Which term describes a team-based design where teams or workgroups collaborate across boundaries to improve performance?

Which term describes a team-based design where teams or workgroups collaborate across boundaries to improve performance?

• A. Matrix Structure
• B. Horizontal Structures
• C. Modular Structure
• D. Virtual Structure

Answer: (B)

Horizontal structures emphasize coordinating work across traditional departmental boundaries by forming cross-functional teams that collaborate to boost performance. In this design, teams from different areas—such as marketing, engineering, and operations—work together as a unit with shared goals, reducing silos and speeding decision-making. This setup directly describes a team-based design where people across boundaries collaborate to improve performance. The other structures describe different arrangements: a matrix structure adds dual reporting lines and can introduce complexity rather than pure boundary-spanning teamwork; a modular structure centers on outsourcing components of a product to external suppliers; a virtual structure relies on technology to coordinate a dispersed workforce rather than necessarily fostering cross-boundary teamwork within one organization.

Horizontal structures emphasize coordinating work across traditional departmental boundaries by forming cross-functional teams that collaborate to boost performance. In this design, teams from different areas—such as marketing, engineering, and operations—work together as a unit with shared goals, reducing silos and speeding decision-making. This setup directly describes a team-based design where people across boundaries collaborate to improve performance. The other structures describe different arrangements: a matrix structure adds dual reporting lines and can introduce complexity rather than pure boundary-spanning teamwork; a modular structure centers on outsourcing components of a product to external suppliers; a virtual structure relies on technology to coordinate a dispersed workforce rather than necessarily fostering cross-boundary teamwork within one organization.