Group Creativity
From Jsarmi
Revision as of 20:46, 30 July 2007
Chapter 9. Newcomer Innovation in Work Teams
Collaborative work is an increasingly important aspect of organizational life. Many organizations now assign their most critical tasks to small groups, particularly work teams (Hackman, 1990; Sundstrom, 1999). This is not surprising, because there are several reasons to believe that teams should be more effective than individual workers. Not only do most teams possess more task-relevant skills and knowledge than do individuals, but team members can also share these resources, redistribute responsibilities to meet new task demands, and motivate one another to work hard. Unfortunately, however, there is evidence that teams do not always provide the benefits they promise. Research in laboratory settings shows that teams often fail to realize their potential productivity because of coordination and motivation problems (Steiner, 1972). And research in organizational settings suggests that team effectiveness is often reduced by such managerial mistakes as using teams for tasks that are better done by individuals, assuming team members possess all the skills they need to work together, and failing to provide adequate organizational support for team activities (Hackman, 1998).
Personnel Turnover
One of the most daunting challenges for teams is personnel turnover, defined as the entry of new members and/ or the exit of old members.
Reference
Paulus, Paul B.(Editor). Group Creativity : Innovation through Collaboration. Cary, NC, USA: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2003. p 202. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/drexel/Doc?id=10085239&ppg=217
Copyright © 2003. Oxford University Press, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
