Semi-autonomous work groups not only provide advice and suggestions to management but also have the authority to make decisions and solve problems related to the major tasks required to produce a product or service. Semi-autonomous groups regularly receive information about budgets, work quality and performance, and competitors’ products. Furthermore, members of semi-autonomous work groups are typically cross-trained in a number of different skills and tasks. In short, semi-autonomous work groups give employees the authority to make decisions that are typically made by supervisors and managers.
That authority is not complete, however. Managers still play a role, though much reduced compared with traditional work groups, in supporting the work of semi-autonomous work groups. The role a manager plays on a team usually evolves over time. “It may start with helping to transition problem-solving responsibilities to the team, filling miscellaneous requests for the team, and doing ad hoc tasks,” says Steven Hitchcock, president of AXIS PERFORMANCE ADVISORS in Portland, Oregon. Later, the team may develop into a mini-enterprise and the former manager becomes externally focused-sort of an account manager for the customer. Managers have to adjust what they do based on the sophistication of the team. A lot of what managers of semi-autonomous work groups do is ask good questions, provide resources, and facilitate performance of group goals.