Action teams
- generally have tasks that are quite simple.
- are formed to take on "one-time" tasks.
- perform tasks that are normally limited in duration.
- invariably have low member involvement.
- help the organization achieve its long-term goals.
Action teams perform tasks that are normally limited in duration. However, those tasks are quite complex.
Action Teams: A team of limited duration that performs complex tasks in contexts that tend to be highly visible and challenging.
Which of the following is an example of a function of an action team?
- Art and Raul lead the rescue effort when their company's coal mine collapses.
- Shelly and Jenny divide the tasks associated with assembling the refrigerators on their line.
- James and Michael form a committee to purchase new busses for the school corporation.
- Bruce and Brad work to improve the durability of the battery covers their company makes.
- Han and Otto correspond via electronic means to coordinate product development in two countries.
Action Teams: A team of limited duration that performs complex tasks in contexts that tend to be highly visible and challenging.
Which of the following examples demonstrates the midway point of the punctuated equilibrium development pattern?
- Graden finally feels comfortable enough with his role to slip into a mundane routine.
- Brady realizes his team is failing and asks his supervisors for permission to disband it.
- Sunny illuminates long festering resentments within the team and progress comes to a standstill.
- Phyllis and her teammates realize they need to quit messing around and get busy to meet their deadline.
- Blaine and her associates have worked ahead, so they can relax and do nothing for the duration of the project.
Certain types of project teams follow a pattern of development called punctuated equilibrium. At the initial team meeting, members make assumptions and establish a pattern of behavior that lasts for the first half of its life. That pattern of behavior becomes a matter of habit for members and creates an inertia that continues until roughly the midway point of the project. Then something remarkable happens: Members realize that they have to change their approach to the task to complete it on time. Teams that take this opportunity to plan a new approach during this transition tend to do well, and the new framework dominates their behavior until task completion.
Punctuated Equilibrium: A sequence of team development during which not much gets done until the halfway point of a project, after which teams make necessary changes to complete the project on time.
Work at Sanitech is accomplished continuously because once members of a team in one country have finished their workday, they electronically hand off the work to team members in another country who have just arrived at their workplace. Sanitech is utilizing a(n) ________ workflow.
- off-shoring
- cross-docking
- featherbedding
- follow-the-sun
- time-to-market
Using follow the sun techniques, work is accomplished continuously because members of a team who have finished their workday in one country electronically hand off the work to team members in another country who have just arrived at the office. Because these electronic hand-offs occur continuously, product development and other work needed to bring innovative products to the market can be completed much more quickly.
Flow: A state in which employees feel a total immersion in the task at hand, sometimes losing track of how much time has passed.
A planning team composed of engineers, architects, designers, and builders that is charged with designing a suburban town center is a(n) ________ team.
- parallel
- action
- work
- project
- management
Project teams take up one-time issues and exist only as long as the project takes to complete. A planning team composed of engineers, architects, designers, and builders that is charged with designing a suburban town center is a project team.
Project GLOBE: A collection of 170 researchers from 62 cultures who examine the impact of culture on the effectiveness of leader attributes, behaviors, and practices.
Quality circles, which consist of individuals who normally perform core production tasks but also meet regularly to identify production-related problems and opportunities for improvement, are an example of ________ teams.
- management
- parallel
- project
- action
- work
Parallel teams require only part-time commitment from members, and they can be permanent or temporary, depending on their aim. Quality circles, for example, consist of individuals who normally perform core production tasks but also meet regularly to identify production-related problems and opportunities for improvement.
Parallel Teams: A team composed of members from various jobs within the organization that meets to provide recommendations about important issues.
A team was formed to coordinate the impending ISO accreditation process for a company over a period of six months. The team members are drawn from various departments. Which of the following types of teams does this most exemplify?
- parallel teams
- management teams
- work teams
- action teams
- project teams
Project teams are formed to take on one-time tasks that are generally complex and require a lot of input from members with different types of training and expertise. They exist only as long as it takes to finish a project.
Project Teams: A team formed to take on one-time tasks, most of which tend to be complex and require input from members from different functional areas.
Which of the following teams focuses on providing recommendations and resolving issues?
- work teams
- management teams
- parallel teams
- action teams
- project teams
Parallel teams are composed of members from various jobs who provide recommendations to managers about important issues that run "parallel" to the organization's production process.
Parallel Teams: A team composed of members from various jobs within the organization that meets to provide recommendations about important issues.
Paul, Brian, and Jeff work in different teams at Lake Mattresses. Paul's team ensures that all the raw materials, machinery, tools, and other production equipment are available to employees around the clock. Any procurement needs have to be addressed to Paul, who also takes part in high-level decisions regarding the number of units to be produced, exported, and so on. Brian works as part of a team of eight members who concentrate on the day-to-day production; they also ensure that quality checks are done and inspect each other's work. Jeff is the operations manager, who works for five hours in the production department and spends the rest of his time assisting management as an internal consultant on manufacturing issues. His input is crucial in improving the production process. Paul is part of a(n) ________ team.
