Types of Teams
Teams are becoming adopted in the business world where team-based projects are more preferred to individual projects. This is because of the effectiveness of the teams in solving complex problems that are experienced in the business world. Collaboration is seen as the way to foster creative thinking which will enhance problem-solving in any organizations. Various types of teams apply to different organizations. Some are permanent while some are temporary teams designed to complete a certain project. The different types of teams that we discussed are department teams, problem solving-teams, cross-functional teams, self-managed teams, virtual teams and functional teams.
Department teams involve a group of people within the same department where each of the members concentrates in the areas they have mastered in. Individuals within department teams work individually with the aim of achieving the goal of the organization. The names given these teams are the roles they play in the organization. Examples include sales team or developer teams. They are permanent in an organization and work for any activity in the organization.
Problem-solving teams are the groups developed in an organization in case there is an issue noted. These teams are temporary in the organization as they are formed to work on a specific problem in the organization. They are created only when there is a problem that requires solutions, and after the solutions are found, the teams are disbanded. This means they are not always in the organization.
Virtual teams are another type of teams that are used in the progress of an organization. The teams comprise of people working from different physical locations where they communicate digitally to ensure completion of tasks. The team comprises of individuals with different strengths that are important for the organization and they rely heavily on collaboration tools. The teams allow members to have the best life-work balance as they are not required to meet physically often. This type of team allows managers to have the best experts in the field because the team members may be from a different organization. They allow managers to get the best team members regardless of geography.
Self-managed teams form another type of team used in organizations. They comprise employees of an organization who are working together and share several objectives that all aim at meeting the goals of the organization. These teams lack managers or any authority hence the name self-managed teams. All team members are expected to determine the rules and the expectations of the group, share responsibilities as well as solve problems that arise in the organization. The members of this team organize themselves in case of projects which mean no division of labour. Each of the team members brings the skills they have on the table in case of a problem which are used to generate informed decisions. Employees in companies with the self-managed teams feel more involved in the projects of the company which makes them more productive. The autonomy created for these teams increase employee motivation and also the members can easily manage time with no control. The problems with self-managed teams are that there is increased chances of conformity which can minimize creativity and critical thinking for the employees. Training all employees can also be time-consuming and costly due to resources that will be required.
Cross-functional teams are usually permanent in organizations, but they collaborate with other departments when there is an event in that department. This requires that they are involved in all communication processes happening in an organization so that they can assist where needed. The teams comprise of members from each department in the organization, and they tackle tasks that require inputs from different people. They are useful for some organizations but have proved to be less effective in some due to lack of proper collaboration between departments. They are permanent teams in most organizations. The fact that members of these teams are from the different department can increase conflict, which means managing these teams can be challenging to an organization.
Functional teams involve members of the same department who have different responsibilities. The team is under the management of the organization because it reports all activities to the managers. These teams are permanent in the organization, and different functional teams can work together if there is a task that requires collaboration. In case the company plans to start a new product, all functional teams should work together to ensure the success of the organization. Functional teams differ from cross-functional teams in the way they comprise of members from the same department while in cross-functional, members are from different departments. Functional teams are never flexible because they deal with issues of a department. The teams cannot decide on their own as they require pushing their decisions upwards.
Compare and Contrast
When comparing the different types of teams, the members of the teams are the determinants of the type. For instance, functional teams are made of members of the same department and the make decisions of a department. Cross-functional teams are formed by members from different departments but collaborate whenever there is a need in a particular department. Self-managed teams are made of employees of the organization, and they lack managers as they are their managers. They easily collaborate whenever there is a problem in an organization to come up with a solution and are involved in any decision-making process in the organization. Virtual teams are made of members of different organizations that operate digitally to ensure they meet the goal of the organization. Have different skills and strengths which make them more preferred by some organizations. Problem-solving teams are temporary teams in an organization that are created whenever there is a problem that requires solution in the organization. They are the best when it comes to solving a specific problem and their role end when the problem is fully solved. Department teams have members of the same department who have different skills and are useful whenever there is a departmental issue. This makes all the teams important for different occasions in the organization.
Recommendations
The types of teams that I would recommend for CMA CEO includes the self-managed teams where employees of the organization will decide on ways to succumb the competition in the market. The self-managed teams know their responsibilities and have the power to make informed decisions regarding how to make the company more profitable. Involving employees in the team also increase their productivity. Since departmental teams failed to achieve the desired results of CMA, it is important that the company consider self-managed teams to help in designing of strategies to market and increase production of the computer components.
CMA CEO should also create cross-functional teams that include members of different departments. This is because these members have skills and knowledge from their department and when the skills are well employed, they will solve the problem of competition in the company. Cross-functional teams are flexible, and communication between them becomes easier. The decisions made by the team can apply to each department which will help in improving the quality of the products made. Virtual teams will also be effective in the case of CMA since they include members of a different organization with different skills.