Self-Managed Work Teams an Organization\'s

Self-Managed Work Teams

An organization's structure and how it is well run will determine its success or failure in achieving its goals. As it is made up of different elements forming one body, the management of its workforce has to work coherently to achieve its objectives. Usually, the major decisions on the running of the organization are made by the top management and rarely the employees. Self-managed work teams is an approach whereby a group of employees work together towards achieving specific goals. They make important decisions with little or no supervision on the tasks being undertaken and are accountable for most if not all aspects of their tasks. The teams are independent and the members interdependent. Schedules, procedures and timelines are set by the team members unlike the traditional role whereby a manager did all this tasks. Self-managing teams delegate specific responsibilities to members according to their skill sets. An individual is expected to set his own goals, carry out the necessary tasks, monitor progress and adjust according to the timelines or demands set.

Self-managed team approach has many advantages over the traditional management structures. Each member has an equal role to play in the running of the organization and decision making, a task which normally was done by a manager. This increases productivity and efficiency. Employees have more job satisfaction as they are more independent involved in daily running of the organization. They get more satisfaction from monitoring their own progress, coming up with schedules and problem solving solutions in their areas of work. Since they are the ones coming up with timelines and procedures, they are more motivated and have a sense of ownership (Ken B., 2005).

Another advantage of using self-managed work teams is increased productivity. Companies that use self-managed work teams are 30-50% more productive than those with a traditional hierarchy. Employees are more committed to the tasks and goals of the organization since they are closely involved in achieving these goals. Increased participation and a greater share in the end product ensure teams are quick addressing a product's problems and are more customer friendly. As they have more diverse backgrounds and range of skills, they are more innovative than would be a manager heading a particular department. Self-management work teams take a revolutionary approach whereby work becomes restructured around whole processes unlike the traditional Taylor model where a process is reduced to individual steps.

In the traditional hierarchy set up, a manager leads a department or section and is responsible for coming up with the goals. Departments are interdependent and conflicts arise where solutions are needed promptly. The traditional hierarchy sometimes is not the best in offering solutions especially where time is of utmost importance. By using clear guidelines, self-management teams are given more freedom to come up with solution to their specific problems on their tasks (Beyerlein M., n, d). This reduces the time wasted whereby in a traditional model a manager would have to get all the details first and then choose the appropriate solution. Moreover, self-management team takes on the management of the work thereby removing the need for a manager or supervisor.

Self-management work teams reduce the reliance on individual's abilities and encourage learning from peers. This ensures there is free flow of information and skills are easily passed from colleague to colleague. Members are interdependent and are able to learn from each other, they are able to come up with better plans and procedures to accomplish their tasks. Responsibility is shared and everyone knows what the other is doing creating a harmonious working atmosphere. There is less stress on the team's leader as everyone contributes to the management and coming up with solutions at every stage in the process of achieving of their objectives.