Question 27

Self-managed work teams take on many responsibilities of their former supervisors.

Self-managed work teams are designed to operate independently and take on various responsibilities that would typically fall to supervisors. These teams are empowered to make decisions and manage their own work processes.

A) Cross-functional team

Cross-functional teams are composed of members from different departments or areas of expertise who collaborate on a project. While they do contribute diverse perspectives, they do not typically take on the supervisory responsibilities of their former managers, making this option incorrect.

B) Self-managed work team

Self-managed work teams are characterized by their autonomy and accountability, assuming many tasks and responsibilities previously held by supervisors. This includes decision-making, planning, and team management, which aligns perfectly with the question's focus.

C) Problem-solving team

Problem-solving teams are formed to address specific issues or challenges and usually operate for a limited time. Although they may have some level of autonomy, they do not formally take on the broader responsibilities of supervisors, thus this option is not correct.

D) Virtual team

Virtual teams collaborate remotely using technology to communicate and work together. While they can be self-managed, the term does not inherently imply that they take on supervisory responsibilities, making this option less accurate in the context of the question.

Conclusion

Self-managed work teams are distinctly capable of taking on the responsibilities of supervisors, which is a defining characteristic of their structure. In contrast, cross-functional, problem-solving, and virtual teams do not inherently adopt supervisory roles, which makes them unsuitable answers for this question. Thus, option B is clearly the right choice.