ctional teams are involved in continuous improvement projects and running their own operations. Working in teams tends to improve the core job dimensions that affect people's psychological states and motivating potential at work. With high involvement, people are challenged to rethink systems and processes—to eliminate tasks that no longer add value.

Because of accelerated shifts in global competition and technology, there is a tendency for organizations to become less mechanistic and more organic; thus flexible. Bureaucracy, which for decades promoted efficiency and predictability through rules and control, is

People working in teams such as quality circles, project groups, or autonomous production deals accomplish the majority of an organization's work. However, some groups work like a dream team, appearing to accomplish miracles, while others generate nightmares. What makes the difference? The answer lies in appropriate group membership, structures, processes and training. If group members with appropriate skills and attitudes are trained to understand their own along with other's role requirements, they can develop to collaborate without dysfunctional conflicts to achieve common objectives.

One is that the cohesiveness that groups develop, when members value their association with one another and their common goals can promote enhanced satisfaction and extra synergy, but it can also reinforce resistance to change and underachievement if members need to relinquish behaviors that are accepted as group norms. Also, the very conformity that standardizes behavior and makes life comfortably predictable may also serve to stifle constructive conflict and creativity. In striving for group acceptance, many members show far less initiative and independent thought than they are capable of demonstrating as individuals. Deviates that intentionally violate group norms are often resented and forced back in line, but at times their behaviors can be breakthroughs for productive change.

To transform groups into high-performing teams, companies need to develop high degrees of trust, open communication, participation, and constructive confrontation skills. Group members must perform all of the key work functions of advising, innovating, promoting, developing, organizing, producing, inspecting, maintaining, and linking. Also, individuals with appropriate skills and interests need to be matched to their preferred work function, by business leaders.

Of course, high performance teams need to apply team-building techniques aimed at improved working relationships. The process of improving team effectiveness includes continual data gathering and analysis to assessment areas needing improvement. Also, problem solving to determine sources and solutions to problems and training accompanied by exercises to build the skills and processes necessary for continual high performance.

With the increasing complexity of operations, companies are building in greater participation opportunities for non-managers. Groups ranging from quality circles to self-managing and cross-functional teams are involved in continuous improvement projects and running their own operations. Working in teams tends to improve the core job dimensions that affect people's psychological states and motivating potential at work. With high involvement, people are challenged to rethink systems and processes—to eliminate tasks that no longer add value.

Because of accelerated shifts in global competition and technology, there is a tendency for organizations to become less mechanistic and more organic; thus flexible. Bureaucracy, which for decades promoted efficiency and predictability through rules and control, is y

ness that groups develop, when members value their association with one another and their common goals can promote enhanced satisfaction and extra synergy, but it can also reinforce resistance to change and underachievement if members need to relinquish behaviors that are accepted as group norms. Also, the very conformity that standardizes behavior and makes life comfortably predictable may also serve to stifle constructive conflict and creativity. In striving for group acceptance, many members show far less initiative and independent thought than they are capable of demonstrating as individuals. Deviates that intentionally violate group norms are often resented and forced back in line, but at times their behaviors can be breakthroughs for productive change.

To transform groups into high-performing teams, companies need to develop high degrees of trust, open communication, participation, and constructive confrontation skills. Group members must perform all of the key work functions of advising, innovating, promoting, developing, organizing, producing, inspecting, maintaining, and linking. Also, individuals with appropriate skills and interests need to be matched to their preferred work function, by business leaders.

Of course, high performance teams need to apply team-building techniques aimed at improved working relationships. The process of improving team effectiveness includes continual data gathering and analysis to assessment areas needing improvement. Also, problem solving to determine sources and solutions to problems and training accompanied by exercises to build the skills and processes necessary for continual high performance.

With the increasing complexity of operations, companies are building in greater participation opportunities for non-managers. Groups ranging from quality circles to self-managing and cross-functional teams are involved in continuous improvement projects and running their own operations. Working in teams tends to improve the core job dimensions that affect people's psychological states and motivating potential at work. With high involvement, people are challenged to rethink systems and processes—to eliminate tasks that no longer add value.

Because of accelerated shifts in global competition and technology, there is a tendency for organizations to become less mechanistic and more organic; thus flexible. Bureaucracy, which for decades promoted efficiency and predictability through rules and control, is

onally violate group norms are often resented and forced back in line, but at times their behaviors can be breakthroughs for productive change.

To transform groups into high-performing teams, companies need to develop high degrees of trust, open communication, participation, and constructive confrontation skills. Group members must perform all of the key work functions of advising, innovating, promoting, developing, organizing, producing, inspecting, maintaining, and linking. Also, individuals with appropriate skills and interests need to be matched to their preferred work function, by business leaders.

Of course, high performance teams need to apply team-building techniques aimed at improved working relationships. The process of improving team effectiveness includes continual data gathering and analysis to assessment areas needing improvement. Also, problem solving to determine sources and solutions to problems and training accompanied by exercises to build the skills and processes necessary for continual high performance.

With the increasing complexity of operations, companies are building in greater participation opportunities for non-managers. Groups ranging from quality circles to self-managing and cross-functional teams are involved in continuous improvement projects and running their own operations. Working in teams tends to improve the core job dimensions that affect people's psychological states and motivating potential at work. With high involvement, people are challenged to rethink systems and processes—to eliminate tasks that no longer add value.

Because of accelerated shifts in global competition and technology, there is a tendency for organizations to become less mechanistic and more organic; thus flexible. Bureaucracy, which for decades promoted efficiency and predictability through rules and control, is

course, high performance teams need to apply team-building techniques aimed at improved working relationships. The process of improving team effectiveness includes continual data gathering and analysis to assessment areas needing improvement. Also, problem solving to determine sources and solutions to problems and training accompanied by exercises to build the skills and processes necessary for continual high performance.

With the increasing complexity of operations, companies are building in greater participation opportunities for non-managers. Groups ranging from quality circles to self-managing and cross-functional teams are involved in continuous improvement projects and running their own operations. Working in teams tends to improve the core job dimensions that affect people's psychological states and motivating potential at work. With high involvement, people are challenged to rethink systems and processes—to eliminate tasks that no longer add value.

Because of accelerated shifts in global competition and technology, there is a tendency for organizations to become less mechanistic and more organic; thus flexible. Bureaucracy, which for decades promoted efficiency and predictability through rules and control, is

ctional teams are involved in continuous improvement projects and running their own operations. Working in teams tends to improve the core job dimensions that affect people's psychological states and motivating potential at work. With high involvement, people are challenged to rethink systems and processes—to eliminate tasks that no longer add value.

Because of accelerated shifts in global competition and technology, there is a tendency for organizations to become less mechanistic and more organic; thus flexible. Bureaucracy, which for decades promoted efficiency and predictability through rules and control, is yielding to practices that create greater employee involvement and adaptation. With organic involvement come flatter structures and a wider span of control for managers.

Organizational culture is the tool for such strategic changes, and can be altered by reshaping functions, such as the communications systems and by building teams and creating leaders. Managing change is the challenge for today's organizations and their success or failure will judge the viability of any firm in the future.