OB Presentation

Types of Teams in
Organizational Behavior
Types of Teams
Problem Solving Teams

• Most common form of team

•
• Typically comprising of 5-12
members
•
• Include employees from the
same department
•
• Members share ideas and
suggestions on improving
work processes
•
• No authority to unilaterally
implement suggested
 Self Managed Teams
• Groups of 10 – 15 people
who take on the
responsibilities of their
former supervisors.
•
• More independent as
compared to problem
solving teams
•
• Include employee
members performing
related or
interdependent jobs.
 Self Managed Teams
• Tasks include :
Ø Planning and scheduling work
Ø Assigning tasks to members
Ø Making operating decisions
Ø Taking action on problems
Ø
• Fully self managed teams select their own
members and evaluated teams members
•
• It leads to better employee satisfaction but
plagued by higher absenteeism and
turnover rates
 Cross Functional Teams
• Employees from the same
hierarchical level but from
different work areas
•
• Used widely today successfully
by many organizations
•
• Effective means for people
from diverse areas to
exchange information,
develop ideas and solve
problems
•
• Often lead to brainstorming
sessions leading to
 Cross Functional Teams
• Difficult to handle
•
• Efforts have to be made
towards developing
trust and building
teamwork.
•
• Used effectively by
companies like Boeing,
IBM, Toyota and Harley-
Davidson to name a
 Virtual Teams
• Teams using technology
to tie together
physically dispersed
member in order to
achieve a common
goal.
•
• Use communication
links like WAN, video
conferencing or email
•
• Technology makes
world a smaller place
to live in everyday
 Virtual Teams
• Virtual teams face special
challenges
•
• Less rapport and less direct
interaction amongst members
•
• Teams report less satisfaction
•
• Management should ensure:
Ø Establishment of greater trust
amongst members
Ø Close monitoring of team
progress
Ø Efforts and products of the
virtual team are well