- work
- action
- project
- parallel
- management
Management teams are responsible for coordinating the activities of organizational subunits (typically departments or functional areas) to help the organization achieve its long-term goals. Members of management teams are heads of departments, and their commitment to the team is offset by the responsibilities they have in leading their unit.
Engagement: A term commonly used in the contemporary workplace to summarize motivation levels.
Sandy, Lori, and Piper work on different teams at Martin Manufactured Homes. Sandy's team ensures that all the raw materials, machinery, tools, and other production equipment are available to employees around the clock. Any procurement needs have to be addressed to Sandy, who also takes part in high-level decisions regarding the number of units to be produced, exported, and so on. Lori works as part of a team of eight members who concentrate on the day-to-day production; they also ensure that quality checks are done and inspect each other's work. Piper is the operations manager, who works for five hours in the production department and spends the rest of her time assisting management as an internal consultant on manufacturing issues. Her input is crucial in improving the production process. Piper is part of the ________ team.
- work
- action
- project
- parallel
- management
Parallel teams are composed of members from various jobs who provide recommendations to managers about important issues that run "parallel" to the organization's production process. Parallel teams require only part-time commitment from members, and they can be permanent or temporary, depending on their aim. Quality circles, for example, consist of individuals who normally perform core production tasks, but who also meet regularly with individuals from other work groups to identify production-related problems and opportunities for improvement.
Parallel Teams: A team composed of members from various jobs within the organization that meets to provide recommendations about important issues.
Alyssa works for an engineering firm that has been hired to design and supervise the construction of a highway bridge over a major river. The bridge will be a unique design, incorporating complex designs that will likely never be duplicated. How should Alyssa deal with designing and overseeing the building of the bridge?
- She should build a team of reliable workers who work well together and like being around each other.
- She should create a permanent team of management executives to monitor this and all projects her firm accepts.
- She should reward employees who have been with the company the longest with the opportunity to join the team.
- She should assemble a permanent, full-time group of production workers to produce the parts needed for the bridge.
- She should gather a group of people with a wide range of specialized talents to work on the bridge until it is completed.
Project teams are formed to take on "one-time" tasks that are generally complex and require a lot of input from members with different types of training and expertise.
Team: Two or more people who work interdependently over some time period to accomplish common goals related to some task-oriented purpose.
Amy, Allyson, and Kelly work in different teams at Oaktown Powersports. Amy's team ensures that all the raw materials, machinery, tools, and other production equipment are available to employees around the clock. Any procurement needs have to be addressed to Amy, who also takes part in high-level decisions regarding the number of units to be produced, exported, and so on. Allyson works as part of a team of eight members who concentrate on the day-to-day production; they also ensure that quality checks are done and inspect each other's work. Kelly is the operations manager, who works for five hours in the production department and spends the rest of her time assisting management as an internal consultant on manufacturing issues. Her input is crucial in improving the production process. Allyson's contribution is toward the ________ team.
- work
- action
- project
- parallel
- management
Work teams are designed to be relatively permanent. Their purpose is to produce goods or provide services, and they generally require a full-time commitment from their members. Teams are composed of four to eight members who do the physical work, and a leader who supports the team and coordinates with other teams. Although the teams are responsible for the work involved in the assembly of the vehicles, they are also responsible for quality control and developing ideas for improvements in the production process. Team members inspect each other's work, and when they see a problem, they stop the line until they are able to resolve the problem.
Needs: Groupings or clusters of outcomes viewed as having critical psychological or physiological consequences.
An action team could take the form of a
- band traveling around the country for six months, playing shows at different venues.
- group of four workers making a specific part on the production line of an automobile factory.
- team that oversees the functioning of all the teams in an organization and coordinates activities among teams.
- team composed of interior designers, architects, and builders involved in designing and creating the layout of a new hotel.
- quality control team at a factory that oversees the quality of the goods produced and recommends changes in production techniques.
Action teams perform tasks that are normally limited in duration. However, those tasks are quite complex and take place in contexts that are either highly visible to an audience or of a highly challenging nature.
Action Teams: A team of limited duration that performs complex tasks in contexts that tend to be highly visible and challenging.
An example of a management team would be a
- band traveling around the country for six months, playing shows at different venues.
- group of four workers making a specific part on the production line of an automobile factory.
- team that oversees the functioning of all the teams in an organization and coordinates activities among teams.
- team composed of interior designers, architects, and builders involved in designing and creating the layout of a new hotel.
- quality control team at a factory that oversees the quality of the goods produced and recommends changes in production techniques.
