Cross Functional Teams are the basis of our process improvement efforts in any organization. Because of that it is critical that members of the team be comprised of those who are working to solve our organizational issues be there because they really want to resolve the issues.

What the team does not need is team members who are there in body only. Team members must be actively involved in the problem solving effort. This means that they need to listen to the vies and ideas of others. This means that they need to contribute their own thoughts. I do not mean thoughts that they think is what management wants to hear, but ideas that are inherent in the problem issues. I mean be willing to rock the boat if necessary with fresh viewpoints regarding the needs of the customers.

An integral part of the TLS Continuum Empowerment model is the role of the empowered team. A team grounded in diversity of ideas, new tools and solutions. The team must be willing to make the effort to put the voice of the customer ahead of the organization. The team must be real in their suggestions and efforts to improve the organizational processes. If the team members approach these three pillars without authenticity they run the risk of not improving any processes or meeting the needs of the customers.