Page 333 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

332 Part 4 • Leading
Recognize, however, that such increases are simply
“potential.” Nothing inherently magical in the creation of
work teams guarantees that this positive synergy and its
accompanying productivity will occur. Accordingly, merely
calling a group a team doesn’t automatically increase its
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performance. As we show later in this chapter, successful
or high-performing work teams have certain common char-
acteristics. If managers hope to gain increases in organiza-
tional performance, they will need to ensure that the teams
possess those characteristics.

What Are the Different Types of Work

Teams?
Teams can do a variety of things. They can design products,
Mark Blinch/Reuters provide services, negotiate deals, coordinate projects, offer
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Team-based work is a key ingredient to the advice, and make decisions. For instance, at Rockwell
success of Google. Throughout the company,
small teams that require multiple skills work Automation’s facility in North Carolina, teams are used in work process optimization projects.
on a specific common goal using their At Arkansas-based Acxiom Corporation, a team of human resource professionals planned and
positive synergy. Shown here is Google’s implemented a cultural change. And every summer weekend at any NASCAR race, you can
food preparation team in Toronto, whose goal 18
is to plan and prepare nutritious and delicious see work teams in action during drivers’ pit stops. The four most common types of work
meals for fellow workers. teams are problem-solving teams, self-managed work teams, cross-functional teams, and vir-
tual teams.
1. When work teams first became popular, most were problem-solving teams, which are
teams from the same department or functional area involved in efforts to improve work
activities or to solve specific problems. Members share ideas or offer suggestions on how
work processes and methods can be improved. However, these teams are rarely given the
authority to implement any of their suggested actions.
2. Although problem-solving teams were helpful, they didn’t go far enough in getting
employees involved in work-related decisions and processes. This need led to another
type of team, a self-managed work team, which is a formal group of employees
who operate without a manager and are responsible for a complete work process
or segment. A self-managed team is responsible for getting the work done and
for managing themselves, and usually includes planning and scheduling of work,
assigning tasks to members, collective control over the pace of work, making
operating decisions, and taking action on problems. For instance, teams at Corning
have no shift supervisors and work closely with other manufacturing divisions to
solve production-line problems and coordinate deadlines and deliveries. The teams
have the authority to make and implement decisions, finish projects, and address
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problems. Other organizations, such as Xerox, Boeing, PepsiCo, and Hewlett-
Packard, also use self-managed teams. It’s estimated that about 30 percent of U.S.
employers now use this form of team; and among large firms, the number is probably
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closer to 50 percent. Most organizations that use self-managed teams find them to
be effective. 21
3. The third type of team is the cross-functional team, which we introduced in Chapter 6
and defined as a work team composed of individuals from various specialties. Many orga-
problem-solving teams
A team from the same department or functional nizations use cross-functional teams. For example, ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel
area that’s involved in efforts to improve work company, uses cross-functional teams of scientists, plant managers, and salespeople to
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activities or to solve specific problems review and monitor product innovations. The concept of cross-functional teams is even
self-managed work team being applied in health care. For instance, at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland,
A type of work team that operates without a intensive care unit (ICU) teams composed of a doctor trained in intensive care medicine,
manager and is responsible for a complete work a pharmacist, a social worker, a nutritionist, the chief ICU nurse, a respiratory therapist,
process or segment
and a chaplain meet daily with every patient’s bedside nurse to discuss and debate the best
cross-functional team course of treatment. The hospital credits this team care approach with reducing errors,
A work team composed of individuals from various shortening the amount of time patients spend in ICU, and improving communication
specialties 23
between families and the medical staff.