In early US history, Eli Whitney responded to the need to manufacture muskets for the revolutionary army by creating an assembly- line work environment (Gustafson K. Kleiner H, 1994). The concept of a work team has been used for many years. As corporations and technology grow in modern days so does the complexity of team dynamics and the conflict within teams. Business managers must be familiar with all the complexities of team dynamics, types of conflict, and know how to resolve conflict within teams in order to have an effective team.
The foundation of business includes five major objectives: increase productivity, increase quality, while reducing costs and improving employee, and customer satisfaction. Workers today have a lower tolerance to hierarchical control and require more fulfillments from their jobs (University, n.d.). Improving organizational culture by empowering individuals to make their own decisions, having a sense of worth, and fulfilling individuals" social needs will improve employee morale. Implementing work teams gives the organization the potential to cover the five major objectives.
Teams have different labels and structures: however, a team is a group of individuals with shared commitments and goals in which managers share decision-making responsibilities with employees (Thompson, Aranda, & Robbins, n.d.). A group is simply individuals who interact in some way with leadership assigned to a single person (Unit 1, n.d.). A work team possesses characteristics where team members are mutually accountable to one another bounded and established over time functioning in a social system context (Temme & Katzel, 1995). Team leaders share the authority while members assume the responsibility, in a trusted collaborative environment (Temme & Katzel). Synergy is finally achieved when the team can achieve more than the individuals could separately (Temme & Katzel).
A few recognized guidelines may ease the apprehension of unsuccessful teams.