Blackwell Reference Online

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Real teams are a particular form of work group. They are groups of people who work closely and interdependently together toward clear shared objectives which the team agrees upon and is committed to. Real teams are also recognized as “teams” by the wider organization in which they are embedded. Members have a clear idea about who belongs to the team and the specific role they occupy. Real teams also reflect upon their processes and effectiveness on a regular basis and have a degree of autonomy to manage their own work. There are multiple types of teams in organizations and researchers have put forward a number of team taxonomies (e.g., Devine 2002 ). These include service teams (such as maintenance or hospitality teams), production teams (such as assembly teams or construction teams), project teams (such as creative or development teams), action teams (such as sports or performing teams), negotiation teams (such as a trade union team), and strategy teams (such as policy or national security teams). Teams also differ on a number of dimensions, including the physical proximity of their members, temporal duration (temporary or permanent), task routineness, reliance on technology, and autonomy over work practices. Team-based working has now become the modus operandi of organizations ( West, Tjosvold, & Smith 2003 ). So why work in teams? In many areas of endeavor, research has ... log in or subscribe to read full text