Building High Performing Teams: Group Design

4/6/2021

1

MGT 200: Organizational
Behavior and Theory

Building High Performing Teams: Group Design

Professor Elaine Wong

Model of Group Effectiveness

Organizational
Context
•Reward
System

•Education
System

•Information
System

Group Design
•Task structure

•Group
composition

•Group norms

Group
Synergy
•Reduce
process
losses
•Create

process gains

Process
Criteria of

Effectiveness
•Motivation

•Applied
knowledge

•Appropriate
strategies

Group
Effectiveness

•Acceptable
task output

•Team
relations

•Individual
attitudes

Material resources

4/6/2021

2

Group design

Stage 1:
Prework

•To team or
not?

•If yes,
establish
objectives

Stage 2:
Create

performance
conditions

•Ensure that
team has

proper
resources

Stage 3: Form
and build

team

•Form
boundaries

•Get members
to accept
purpose
•Clarify

responsibilities

Stage 4:
Provide
ongoing

assistance
•Help

eliminate
problems that

arise
•Help teams
get and use
resources

Before team formation During team
formation

After team
formation

Time

To be more effective at Stage 1

• Conduct a process analysis
• Task complexity

• What are the range and depth of skills
necessary to complete the task?

• Task interdependence
• To what extent do members need to interact

to produce the product?

• Task objectives
• What is the timeline for completion?
• What is the end goal?

Stage 1:
Prework

•To team or
not?

•If yes,
establish
objectives

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3

To be more effective at Stage 2

• What resources are
necessary?

• Materials (tools, equipment,
finances)

• Education
• Task or interpersonal training
• Cirque provides task training as

well as language classes

• Information
• Cirque Memory tracks and

organizes artists and staff and their
needs

Stage 2:
Create

performance
conditions

•Ensure that
team has

proper
resources

To be more effective at Stage 3

• How do we select the right team
members?

• Size
• What is the optimal number of

people for the task?
• Individual skills

• What are the technical and
interpersonal skills needed?

• Diversity
• To what extent do people need to

come from different functional,
education or work experiences?

• Defining roles
• What roles are needed?

Stage 3: Form
and build

team

•Form
boundaries

•Get members
to accept
purpose
•Clarify

responsibilities

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4

To be more effective at Stage 4

• Continuous learning
• How are we doing?

• Periodic evaluations of team
effectiveness

• Does the output meet expectations?
• Does each member’s experience

contribute to his/her well-being and
development?

• What worked? What didn’t?

Stage 4:
Provide
ongoing

assistance
•Help eliminate
problems that

arise
•Help teams
get and use
resources

Model of Group Effectiveness

Organizational
Context
•Reward
System

•Education
System

•Information
System

Group Design
•Task structure

•Group
composition

•Group norms

Group
Synergy
•Reduce
process
losses
•Create
process

gains

Process
Criteria of

Effectiveness
•Motivation

•Applied
knowledge

•Appropriate
strategies

Group
Effectiveness

•Acceptable
task output

•Team
relations

•Individual
attitudes

Material
resources

4/6/2021

5

Model of Group Effectiveness

Organizational
Context
•Reward
System

•Education
System

•Information
System

Group Design
•Task structure

•Group
composition

•Group norms

Group
Synergy
•Reduce
process
losses
•Create
process

gains

Process
Criteria of

Effectiveness
•Motivation

•Applied
knowledge

•Appropriate
strategies

Group
Effectiveness

•Acceptable
task output

•Team
relations

•Individual
attitudes

Material
resources