This paper presents research on semi-autonomous groups and teamwork in an inter-sectorial sample of 49 firms operating in Brazil, which recognized the use of autonomous teams in its operations. A questionnaire was sent with questions aimed at profiling these firms, the comprehensiveness of the autonomy of their teams, and the results attained by adopting such teams with degrees of autonomy. Data were submitted to appropriate non-parametric statistical treatment, aiming to find possible correlations among characteristics of the firms, the comprehensiveness of the autonomy of the teams, and the respective results. A positive correlation was found between the degree of autonomy of teams and results linked to their superior learning ability, flexibility to respond to changes in the production set-up, and better efficiency of information flow. The method (questionnaire and statistical treatment) may be replicated by other researchers using samples from other firms. It is a survey which offers results that add quantitative data to the effort to analyze the use of autonomy in the country's companies.
Autonomy; Teamwork; Management and work organization; Quantitative Study; Survey research
