Glossary
Chapter 10
affective conflict disagreement that focuses on individuals or personal issues.
cognitive conflict disagreement that focuses on problem- and issue-related differences of opinion.
communication meaningful exchange of ­information through messages.
conflict antagonistic interaction in which one party attempts to thwart the intentions or goals of another.
cross-functional team team made up of members from different functions, such as production, marketing, and finance.
employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) plan that benefits employees by giving them ownership stakes in the companies for which they work.
empowerment giving employees authority and responsibility to make decisions about their work without traditional managerial approval and control.
external communication meaningful exchange of information through messages transmitted between an organization and its major ­audiences.
formal communication channel messages that flow within the chain of command defined by an organization.
grapevine internal information channel that transmits information from unofficial sources.
high-context culture a society in which communication depends not only on the message itself but also on nonverbal cues, past and present experiences, and personal relationships between the parties.
informal communication channel messages outside formally authorized channels within an organization’s hierarchy.
listening receiving a message and interpreting its intended meaning by grasping the facts and feelings it conveys.
low-context culture a society in which communication tends to rely on explicit written and verbal messages.
nonverbal communication transmission of messages through actions and behaviors.
problem-solving team temporary combination of workers who gather to solve a specific problem and then disband.
self-managed team work team that has the authority decide how its members complete their daily tasks.
stock options rights to buy a specified amount of company stock at a given price within a given time period.
team group of employees who are committed to a common purpose, approach, and set of performance goals.
team cohesiveness extent to which team members feel attracted to the team and motivated to remain part of it.
team diversity variances or differences in ability, experience, personality, or any other factor on a team
team level average level of ability, experience, personality, or any other factor on a team.
team norm informal standard of conduct shared by team members that guides their behavior.
virtual team group of geographically and/or organizationally dispersed co-workers who use a combination of telecommunications and information technologies to accomplish an organizational task.
work team relatively permanent group of employees with complementary skills who perform the day-to-day work of organizations.