Together Employees Accomplish Much by Kelli Baxter and Harold Sargus Terms such as teams, teamwork and team building are commonly used within many organizations. Organizations, those that have and haven't developed teams, provide employees with training in team building and teamwork. Organizations realize that improved interdepartmental communication affects profitability in a positive way.
Teams mean different things to different companies.
Some companies develop teams to work on certain projects, and when the projects are complete, these ad hoc teams are disbanded. Some companies develop teams with the idea that they will mature and become self-directed. According to D. Keith Denton in the June 1999 issue of Quality Progress magazine, a true self-directed team must first be able to change the order of the task, have control over the budget and have the power to make decisions on the spot. That requires self-management, time and training. A 1994 study of 185 Fortune 1000 companies by Applebaum and Batt indicates that 47 percent of the companies use at least one self-directed work team and 66 percent used at least one quality control practice.