n and LaFasto, 1989, pp. 7 26). One of the most important manifestations of the team organization decision making technique is the quality circles concept that was pioneered in Japanese manufacturing organizations, and which, in the 1990s, is found in a number of major American organizations.
Most organizational structures are product/process or functional based (Gortner, Mahler, and Nicholson, 1989, p. 110). Mixed organizational structures, however, have long been common. The hybrid organizational structure attempts to combine the advantages of both product/process based and functional based structures "while avoiding the weaknesses of each" (Gortner, Mahler, and Nicholson, 1989, p. 110). The matrix organizational structure groups staff into functional areas, with temporary assignments to special project groups, or teams (Gortner, Mahler, and Nicholson, 1989, p. 110). Such special project teams are multi functional in character (Gortner, Mahler, and Nicholson, 1989, p. 110). This approach to the team concept "produces a matrix in which the columns
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