Exam 8: Team Dynamics

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There are six strategies described in the textbook.Students may answer any four of these.
Member similarity.Employees who come from diverse backgrounds are less motivated to interact with each other and have higher potential conflict,thereby limiting cohesiveness.If employees in this department are heterogeneous,then you should apply strategies to increase homogeneity,such as giving employees common experiences.These common events would increase member similarity.Alternatively,you might consider hiring people with more common backgrounds (e.g.accounting designations)as long as this does not adversely affect skill requirements.
Team size.As long as the team is large enough to accomplish its goals,smaller teams are more cohesive than large teams because it is easier to agree on goals,interact,coordinate and understand each other.In this situation,the manager should determine whether there are enough employees to accomplish the work.If not,cohesiveness may be undermined by the lack of team success.Otherwise,nine employees is not so large a number that team cohesiveness is inhibited.
Member interaction.You should try to move all accounting employees to the same area of the building,preferably within a few metres of each other.Currently,cohesiveness is limited because employees are located on different floors.This limits the opportunity for personal interaction and,consequently,the ability of employees to feel cohesive.At the same time,your unit should be physically separated from other departments,so that there is a clearer sense of common interest.
Somewhat difficult entry.Teams tend to become more cohesive when it is somewhat difficult to become a member.We don't know how difficult it is to become employed in the accounting department,but one incident suggests that team entry costs are low.Specifically,one person was hired without any extensive selection review.(She was hired as soon as she submitted an application form.)By taking more time to carefully select job applicants into this department,the manager will communicate the importance of the decision and the prestige of becoming an accounting employee will increase.This strategy also increases cohesiveness because,through cognitive dissonance,employees convince themselves that membership in this unit is valuable.Finally,employees are more likely to relate to each other through this common experience of getting through the selection process.
Team success.Cohesiveness increases with team success because employees identify with successful experiences and the people who help them achieve their goals.In this case,the accounting department has the potential to be successful,but seems to be falling short of its goals.The manager should search out areas of success and publicly recognize it.For example,if the unit's efficiency increases,the manager might have this written up in the company's employee magazine.This public recognition will increase cohesiveness by giving employees a feeling of success.
External competition and challenges.You might increase team cohesiveness by giving employees a challenging task that requires team effort.This might include changing to a new accounting system,or simply moving to common location offices without disrupting accounting service.Or you might refer to concerns that others have about service provided by accounting employees.This would challenge them and get them to focus on a common (superordinate)goal.