An informal structure is a less formal team within a business. An informal structure will have a flat structure, in which each members perspective on the task is valued. There is not as much hierarchy within these teams. The advantages of an informal structure is that it allows for everyone to have an opinion no matter how much authority they have. This can also give the members a sense of feeling valued. In addition, an informal structure will create a more relaxed working environment. On the other hand, an informal structure can create a too relaxed working environment, thus slowing down the speed and quality of work. Through informal teams, Leadership roles are taken into place. This allows people to prepare for formal teams.
A team will choose a formal structure to ensure that the aim of the team is achieved through a devised plan. A formal structure has a hierarchy with a stronger sense of authority as opposed to an informal structure. Through using a formal structure, decisions will be made by someone of a high authority however, the team will be more likely to achieve their aim on time as the working environment is more formal / strict, compared to an informal, laid back working environment.
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Workers in A&E will use a formal structure, this is because they will be able to follow a certain procedure to complete tasks. Through the use of this structure it ensures that the working environment is as professional as it can be. If workers in A&E have an informal structure, this can increase the chances of an accident happening.
A smaller size team may be chosen as everyone can have a say in the team. In addition, communication is a lot easier and less people will have to be notified. A smaller team is ideal for smaller tasks which require less people. For example, a smaller team will be acquired in a situation such as Bar staff. This means that the right amount of people are doing a job. If there were a lot of bar staff on one shift, some members won’t contribute or have nothing to contribute to. This can link into the Ringelmann effect where he states that “Bigger groups mean less responsibility”.
A larger size team is ideal for large scale tasks, or tasks that will take longer with a smaller team. Having a large team means that you can achieve the task a lot quicker and under more time pressure. In addition, having a larger team allows you to cover more roles at once and each individual has less work to do.
Members in A&E have a mix of both small and large teams. As a whole, they work as a larger team and collectively. Through the mix of both small and large teams, this allows the workforce to specialise in certain areas.
A temporary team is a team that only stays together for a short duration of time / once the target goal is released. A temporary team may be beneficial if you are only aiming to achieve one goal in a small time. This means that once when you have achieved your goal, the team will disband. Having a temporary team each time you set a new goal allows you to work alongside a diverse amount of people, and have people with new skills sets each time. However, you will only have the team workers for a certain duration of time. This means that each time you get a new team, you will get new members. A temporary team is ideal for short tasks.
A permanent team is fairly self explanatory, it’s a team that are constantly working together. may be beneficial if you strive to achieve long term goals, or many tasks. This is so you are used to how your team operate together and each member over a duration of time will get to know each other and understand their skills and flaws. In addition, a permanent team is good for longer tasks.
A virtual team can be people who work from different geographical locations. This sort of team may be beneficial as you can rely on them to perform a specific task whilst you can get on with other tasks that need to be fulfilled within the team. In addition, if a worker lives in another country, the use of virtual teams remove the barrier for cost implications such as travelling between countries for meetings, which can cost thousands.
A horizontally organised team means that each department is under authorisation by one team, and that team are under authorisation of another. With these being separated across the hierarchy, this ensures that each team gets the attention and supervision that it needs, by the right authority. Meaning that the tasks can be complete to the full potential.