**4. Team transition processes**

The overall team processes are presented as a taxonomy by Marks et al. [15] with three categories: transition phase processes, action phase processes, and the interpersonal processes. These processes are categorized around three phases in which the transition phase mostly occurs during the beginning stages of team formation, the action phases take place after team formation and during team task work, and the interpersonal processes occur throughout the entire time up to the point that the team completes its goal. **Figure 3** provides a diagram showing these different phases of the team transition processes.

#### **4.1. Transition phase**

**Factor Definition Source**

occurrence and meaning of behavior, as well as the manner and degree to which various factors (e.g., team member characteristics, team behaviors processes) impact team

Situational opportunities and constraints that affect the occurrence and meaning of organizational behavior as well

as functional relationships between variables.

The mix of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) of team members.

operate to accomplish its goals. Team norms, member roles, and patterns of interaction are included in the team culture.

\*More complete definitions of the different types of conflict will be provided in later sections of this chapter.

The assumptions people hold about relationships with each other and the environment that are shared among an identifiable group of people (e.g., team, organization, nation) and manifest in individuals' values, beliefs, norms for social

Composition Team building: Making sure the team has common goals and that members can work together to achieve them.

Culture Team culture: The shared perception of how the team should

behavior, and artifacts.

**Table 1.** Definitions of team effectiveness core processes.

**Figure 2.** Influencing conditions.

Salas et al. [1], p. 611

Johns [83], p. 386

Levi [88], p. 328

Levi [88], p. 265

Salas et al. [1], p. 613

Mathieu et al. [84], pp. 522–523

Context Situational characteristics or events that influence the

outcomes.

Influencing conditions

70 Organizational Conflict

During the transition phases team members primarily concentrate on distributing tasks, scheduling of activities, and allocation of resources. These transition phases aid the team in accomplishing

**Figure 3.** Team transition processes.

their goal or objective [15]. LePine et al. [16] described these transition phases as: "Actions that teams execute between performance episodes". Among the transition phases, Marks et al. [15] identified three processes: mission analysis, goal specification, and strategy formation and planning. Mission analysis involves team member's interpretation and evaluation of the team's mission, identification of the team's goal and its environment, and assessing resources required compared to resources available [15]. Goal specification relates to prioritizing goals of the team as well as associating these goals with the organization. Strategy formulation and planning identifies decisions that need to be made to achieve the team's goal, the team's expectations, assignment of duties, lines of communication, along with setting priorities and deadlines. Stout et al. [17] identified that teams high in planning (e.g., strategy formulation and planning phase) are more effective at communicating with team members at critical times, when needed the most.

among team members. This last process monitors members' emotions, social cohesion, team

Complex Adaptive Systems: Adapting and Managing Teams and Team Conflict

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73

The taxonomy of team processes presented by Mathieu et al. [18] incorporates transition phase processes that evaluate past achievements and plan future achievements with action phase processes that involve activities dedicated to goal accomplishment. Throughout the transition and action phase processes, interpersonal processes are continually being managed. Mathieu et al. [18] identified: "Some processes are more likely to occur during transition periods, whereas others are more likely to occur during action periods. Interpersonal processes are expected to occur throughout transition and action phases". Of these interpersonal processes, conflict is a key determinant that is not only prevalent in all small group settings, but it has the potential to be destructive to the point of preventing a team from accomplishing its stated goals. This chapter further identifies these different intragroup conflicts and addresses how best to manage these conflicts.

Just as organizations are viewed as being complex adaptive systems (CAS) [19, 20], teams are also viewed as being CAS. We utilize the definition provided by Uhl-Bien et al. [21] for CAS: *Neural-like networks of interacting, interdependent agents who are bonded in a cooperative dynamic by common goal, outlook, need, etc. They are changeable structures with multiple, overlapping hierarchies, and like the individuals that comprise them, CAS are linked with one another in a dynamic, interactive* 

In this definition of CAS, neural-like networks represent teams while the interacting and interdependent agents represent individual team members. As one of the characteristics of a team involves having a common goal, this definition fits well for teamwork settings. The overlapping hierarchies represent components of shared leadership that takes place in teams, no one team member leads the whole team through all tasks. It is advantageous for teams to use the skills, experiences, and resources available to them when deciding who will lead the team during each stage of the team's goal. It could be that multiple team members take an individual leadership role before the team meets its stated goal, resulting in a self-organizing shared leadership function. Teams are dynamic in nature in that each individual member is working independently as well as interdependently on their own task as an effort to contribute to the collective's main objective. Complex adaptive systems consist of six primary functions: they operate in open systems, they are self-organizing, they operate on the *edge of chaos*, they adapt to external changes, they require interactions among individual agents, ultimately resulting in a new emergent collec-

Systems theory and systems thinking operate in closed systems, a change in one part of the system results in an expected and predictable change in another part of the system. Closed systems provide a level of predictability and are partially sheltered from external forces. In

member frustrations and excitement, as well as examining team morale [16].

**4.4. Putting the pieces together**

**5. Complex adaptive systems**

*network.*

tive or product.

**5.1. Open systems**
