Managing Teams

Manger-led teams present a unique influence on the phenomenon of anchoring in both positive and negative ways. Although typically a detrimental situation to effective teamwork, anchoring, as apparent in the eBay situation, carries certain benefits as well.

The composition of the eBay team demonstrated the way in which a leader can influence the team toward quick effective decision making while creating a positive team environment.

Most decisions made by the team were initiated as Tim introduced the concern to the group along with an opinion, anchoring the team. He then would ask an individual team member for an opinion or suggestion. Consistent in every situation observed, the team members suggestion was in direct harmony with Tim's and was accepted immediately. One decision the team made was how long a specific team objective was going to take. Instead of directly asking the team the question, he manipulated it by phrasing it in a strategic way. He asked, "How long do you think this is going to take, two weeks?" By suggesting a specific time period, Tim is able to anchor the entire team and still allow for individual contribution thus creating crucial team ownership and accountability for collective decisions. He is able to create the appearance of a team decision while still maintaining a certain level of control over the group decision.

The anchoring phenomenon in manager-led groups does not exist, however, without negative consequences. While the leader is able to essentially control decisions of the group by anchoring opinions around his/her own, he/she diminishes the fundamental benefit of teamwork itself.

The suggestion of two weeks in the previous eBay example may have influenced the team members to withhold their actual ideas and opinions for two possible reasons. One, Tim is the manager of each team member responsible for their career advancement, bonuses and salary. Members of the team are reluctant to offer opinions contrary to the leaders when there is not an open and comfortable environment for disagreement.

Secondly, there is an increased opportunity for social loafing centered around decision making. As long as the manger of the team is willing to make initial opinions upon which the majority of decisions are made, individual team members will be less and less likely to invest time and effort into developing unique ideas that may be in contradiction.

Comparable to normative influence of group dynamics, a certain fear of exclusion from the group may occur as individual members express contrasting opinions to the team and more specifically the team leader.