Why Self-Directed Work Teams?
Success in today’s workplace often derives from teamwork and employee empowerment (Axelrod, 2000; Boyett & Boyett, 1998; Purser & Cabana, 1998). This democratization of work stems from globalization, increased diversity, the development of technology, and unprecedented environmental change (Heckscher & Donnellon, 1994; Hickman, 1998; Renn, 1998). Many organizations, including Cooperative Extension, turn to collaborative work to embrace and capitalize on this change (Boone, 1990; Hutchins, 1992; Patterson, 1998). Increased organizational effectiveness and personal satisfaction result from self-directed work teams (Forsyth, 1999). Organizationally, teams: • Produce higher quality solutions, • Increase customer satisfaction, • Reduce operating costs, • Improve quality and productivity, • Better align workloads, • Retain and attract top employees, • Rapidly response to technological change, • Increase innovation and creativity, • Support risk taking, • Create organizational growth through
