For companies to be competitive, decisions have to be made faster than ever before, and expenses have to be lower. The hierarchical environment did not support fast decision making. Decisions flowed through a chain of command. If a decision was beyond your authority, you would have to refer it to your supervisor, who would then refer it to their manager, who would then refer it to ... and so on. The point is that decisions took too long. Further, considering the time required by the people involved in the process, it was also very costly.

In a team based environment, the boundaries for making decisions and the necessary authority have been expanded tremendously. Now, in many environments, the person doing the job makes the decision. This change in the decision making process has resulted in faster, less costly decisions which, in turn, helps keeps a product or service priced competitively.

"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." Vince Lombardi

A team based environment demands that you make responsible decisions; it requires you to take charge of your career. It requires you to develop excellent interpersonal skills because you have to interact at a much different level with your team members. No longer is it just you and your job!

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Helen Keller

When you stop and think about a team based environment, it is perhaps the best structure we could ask for. Why do I say this? Because, we are adults who are quite capable of making decisions. In our personal life, for example, we do not have a manager to run to and ask permission. We are accountable for our decisions in our personal life so why shouldn't we be just as accountable in our work life.

"Coming together is a beginning,
staying together is progress,
and working together is success."
Henry Ford

Catherine Pulsifer is one of the editors of Words of Wisdom 4 U, http://www.wow4u.com. You will find a collection of motivational and inspirational thoughts, stories, quotes, poems, smiles, proverbs, and more at Words of Wisdom 4 U! She is also the author of "Wings for Work", read excerpts from the book at http://www.wow4u.com