This article stresses on the importance of using teamwork to accomplish challenging organizational goals. In this respect, it illustrates the popularity of using teams through a description of different kinds of teams, such as cross-functional teams, virtual teams, merger integration teams, etc. It also asserts that teams offer a flexible organizational form, which has the potential to replace bureaucratic organizational forms, thereby, freeing up latent organizational energy and channelizing it into creative uses.
The world of business is undergoing several changes. Teamwork is replacing individual work, hierarchies are being replaced by networks, and rigidity is giving way to flexibility in most forms of organizational work. One of the most fundamental changes taking place in work organization is the usage of teams to accomplish challenging goals.
By definition, a team is a group of people with complementary skills, who work together on a common project, goal, or service, in an interdependent and mutually supportive manner. By virtue of their definition and their inherent nature, teams are not just groups of people, and teamwork does not just happen. Teams are considered as the most advanced form of a community.
Teams are important organizational tools. The rationale for using teams are as varied as the types of teams that can be deployed. When risky decisions have to be taken, it is considered that the multiple inputs and perspectives of teams will lead to high quality decisions. |
