Communicating in Teams and Groups
Adapted from S. DeWine and D. Modaff, Organizational
Communication: Foundations, Challenges and Misunderstandings. Los Angeles:
Roxbury, 2002. Ch. 12.
Teams
in organizations exist
for a variety of reasons including permanent
functional work groups, short-term planning or functional "task
force" groups, quality control teams, decision and planning groups,
advisory groups and so on. Employees often belong to
several. Many employees identify more strongly with their team
than with the organization in general.
I.
Characteristics of Groups/Teams
(note connections to organizational culture)
-
"Unique"
Norms
-
Cohesiveness
-
Diversity
-
Satisfaction
-
Groupthink
-
Stress
-
Conservatism
("Stuckness")
II.
Effective Teams have
| "Superb
Teams" -- Wageman |
"High-performing
Teams" - Larson & LaFasto |
|
a
clear, engaging direction |
standards
of excellence |
|
appropriately
designed work tasks/processes |
results-driven
structure |
|
team
rewards strongly associated with team effort and outcomes |
competent
team members |
|
adequate
resources |
external
support and recognition |
|
adequate
authority |
collaborative
climate |
|
the
ability to articulate goals that fit the organizations needs |
clear,
elevating goals |
|
established
norms that promote strategic thinking |
principled
leadership |
| |
unified
commitment |