UNDERSTANDING WORK TEAMS

WORK TEAMS
A Small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, common performance goals, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

TYPES OF WORK TEAMS

On the basis of their objectives, teams can be classified into different types. The three kinds of teams most commonly found in organizations are: 1. Problem-solving teams. 2. Self-managed work teams. 3. Cross-functional teams.

Why Have Teams Become So Popular

Teams typically outperform individuals.

Teams use employee talents better.

Teams are more flexible and responsive to changes in the environment. Teams facilitate employee involvement.

Teams are an effective way to democratize and organization and increase motivation.
2005 Prentice Hall 94

PROBLEM SOLVING TEAMS

Such teams generally consists of around 5 to 12 employees. These employees meet for a specific number of hours per week to discuss various ways of improving quality, efficiency and the work environment. Problem solving teams are temporary teams that deal with some specific problems at the workplace. A commonly used problem solving team was the Quality Circle.

QUALITY CIRCLE
A Quality Circle (QC) is defined as a small group of employees in the same work area or doing similar type of work that voluntarily meets regularly for about an hour every week to identify, analyze and resolve workrelated problems.

OBJECTIVES OF QUALITY CIRCLE

Bringing about a change in the attitude of employees by improving the quality of work life. Teaching additional skills to employees and bringing out their latent potential. Developing a team spirit in the organization and reducing conflict between departments. Involving people at different levels in finding a solution to a problem. Improving the motivation level of employees. Providing employees with a conducive work environment

SELF-MANAGED WORK TEAMS

Problem-solving teams allowed employees to make suggestions and recommendations, but did not involve them in taking work-related decisions. To involve teams in organizational matters, fully autonomous teams, called self-managed work teams, were developed. Self-managed work teams consists around 10-15 employees. Most of the decisions regarding maintenance, work scheduling, and equipment purchases are made by these teams. The supervisor merely plays the role of a facilitator.

STUDIES ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SELF-MANAGED WORK TEAMS Some studies found that individuals who belonged to such teams were generally very satisfied with their jobs. Other studies found that employees who belonged to self-managed work teams had a higher absenteeism and attrition rate than employees who worked in conventional work groups.

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS
Cross-functional teams consists of employees from the same hierarchical level, but from different functional areas of the organization. These employees come together to achieve a specific objective. The Industrial Specialties Division of 3M is also a type of cross-functional team. This division has been extremely successful in sustaining innovation and quality in all the companys products. Cross-functional teams allow employees to handle complicated projects, share ideas, and solve various problems pertaining to the organization. It requires time and patience as the team members need to learn to work with diversity and complexity.

ESSENTIALS FOR BUILDING EFFECTIVE TEAMS

Providing a supportive environment: - Team work builds mutual trust and cooperation. And makes the employees adaptable and flexible. In order to create these conditions, managers need to develop an appropriate organizational culture. Relevant Skills and Role Clarity: - The team members should have the necessary skills to carry out the jobs they have been entrusted with and should be willing to cooperate with others n the team. They understand their roles and those of other members in the team. Example: - Consider a surgical team in the hospital. During an emergency, each team member understand the need for sure that they will perform their tasks well. Such a high degree of cooperation and mutual trust is the hallmark of an effective team.

CONTD.
Focus on super ordinate goals: - The supervisors or managers of teams should keep their team members focused on accomplishing the overall task, not just on accomplishing their individual tasks. Example: - If a sales representative has reached his individual target, he may delay the delivery of some products so that those sales contribute to his target for the next month. He is not bothered if all the other sales representatives in the district have reached their target or if there is any deficit in the achievement of the district target. Team reward: - An effective system of team rewards encourages teamwork. The rewards could be either financial or non-financial. .

SHAPING INDIVIDUALS INTO TEAM PLAYERS

Selection: - Interpersonal skills differ from person to person. Only those people who posses good interpersonal skills should be selected for teamwork. Training: - It is possible to train individual workers who have worked in conventional organizations which emphasized individual performance and make them effective team player. Example: - At Bell Atlantic, trainers helped employees realize the importance of patience in teamwork, because teams take a longer time than individuals to arrive at a decision.

CONTD.
Reward: - The system of rewards should be based on team efforts rather than on individual efforts. An effective reward system tries to balance individual contributions with those made for the benefit of the team. Examples of team oriented behaviors: 1. Learning new skills required by the team. 2. Imparting training to new colleagues. 3. Exchanging ideas and information with other members of the team. 4. Assisting in resolving team conflicts.

APPLYING GROUP CONCEPTS TO TEAMS:TOWARDS CREATING EFFECTIVE TEAMS Size of Work Teams: - In order to design effective teams, managers must limit the number of members in each teams to 10 to 12. Abilities of Members: - Technical skills, decision-making and problem-solving skills, and interpersonal skills. Allocation of Work Roles: - In order to design effective teams, managers need to identify those qualities which are necessary for performance, select people with those strengths, and assign work roles that are compatible with that persons style.

CONTD.
Strong commitment to a Common Purpose: - Team members of a successful teams put in a lot of hard work in developing a purpose which reflects both their individual and collective sentiments. Specifying Clear and Realistic Performance Goals Good Leadership and Effective Structure: - In order to provide focus and direction, a team needs a cleaiy defined structure. The team members should also be clear about the role each of them would be playing to achieve the objective of the team. Team members should set schedules, identify the skills that the team is lacking, establish methods for resolving conflicts within the team and the manner in which decisions will be made and modified.

CONTD.
Preventing Social Loafing and Determining Accountability. Proper Evaluation and Reward Systems: the management should use group-based appraisals, profit sharing, and small-group incentives to strengthen team effort and commitment. Generating Mutual Trust among Team Members