Main Content
Lesson 1: Introduction and Understanding Group and Team Facilitation
Why Do We Use Teams?
Put simply, we use teams to improve the way that we do tasks.
In the organizational setting, globalization, increased competition, complex jobs, advanced technology, and an intense need for quality products and services require us to find better solutions to the problems organizations face (Helper, Kleiner, & Wang, 2010). Research shows us that teams, if well designed and purposeful, can deliver the complex solutions needed in today’s business arena.
“Modern organizations are shifting to teamwork because of changes in the characteristics of jobs and organizations.”
Teams are comprised of a number of individuals with varying skills, knowledge, and attitudes, when collaboratively working to achieve commonly held goals, are capable of addressing job and organizational characteristics not easily handled by single individuals.
- Job Characteristics
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- Routine to nonroutine
- Diversity of knowledge and expertise is needed
- Complex jobs require multiple perspectives
- Organizational Characteristics
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- Increasing rate of change in business environment
- Enhanced global competition
- Technology advancement
- Simpler organizational hierarchies
- Integration of work areas is necessary
References
Helper, S., Kleiner, M., & Wang, Y. (2010). Analyzing compensation methods in manufacturing: Piece rates, time rates, or gain sharing? (Working Paper 16540). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economics Research.
Levi, D. (2014). Group dynamics for teams (4th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.