Instructor Manual for MGMT,
4th Canadian Edition By
Chuck Williams, Terri
Champion, Ike
Hall (All Chapters 1-18)
Supplement Files Download
Link at the end of this PDF
file.
Part 1: Chapter 9-18
Part 2: Chapter 1-8
,Instructor Manual Part 1: Chapter 9-18
Chapter 9: Leading Teams
Learning Outcomes
9‐1 Explain the good and bad of using teams.
9‐2 Summarize the different kinds of teams.
9‐3 Identify and understand the general characteristics of work teams.
9‐4 Outline and explain the steps to enhance work team effectiveness.
Key Concepts
A work team consists of a small number of people with complementary skills who hold
themselves mutually accountable for pursuing a common purpose, achieving
performance goals, and improving interdependent work processes. In many industries,
teams are growing in importance because they help organizations respond to specific
problems and challenges.
Teams have been shown to increase customer satisfaction (specific customer teams),
product and service quality (direct responsibility), employee job satisfaction (cross‐
training, unique opportunities, and leadership responsibilities), and decision‐making
(different knowledge, skills, experiences, and diversity of viewpoints). Although teams
can produce significant improvements in these areas, using teams does not guarantee
these positive outcomes.
Teams and teamwork have the disadvantages of initially high turnover and social loafing
(especially in large groups). Teams also share the disadvantages (groupthink, time,
poorly run meetings, domination by a few team members, and weak accountability) of
group decision making. Finally, teams should be used for a clear purpose, when the
work requires that people work together, when rewards can be provided for both
teamwork and team performance, when ample resources can be provided, and when
teams can be given clear authority over their work.
Companies use different kinds of teams to make themselves more competitive.
Autonomy is the key dimension that makes teams different. Traditional work groups
(which execute tasks) and employee involvement teams (which make suggestions) have
the lowest levels of autonomy. Semi‐autonomous work teams (which control major,
direct tasks) have more autonomy, while self‐managing teams (which control all direct
tasks) and self‐designing teams (which control membership and how tasks are done)
have the highest levels of autonomy. Cross‐functional, virtual, and project teams are
common, but are not easily categorized in terms of autonomy. Cross‐functional teams
combine employees from different functional areas to help teams attack problems from
multiple perspectives and generate more ideas and solutions. Virtual teams use
telecommunications and information technologies to bring coworkers “together,”
regardless of physical location or time zone. Virtual teams reduce travel and work time,
but communication may suffer since team members don’t work face‐to‐face. Finally,
project teams are used for specific, one‐time projects or tasks that must be completed
within a limited time. Project teams reduce communication barriers and promote
flexibility; teams and team members are reassigned to their departments or new
Copyright © 2024 by Cengage 9‐1
, projects as old projects are completed.
The most important characteristics of work teams are team norms, cohesiveness, size,
conflict, and development. Norms let team members know what is expected of them
and can influence team behaviour in positive and negative ways. Positive team norms
are associated with organizational commitment, trust, and job satisfaction. Team
cohesiveness helps teams retain members, promotes cooperative behaviour, increases
motivation, and facilitates team performance. Attending team meetings and activities,
creating opportunities to work together, and engaging in non‐work activities can
increase cohesiveness. Team size has a curvilinear relationship with team performance:
teams that are very small or very large do not perform as well as moderate‐sized teams
of 6 to 9 members. Teams of this size are cohesive and small enough for team members
to get to know each other and contribute in a meaningful way, but large enough to take
advantage of team members’ diverse skills, knowledge, and perspectives. Conflict and
disagreement are inevitable in most teams. The key to dealing with team conflict is to
maximize cognitive conflict, which focuses on issue‐related differences, and minimize
affective conflict, the emotional reactions that occur when disagreements become
personal rather than professional. As teams develop and grow, they pass through four
stages of development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. After a period of
time, however, if a team is not managed well, its performance may decline as the team
regresses through the stages of de‐norming, de‐storming, and de‐forming.
Companies can make teams more effective by setting team goals and managing how
team members are selected, trained, and compensated. Team goals provide a clear
focus and purpose, reduce the incidence of social loafing, and lead to higher team
performance 93 percent of the time. Extremely difficult stretch goals can be used to
motivate teams as long as teams have autonomy, control over resources, structural
accommodation, and bureaucratic immunity. Not everyone is suited for teamwork.
When selecting team members, companies should select people who have a preference
for teamwork (individualism–collectivism) and should consider team level (average
ability on a team) and team diversity (different abilities on a team).
Organizations that successfully use teams provide thousands of hours of training to
make sure that teams work. The most common types of team training are for
interpersonal skills, decision‐making and problem‐solving skills, conflict resolution,
technical training to help team members learn multiple jobs (i.e., cross‐training), and
training for team leaders.
