IndustrialOrganizational Psychology Learning Module Work Teams

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Industrial-Organizational Psychology Learning
ModuleWork Teams
Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
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Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you should

• Know what constitutes a work team, and be
  familiar with different types of work teams.
• Know why the use of work teams in organizations
  is on the rise.
• Understand the most common reasons for work team
  failure.
• Understand how I/O psychologists are helping to
  make work teams more effective.

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
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Psychologists Groups

• There is a long history of psychologists studying
  groups.
• For example, topics studied include
• Intimacy among group members.
• Group composition.
• Group compatibility.
• Group motives goals.
• Group process productivity.

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Psychologists Groups(Hidden slide with
additional speaker notes)

• There is a long history of psychologists studying
  groups.
• For example, topics studied include
• Intimacy among group members.
• Group composition.
• Group compatibility.
• Group motives goals.
• Group process productivity.

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What is a Work Team?

• Many different definitions, but most have three
  elements
• 1) An interdependent, intact social system.
• 2) One or more tasks to perform.
• 3) Operating within an organizational context.

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
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Examples of Work Teams

• Work teams are pervasive in industry, across all
  organizational levels.
• Quality control circles.
• Task forces.
• Safety committees.
• Sales teams.
• RD groups.

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Work Team or Not?

• Which of the following are work teams?
• Students living on the same dorm floor.
• Students taking the same psychology class.
• Students working on a team research paper.
• Students on a committee charged with making
  recommendations to curb binge drinking.

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
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Why are Work Teams on the Rise?

• During the past decade, the use of teams in
  organizations has increased dramatically.
• In todays hyper-competitive environment, old
  organizational structures can be too slow, too
  unresponsive and too expensive to be competitive.
• Work teams can yield quality, productivity and
  cost improvements.
• Workers can benefit from increased autonomy and
  empowerment.

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
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Are Work Teams Always the Answer?

• The short answer - no!
• Many organizations are jumping on the teams
  bandwagon.
• Organizations should ask themselves
• Do people need to work together to get the task
  done effectively?
• Is expertise limited to a few people?

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
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What is a Successful Work Team?

• A three-dimensional conception of work team
  effectiveness
• 1) Quality/Quantity/Timeliness
• 2) The ability to work together again.
• 3) Personal growth well-being.
• The relative weights that should be applied to
  these dimensions will vary according to the
  teams circumstances.

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
11
Why Do Work Teams Fail?

• Anecdotal evidence indicates that teams work
  only about half the time. Why?
• Inappropriate use of teams.
• Lack of support from organizational leaders.
• Lack of good information.
• Lack of team member skills.
• Work team effectiveness study.
• A work teams success can be impacted as much by
  what is happening outside the team as it is by
  what is happening inside.

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
12
How do I/O psychologists help organizations to
use work teams?

• Personnel Selection
• Training
• Performance Appraisal
• Compensation
• Organizational Development

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
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The Future of Teams Less Physical, More Virtual

• In the wired, knowledge-based economy, well see
  less neighborhood teams and more virtual
  teams.
• Virtual teams can provide the organization with
  the same benefits (as well as some unique ones)
  as neighborhood teams, but the challenges that
  they face are magnified.

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Team Decision-Making Exercise

• The importance of team decision-making.
• Four team decision-making techniques
• Majority Vote
• Multivoting
• Unanimous Vote
• Consensus
• Where should we go for Spring Break?

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
15
Team Decision-Making Exercise(Hidden slide with
additional speakers notes)

• The importance of team decision-making.
• Four team decision-making techniques
• Majority Vote
• Multivoting
• Unanimous Vote
• Consensus
• Where should we go for Spring Break?

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
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Team Decision-Making Exercise - Debrief

• Which decision-making method did you use, and
  why?
• What were some of the benefits of the method that
  you chose?
• What challenges did your team encounter, and how
  did you overcome them?
• How effective was the decision that you reached?
  (and how did your team define effectiveness?)

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology - SIOP
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Instructor Resources

• The following books, book chapters and articles
  were used in preparation of the Work Teams module
  - you may find them useful for your own
  preparation.
• 1) Fisher, K. (1994) Diagnostic issues for work
  teams. In A. Howard (Ed.), Diagnosis for
  organizational change Methods and models. (pp.
  239-264). New York Guilford Press.
• 2) Mohrman, S.A, Cohen, S.G. Mohrman, Jr., A.M.
  (1995) Designing team-based organizations New
  forms for knowledge work. San Francisco
  Jossey-Bass.
• 3) Hackman, J.R. (Ed.) (1990) Groups that work
  (and those that dont) Creating effective
  conditions for teamwork. San Francisco
  Jossey-Bass.
• 4) Shaw, M.E. Costanzo, P.R. (1982) Theories of
  Social Psychology (2nd ed.). New York
  McGraw-Hill. (Note Chapter 13 on theories of
  group processes is especially helpful)
• 5) Campion, M.A., Medsker, G.J. Higgs, A.C.
  (1993). Relations between work group
  characteristics and effectiveness Implications
  for designing effective work groups. Personnel
  Psychology, 46, 823-850.