Chapter 7: Understanding Groups and Managing Work team

Understanding

groups and
managing
work teams

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 7: UNDERSTANDING GROUPS AND

MANAGING WORK TEAM

7.1

Work Group
7.1.1

Definition

7.1.2

Formal and Informal Group

7.1.3

Five stages of group Development

7.2

Team
7.2.1

Definition

7.2.2

Work Group versus Work Teams

7.2.3

Types of work teams

Multiple Choice

Formal groups tend to form around friendships and common interests.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

A group consists of individuals who share specific goals.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Examples of formal groups:

Self-managed teams

Command groups

Cross-functional teams

Task groups

Groups that are determined by the
organization chart and composed of
individuals who report directly to a given
manager.

Groups that bring together the

knowledge and skills of
individuals from various

departments or work areas.

Groups composed of individuals brought
together to complete a specific job task;

their existence is often temporary

because when the task is completed, the

group disbands. Example: Problem

solving teams.

Groups that are essentially
independent and that, in addition to
their own tasks, take on traditional
managerial responsibilities, such as
hiring, planning and scheduling, and
evaluating performance.

04

01

03

02

Multiple Choice

To be considered a group, a gathering must include at least five people.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

The team at Faizal Tahir’s job has its own office, sets its own schedules, and is responsible for evaluating each other’s performance. Faizal Tahir is a part of a problem-solving team.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

The term "self-managed team" refers to a type of work group that consists of persons from various work disciplines with varying expertise and abilities.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Groups tend to go through five stages as they develop.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Intragroup conflicts because members resist being control over
by other members

Members develop close relationship, demonstrate
cohesiveness, stronger sense of team identity and camaraderie

Members feels high uncertainty about the structure, purpose,
leadership

Team members fully accepted team structure and perform task

Members focus on wrapping up activities

When members think themselves as
part of the group

Where a clear leadership exist

Solid team structure and members
adopt appropriate work behaviour

Stage

Storming

Norming

Forming

Performing

Adjourning

What happen?

Completion

Task completed

Group disband

For permanent teams, performing is the last stage of their group development.
For temporary teams, adjourning is the last stage of their group development.

Multiple Choice

In the norming stage of group development, the group becomes cohesive.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Throughout the entirely of the group process, the norming stage is marked by the greatest amount of disagreement.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Managers should especially try to avoid conflict during the storming stage of group development.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

The norming stage of group development ends when members consider themselves a part of the group.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

The group is likely to work on its primary task during the adjourning stage of group development.

• TRUE

• FALSE

WORK TEAM

interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions that will help each
group member perform within his or her area of responsibility. Work groups have
no need to engage in collective work that requires joint effort.

However, the creation of work teams does not guarantee that this positive synergy, and its
accompanying productivity, will occur.

Management is looking for that positive synergy that will increase performance. The extensive use of
teams creates the potential for an organization to generate greater outputs with no increase in (or even

fewer) inputs.

refers to groups whose members work intensely on a specific common goal
using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and
complementary skills.

work group

work team

Work teams do differ from work groups and have their own unique

characteristics

Multiple Choice

The primary benefit of teams within a company is enhanced organizational effectiveness.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

A work team simply needs complementary talents, as opposed to a work group, which needs a variety of skills.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Types of Work Teams

Cross-functional team

Virtual teams

consists of employees
from about the same
hierarchical level but from
different work areas in the
organization.

teams that use
technology to link
physically dispersed
members to achieve a
common goal.

Problem-solving team

members from the same
department or functional
area that share ideas or offer
suggestions on how work
processes and methods can
be improved.

Self-managed work
team

a formal group of employees that
operates without a manager and is
responsible for a complete work
process or segment that delivers a
product or service to an external or
internal customer.

Multiple Choice

A self-managed team is responsible for both completing tasks and managing itself.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

A problem-solving team is likely not to have a supervising manager to oversee it.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

In an electronics company, a cross-functional team is likely to have an engineer, a designer, a software specialist, and a marketing specialist all working on the same project.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Members of a virtual team never actually communicate with one another.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

An effective team leader is often more of a coach than a manager.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Team comprises of individuals who rarely meet one another in person is called virtual teams.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Teams composed of individuals with skills that are highly complementary to one another are called cross-functional team.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

A problem-solving team does not have a supervising manager to oversee it.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Effective teams should avoid conflict at all costs.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Diversity within a group typically makes reaching cohesiveness easier.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Some organizational tasks are better done individually than in a team or group.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Disagreeable team members rarely decrease team performance.

• TRUE

• FALSE