Employees from the same department who meet to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment
Members share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes & methods can be improved, although they rarely have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggested actions
A team of employees who autonomously implement solutions and take responsibilities for the outcomes of the solutions (responsibilities normally adopted by supervisors)
Includes planning & scheduling of work, assigning tasks to members, collective control over the pace of work, making operating decisions, taking action on problems, and working with suppliers & customers
Fully self-managed work teams even select their own members & have the members evaluate each other's performance
Employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task
An effective means of allowing people from diverse areas within or even between organizations to exchange information, develop new ideas, solve problems, and coordinate complex projects
Hiring candidates who already possess the interpersonal skills to be effective team players, and ensuring they can fulfill their team roles as well as technical requirements
Three tests to see if a team fits the situation: Is the work complex and is there a need for different perspectives? Does the work create a common purpose or set of goals for the group that is larger than the aggregate of the goals for individuals? Are members of the group involved in interdependent tasks?