What Are the Different Kinds of Teams?

Transcript

teams can be classified in a number of ways such as permanent or temporary or functional or cross-functional let's take a look at the kinds of teams however studies indicate that the amount of autonomy possessed by a team is the key difference among teams autonomy is the degree to which workers have discretion freedom and independence to decide how... Read More

Key Insights

• 👥 Autonomy is the key factor that differentiates teams, ranging from traditional work groups to self-designing teams.
• 👥 Employee involvement teams provide advice and suggestions to management, while semi-autonomous work groups have decision-making authority.
• 😤 Cross-functional teams bring diverse perspectives, and virtual teams overcome physical distance through technology.
• 📽️ Project teams are created for specific one-time projects, led by a project manager who oversees planning, staffing, and management.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are the different kinds of teams?

The autonomy-based types are traditional work groups, employee involvement teams, semi-autonomous work groups, self-managing teams, and self-designing teams. Cross-functional, virtual, and project teams are additional types that may have either low or high autonomy, depending on their design.

Q: What is autonomy in a team?

Autonomy is the degree to which workers have the discretion, freedom, and independence to decide how and when to accomplish their jobs. Studies cited in the transcript identify autonomy as the key difference among teams.

Q: How do traditional work groups differ from self-designing teams?

Traditional work groups have the least autonomy: workers execute tasks while managers control resources, assignments, performance, hiring, and firing. Self-designing teams manage major production tasks and can also change their team design, tasks, working methods, and membership.

Q: How do employee involvement teams work?

Employee involvement teams meet on company time weekly or monthly. They advise management or make suggestions about specific issues but do not receive the decision-making authority described for semi-autonomous work groups.

Q: What authority do semi-autonomous work groups have?

Semi-autonomous work groups can make decisions and solve problems involving the major tasks needed to produce a product or service. Members are typically cross-trained and generally receive information about budgets, work quality, performance, and competitors’ products.

Q: What is the difference between self-managing and semi-autonomous teams?

Semi-autonomous groups make decisions and solve problems related to major production or service tasks. Self-managing teams go further by managing and controlling all major tasks directly related to production without first obtaining management approval.

Q: What are cross-functional and virtual teams?

Cross-functional teams intentionally combine employees from different functional areas, giving them varied backgrounds, education, and experience that support multiple perspectives and alternative solutions. Virtual teams consist of geographically or organizationally dispersed workers who use telecommunications and information technologies to complete an organizational task.

Q: What are project teams, and who leads them?

Project teams complete specific one-time projects or tasks within a limited period, such as developing products, improving products, introducing information systems, or constructing factories or offices. A project manager typically holds overall responsibility for planning, staffing, and managing the team.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Teams can be classified based on various factors such as permanence, functionality, and autonomy.

• Autonomy is the key difference among teams, determining the level of discretion and independence workers have in accomplishing their jobs.

• Traditional work groups have the lowest autonomy, while self-designing teams have the highest level of autonomy and control.