An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1998 Southwest Academy of Management annual conference, Houston. Journal of Management Education . An activity description, debriefing guide, and instructional appendices are presented through which students may learn about the optimal use of workgroups in addressing organizational tasks of varying functional complexity. Discussion centered on the student s development both as a member and as a manager of such workgroups. Favorable reactions to the utility of the activity were obtained from student participants and outside business facilitators.
Organizations increasingly use workteams to acquire, integrate, and create new knowledge.
However, such teams vary in the manner in which they hold knowledge some are comprised of members who know similar things, while the membership of others may reflect more unique knowledge stores. These variations can significantly affect the efficiency with which teams process knowledge. We develop a typology of four knowledge configurations that may exist in workteams. We then discuss tasks best suited to each team type and the impact of time, offering general propositions. This paper was also presented at the 2000 Southern Management Association conference, Orlando.