Chapter 13 - Teams in Organizations
MODULE 13.1 Types of Teams
Team→Interdependent collection of individuals who work together towards a common goal and
who share responsibility for specific outcomes for their organizations.
Types of Teams
• Quality Circles
Quality circle→Work group arrangement that typically involves 6 to 12 employees who meet
regularly to identify work‐related problems and generate ideas to increase productivity or product
quality
Members of quality circles, however, are not given formal authority. Instead, they seek to have
their ideas and solutions adopted and implemented by management
Short term and long term outcomes
quality circles result in positive outcomes in the short term, but these gains are not sustained over
time.
This phenomenon has been called the “honeymoon effect” → has been attributed to the fact that
initial suggestions for improvements are often fairly easy and clear, and they have a favorable
impact on the bottom line if they are adopted. Over time, however, it becomes increasingly
difficult for quality circle members to make additional suggestions that can increase quality or
decrease costs. This lower success rate over time leads to a decrease in the positive attitudes that
accompanied initial gains resulting from quality circle suggestions. This honeymoon effect may
account for the decreasing popularity of quality circles in many U.S. organizations
the emphasis that many quality circles had on quality and participation has become the
foundation for other techniques, including total quality management and self‐managing teams,
which have remained popular in the United States
effects of quality circles on employee attitudes and performance
quality circles had a small effect on employee attitudes but a moderate effect on job performance
the main emphasis in QCs is in addressing productivity problems and implementing solutions to
improve both the quality and quantity of products or services provided. In light of this, it is not
surprising to find that QCs have a higher impact on performance” than on employee attitudes
QCs in the culture of Japan
they remain popular in Japan, where there is more support for and reinforcement of quality circle
principles
In these quality circles, no one is called an employee. Instead, everyone is an associate, and the
first‐level supervisor is called a team leader. These titles are not just for show; instead, they are
indicative of a team culture that encourages participation and reduces the gap between leaders
and production workers
Overall, quality circles and similar participative programs emphasize continuous work
improvement, and they serve as an important framework in the achievement of productivity and
efficiency at Honda. The contrast between such success stories for Japanese firms in the United
States and the overall decline in American quality circles is likely due to the cultural clash between
a collectivist activity (quality circle participation) in an individualist (American) culture.
, • Project Teams
Project team→Team that is created to solve a particular problem or set of problems and is
disbanded after the project is completed or the problem is solved; also called an ad hoc
committee, a task force, or a cross‐functional team
project teams have an unusual mix of autonomy
and dependence
On the one hand, they are typically free, within
broad limits, to proceed with the project work
that members determine.
On the other hand, they work for some client
group and thus are dependent on client
preferences. Project teams are also called ad
hoc committees, task forces, or cross‐functional
teams. The term “cross‐functional” refers to the
different departments or functions from which
team members come
Project teams often have clear deadlines, but members are often uncertain about how to
accomplish the task
Thus, team members must work together quickly and creatively to come up with solutions. Haas
(2006) found that project teams that were given slack time and decision‐making autonomy were
able to more effectively gather relevant information and thus were able to complete more high‐
quality projects.
Project teams raise some organizational challenges
although team members still belong to their functional units, where they have certain roles to
fulfill and their managers decide on rewards and promotions, they must fulfill other roles and
expectations on the team. Some employees dislike being assigned to project teams because they
feel they are losing out in terms of departmental power, advancement, and rewards.
Nevertheless, organizations are increasingly using project teams in matrix organizations→
individuals work on multiple teams, reporting at the same time to a project manager for a team
project and a functional manager in a particular department. Such matrix arrangements help
organizations to make the most out of limited human resources.
• Production Teams
Production teams→consist of frontline employees who produce tangible output such as cars,
televisions, cell phones, or mined minerals.