Employees can be compensated for team participation and accomplishments in three
ways: skill‐based pay, gainsharing, and non‐financial rewards. Skill‐based pay programs
pay employees for learning additional skills or knowledge. In gainsharing programs,
companies share the financial value of performance gains such as productivity
increases, cost savings, or quality improvements with their workers. Non‐financial
rewards are another means of rewarding teams for their performance. These rewards,
which can range from vacation trips to T‐shirts, plaques, and coffee mugs, are
especially effective when coupled with management recognition, such as awards,
certificates, and praise.
Copyright © 2024 by Cengage 9‐2
, Lesson Plan for Lecture
Instructor Pre‐class Prep:
Review chapter and determine what points to cover.
Bring PPT slides.
Warm Up
Begin Chapter 9 by asking your students how well they work in teams. Ask them to identify
some of the positive aspects of teamwork and some of the drawbacks.
Segue into the lecture by asking, “Given the pros and cons you’ve listed, why do you think
companies are so interested in organizing employees into teams? Are teams always an
appropriate structure?”
Content Delivery
Lecture slides: Make note of where you stop so you can pick up at the next class meeting. Slides
have teaching notes on them to help you as you lecture.
Conclusion and Preview
Possible assignments:
1. Assign students to work in the ad hoc teams they put together during the discussion of
selecting people for teamwork to complete the Management Team Decision “Taking a
Chance on Teams at IBM.” The activity asks if teams are a good idea in the situation; if
so, what kind and whom to select to lead the teams.
2. Assign students to review Chapter 9 and read the next chapter on your syllabus.
Remind students about any upcoming events.
Lesson Plan for Group Work
Instructor Pre‐Class Prep
Review material to cover and modify the lesson plan to meet your needs.
Set up the classroom so that groups of 3 or 4 students can sit together.
Warm Up
Begin Chapter 9 by asking students, “What are the pros and cons of using teams?” Make a
pro/con list on the board so students can see the list of pros and cons grow. As you move
through the content for this class refer to the list when appropriate, citing accuracies and
misconceptions along the way.
Content Delivery
Introduce the chapter by discussing the different kinds of teams and work team characteristics (i.e.,
cohesiveness, size, conflict, norms).
Consider breaking for the following activity.
Copyright © 2024 by Cengage 9‐3
4th Canadian Edition By
Chuck Williams, Terri
Champion, Ike
Hall (All Chapters 1-18)
Supplement Files Download
Link at the end of this PDF
file.
Part 1: Chapter 9-18
Part 2: Chapter 1-8
,Instructor Manual Part 1: Chapter 9-18
Chapter 9: Leading Teams
Learning Outcomes
9‐1 Explain the good and bad of using teams.
9‐2 Summarize the different kinds of teams.
9‐3 Identify and understand the general characteristics of work teams.
9‐4 Outline and explain the steps to enhance work team effectiveness.
Key Concepts
A work team consists of a small number of people with complementary skills who hold
themselves mutually accountable for pursuing a common purpose, achieving
performance goals, and improving interdependent work processes. In many industries,
teams are growing in importance because they help organizations respond to specific
problems and challenges.
Teams have been shown to increase customer satisfaction (specific customer teams),
product and service quality (direct responsibility), employee job satisfaction (cross‐
training, unique opportunities, and leadership responsibilities), and decision‐making
(different knowledge, skills, experiences, and diversity of viewpoints). Although teams
can produce significant improvements in these areas, using teams does not guarantee
these positive outcomes.
Teams and teamwork have the disadvantages of initially high turnover and social loafing
(especially in large groups). Teams also share the disadvantages (groupthink, time,
poorly run meetings, domination by a few team members, and weak accountability) of
group decision making. Finally, teams should be used for a clear purpose, when the
work requires that people work together, when rewards can be provided for both
teamwork and team performance, when ample resources can be provided, and when
teams can be given clear authority over their work.
Companies use different kinds of teams to make themselves more competitive.
Autonomy is the key dimension that makes teams different. Traditional work groups
(which execute tasks) and employee involvement teams (which make suggestions) have
the lowest levels of autonomy. Semi‐autonomous work teams (which control major,
direct tasks) have more autonomy, while self‐managing teams (which control all direct
tasks) and self‐designing teams (which control membership and how tasks are done)
have the highest levels of autonomy. Cross‐functional, virtual, and project teams are
common, but are not easily categorized in terms of autonomy. Cross‐functional teams
combine employees from different functional areas to help teams attack problems from
multiple perspectives and generate more ideas and solutions. Virtual teams use
telecommunications and information technologies to bring coworkers “together,”
regardless of physical location or time zone. Virtual teams reduce travel and work time,
but communication may suffer since team members don’t work face‐to‐face. Finally,
project teams are used for specific, one‐time projects or tasks that must be completed
within a limited time. Project teams reduce communication barriers and promote
flexibility; teams and team members are reassigned to their departments or new
Copyright © 2024 by Cengage 9‐1
, projects as old projects are completed.
