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Understanding Work TeamsUnderstanding Work Teams

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Why have teams become so popular?Why have teams become so popular?

• Outperform individuals on tasks requiring multiple skills, judgment, and experience• Better utilization of employee talents.• Effective way for management to democratize the

organization and increase employee motivation

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Work Group vs. Work TeamWork Group vs. Work Team• Work Group A group who interacts primarily to share

information and to make decisions to help one another perform within each member’s area of responsibility,

• Work Team Generates positive synergy through

coordinated effort for a common goal. A group whose Individual efforts result in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs 4

Comparing Work Groups and Work TeamsComparing Work Groups and Work Teams

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VirtualVirtual

Self-Self-ManagedManaged

Problem-Problem-SolvingSolving

Types ofTypes ofTeamsTeams

Cross-Cross-FunctionalFunctional

Four Types of Teams

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Problem-Solving Team

?

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Problem-Solving Teams

• Share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and methods can

be improved• Rarely given authority to implement any of their suggested actions

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Self-managed Work Team

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Self-Managed Work Teams

• Typically 10-15 employees• Team takes on supervisory responsibilities in addition to job tasks.• Select and evaluate

members• Effectiveness is

situationally dependent

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• Self managed work team are groups of employees who perform highly related jobs and take on many of the responsibilities of their former supervisors.

• Typically this includes planning and scheduling of work, assigning task to members, collective control over the pace of work, making operating decision, taking action on problems and working with supliers and customers.

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Cross-Functional Team

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Cross-Functional Teams• Members from diverse areas within and between organizations• Exchange information• Develop new ideas and solve problems• Coordinate complex projects• Development may be time-consuming due to complexity and diversity

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Virtual Teams• Computer technology ties physically dispersed members together to achieve a common goal• Differentiating factors from other teams– Absence of non-verbal cues– Limited social context– Ability to overcome time and space constraints

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Turning Individuals into Team PlayersThe Challenges

• Overcoming individual resistance to team membership

• Countering the influence of individualistic cultures

• Introducing teams in an organization that has historically valued individual achievement

Shaping Team Players

• Selecting employees who can fulfill their team roles

• Training employees to become team players

• Reworking the reward system to encourage cooperative efforts while continuing to recognize individual contributions