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1 – 10 of over 4000Kathy O. Roper and Deborah R. Phillips
To present the advantages and possible deterrents of self‐managed work teams, and offer recommendations on ways to integrate these teams into project management.
Abstract
Purpose
To present the advantages and possible deterrents of self‐managed work teams, and offer recommendations on ways to integrate these teams into project management.
Design/methodology/approach
A range of works, which provide a description and practical advice about self‐managed work teams, are reviewed in an effort to provide a thorough picture of self‐managed work teams. The information is sorted into sections: history of self‐managed work teams; self‐managed work teams: a definition; characteristics of self‐managed work teams; the role of emotional intelligence in self‐managed work teams; developing and empowering the team; barriers to successful self‐managed work teams; factors to consider before forming a self‐managed work team; and the longevity of self‐managed work teams.
Findings
Integrates theories and findings from other works to offer a holistic view of self‐managed work teams in today's workplace.
Research limitations/implications
Resources from USA, as well as European writings, were analyzed to bring global perspectives. Applications are not specific to FM or construction, but business in general.
Practical implications
A useful source for project managers or other managers considering implementing self‐managed work teams to increase productivity and employee morale.
Originality/value
Takes an integrated approach in exploring all areas of self‐managed work teams, including emotional intelligence. Provides useful information on integrating self‐managed work teams in project management.
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The introduction of employee empowerment through a self‐managed work teams programme into an organization further requires the introduction of multifaceted changes in person‐job…
Abstract
The introduction of employee empowerment through a self‐managed work teams programme into an organization further requires the introduction of multifaceted changes in person‐job relationships and the whole organizational hierarchy. The self‐managed teams concept can be seen as a strategy to increase motivation, quality, productivity, customer satisfaction and to sustain high performance. Self‐managed teams serve as the main building blocks of the organization. However, they are not simple or easy to create, develop and support. Companies must realize that it takes time, training and resources to implement teams and reap their rewards.
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Organizational literatures stress the empowering effects of worker participation programs. The case of a Mexican garment factory is used to examine the contradictory location of…
Abstract
Organizational literatures stress the empowering effects of worker participation programs. The case of a Mexican garment factory is used to examine the contradictory location of women in self-managed teams. While self-managed teams require independent and assertive workers, women workers are hired specifically for their docility. I argue that managers provide the tools and mechanisms for workers to be autonomous decision-makers, while at the same time they gender teams in ways that assure continued female disadvantage. Placed in this contradictory location, women workers both reproduce and resist gender subordination by carving out spaces of independent action, using the language of traditional womanhood.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between self‐leadership behaviors in a self‐managed work team environment and relevant organizational variables, i.e…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between self‐leadership behaviors in a self‐managed work team environment and relevant organizational variables, i.e. supervisory trust, decision‐making, feedback and team goal setting.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected on‐site over a period of three days from employees working in a non‐union paper mill located in a small rural community in the northwestern region of the USA. The survey was completed by 141 employees, representing a 99 per cent response rate. Self‐leadership, supervisory trust, decision‐making, feedback and team goal setting were measured using different scales.
Findings
The results indicated that supervisors, who give feedback, and who are perceived as trusting, and encouraging innovative behaviors contribute to the development of self‐leadership behaviors of rehearsal, self‐goal setting, self‐criticism, self‐reinforcement, self‐expectation and self‐observation. In addition, providing team training, fostering communication within the team, and allowing the team members to make work related decisions also enhance the movement toward self‐management.
Research limitations/implications
The study relied on self‐report data, thereby allowing for the possibility of same source bias. However this is a common problem with cross‐sectional designs.
Originality/value
The paper is of value in pointing out that a different approach to leadership is required in a self‐managed work team environment, and by suggesting that building trust, fostering communication within the team, giving feedback and encouraging goal setting, innovative behaviors, and decision‐making can contribute to the development of self‐leadership behaviors important to the success and effectiveness of self‐managed work teams. Organizations should therefore through training programs encourage the development of these behaviors.
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Steven H. Appelbaum, Mary Bethune and Rhonda Tannenbaum
This article explores the effects of downsizing and the subsequent emergence of self‐managed work teams. Continuous and accelerated change has resulted in massive downsizing…
Abstract
This article explores the effects of downsizing and the subsequent emergence of self‐managed work teams. Continuous and accelerated change has resulted in massive downsizing activities by organizations. A classical model for the planning ‐ implementing ‐ and design of the downsizing process is presented. Group structure and typology is presented in terms of formal versus informal groups. The impact of groups and group dynamics, the stages of group development, and impact upon effectiveness, environment, design and learning processes will be included. Attention is given to the survivors of downsizing who form the foundation of the self‐managed team. Leadership demands are presented in terms of leading the survivors, ensuring commitment and managing the future. The emergence of the SMT in terms of productivity, expectations and the management of conflict complete this exhaustive review of empirical data required for action‐driven organizations in a turbulent environment.
