4.1 Teams as delegated authority centres
A systematic process should be employed for delegating to teams the authority necessary to resolve problems or complete task. This process should clearly state the limits to a team's authority and responsibility.
Team structures also help us focus on the customers we are trying to satisfy. This assists team leaders and management to target improved planning, and to structure how individuals participate in solving problems and improving performance. This is why many teams now are formed primarily to ensure greater responsiveness and accountability for attainment of specific customer needs. As depicted below, teams have tended to move away from functional responsibilities (e.g. finance, operations, planning) to specific product or services delivered to an identifiable customer (e.g. lender, builder, shopper, etc.).
If the structure of the organisation was such that existing or future team structures were responsible for a set of performance indicators impacting their customers, then the planning teams and the service teams may well be the same. However, as can be seen below, process teams may also be assisted by project teams or teams set up to deal with issues that impact a number of work areas.
Figure 1 Cross-functional project teams
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