As teams have become a more popular method of organizing the workforce, different types of these groupings have emerged. One of these is a self-directed team, or a team in which the members are responsible for an entire business operation, generally with very little input from a manager or supervisor.
A self-directed team typically manages its own workload in addition to having primary responsibility for producing a good or delivering a service. The team members share both managerial and operational responsibilities, as well as accountability for the team's output. Self-directed teams date back to post World War II Britain's effort to increase economic productivity.
Self-directed teams are not right for every business situation, so it is important to understand when an enterprise will benefit from this organizational approach. Businesses with a decentralized decision-making culture and employees who are empowered to take full responsibility for their work are good candidates for self-directed teams. Managers outside the team still play a role, but more as coaches and facilitators rather than as supervisors. Self-directed teams are also known as self-managed teams. Federal Express and 3M are examples of companies that have used self-directed teams with positive results.