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Define teams and discuss their benefits and limitations. A team is a group of more than two individuals that collectively work towards a common goal and engage in social interaction. The dynamics created from teams include a common purpose, interdependence and accountability, and a synergistic influence among members. A team’s performance can be undermined by many dysfunctional behaviors, one of which is social loafing, and by inadequate organizational structured support systems. |
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Discuss the success factors for self-directed teams. Self-directed teams are comprised of diverse member competencies whose goal is to complete a task (product, service, or process) in entirety. These teams are autonomous and are successful if these factors are in place: responsibility for entire process, sufficient autonomy, and technology-supported team dynamics. |
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Outline the model of team effectiveness. Team design, team effectiveness, team processes, and organizational and team environment make up the components of the team effectiveness model. |
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Explain the influence on team effectiveness of a team's task, composition, and size. Debate on whether team effectiveness occurs under structured tasks or complex tasks is still ongoing, but task interdependence, team size, and team composition are strong influences on team effectiveness. Task interdependence ensures that teams must work together rather than alone. Choosing the right team size is also critical to team success because coordination and cohesiveness are dependent. Research states that optimal team size is between five to seven members. Team composition means choosing members with the right skills, knowledge, and chemistry. |
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Describe the five stages of team development. The five stages of team development include: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. |
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Identify three factors that shape team norms. Norms (unwritten rules and expectations) establish immediately as teams form and are influence in three ways: first meeting behaviors, effective working technique discoveries, and collective past experiences and values. |
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List six factors that influence team cohesiveness. Team cohesiveness occurs from a sense of strong attraction from members to belong to a perceived valuable membership. Factors that affect team cohesiveness include: member similarity, team size, member interaction, difficult entry, team success, and external competition or challenges. |
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Summarize the three levels of trust in teams. Trust is a positive psychological state that exists when a person believes no intentional harm will incur from others. The three levels of trust in teams from low-level to high-level are: calculus-based trust, knowledge-based trust, and identification-based trust. |
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Analyze the causes of and structural solutions to conflict in teams. Conflict emerges when a person perceives that his/her interests are opposed or negatively affected by another. Strategies to minimize relationship related conflict include: choosing members with high levels of emotional intelligence, nurturing cohesive teams, supporting team norms, and utilizing problem-solving conflict management styles. Additionally, emphasizing common team over individual objectives or superordinating goals, is another way to minimize team conflict. |