Organizational Behaviour - Teams as a Way of Organising Work

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ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT Question: Critically evaluate teams as a way of organizing work and the challenges involved in managing this kind of organization. Use an example or examples from your own organization (or others) and apply OB theories and research in your answer “..The largest and most complex teams can work together effectively if the right conditions are in place.” (Gratton and Erickson, 2007, p .101). This essay will examine the definition of teams in work organizations, their life cycle, and the popularity of teams as a means of improving productivity in organizations, the success/failures of teams and the problems with teams as a productivity solution. The theoretical framework will be set in the context of a team example in a bank in Cameroon. What is a Team? Organizational behaviour and team theory scholars have generally referred to a team as having the following features or characteristics; small number, complimentary skills, commitment to a common purpose and goals and mutual accountability (Katzenberg and Smith, 1993; Knights & Willmott, 2012, p. 121); Gündüz, 2008, p. 461) Different approaches to team definition suggests that a team forms at the intersection of common attributes -team identity, size, goals, dependence and structure- and processes -leadership, decision making and conflict management (Keyton & Beck, 2008) or a group of interdependent individuals who work to carry out a task (Kirkman & Rosen, 1999) and as interdependent individuals with collective responsibility for their objectives (Sundstrum, De Meuse & Futrell, 1990, p. 120) While there is no universally accepted definition or description of what a team is, there are several common keywords -“real”, “autonomous”, “self-organizing”, “self-managing”. “high-performing, multi-function, empowered”- that have emerged over time to describe teams and the extent

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