The most important characteristics of work teams are team norms, cohesiveness, size,
conflict, and development. Norms let team members know what is expected of them
and can influence team behaviour in positive and negative ways. Positive team norms
are associated with organizational commitment, trust, and job satisfaction. Team
cohesiveness helps teams retain members, promotes cooperative behaviour, increases
motivation, and facilitates team performance. Attending team meetings and activities,
creating opportunities to work together, and engaging in non‐work activities can
increase cohesiveness. Team size has a curvilinear relationship with team performance:
teams that are very small or very large do not perform as well as moderate‐sized teams
of 6 to 9 members. Teams of this size are cohesive and small enough for team members
to get to know each other and contribute in a meaningful way, but large enough to take
advantage of team members’ diverse skills, knowledge, and perspectives. Conflict and
disagreement are inevitable in most teams. The key to dealing with team conflict is to
maximize cognitive conflict, which focuses on issue‐related differences, and minimize
affective conflict, the emotional reactions that occur when disagreements become
personal rather than professional. As teams develop and grow, they pass through four
stages of development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. After a period of
time, however, if a team is not managed well, its performance may decline as the team
regresses through the stages of de‐norming, de‐storming, and de‐forming.
Companies can make teams more effective by setting team goals and managing how
team members are selected, trained, and compensated. Team goals provide a clear
focus and purpose, reduce the incidence of social loafing, and lead to higher team
performance 93 percent of the time. Extremely difficult stretch goals can be used to
motivate teams as long as teams have autonomy, control over resources, structural
accommodation, and bureaucratic immunity. Not everyone is suited for teamwork.
When selecting team members, companies should select people who have a preference
for teamwork (individualism–collectivism) and should consider team level (average
ability on a team) and team diversity (different abilities on a team).
Organizations that successfully use teams provide thousands of hours of training to
make sure that teams work. The most common types of team training are for
interpersonal skills, decision‐making and problem‐solving skills, conflict resolution,
technical training to help team members learn multiple jobs (i.e., cross‐training), and
training for team leaders.
Employees can be compensated for team participation and accomplishments in three
ways: skill‐based pay, gainsharing, and non‐financial rewards. Skill‐based pay programs
pay employees for learning additional skills or knowledge. In gainsharing programs,
companies share the financial value of performance gains such as productivity
increases, cost savings, or quality improvements with their workers. Non‐financial
rewards are another means of rewarding teams for their performance. These rewards,
which can range from vacation trips to T‐shirts, plaques, and coffee mugs, are
especially effective when coupled with management recognition, such as awards,
certificates, and praise.
Copyright © 2024 by Cengage 9‐2
, Lesson Plan for Lecture
Instructor Pre‐class Prep:
Review chapter and determine what points to cover.
Bring PPT slides.
Warm Up
Begin Chapter 9 by asking your students how well they work in teams. Ask them to identify
some of the positive aspects of teamwork and some of the drawbacks.
Segue into the lecture by asking, “Given the pros and cons you’ve listed, why do you think
companies are so interested in organizing employees into teams? Are teams always an
appropriate structure?”
Content Delivery
Lecture slides: Make note of where you stop so you can pick up at the next class meeting. Slides
have teaching notes on them to help you as you lecture.
Conclusion and Preview
Possible assignments:
1. Assign students to work in the ad hoc teams they put together during the discussion of
selecting people for teamwork to complete the Management Team Decision “Taking a
Chance on Teams at IBM.” The activity asks if teams are a good idea in the situation; if
so, what kind and whom to select to lead the teams.
2. Assign students to review Chapter 9 and read the next chapter on your syllabus.
Remind students about any upcoming events.
Lesson Plan for Group Work
Instructor Pre‐Class Prep
Review material to cover and modify the lesson plan to meet your needs.
Set up the classroom so that groups of 3 or 4 students can sit together.
Warm Up
Begin Chapter 9 by asking students, “What are the pros and cons of using teams?” Make a
pro/con list on the board so students can see the list of pros and cons grow. As you move
through the content for this class refer to the list when appropriate, citing accuracies and
misconceptions along the way.
Content Delivery
Introduce the chapter by discussing the different kinds of teams and work team characteristics (i.e.,
cohesiveness, size, conflict, norms).
Consider breaking for the following activity.
Copyright © 2024 by Cengage 9‐3
