Self Directed Work Teams

Self Directed Teams

“The self-directed or self managed work team is usually thought of as a "leaderless" group of workers who take the place of supervisors and fulfill many management functions” (Capozzoli, 2004).” Self-directed work teams represent a shift in the approach of organizational designs to random change. A natural work groups, these teams work together to perform a function or produce a product or service, they also take on the management of the work functions that was performed by the supervisors or managers. This in turn, allows managers to teach, coach, develop and facilitate rather than simply direct and control.

Today’s organizations, unlike in the past have to deal with a high rate of change that is affecting the direction and behavior of the organizations employees. Before high-speed technology was available change, had been at a slower pace and predictable pace. “Beginning with the 1950’s and 1960’s, change was incremental; people adapted and were rewarded for their new behaviors.” (Zawacki and Norman, 1994).

The concept of the self-directed teams (SDT) came from earlier research conducted by Kurt Lewin in 1951 for Group Dynamics and the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. The Tavistock group began to look at the interdependence between technology and people (Zawacki & Norman, xxxx). As a result of the research from Lewin and the Tavistock Institute, the development of self-regulating (also known as self- directed) work groups came about. The main purpose of the SDT is to shift control of the managers to the members of the team.

A breakthrough approach to designing work; work becomes restructured around the process, ensuring that there is interdependence and joint responsibility for outputs if the team is to become a self-directed work team. Unlike the traditional system where the “what will happen”, “where will it happen” and “how will it happen” is set by the organization and/ or the manager,...