Which team structure operates with members who may be empowered and work without direct supervision to achieve goals?

• A. Self-managed Teams
• B. Functional Teams
• C. Project Teams
• D. Virtual Teams

Answer: (A)

Self-managed teams operate with members who are empowered to organize their own work and make decisions without constant supervision. They take collective responsibility for achieving goals, plan tasks, set deadlines, allocate roles, and monitor progress. This autonomy fosters ownership, speed, and adaptability, which fits environments where waiting for a supervisor would slow progress.

Functional teams are organized by specialty and typically rely on a manager to assign tasks. Project teams are formed for a specific initiative and usually guided by a project lead or manager. Virtual teams are defined by dispersed locations and technology, and while they can be self-directed, the defining feature isn’t inherent autonomy from supervision. Thus, the described setup aligns best with self-managed teams.