EDM 711 COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE LEADING AND WORKING IN TEAMS

CHAPTER OUTLINE
THE NATURE TEAMS Characteristics of Work Groups What Makes a Group a Team Virtual Teams

LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCE IN TEAMS Perspectives in leadership Leader-Member Exchange Becoming a Leader Power and Influence of Members

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN TEAMS

Fill Functional Roles Promote Desirable Norms Promote an Optimal Level Cohesiveness Avoid Excessive Conformity

THE NATURE OF TEAMS

Characteristics of Work Groups

Group Assembly of people Work group Small, independent collection of people with a common identity who interact with one another, usually face to face over time to reach a goal.

Characteristics
Interdependence Interaction over time Identity

Size Shared purpose

What Makes a Group a Team?

Group Members primarily concerned with their own challenges and goals Members produce individual products Work shaped by manager Teams Members focus primarily on team challenges and goals Members produce collective products Work shaped collectively by team leader and members

TEAMS
Clear and inspiring shared goals A result-driven structure Competent team members Unified commitment Collaborative climate Standards of excellence External support and recognition Principled leadership

VIRTUAL TEAMS
Interact and function without being in the same place at the same time

WORKING IN VIRTUAL TEAMS

Strive to some face time Be mindful of time different zone

Give personal touch

use time zone to your advantage

Do trial the technology

Be aware of cultural differences in communication style

LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCE IN TEAMS

Perspectives on Leadership
Trait
Physical attractiveness Sociability Desire for leadership Intelligence Style approach Authoritarian Democratic Laissez-faire Contingency approaches Leader-member relations Task structure The leaders power

COMMUNICATION IN LEADER MEMBER

EXCHANGE
High Leader-Member Exchange oPositive oReinforcing oSupport statement oCoaching oJoint decision making Low Leader-Member Exchange oLess interaction oFace-threatening act oCompetetive conflict oPower games oDefensiveness

Becoming Leader
Emergent leaders may chosen by members of a group eiher oficially or inofficially Group selecet al leader by the method of residue

A process of elimination in which potential candidates are gradually rejected for one reason or another until only one remain.
(Bormann, E. 1990)

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX)

How good leader are, they have limitation in amount of time and energy, cannot give every member equal amount of resources

Power and Influence of Members

Designated leader Formal authority and responsibility to supervise the task given Ex: supervisor, chairperson, coach, manager Self-directed work teams Managing their own behavior to get a task done Ex: one General Mills cereal plant, team schedule, operate, maintain machine in night shifts

Power possessed by one or more

members of a group
Position power Coercive power Reward power Expert power Referent power Information power Connection power

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN TEAMS

Fill Functional Roles

TASK FUNCTIONS Information-or opinion giver Information-or opinion seeker Starter or energizer Direction-giver Gatekeeper Reality-tester

RELATIONAL FUNCTIONS Participation encourager Harmonizer Tension-reliever Evaluation of emotional climate Praise-giver Emphatic listener

DYSFUNCTIONAL ROLES Blocker Attacker Recognition-seeker Joker Withdrawer

Promote Desirable Norms

Norms Informal, often unstated rules about what behavior is appropriate Ways to function more effectively Create Desirable Norms Early Comply with Established Norms Whenever Possible

Promote an Optimum Level of Cohesiveness

Cohesiveness Degree to which members feel themselves part of the teams and want to remain with the team Condition exist in a team to enhance cohesive team Shared or compatible goals Progress toward goals Shared norms or values Minimal feelings of threat among members Interdependence among members Competition from outside the team Shared team experience

Avoid Excessive Conformity

Characteristic of group that succumb to groupthink: Illusion that the group is vulnerable Tendency to rationalize or discount negative information Willingness to ignore ethical or moral consequences of the teams decision Stereotyped views of other teams Team pressure to conform Self-cencorship Illusion of unanimity Mindguards against threatening information (Janis, 1972)