TEAMS

Employee involvement is optimized by the use of teams .Teams however are not a panacea for
solving all quality and productivity problems, but in most instances, they are effective. Team
is defined as a group of people working together to achieve common objectives or goals.
Teamwork is the cumulative actions of the team during which each member of the team
subordinates his individual interests and opinions to fulfill the objectives or goals of the group.
The objective or goal is a need to a accomplish something such as solve a problem, improve a
process, design a refrigerator, plan a conference audit a process or please a customer. Members
of the team will need to focus on how they relate to each other, listen to the suggestions of
other, build on previous information, and use conflict for generating creatively. They will need
to set standards, maintain discipline, build team spirit, and motivate each other. Each member
of the team has their own history of experience to help achieve the objectives.
Why teams work:
 Teams work because many heads are more knowledgeable than one.
 Each member of the team has special abilities that can be used to
solve problem.
 Many process are so complex that one person cannot be
knowledgeable concerning the entire process.
 The interaction within the team produces results that exceed the
contributions of each member.
 Team members develop a rapport with each other that allows them to
do a better job.
 Team provide the vehicle for improved communication, thereby
increasing the likelihood of a successful solution.
Types of Teams:
The development of quality cannot circles by the Japanese in 1961 is considered to be the
beginning of the use of teams to improve quality. Quality control circles are group of people
from one work unit who voluntarily meet together on a regular basis to identify, analyze, and
solve quality and other problems within their areas. Quality control circles have been quite
successful in japan and enjoyed some initial success in other countries but not as extensive. A
major drawback was a lack of middle management support. Without managers on teams or
directly overseeing the teams as a quality council might, members frequently were not able to
persuade management to implement their recommendations. Outside japan, the popularity of
quality control circles has declined, however,this type of team is the progenitor of our present
teams. The current types of teams