Week Three Reflections
Learning Team A discussed the learning objectives assigned for week three of class. Specifically, the team members discussed strategies to help develop effective groups and teams. The team members also discussed strategies to resolve conflict within organizations. The discussion included topics with which the team members felt comfortable or struggled with and how the weekly topics applied to team members’ business field. This paper summarizes Learning Team A’s discussions.
Strategies to Develop Effective Groups and Teams The team members discussed the difference between the definitions of work group and work team. The work group share information and make decisions that assists each member perform tasks in his area of responsibility (Robbins & Judge, 2011). The group members do not engage in “collective work that requires joint effort (Robbins & Judge, 2011, Chapter 10) like a work team does. A work group does not create the synergy of a work team. The individual is accountable in a work group but both the individual and team members mutually are accountable. Work group members provide random and varied skills, whereas work team members bring complementary skills to the joint effort. Robbins and Judge (2011) categorized the major characteristics of effective teams into three general categories: context, composition, and process. In the context category, managers play a vital role in providing leadership, structure, a climate of trust, adequate resources, and a performance evaluation and reward systems to assist teams in becoming effective and highly productive. In the composition category, the manager must evaluate and select team members with the appropriate abilities, personalities, and diversity. Managers must determine the appropriate team size and either unilaterally or mutually allocate roles. Managers also