SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS
1 What are teams and groups? Groups and teams differ. The output of a group is
simply the sum of individual efforts. A team, because of the close collaboration
among members, produces output that is greater than the sum of individual efforts.
2 Does everyone use teams? Teams have become an essential part of the way
business is being done these days. A Conference Board of Canada report found
that more than 80 percent of its 109 respondents used teams in the workplace.
This finding is similar in the United States, where 80 percent of Fortune500 com-
panies have half or more of their employees on teams. As well, 68 percent of small
US manufacturers use teams in their production areas.
3 Do groups and teams go through stages while they work? Two different mod-
els illustrate how teams and groups develop. The first, the five-stage model, describes
the standard sequence of stages groups pass through: forming, storming, norm-
ing, performing, and adjourning. Through these stages, group members learn how
to settle conflicts and develop norms, which enable them to perform. The second,
the punctuated-equilibrium model, describes the pattern of development specific
to temporary groups with deadlines. In this model, the group shows two great
periods of activity. The first peak in activity takes place after the midpoint of the proj-
ect, a time in which the team performs at a higher level than it did previously. The
second peak takes place right before the project comes due.
4 How do we create effective teams? For teams to be effective, careful consider-
ation must be given to resources, the team’s composition, work design, and process
variables. The four contextual factors that appear to be most significantly related to
team performance are the presence of adequate resources, effective leadership, a cli-
mate of trust, and a performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team
contributions. Effective teams are neither too large nor too small—typically they
range in size from 5 to 12 people. They have members who fill role demands, are
flexible, and who prefer to be part of a group. Teams will be more effective if mem-
bers have freedom and autonomy to do their tasks and believe that the task will have
a substantial impact on others. Finally, effective teams have members committed
to a common purpose and specific team goals.
5 How do virtual teams work? Virtual teams can do many of the same things
face-to-face teams can, but they have more challenges, especially when it comes to
team-member bonding and building trust. To help build understanding among
teammates, members should provide some personal information early on, and
they should also be clear on each other’s roles from the outset. Researchers have
found that virtual teams with members who have positive attitudes do better than
teams with pessimistic members. Often, virtual teams communicate, discuss ideas,
post work-in-progress, and exchange feedback through a virtual workspace via an
intranet, website, or bulletin board.
6 Are teams always the answer? Teams are not necessarily appropriate in every sit-
uation. How do you know if the work of your group would be better done in teams?
It’s been suggested that three tests be applied to see if a team fits the situation:
(1) Can the work be done better by more than one person? (2) Does the work cre-
ate a common purpose or set of goals for the people in the group that is more than
the sum of individual goals? and (3) Are the members of the group interdependent?
This third test asks whether the success of the whole depends on the success of each
one andthe success of each one depends on the success of the others.Chapter 5Working in Teams 175SNAPSHOT SUMMARY1 Team vs. Groups:
What’s the Difference?
2 Why Have Teams
Become So Popular?
3 Stages of Group and
Team Development
The Five-Stage Model
The Punctuated-Equilibrium
Model
4 Creating Effective
Teams
Context
Composition
Work Design
Process
5 Twenty-First Century
Teamwork: Virtual
Teams
Virtual Teams and Trust
Creating Virtual Workspaces
6 Beware! Teams Are Not
Always the Answer