Team Driven Performance 1

Team Driven Performance

Chenista Rae Straubel
BUS 4013
Prof. Greg Gotches
May 15, 2005

Focusing on self-control and involvement in the 1960s birthed the

foundational job enrichment approaches of new logic work designs that
emphasize employee involvement and team based work. Foundational
enrichment simply suggests that for work to be truly rewarding, it must be
meaningful, be designed in such a way that allows individuals some measure of
control, and provides employees with consistent performance feedback. In order
to be meaningful, tasks must be designed in such ways that allow employees to
use a variety of value-based skills that have a measurable or foreseeable impact
on others. Job enrichment means expanding work both horizontally (more tasks)
and vertically (greater accountability and control).

Computers and information technology facilitate work design strategies

based upon the enrichment approach by allowing employees to work from
anywhere. This leads to intrinsic motivations that enhance individual jobs as well
as organizational performance.

Job enrichment requires greater skill levels. Greater skill requirements

increases labor costs. However, because employees handle some coordination
and control, there is a reduced need for management overhead. Consideration
must be made to hire employees who seek challenge and involvement in their
work.

Organization design and architecture must support job enrichment in order

to reap the benefits. Process design must require that employees follow or
perform the job from start to finish, adding a measure of accountability and
responsibility to their individual roles within the workplace. For this reason, the
traditionally structured organization designed functionally does not often support
job enrichment. Front-back organizations are very conducive to job-enrichment
as they allow autonomy and require responsibility. Team based organizations
that respect the principles of new logic are able to create new forms of enriched
work.

The bottom line is the importance of considering the environment, people,

and business conditions when designing work processes. Win-win situations
develop when technology can be designed to create and support high-value-
added jobs.

The nature of supervision changes when organizations implement job

enrichment programs. Lack of decision making authority at the ground level
reduces or eliminates intrinsic motivation and the involvement required of new
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logic work processes. Supervisors who feel that their job security rests within the
control they have of subordinates feel threatened when control and power is
given at the ground level. For this reason, it is necessary to either retrain
supervisors for their new roles or find supervisors more conducive to job
enrichment and the enhanced performance that follows.

Teams foster new logic work practices in value-added ways by combining

innovation, speed, quality, and low cost. Teams eliminate the need for hierarchy
in organizations. There are five types of teams: 1) problem-solving teams, 2)
work teams, 3) project teams, 4) overlay teams, and 5) management teams that
differ in 1) purpose, 2) duration, 3) membership, and 4) organizational
circumstances and goals (Lawler, 1996).

Problem solving teams (parallel participation structures) are the most

popular teams formed to address a particular problem. They normally operate
outside of and do not alter an organizations normal work flow or operations. This
value added team approach stems from the concept that individuals can share
their corporate superior knowledge to improve their work area or work methods.
These teams are not self-directed, they do not need know or to understand the
corporation business strategy, and therefore do not require special skills to
participate except in possibly group processes or problem analysis.

Two types of problem-solving teams are discussed below.

Quality circle teams are designed to examine work processes and to offer
continuous improvement methods and feedback to update the processes.
Members identify the issue to resolve and meet weekly for several months.
Members are afforded the opportunity to share their ideas, concepts, and
knowledge about what can be done in order to add value to the work they
perform. These circles can make recommendations but have little or no authority
or decision making power. Because there is very little flow of information or
corporate knowledge, recommendations are often based upon incomplete or
inaccurate information. Due to the lack of authority, managers often resist
recommendations and often feel threatened by quality circles. Another reason
suggestions are not implemented is lack of funds, budgeting, or time constraints.

Improvement teams in contrast to quality circles, usually have a budget

and a sponsor who provides both support and acts as an advocate. These
teams have a specific agenda together with timelines, completion dates, and are
held accountable and responsible for their activities. Teams perform better when
they know what is expected of them, are given specific mandates, and know that
they will be held accountable.

Problem solving teams are supported by traditional hierarchy structures.

They are used to tap into the individual knowledge of specific workers based
upon the logic that employees know best how to perform their jobs and can
 Team Driven Performance 3

therefore provide the best ideas for improving the processes and overall success
of the organization. Team involvement does not require additional skills, decision
making capabilities, and teams do not replace managers, controls, or contribute
to overhead costs within the organization. “They are only expected to behave
differently a few hours a week; the rest of the time it is business as usual”
(Lawler, 1996).

Organizations often rely upon intrinsic motivation and the opportunity it

affords members through individual involvement and the purpose to find a better
way of doing things. Recognition programs, financial incentives, and bonus
plans are methods initiated to motivate individuals within the organization as well
as team members.

Work teams (high-performance teams) are a basic unit for getting work
done. These self-directed teams are charged with the responsibility to complete
an entire product, project, or process. Decision making skills required include
how work is to be done and how it is organized and managed. The logic
underlying the success of work teams suggests that teams can self-manage,
coordinate work efficiently and effectively with others, and eliminate the need for
supervision and staff support. Work teams have been used successfully in the
“greenfield” or new high-involvement plants that combine the use of work teams
with other new logic practices to increase effectiveness. In service based
organizations, work teams complete interdependent tasks using well-developed
skills.

