Each one of these programs will contribute to making Calgary a world class manufacturer. These concepts are based on insights developed from my consulting work with team based organizations over the past 15 years. In this paper I will be using a basic definition for the concept of work team. A work group must exhibit two basic features to qualify as a work team. First, members must share a common goal and second, members must be organized to work together in the accomplishment of their common goal.
Innovation refers to the development of new products or processes.
The essential impetus for innovation derives from creativity, which is the ability of individuals or groups to generate on a sustained basis significantly original ideas or problem solutions. Therefore, an understanding of the unique leadership challenges in facilitating creativity and maximizing its payoffs for the organization can provide a useful model for the effective leadership of multi-disciplinary professional teamwork. For example, whenever multifunctional teams are put into place, problems of competition between disciplines, finger-pointing, and questions of turf arise. These problems are usually best solved within each function separately, where greater control over the problems is possible. However, a more effective approach for dealing with these kinds of problems is for organizations to develop structures which will allow for members from multiple discipline areas to combine their input while dealing with problemsolving issues.