William Helmer, SID #58415 July 18, 2010
BAM315 Principles of Management
Unit #3

Question #2: List and describe the four most common types of teams likely to be found in today’s organizations.

A work team is a group of people organized by an employer to work together collectively to achieve prescribed goals set by the employer. Work teams are created for both long and short term projects. Generally a work team is characterized by open-ended discussions and collaborative problem-solving and decision-making. The four most common types of work teams are problem-solving teams, self-managed teams, cross-functional teams, and virtual teams. Problem-solving teams were the most common choice of companies when work teams first became popular. Problem-solving teams are usually comprised of a small group of employees (5 to 12), who work in the same department or unit in the company. They will meet at scheduled intervals to discuss and share ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the overall work environment. Companies are relying more and more on problem-solving teams to help solve organizational problems. As their name implies, these teams are usually used to just brainstorm ideas and solutions and are rarely given the authority to implement their suggestions into policy. Self-managed teams are usually larger groups, (10-15 employees), and are responsible for completing the assigned task and managing themselves. As a result, supervisory positions within these groups take on decreased importance and may be eliminated altogether. Some self-managed teams will select their own members and evaluate each other. Self-managed teams will determine their own work schedules and assign tasks to members. These teams are ultimately responsible for implementing the actions that are necessary for success in their assigned duties. About fifty percent of large U.S. firms use self-managed teams in one form or another. Cross-functional teams are groups made up of different functional areas, or specialties, within a company. The teams can be organized for short term projects or installed in the permanent organizational structure. Cross-functional team members will usually have differing loyalties or interests within the organization but will instill their own unique perspective and talents to solve the problem(s) assigned. Bringing employees together from different disciplines can improve problem solving and decrease company time needed to accomplish their goals. There can also be a sense of team spirit when different employees converge on a project and notice that working together can produce results not only for the company but possibly for themselves. Virtual teams are work teams whose members are separated by time or space and primarily interact electronically. They may meet face to face occasionally. Advantages of these teams include: people can work anytime or anywhere, the physically handicapped can be better incorporated into the workforce, and company travel expenses could be reduced. Virtual teams are able to interact and share information between its members, make decisions, and complete assigned tasks. One disadvantage is the inability to have face to face meetings with team members and consequently engage in productive give and take discussion that could prove to be valuable. Virtual teams engage primarily in non-verbal communication.