Work teams magnify best / worst case scenarios. Research indicates that
work teams are more successful than individuals working independently. The
same research also found that creating self-managed teams can magnify best
and worst relationships of the individuals within them.

Teams members are selected based upon a specific expertise, skill

development, and learning. “In addition to learning how to do the variety of tasks
assigned to them, they need to learn how to operate as a team and how to
manage themselves while they do their work” (Lawler, 1996).

Intrinsic motivation factors require that all team members feel collectively
responsibility for the success of the team, product, or process; that they are able
to perform meaningful tasks under their control; and can both provide and
receive feedback. Peer pressure is used to provide focus, encouragement, and
motivation.

Expensive to create and to maintain, work teams are not easy to build or
easy to operate effectively. Support systems and processes need to be built,
increasing the cost of work teams. A few of the expenses include training costs,
rewards, and the implementation of foundational information systems. High
 Team Driven Performance 4

operating costs must address regular meetings and the difficulty of replacing
exiting team members which can become very complex.

Project teams are formed to fulfill a limited or temporary need for product
or service delivery. They may be formed as a part of research and development
and may be used in organizations that offer customized services or products.
Organizations use project teams to gain a competitive advantage by bringing
products or services to market quickly, efficiently, and effectively. These teams
usually lack the cohesiveness enjoyed by work teams because project teams do
not have permanence within the organization. Individuals may work on several
project teams simultaneously and so it is not unusual that team membership
changes substantially and frequently. For this reason also, project team
members must be highly skilled and productive when joining the team. These
team members do not have time to train or to learn a new skill. The use of project
teams requires a different management mind and skill set. Motivation must
include a solid reward system that focuses team success as well as individual
contributions.

Overlay teams coordinate group and individual activities. These part-time

members may include individuals from other teams and different departments or
groups within the organization. Membership is considered secondary,
permanent, and stable.

Typically used in business units, the purpose of the overlay team is to set
strategy and to settle disagreements. Overlay teams are the peacemakers of
business units required to act together to deliver a product or service and are
critical to organization effectiveness. These teams are often organized around
geographical areas where coordinating teams may work with government
officials.

An advantage to empowered overlay teams is that they tend to eliminate

the need for several management layers. They have the authority to resolve
conflict and to set policy. Overlay team members have they ability to make key
decisions effectively due to combined expertise, power, and the fact that they are
much closer to customers. Because of these attributes, it is critical that they be
held collectively responsible and accountable for decisions and actions.

Management teams are formed to manage other teams of individuals

rather than direct the process of certain products or services. When held
collectively responsible for assigned operations, these teams are strongly
motivated to resolve cross-functional issues. They are empowered to resolve
integration issues within multiple teams and to decide conflict of function
questions. Management teams can effectively reduce the need for
management layers and provide flexibility based upon expertise.
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Placing management teams at the top of the organization reduces

individual work loads. Management team members do not have equal status but
they are often empowered to share in decision making and can be rotated
according to work load demands and skills required.

Virtual management teams of the future may be linked electronically

enabling 24 hour coverage. This accommodates global organizations and
increases the need for vital communication, knowledge, and information
accessibility and flow.

The table below summarizes key attributes, advantages, and

disadvantages of team types.

Attributes / Type of Team

Advantages / Problem Project Management
Work Teams Overlay Teams
Disadvantages Solving Teams Teams
Intrinsic, Collectively
Motivation financial
Intrinsic Reward Accountability
responsible
None (may
Empowered and Empowered
Authority have an Self-directed Self-directed
absolute decision making
advocate)
Duration Temporary Stable Temporary Permanent Permanent
Entire
Set strategy,
production or Manage teams,
Purpose Specific
service
Specific settle
resolve conflict
disagreements
process
Interdependent Part-time,
Functional or Temporary /
tasks, well- permanent,
Membership process
developed
project
secondary,
Permanent
related based
skills stable
Highly Conflict
Skills None Expertise trained resolution, policy Expertise
experts making
Expensive, Expensive,
Justifiable, Expensive,
eliminates eliminates
eliminates need eliminate need
Overhead None need for need for
for management for management
management management
layers layers
layers layers
Training None Expensive None Cross Cross
Table 1: Team attributes, advantages, and disadvantages.

I have been involved in many types of teams or variations of the teams

mentioned in Lawler’s book. Specifically I have worked on project teams, overlay
teams, and management teams (although I did not enjoy the management team).
Assignment to project teams in our organization are temporary and sometimes
you may only attend one or two meetings, provide some level of consultation or
expertise, and leave the team forever. We never engaged cross-training
although we do often learn certain techniques and limited skills from each other
for as long as we need to know them to bring a project to fruition.
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I have been a member of many project teams as an online student and I

have created many lasting virtual relationships through these teams. In essence,
we have an opportunity to build a network of specialized relationships virtually
that perhaps can be used not only throughout our academic endeavors, but in
our professional lives as well.

Reference

Lawler III, E. (1996). From the ground up: six principles for building the new logic
corporation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.