups and Teams
I. Teams and innovation at cisco systems
a. Cisco strives to increase the speed and efficiency on Internet data transmission,
collaboration and video applications
i. To remain innovative, need to alter the way that decisions made
ii. Typically made decisions in top down manner
iii. Developed system of teams that perform all kinds of tasks ranging from
planning the future direction of the company to completing individual projects
1. Allows for more collaboration and teamwork and making decisions
with a replicable process that offers scale, speed and flexibility
iv. Councils formed with members from different business, functional areas and
sometimes even countries: variety of perspectives and points of view
1. Organized around major initiatives or product groupings
v. Teams collaborate for innovation and to respond to problems
vi. Uses financial incentives to promote collaboration within and across teams
II. Introduction to groups
a. Group: set of two or more people who interact with each other to achieve certain goals
or meet certain needs
i. Although group members have one or more goals in common, this does not
mean that all their goals are identical
ii. Group goal: one that all or most members of group can agree on
b. Types of work groups
i. Formal work groups: established by managers to help organization achieve its
goals
1. Establish groups to accomplish certain organizational goals
ii. Informal work groups: emerge naturally in organizations because members
believe that working together in a group will help them achieve their goals or
meet their needs
c. Types of formal work groups
i. Command group: collection of subordinate who report to same supervisor
1. Based on basic reporting relationships in organizations and are
frequently represented on organizational charts as departments
2. Vehicle through which most work in organization gets accomplished
3. Leaders of group play important role in determining effectiveness
ii. Task force: collection of people who come together to accomplish a specific
goal
1. Once goal been accomplished, task force usually disbanded
2. Task force address goal of long term concern sometimes not
disbanded but their membership periodically changes
a. To offer new insights about the goal or problem
b. to relieve existing task force members of their duties so focus
on regular jobs
3. referred to as standing committees or task groups of long terms
iii. team: formal group of members who interact at a high level and work together
to achieve a common group goal
1. effective teams draw on abilities and experiences of their members to
accomplish things that could not be achieved by individuals working
separately or by other kinds of work groups
2. cross functional teams: composed of members from different
functions
3. do not always work together as a team well
iv. self managed work team: team with no manager
1. members responsible for ensuring the team accomplishes its goals and
for performing leadership tasks
d. types of informal work groups
, i. friendship group: collection of organizational members who enjoy each
other’s company and socialize with each other
1. help meet employees’ needs for social interaction, source of social
support and can contribute to job satisfaction
ii. interest groups: common goal or objective trying to achieve by uniting efforts
1. often formed in response to pressing concerns that members have
2. help members voice their concerns and impetus for change
iii. managers have more impact on formal work groups
e. group development over time: the five stage model
i. all groups change over time as group members come and go, group tasks and
goals change and group members gain experience as they interact
1. face different challenges at different stages of development
2. need to effectively manage challenges for groups to be effective
ii. Forming (stage 1): group members try to get to know each other and establish
a common understanding as they struggle to clarify group goals and determine
appropriate behavior within the group
1. Individuals feel they are members of a group: forming stage complete
iii. Storming (stage 2): characterized by considerable conflict
1. Members resist being controlled by group and might disagree about
who should lead the group or how much power the leader should have
2. Stage completed when members no longer resist group’s control and
there is mutual agreement about who will lead the group
iv. Norming (stage 3): members really start to feel like they belong to the group
and they develop close ties with one another
1. Well developed sense of common purpose emerges
2. End of stage: agree on standards to guide behavior in group
v. Performing (stage 4): group is ready to tackle tasks and work toward
achieving its goals
1. Stage at which real work is done
2. Sometimes take years to reach this stage, especially if self managed
vi. Adjourning (stage 5): group disbands after having accomplished its goals
vii. Five stage model is intuitively appealing but research indicates inaccurate
1. Not all groups go through each of these stages or through them one at
a time or in order specified
2. Groups with deadlines for goal accomplishment do not go through
series of stages
a. Alternate between periods of inertia and periods of frenzied
activity and progress
b. Timing of these stages depended on how long the group was
given to achieve its goals
i. Experience inertia always for first half of duration
III. Characteristics of work groups
a. Group size
i. Size of group measured by number of full time members who work together
to achieve the group’s goals
ii. Size important determinant of way group members behave
iii. Small groups: members likely to know one another and interact regularly with
each other on day to day basis
1. Easy to share info, recognize individual contributions, identify with
group’s goals
2. Strong identification with the group and its goals may lead to
increased motivation and commitment to group goals and higher
levels of satisfaction
iv. In large groups less likely to know each other
1. Lower level interaction make sharing info difficult
2. Consider own contribution less important and are less satisfied