, A common example is a team working on an assembly line in a manufacturing plant that produces
automobiles. Other types of production teams include maintenance crews, candy production
crews, automotive parts manufacturing teams
Many production teams have a meeting each morning to ensure that members are communicating
and working interdependently to reach their production goals. In many production teams,
members have direct access to other team members, allowing them to bypass supervisors in
making and implementing certain decisions.
It is often easy to measure the output of production teams in terms of quantity and quality and,
therefore, also relatively easy to evaluate the team’s performance and to provide feedback
Autonomous work group→Specific kind of production team that has control over a variety of
functions, including planning shift operations, allocating work, determining work priorities,
performing a variety of work tasks, and recommending new hires as work group members→ also
known as self‐managing or self‐directed teams, are used by such industry leaders as AT&T, Coca‐
Cola
The intent of autonomous work groups
→is, to improve the integration of social and technical systems by allowing groups of employees to
manage themselves.
• Management provides the autonomous work groups with the authority, materials, and
equipment to perform their jobs.
• Work is arranged so that cooperation and communication are encouraged among group
members, and autonomous work group members have the opportunity to learn all of the
jobs the group is expected to perform.
• Thus, autonomous work group members often have an enriched work environment
because of the opportunity for developing and/or using multiple skills at work.
autonomous work groups have a favorable impact on the attitudes and behaviors →compared
with members of traditional work groups, members of autonomous work groups had higher job
satisfaction but also higher absenteeism and turnover
when novel and disruptive events affect the autonomous group’s work, an important factor in the
group’s success will be whether or not an external leader steps in and intervenes with supportive
coaching
independent ratings of team competence in completing various work tasks were higher for
autonomous work groups
• Virtual Teams
virtual team→typically has widely dispersed members working together toward a common goal
and linked through computers and other technology such as the telephone, videoconferencing,
and team support software
in many virtual teams members rarely, if ever, meet in person
advantages for organizations that use virtual teams
1. Saving time and travel expenses,
2. providing increased access to experts,
3. expanding labor markets by allowing firms to recruit and retain the best employees
regardless of their physical location, and
MODULE 13.1 Types of Teams
Team→Interdependent collection of individuals who work together towards a common goal and
who share responsibility for specific outcomes for their organizations.
Types of Teams
• Quality Circles
Quality circle→Work group arrangement that typically involves 6 to 12 employees who meet
regularly to identify work‐related problems and generate ideas to increase productivity or product
quality
Members of quality circles, however, are not given formal authority. Instead, they seek to have
their ideas and solutions adopted and implemented by management
Short term and long term outcomes
quality circles result in positive outcomes in the short term, but these gains are not sustained over
time.
This phenomenon has been called the “honeymoon effect” → has been attributed to the fact that
initial suggestions for improvements are often fairly easy and clear, and they have a favorable
impact on the bottom line if they are adopted. Over time, however, it becomes increasingly
difficult for quality circle members to make additional suggestions that can increase quality or
decrease costs. This lower success rate over time leads to a decrease in the positive attitudes that
accompanied initial gains resulting from quality circle suggestions. This honeymoon effect may
account for the decreasing popularity of quality circles in many U.S. organizations
the emphasis that many quality circles had on quality and participation has become the
foundation for other techniques, including total quality management and self‐managing teams,
which have remained popular in the United States
effects of quality circles on employee attitudes and performance
quality circles had a small effect on employee attitudes but a moderate effect on job performance
the main emphasis in QCs is in addressing productivity problems and implementing solutions to
improve both the quality and quantity of products or services provided. In light of this, it is not
surprising to find that QCs have a higher impact on performance” than on employee attitudes
QCs in the culture of Japan
they remain popular in Japan, where there is more support for and reinforcement of quality circle
principles
In these quality circles, no one is called an employee. Instead, everyone is an associate, and the
first‐level supervisor is called a team leader. These titles are not just for show; instead, they are
indicative of a team culture that encourages participation and reduces the gap between leaders
and production workers
Overall, quality circles and similar participative programs emphasize continuous work
improvement, and they serve as an important framework in the achievement of productivity and
efficiency at Honda. The contrast between such success stories for Japanese firms in the United
States and the overall decline in American quality circles is likely due to the cultural clash between
a collectivist activity (quality circle participation) in an individualist (American) culture.