Management teams participate in managerial-level tasks that affect the entire organization. Specifically, they are responsible for coordinating the activities of organizational subunits to help the organization achieve its long-term goals.
Management Teams: A relatively permanent team that participates in managerial-level tasks that affect the entire organization.
Management teams are similar to work teams because they
- are designed to be relatively permanent.
- require only part-time commitment from members.
- participate in managerial-level tasks that affect the entire organization.
- require a lot of input from members with different types of training and expertise.
- focus on the accomplishment of core operational-level production and service tasks.
Management teams are similar to work teams in that they are designed to be relatively permanent.
Management Teams: A relatively permanent team that participates in managerial-level tasks that affect the entire organization.
While ________ teams focus on the accomplishment of core operational-level production and service tasks, ________ teams focus on integrating the activities of subunits across business functions.
- management; work
- action; work
- parallel; project
- project; work
- work; management
Whereas work teams focus on the accomplishment of core operational-level production and service tasks, management teams participate in managerial-level tasks that affect the entire organization. Specifically, management teams focus on integrating the activities of subunits across business functions.
Strategic Management: Field of study devoted to exploring the product choices and industry characteristics that affect an organization’s profitability.
An example of a work team would be a
- band traveling around the country for six months, playing shows at different venues.
- group of four workers making a specific part on the production line of an automobile factory.
- team that oversees the functioning of all the teams in an organization and coordinates activities among teams.
- team composed of interior designers, architects, and builders involved in designing and creating the layout of a new hotel.
- quality control team at a factory that oversees the quality of the good produced and recommends changes in production techniques.
Work teams are designed to be relatively permanent. Their purpose is to produce goods or provide services, and they generally require a full-time commitment from their members.
Work Teams: A relatively permanent team in which members work together to produce goods and/or provide services.
Unlike other types of teams, the purpose of work teams is to
- complete managerial tasks.
- produce goods or provide services.
- help the organization achieve its long-term goals.
- take on "one-time" tasks that are generally complex.
- provide recommendations to managers about important issues.
Work teams are designed to be relatively permanent. Their purpose is to produce goods or provide services, and they generally require a full-time commitment from their members.
Work Teams: A relatively permanent team in which members work together to produce goods and/or provide services.
Teams differ from groups because
- teams have no limits on the number of members, while groups have a restricted membership.
- members of teams work independently of each other, while those in groups show greater dependence on each other.
- members of teams work toward individual goals that may or may not be related, while groups have a common goal.
- members of teams have a specific task-related purpose, while groups do not.
- teams have a no fixed duration, while groups last only for a specific amount of time.
A team consists of two or more people who work interdependently over some time period to accomplish common goals related to some task-oriented purpose. Interactions among members within teams revolve around a deeper dependence on one another than the interactions within groups and occur with a specific task-related purpose in mind.
Team: Two or more people who work interdependently over some time period to accomplish common goals related to some task-oriented purpose.
Which of the following is True of teams?
- A team consists of two or more people who work independently, with distinct goals and strategies.
- A team works interdependently over some time period to accomplish common goals related to some task-oriented purpose.
- Groups are formed with a specific purpose in mind, while teams do not have a specific goal.
- The members of a team operate relatively independently of each other, and other members are not essential to their completion of goals.
- Interactions among members within teams are more personal and informal than interactions between people in groups.
A team consists of two or more people who work interdependently over some time period to accomplish common goals related to some task-oriented purpose.
Team: Two or more people who work interdependently over some time period to accomplish common goals related to some task-oriented purpose.
Willie's Beverage Bottlers formed several teams to plan and execute the 150<sup>th</sup> anniversary celebrations of the company. Over a period of two months, the teams organized events, oversaw logistics, and coordinated employee activities. The events that were planned were on a large scale and required a lot of input from the managers and production workers. These are examples of ________ teams.
- work
- action
- project
- parallel
- management
Project teams are formed to take on "one-time" tasks that are generally complex and require a lot of input from members with different types of training and expertise.
Project GLOBE: A collection of 170 researchers from 62 cultures who examine the impact of culture on the effectiveness of leader attributes, behaviors, and practices.
Management teams are formed to take on "one-time" tasks that are generally complex.
Project teams are formed to take on "one-time" tasks that are generally complex.
Management Teams: A relatively permanent team that participates in managerial-level tasks that affect the entire organization.
Which type of interdependence is represented by this diagram?
- pooled
- reciprocal
- response
- comprehensive
- sequential
In sequential interdependence, different tasks are done in a prescribed order, and the group is structured such that the members specialize in these tasks. The interaction is one way and in the same direction as the flow of work.
Task Interdependence: The degree to which team members interact with and rely on other team members for information, materials, and resources needed to accomplish work for the team.