Organizations increasingly use groups and teams to perform tasks and make decisions. Yet teams can be extremely inefficient and often reach sub-optimal decisions. In the current economic environment, more attention is being paid to team processes that improve productivity and decision quality. As we gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of effective teamwork, decision making, and conflict management, we can take steps to optimize group performance. In this session we will discuss 1) when it is appropriate to use a team; 2) common challenges facing teams and 3) solutions to many team problems.

To make these issues highly salient, we will engage in an interactive decision making exercise to illustrate some common team challenges. The exercise will illustrate the challenges that arise in an executive team during an important decision making process: hiring the best candidate for a top executive position.

Jennifer Chatman touched briefly on a team conflict model with respect to task, relationship and process in connection with leading innovation and change during the February 11 Round Table.   Professor Corinne Bendersky, whose expertise is in effective teamwork, group decisions, leadership and conflict management, will share insights on the types of tasks and decisions that should be made in groups. She will discuss both the functional and dysfunctional aspects of group processes and relate strategies and techniques for managing conflict in groups effectively.