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Minna Paunova and Yih-Teen Lee
Arguing that it is necessary to look into specific global leadership processes in specific contexts, this article focuses on collective global leadership in self-managed…
Abstract
Arguing that it is necessary to look into specific global leadership processes in specific contexts, this article focuses on collective global leadership in self-managed multicultural teams using an input-process-output model. Building on a study of nationally and culturally diverse self-managed teams, our work demonstrates that collective global leadership in these teams is critical for team performance (output). Our study also examines some of the affective or attitudinal antecedents of collective global leadership in self-managed multicultural teams (process) and their members’ goal orientations (input). Our findings suggest that a team learning orientation may greatly help multicultural teams overcome the liability of cultural diversity, create a positive intra-team environment, and enable collective global leadership. Our research also suggests that team performance orientation moderates the above effects.
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Tony Kulisch and David K. Banner
As self‐managed work teams become more popular and companies try totake advantage of their apparent productivity improvements, it isnecessary to emphasize that there are some very…
Abstract
As self‐managed work teams become more popular and companies try to take advantage of their apparent productivity improvements, it is necessary to emphasize that there are some very exacting requirements if they are to be successfully implemented. Points out major areas to be addressed if organizations are to be successful with this new work system. Offers some suggestions for successful implementation strategies.
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The purpose of this paper is to look at job design, motivation and teamwork. As the market gets more competitive, companies must change their plan of attack on almost a daily…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to look at job design, motivation and teamwork. As the market gets more competitive, companies must change their plan of attack on almost a daily basis. They need to answer the question: what is the best way to do business? As employers look at job design they will find that it is not the only factor that indicates how productive employees are in the workplace. Motivation also determines how much energy employees will expend, as well as what tasks will be accomplished, and in what amount of time it will be completed.
Design/methodology/approach
Increasing productivity among employees is the key to a successful work group and firm. This paper will look at job design, motivation in the workplace and teamwork as they continue to be the major factors that determine the amount of work an individual does within a firm. Job design includes three main categories: job enlargement, job rotation, and job enrichment. The job characteristics model, a more recent approach to job design, includes five core job characteristics that include skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and job feedback.
Findings
The paper presents plenty of evidence that organizations are increasingly relying on teams to handle work once taken on by one person. Self‐managed teams are given the authority to make decisions that were once reserved for managers. Cross‐functional teams are used to improve coordination among different departments involved in carrying out a joint project. Many organizations are implementing these teams successfully into their structure. The result is that they are finding them to be more productive and prosperous than the work of single individuals.
Practical implications
Work teams such as self‐directed teams and cross‐functional teams are becoming increasingly popular among firms in today's work environment. Teams can work together in a dynamic business world to gain an edge over the competition.
Originality/value
Overall, job design, motivation, and teamwork tie together and create a work environment that can either help or hurt an organization. If a proper plan is implemented, then the firm should be more productively successful.
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Esther Unger-Aviram, Tal Katz-Navon and Dana Rachel Vashdi
By combining the influence tactics and team development literatures, this paper aims to propose a new team-level approach to influence tactics in self-managed teams and a temporal…
Abstract
Purpose
By combining the influence tactics and team development literatures, this paper aims to propose a new team-level approach to influence tactics in self-managed teams and a temporal account of the extent to which team-level influence tactics are associated with team performance as a dynamic process.
Design/methodology/approach
Using 75 self-managed teams, we examined the relationship between the proportion of team members who tend to use each influence tactic to a high degree and team performance at initial versus advanced stages of team development.
Findings
Results demonstrated at initial stages of team development, a high proportion of team members who tend to use assertiveness was detrimental to team performance, whereas at advanced stages of team development, a high proportion of team members tending to use ingratiation was detrimental, while rationality was positively associated with team performance. Additionally, a Fuzzy Qualitative Comparative Analysis showed that at advanced stages of team development, tactics configuration matters.
Originality/value
This study sets the stage for a team-level theory of influence tactics by examining the relationship between the proportion of team members who tend to use influence tactics to a high degree and team performance at initial versus advanced stages of team development, and the configurations of tactics associated with better team performance at these developmental stages. While the individual-level literature on influence tactics is based on notions of power and politics, in a team context and specifically with self-managed teams, there is a need to integrate theories of team processes and dynamics to understand how influence tactics are associated with performance.
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