BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

Learning Journal Unit 5

University of the People

BUS 2203: Principles of Finance

Mary Shilpashree, Instructor

11th May, 2023

BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

The Learning Journal should be updated regularly (on a weekly basis), as the learning

journals will be assessed by your instructor as part of your Final Grade.

In 2012, a group of Google employees investigated what makes an effective team. Why are

some teams successful, while others fail? Code-named Project Aristotle, the project

called on the top statisticians, organizational psychologists, sociologists, and

engineers to analyze hundreds of teams within Google, with the hope of finding the

key to building top-performing teams.

Assignment Instructions

For this assignment, review the article The five keys to a successful Google team to explore

what Google learned from its quest to build the perfect team. Write a case analysis

paper to consolidate your learnings from the article on Project Aristotle and the

teamwork skills and competencies of the high-performing teams to answer the

questions below.

1. The study revealed that 'group norms' were significant. In this context, how did the

researchers distinguish a “workgroup” from a “team” in the study? Explain the

difference(s) based on your understanding of the team design characteristics.

BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

2. The study identifies five key factors for team success. Explore the elements of cohesion,

social loafing, and collective efficacy in these factors and discuss:

Do the findings suggest that cohesion can help support team performance if the group

values task completion? Explain.

Which teamwork skills are essential to combat social loafing within larger groups?

Justify your answer.

Does collective efficacy help or hurt a team?

3. Consider a scenario presented in The New York Times article on Project Aristotle and

Team Success (Blass, 2017). Imagine you have been invited to join one of the two

groups:

Examine the team environment of the two groups and answer the following questions:

Team A

Team A is composed of people who are all exceptionally smart and successful. Here the

professionals wait until a topic arises in which they are experts, then speak at

length, explaining what the group should do. When someone makes a side comment,
BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

the speaker stops, reminds everyone of the agenda, and pushes the meeting back on

track.

Team B

It’s evenly divided between successful executives and middle managers with few

professional accomplishments. Teammates jump in and out of discussions. People

interject and complete one another’s thoughts. When a team member abruptly

changes the topic, the rest of the group follows him off the agenda.

If you were given a choice between the serious-minded Team A or the free-flowing Team

B, which team would you join and why?

Create a table to list the teamwork skills and competencies exhibited by each team.

Which team demonstrates stronger knowledge and skills needed to perform

effectively within a team environment? Explain why you think so.

If you were to lead the team you have joined, what other teamwork competencies would

you want to instill in your team members? Why do you think these are critical to

building your perfect team? Substantiate your answer with evidence from the

findings of Project Aristotle and learnings this week.

Introduction

“Group norms are the spoken or unspoken rules that guide how team members

interact, collaborate effectively, and work efficiently” (Martins J, 2021). A workgroup is

BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

comprised of persons who choreograph their efforts while a team comprises a group of

persons sharing a common purpose. For working relations to get better, it is imperative to

acknowledge the distinction between the two to foster robust working dynamics. Their

similarities end at decision making and teamwork. In a group, members are autonomous

from each other and therefore separately accountable. A team has collective

responsibility and work in sync to perform tasks. Work groups are based on a managerial

hierarchy and thus have less autonomy while teams collaborate and enjoy more latitude

in decision-making, planning and problem solving.

Much of the work at Google is done by molecular units(teams) who collaborate in

problem solving. For optimal results, a team must be effective and thus it is critical to

understand its members, their relationships and responsibilities. Teams’ effectiveness on

the performance spectrum can be both quantitative and qualitative in terms of its leader,

team manager and members’ performance and perspective. Google leaders decided that

the most effective measure of ‘effectiveness’ had to have a blend of both quantitative and

qualitative aspects to get rid of flaws that were inherent when quantitative of qualitative

analysis was exclusively applied. A successful team must have psychological safety,

dependability, clarity and Structure, meaning and purpose, good communication,

camaraderie, commitment, confidence and coachability.

As teams are where innovation and production happen it is important that

interpersonal issues are managed adroitly to avoid inhibiting productivity. There has to be

Team Cohesion. Team cohesion refers to the potency and level of interpersonal affinity

within the group membership. It is the inherent interpersonal bond which acts as a glue

for members to collaborate and keep motivated to complete set tasks. Team Cohesion is
BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

impacted by leadership style, team behavior, communication and performance feedback.

Employees who have a rapport work collaborate more effectively and thus improves an

entity’s efficiency in meeting team objectives and company goals. Cohesion also boosts

morale, communication and ultimately productivity.

Social loafing is a term used by social psychologists to refer to a situation where

someone puts in less effort when they are judged as part of a group. The level of input by

such a person is lower than when the same individual is working alone. It is evident that

most people put in more effort when working alone than when they are part of a group.

To combat social loafing, it is critical to create clear assignments, divide the group further

into subgroups, increase supervision, acknowledge individual efforts and make tasks

collaborative.

“Collective efficacy is defined as the perception of a group that they can

successfully work together to accomplish valued goals.” (Encyclopedia of Human

Behavior (Second Edition), 2012.) “The higher the sense of collective efficacy, the better

the team performance” (Bandura, 1997). “Teams with high collective efficacy will share

strong beliefs that they can jointly accomplish tasks and enjoy future success; hence, they

tend to set ambitious team goals” (Chen et al., 2002; Wu et al., 2010). This shows that

collective efficacy definitely helps a team because it creates a strong belief among team

members that they can accomplish great things together.

