Chapter 10- Understanding Work Teams

A group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibility.

A group whose individual efforts result in performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs.

Groups of 5 to 12 employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment.

Groups of 10 to 15 people who take on responsibilities of their former supervisors.

Employees from about the same hierarchial level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task.

Teams that use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.

Systems in which different teams need to coordinate their efforts to produce a desired outcome.

The degree to which members of a work unit share a common demographic attribute, such as age sex, race, educational level, or length of service in an organization, and the impact of this attribute on turnover.

A team characteristic of reflecting on and adjusting the master plan when necessary.

Team members' knowledge and beliefs about how the work gets done by the team.