The use of work teams: a help or hindrance to performance?

The use of work teams is a popular topic in business literature. Although there is a growing literature on this topic, the team concept is not new to organizations. The article examines historical developments in the use of teams for performance of work. The use of work teams is discussed in the context of the movement away from hierarchical, bureaucratic management structures and toward participative decision making. The benefits of and problems with self-directed teams, in particular, are explored.