The Effectiveness of Self-Managed Work Teams in Government Organizations

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of self-managed work teams in government organizations. The article discussed three distinct indicators to organizational effectiveness: participant satisfaction, goal attainment, and system resources. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Data were collected from a national survey of 176 city government employees from 24 American cities. Both self-management and teamwork were positively related to resource attainment. The study also found that teamwork related positively to job satisfaction as well as team performance. In addition, both self-management and teamwork were indirectly associated with team members’ job satisfaction through team resource attainment. The central implication is that self-managed work teams can improve the effectiveness of organizational practice. However, the effect of self-managed work teams varies in terms of different indicators of effectiveness. Teamwork is a more powerful tool to increase organizational effectiveness than the self-management factor. The most significant contribution of this study comes in the investigation of complex causal relationships among the effectiveness indicators and factors about self-managed work teams. These findings offer a more realistic model of how self-managed work teams achieve effectiveness.