How Are SMTs Different from Conventional Teams?
Self-managed teams differ from conventional teams in a number of ways. In conventional teams, decision making resides in the hands of a leader who provides the team with direction and maintains control over work-re a leader who provides the team with direction and maintains control over work-related decisions. In contrast, self-managed teams have a significant amount of decision-making authority. Members are charged with duties such as managing themselves, self-appraisals, planning and scheduling work, making production – related decisions, peer evaluation, and conflict resolution. Members take responsibility for outlining how they will achieve the team’s objectives.
The leadership function in a self-managed team is different from that in a conventional team. Self-managed team members share or rotate leadership responsibilities and hold themselves mutually responsible for meeting team goals. Roles interchange frequently as members learn to be followers as well as leaders. Rather than being specialized, SMT members develop multiskilled capabilities that make them very flexible in performing various tasks within the team. Self-managed teams give all team members a voice in making decisions about the design of work, as well as greater autonomy and discretion in task accomplishment. Members operate without direct managerial supervision – an idea almost unthinkable a generation ago.
The nature of self-managed teams is one of team rather than individual empowerment and accountability. Team accountability is a significant responsibility, since SMT members are responsible not only for their own performance but for that of other team members as well. In successful SMTs, members have come to see that what that collectively gain is greater than what they could achieve individually. A key part of any SMT is who is on the team. Team members of effective SMTs generally share the following characteristics.
- A strong belief in personal accountability
- An internal locus of control coupled with emotional stability
- Openness to new ideas/viewpoints
- Effective communication
- Good problem-solving skills
- Ability to engender trust
- Good conflict-resolution skills
Depending on the types of decisions, the amount of authority vested in a self-managed team varies greatly from one organization to another. For instance, in some organizations, SMTs are given the primary responsibility for personnel decisions such as hiring and firing team members, conducting performance appraisals, and determining compensation(within specified limits); in other organizations, such decisions are left to top management. Teams are usually allowed to make small expenditures for supplies and equipment without prior approval, but like in most organizations, any action involving large purchases must be approved by top management. Exhibit 8.5 summarizes the key differences between conventional and self-managed teams.