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Teams For A Team Based Organization

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INTRODUCTION
In many organizations, employees work together in structures commonly known as teams. Organizations utilize teams for a number of reasons (e.g., greater output, quality enhancements, or better decisions) and give them a range of labels depending on factors such as the members comprising the team {ex. managers, front line workers} or what the team is supposed to achieve {ex. to make decisions, develop a new product, deliver a service}. Some of the many types of teams found in organizations include top management teams, cross-functional teams { Bikson, 1996}, self-managing work teams {Cohen, Ledford, & Spreitzer, 1996, Orsburn, Moran, Musselwhite, & Zenger, 1990}, international task forces { Waite, 1998} and virtual teams {Hiltz, Johnson, & Turoff, 1986, Lumsden }. Despite investing heavily in teams, many organizations appear far from satisfied with their decision to become team-based (Dumaine, 1994). This is mainly due to the overall effectiveness of their teams and how their effectiveness tends to vary. At one end of the continuum, teams can be highly performing and produce outputs beyond the capabilities of its individual members. At the other end, however, they can fail dismally. Outputs for example are not produced on time or in some instances, not at all. Further, when outputs are delivered, they can be of such a poor quality, the reputation of the organization and the team members are effected. In the worst case scenario, these poor quality outputs can

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