Self-Directed Teams
Introduction
This assignment will look into what is known as Self-directed Teams where key terms such as Autonomy and Productivity will be emphasized on. In order to find out more on Self-directed Teams, I have read through a range of 5 sources where information of two textbooks, two e-journals and one internet documents were being extracted so that I can understand the different point of views from different sources and authors. As it may be due to different perceptions or even the timeline where the sources were derived from, the authors have given relevant information but the content of it varies slightly. The key objective of this assignment is to find out whether Self-directed Teams (SDTs) have high degree of autonomy and whether it is true that it increases productivity.
Literature Review
Definition
McShane et al. (2010, p.320) defines ‘a Self-directed Team (SDT) by two distinctive features. First, the team completes an entire piece of work requiring several interdependence tasks. This type of work arrangement clusters the team members together while minimising their interdependence and interaction with employees outside the team. The second distinctive feature of SDTs is that they have substantial autonomy over the execution of their tasks. In particular, these teams plan, organise and control work activities with little or no direct involvement of a higher status supervisor.’ Referring to the second distinctive features that McShane et al. (2010, p.320) has stated above, both Stokes (1994, p.40) and Nelson and Quick (2009, p.145) has the similar definition of Self-directed Teams where Stokes (1994, p.40) suggested that ‘Self-directed (Also known as Self-managed) work teams are groups of employees with all the technical skills and authority needed to manage themselves. They perform much management functions as planning, organizing, staffing, leading, integrating, controlling and measuring.’ While Nelson and Quick (2009, p.145) has stated
This assignment will look into what is known as Self-directed Teams where key terms such as Autonomy and Productivity will be emphasized on. In order to find out more on Self-directed Teams, I have read through a range of 5 sources where information of two textbooks, two e-journals and one internet documents were being extracted so that I can understand the different point of views from different sources and authors. As it may be due to different perceptions or even the timeline where the sources were derived from, the authors have given relevant information but the content of it varies slightly. The key objective of this assignment is to find out whether Self-directed Teams (SDTs) have high degree of autonomy and whether it is true that it increases productivity.
Literature Review
Definition
McShane et al. (2010, p.320) defines ‘a Self-directed Team (SDT) by two distinctive features. First, the team completes an entire piece of work requiring several interdependence tasks. This type of work arrangement clusters the team members together while minimising their interdependence and interaction with employees outside the team. The second distinctive feature of SDTs is that they have substantial autonomy over the execution of their tasks. In particular, these teams plan, organise and control work activities with little or no direct involvement of a higher status supervisor.’ Referring to the second distinctive features that McShane et al. (2010, p.320) has stated above, both Stokes (1994, p.40) and Nelson and Quick (2009, p.145) has the similar definition of Self-directed Teams where Stokes (1994, p.40) suggested that ‘Self-directed (Also known as Self-managed) work teams are groups of employees with all the technical skills and authority needed to manage themselves. They perform much management functions as planning, organizing, staffing, leading, integrating, controlling and measuring.’ While Nelson and Quick (2009, p.145) has stated