I. Teams and innovation at cisco systems
a. Cisco strives to increase the speed and efficiency on Internet data transmission,
collaboration and video applications
i. To remain innovative, need to alter the way that decisions made
ii. Typically made decisions in top down manner
iii. Developed system of teams that perform all kinds of tasks ranging from
planning the future direction of the company to completing individual projects
1. Allows for more collaboration and teamwork and making decisions
with a replicable process that offers scale, speed and flexibility
iv. Councils formed with members from different business, functional areas and
sometimes even countries: variety of perspectives and points of view
1. Organized around major initiatives or product groupings
v. Teams collaborate for innovation and to respond to problems
vi. Uses financial incentives to promote collaboration within and across teams
II. Introduction to groups
a. Group: set of two or more people who interact with each other to achieve certain goals
or meet certain needs
i. Although group members have one or more goals in common, this does not
mean that all their goals are identical
ii. Group goal: one that all or most members of group can agree on
b. Types of work groups
i. Formal work groups: established by managers to help organization achieve its
goals
1. Establish groups to accomplish certain organizational goals
ii. Informal work groups: emerge naturally in organizations because members
believe that working together in a group will help them achieve their goals or
meet their needs
c. Types of formal work groups
i. Command group: collection of subordinate who report to same supervisor
1. Based on basic reporting relationships in organizations and are
frequently represented on organizational charts as departments
2. Vehicle through which most work in organization gets accomplished
3. Leaders of group play important role in determining effectiveness
ii. Task force: collection of people who come together to accomplish a specific
goal
1. Once goal been accomplished, task force usually disbanded
2. Task force address goal of long term concern sometimes not
disbanded but their membership periodically changes
a. To offer new insights about the goal or problem
b. to relieve existing task force members of their duties so focus
on regular jobs
3. referred to as standing committees or task groups of long terms
iii. team: formal group of members who interact at a high level and work together
to achieve a common group goal
1. effective teams draw on abilities and experiences of their members to
accomplish things that could not be achieved by individuals working
separately or by other kinds of work groups
2. cross functional teams: composed of members from different
functions
3. do not always work together as a team well
iv. self managed work team: team with no manager
1. members responsible for ensuring the team accomplishes its goals and
for performing leadership tasks
d. types of informal work groups
, i. friendship group: collection of organizational members who enjoy each
other’s company and socialize with each other
1. help meet employees’ needs for social interaction, source of social
support and can contribute to job satisfaction
ii. interest groups: common goal or objective trying to achieve by uniting efforts
1. often formed in response to pressing concerns that members have
2. help members voice their concerns and impetus for change
iii. managers have more impact on formal work groups
e. group development over time: the five stage model
i. all groups change over time as group members come and go, group tasks and
goals change and group members gain experience as they interact
1. face different challenges at different stages of development
2. need to effectively manage challenges for groups to be effective
ii. Forming (stage 1): group members try to get to know each other and establish
a common understanding as they struggle to clarify group goals and determine
appropriate behavior within the group
1. Individuals feel they are members of a group: forming stage complete
iii. Storming (stage 2): characterized by considerable conflict
1. Members resist being controlled by group and might disagree about
who should lead the group or how much power the leader should have
2. Stage completed when members no longer resist group’s control and
there is mutual agreement about who will lead the group
iv. Norming (stage 3): members really start to feel like they belong to the group
and they develop close ties with one another
1. Well developed sense of common purpose emerges
2. End of stage: agree on standards to guide behavior in group
v. Performing (stage 4): group is ready to tackle tasks and work toward
achieving its goals
1. Stage at which real work is done
2. Sometimes take years to reach this stage, especially if self managed
vi. Adjourning (stage 5): group disbands after having accomplished its goals
vii. Five stage model is intuitively appealing but research indicates inaccurate
1. Not all groups go through each of these stages or through them one at
a time or in order specified
2. Groups with deadlines for goal accomplishment do not go through
series of stages
a. Alternate between periods of inertia and periods of frenzied
activity and progress
b. Timing of these stages depended on how long the group was
given to achieve its goals
i. Experience inertia always for first half of duration
III. Characteristics of work groups
a. Group size
i. Size of group measured by number of full time members who work together
to achieve the group’s goals
ii. Size important determinant of way group members behave
iii. Small groups: members likely to know one another and interact regularly with
each other on day to day basis
1. Easy to share info, recognize individual contributions, identify with
group’s goals
2. Strong identification with the group and its goals may lead to
increased motivation and commitment to group goals and higher
levels of satisfaction
iv. In large groups less likely to know each other
1. Lower level interaction make sharing info difficult
2. Consider own contribution less important and are less satisfied
