Cross-functional teams derive their strength from homogeneity. True False Cross-functional teams are usually charged with developing new products or investigating and improving a companywide problem such as the need to increase speed and efficiency across departmental lines or the need to adopt a new companywide computer system. Cross-functional teams derive their strength from diversity. By including representatives from all or most of an organization's primary functional areas, the team can diagnose a problem from multiple perspectives simultaneously, ensuring that all relevant points of view are taken into account. This can speed up the problem-solving process and result in an outcome that the various departments affected by the change more readily accept. Case in point: Prior to producing its LH line of cars, Chrysler followed what most would call a serial design process. Engineering would design a car and throw it over the wall to manufacturing. "We can't build this," manufacturing would reply, sending it back over the wall to engineering. This would continue for months or years until marketing was charged with marketing a car that no one wanted. From product inception to market, this process could take as long as six years or more. By that time, technologies were obsolete and other companies easily stole market share. Realizing this, Chrysler moved to a simultaneous, cross-functional, team-based design process. Everyone who had a stake in or was affected by the design of a new product was on a team that hashed it out-together. This included people from marketing. sales, engineering, design, among others. These meetings had conflict, but the conflict was actually helpful. Chrysler was able to reduce the cycle time from over 72 months to less than 18 months! Another example of a cross-functional team is a top management team. In many large organizations, the CEO typically makes strategic decisions in collaboration with the leaders of the major functional areas. Even at this level in the organization, top management recognizes their individual strengths and weaknesses and the value that diverse perspectives can add when making key organizational decisions. For example, Walt Disney, after a few failed business attempts, used his vision for turning cartoons into a franchise as a draw to put together a top management team. His base team, which was comprised of people with varying skills and a reputation for excellence, Which of the following statements is true of a task force? It is more expensive to form a task force than hiring outside consultants. It allows management to allocate resources at will to various projects as the needs of the company change. It operates across time, space, and organizational boundaries using means other than face-to-face meetings. It is required to coordinate work without ongoing direction from a supervisor or manager