, • Project Teams
Project team→Team that is created to solve a particular problem or set of problems and is
disbanded after the project is completed or the problem is solved; also called an ad hoc
committee, a task force, or a cross‐functional team
project teams have an unusual mix of autonomy
and dependence
On the one hand, they are typically free, within
broad limits, to proceed with the project work
that members determine.
On the other hand, they work for some client
group and thus are dependent on client
preferences. Project teams are also called ad
hoc committees, task forces, or cross‐functional
teams. The term “cross‐functional” refers to the
different departments or functions from which
team members come
Project teams often have clear deadlines, but members are often uncertain about how to
accomplish the task
Thus, team members must work together quickly and creatively to come up with solutions. Haas
(2006) found that project teams that were given slack time and decision‐making autonomy were
able to more effectively gather relevant information and thus were able to complete more high‐
quality projects.
Project teams raise some organizational challenges
although team members still belong to their functional units, where they have certain roles to
fulfill and their managers decide on rewards and promotions, they must fulfill other roles and
expectations on the team. Some employees dislike being assigned to project teams because they
feel they are losing out in terms of departmental power, advancement, and rewards.
Nevertheless, organizations are increasingly using project teams in matrix organizations→
individuals work on multiple teams, reporting at the same time to a project manager for a team
project and a functional manager in a particular department. Such matrix arrangements help
organizations to make the most out of limited human resources.
• Production Teams
Production teams→consist of frontline employees who produce tangible output such as cars,
televisions, cell phones, or mined minerals.
, A common example is a team working on an assembly line in a manufacturing plant that produces
automobiles. Other types of production teams include maintenance crews, candy production
crews, automotive parts manufacturing teams
Many production teams have a meeting each morning to ensure that members are communicating
and working interdependently to reach their production goals. In many production teams,
members have direct access to other team members, allowing them to bypass supervisors in
making and implementing certain decisions.
It is often easy to measure the output of production teams in terms of quantity and quality and,
therefore, also relatively easy to evaluate the team’s performance and to provide feedback
Autonomous work group→Specific kind of production team that has control over a variety of
functions, including planning shift operations, allocating work, determining work priorities,
performing a variety of work tasks, and recommending new hires as work group members→ also
known as self‐managing or self‐directed teams, are used by such industry leaders as AT&T, Coca‐
Cola
The intent of autonomous work groups
→is, to improve the integration of social and technical systems by allowing groups of employees to
manage themselves.
• Management provides the autonomous work groups with the authority, materials, and
equipment to perform their jobs.
• Work is arranged so that cooperation and communication are encouraged among group
members, and autonomous work group members have the opportunity to learn all of the
jobs the group is expected to perform.
• Thus, autonomous work group members often have an enriched work environment
because of the opportunity for developing and/or using multiple skills at work.
autonomous work groups have a favorable impact on the attitudes and behaviors →compared
with members of traditional work groups, members of autonomous work groups had higher job
satisfaction but also higher absenteeism and turnover
when novel and disruptive events affect the autonomous group’s work, an important factor in the
group’s success will be whether or not an external leader steps in and intervenes with supportive
coaching
independent ratings of team competence in completing various work tasks were higher for
autonomous work groups
• Virtual Teams
virtual team→typically has widely dispersed members working together toward a common goal
and linked through computers and other technology such as the telephone, videoconferencing,
and team support software
in many virtual teams members rarely, if ever, meet in person
advantages for organizations that use virtual teams
1. Saving time and travel expenses,
2. providing increased access to experts,
3. expanding labor markets by allowing firms to recruit and retain the best employees
regardless of their physical location, and