I would prefer to join Team A because they are more disciplined and are likely to

execute their tasks more effectively because they are disciplined and more focused. This

means they adhere to deadlines, will accomplish their tasks satisfactorily and be better

communicators which is crucial for problem solving.

BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

Team A Team B

Planning and organizational skills

1. Team A is likely to be effective in Team B is likely to be poor at planning and

problem solving because of their organizational skills because their

professionalism and focus. Their interactions are not structured and tend to be

structure interactions mean they spontaneous.

effectively deal with situations as

they arise without distractions

Decision-making

2. This is central to achieving Team B is also likely to be indecisive

objectives because members have because their interactions seem to be a free

to set aside their vested interests for all brawl that anyone can join without

for the good of the team. Team A any real articulation of well thought out

seems to have a laser focus and are ideas. However, Team A is likely to arrive

likely to be pro-active in decision at a unanimous decision because the

making. Team a is also likely to be informal interaction and free exchange of

rigid and may not have consensus. ideas means no one feels left out

Conflict resolution

3. Conflict is inevitable in human Team B laissez faire attitude means that

interaction and it is important to conflict resolution is more likely to be real

de-escalate and negotiate to and not superficial because team members

preserve harmony. Team a might openly communicate their minds without

be better at managing conflict fear.

BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

because of their professionalism

but it is possible that simmering

conflicts will still stay below the

surface.

Reliability

4. Team members must be able to Team B members are likely to be very

count on each other in meeting creative in their approach to problem

deadlines and communicating any solving and are likely to have many

force majeure events. Team A ‘Eureka’ or light bulb moments in their

members are likely to be more minds which could alter the trajectory of the

reliable because they are goal team. This does not necessarily mean they

oriented and will observe will not meet deadlines but that more time

timelines. an effort would be required to accommodate

the shift.

Respect

5. Mutual acknowledgment of people Team B unstructured interactions and

and listening to each other is vital laissez faire approach means everyone gets

for team cohesion. Team A to freely air their opinion which means each

members are likely to have team member will fell valued and respected

members who are experts in even if their preference is by-passed for

certain fields who are likely to try another’s.

to impose their strong views on

other members without regard to

BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

their opinion or feelings.

Tolerance

6. Being open-minded is a Team B affinity to speak their minds means

prerequisite to team cohesion that interactions could get quite heated at

because we cannot always agree times but overall they are more tolerant to

on everything all the time. We others’ opinions and are not likely to be

must learn to accommodate views resentful because of the bond they share.

diverse from ours. Team A is

likely to be less open-minded

because they are set in their

professional ways and are unlikely

to ben-over backwards to

accommodate the views of others.

It is even possible that they would

keep quiet just to keep the peace

but may harbor resentment.

Honesty

7. This is a currency that can never Team B members are open, speak their

decline from inflation. mind and share a close bond with each other

Transparency means that every to the point of completing their thoughts for

team member acts with utmost each other. This mean they are more open in

sincerity and their decisions or their thoughts and deeds.

actions are not actuated malice or

BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

self-interest. It might be more

difficult to discern the true motive

of Team A members.

Empathy

8. Being able to be in each other’s Team B’s nature of free talking and natural

shoes and trying to come down to bond makes them likely to be very

understand the perspective of empathetic and may even go out of their

fellow team members cements the way to try to look at a situation through

relationships at work and ensure another team member’s ‘eyes’

team synergy. Team A members

are not so close and their

interactions are highly professional

and measured. They are likely to

have strong opinions and may find

it difficult to change or even try to

understand the point of view of

another team member.

Collaboration

9 Nothing brings this out more than Team B have a very close-knit unit and

the quote from Henry Ford; excel at collaboration because they are

“Coming together is a beginning; likely to focus on each other’s

Keeping together is progress; accomplishments and motivate each other to

Working together is success”. This achieve goals as a seamless team.

BUSINESS 2203: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE -LEARNING JOURNAL UNIT 5

underscores the importance of

teamwork. Team A members are

likely to be very competitive and

seek personal recognition which

may cause some friction.

Awareness

10. Team members must not be Team B’s very nature means every

oblivious of the team dynamic and member’s opinion is valued and their

recognize the input of each other contribution is acknowledged and utilized

as equally important. Team A or put aside for the betterment of the team

members are likely to ‘kill’ each without any sour grapes.

other for the price and may seek

personal aggrandizement over

team recognition.

Conclusion

If I was to lead a team, I would emphasize on psychological safety because it

actually tells the mindset of a team member and how likely they are to stay or leave.

Psychological safety means a person’s discernment of the ramifications of taking an

interpersonal risk of airing an opinion that may be unpopular. Google researchers

postulated that individuals on teams with high psychological safety are less likely to
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leave Google and are more likely to leverage the power of diverse input from team mates

to generate double the revenue.

References

Martins J., 2021. Tips to create group norms for high-performance teams, with examples from 7

Asana managers, Asana.

Retrieved from https://asana.com/resources/group-norms-examples

Wu, J. J., Chen, Y. H., & Chung, Y. S. (2010). Trust factors influencing virtual community

members: A study of transaction communities. Journal of Business Research, 63(9-10), 1025-

1032.