We are all familiar with teams, but may not have analyzed them down to the levels set forth in this chapter and the next. This chapter explores team processes—the communication, activities, and interactions that occur within teams as they pursue their goals and accomplish their tasks. Some processes are directly related to core team tasks. Other processes integrate or support accomplishment of core tasks. Finally, other processes result in difficult to observe team states, including cohesion, potency, mental models, and transactive memory. To improve team process, organizations may include training in areas such as team building and team competencies. 12.1 Before reading this chapter, how did you define teamwork? How did this definition correspond to the definition outlined in this book? 12.2 Think of a team you worked in that performed poorly. Were any of the causes of the poor performance related to the forces that tend create process loss? If so, which force was most particularly problematic? What steps, if any, did your team take to deal the problem? 12.3 Think about the team states described in this chapter. If you joined a new team, how long do you think it would take you to get a feel for those team states? Which states would you be able to gauge first? Which would take longer?
We are all familiar with teams, but may not have analyzed them down to the levels set forth in this chapter and the next. This chapter explores team processes—the communication, activities, and interactions that occur within teams as they pursue their goals and accomplish their tasks. Some processes are directly related to core team tasks. Other processes integrate or support accomplishment of core tasks. Finally, other processes result in difficult to observe team states, including cohesion, potency, mental models, and transactive memory. To improve team process, organizations may include training in areas such as team building and team competencies.
12.1 Before reading this chapter, how did you define teamwork? How did this definition correspond to the definition outlined in this book?
12.2 Think of a team you worked in that performed poorly. Were any of the causes of the poor performance related to the forces that tend create process loss? If so, which force was most particularly problematic? What steps, if any, did your team take to deal the problem?
12.3 Think about the team states described in this chapter. If you joined a new team, how long do you think it would take you to get a feel for those team states? Which states would you be able to gauge first? Which would take longer?
12.4 Describe the communication process in a student team of which you’ve been a member. Were there examples of “noise” that detracted from the team members’ ability to communicate with one another? What was the primary mode of communication among members? Did this mode of communication possess an appropriate level of information richness? Which network structure comes closest to describing the one that the team used to communicate? Was the level of centralization appropriate?
12.6 Which types of teamwork training would your student team benefit most from? What exactly would this training cover? What specific benefits would you expect? What would prevent a team from training itself on this material?
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