Reflections on Organizing and Managing in Self-Managed Knowledge-Work Teams: A Constructionist Turn

Abstract

This chapter employs social construction, communication, and leadership perspectives as framing for a retrospective analysis of the construction and management of two highly syntalic, cohesive self-managed knowledge-work teams in a service organization operating across culturo-graphic boundaries. The retrospection focuses on the social-narrative construction and development of the self-managed teams and teamwork in the context of fast changing conditions in the business environment. Grounded in the constructionist epistemology, the self-managed teamwork is re-examined from an updated symbolic convergence perspective. The bona fide teams’ stages of development and progress toward convergence and coalition are described. The high cohesiveness and syntality of the teams are re-examined as mindful and heedful interrelating in the light of constructionist theory. The chapter posits communication, especially talk, as critical to constructing and organizing the sets of interacts, roles, and behaviors that are involved in self-managing and self-leading teams.