9: Managing Groups and Teams

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9.1: Teamwork Takes to the Sky: The Case of General Electric
This page discusses Robert Henderson's establishment of a General Electric factory in Durham, NC, focused on producing the largest commercial jet engine with a $1.5 billion investment. His emphasis on teamwork, hiring FAA-certified mechanics, and removing hierarchies enhanced productivity and worker pride. This innovative model greatly contributed to GE's wealth under CEO Jack Welch from the early 1980s to 2000, marking a significant shift after a 20-year pause in engine design.
9.2: Group Dynamics
This page discusses the stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning, emphasizing the emotional complexities during disbandment. It highlights that groups are temporary and may undergo dynamic transitions, reflected in the Punctuated-Equilibrium Model. Cohesion can boost productivity but risks groupthink.
9.3: Understanding Team Design Characteristics
This page highlights the importance of effective teams in organizations, which gain competitive advantage through collaboration, creativity, and diverse roles. Team effectiveness is influenced by task interdependence and composition, with optimal sizes ranging from 2 to 20 members. Well-defined roles and effective leadership foster performance and autonomy. Self-managed teams boost job satisfaction and productivity, while diversity enhances problem-solving and reduces groupthink.
9.4: Management of Teams
This page emphasizes the need for establishing team norms, roles, and expectations to boost team cohesion and performance. It advocates for a team contract that outlines shared values, roles, decision-making, and communication standards. The text also highlights the importance of effective meetings, detailing preparation, management, and follow-up to ensure clarity on action items.
9.5: Barriers to Effective Teams
This page discusses barriers to team effectiveness, such as task initiation issues, dominating personalities, poor performance, and conflict management. It recommends strategies like clarifying goals, balanced participation, managing performance fairly, and facilitating conflict resolution. The emphasis is on fostering effective team dynamics through open discussion and equitable involvement, with exercises encouraging personal reflection on team challenges.
9.6: The Role of Ethics and National Culture
This page examines ethics and teamwork, emphasizing the risks of self-managing teams where peer pressure may foster unethical behavior. It references the GLOBE Project to illustrate how cultural differences, such as collectivism versus individualism, shape team dynamics and member interactions worldwide.
9.7: Green Teams at Work: The Case of New Seasons Market
This page describes New Seasons Market Inc., a small upscale grocery chain in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1999, it emphasizes local identity, quality, and employee empowerment across its nine stores. The company promotes sustainability and community engagement through Green Teams, which encourage creativity and competition among employees. The culture at New Seasons fosters support and individual contributions to adapt to customer needs and improve workplace dynamics.
9.8: Conclusion
This page discusses the dynamic process of group formation and its importance for organizational success, emphasizing effective leadership and group dynamics. It differentiates between groups and teams, highlighting the challenges such as social loafing and groupthink that can impede performance. Solutions include clearly defined roles and managing differences among members. Ultimately, successful management of team dynamics is crucial for attaining fairness and success in complex tasks.
9.9: Exercises
This page explores an ethical dilemma experienced by an ad agency employee during a perfume name brainstorming session, focusing on their intimidation by the group and decision to remain silent. It raises questions regarding the ethics of non-participation, the consequences of both contributing and staying quiet, and how the employee's tenure may influence their willingness to speak up.

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