Final answer:
Work groups established to design work assignments and establish tasks are known as divisions, illustrating the concept of division of labor, especially in settings like an assembly line. Divisions allocate specific tasks to employees based on their expertise, responding to changes in workplace dynamics effectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
Work groups that are established by an organization to design work assignments and establish tasks are commonly referred to as divisions. In an organizational context, divisions represent a systematic approach to dividing work into manageable segments, which aligns with the principle known as the division of labor. This concept is exemplified by workers on an assembly line, where each worker is responsible for a specific, specialized task that contributes to the end product.
The creation of divisions allows for a clear and efficient structure where tasks are distributed according to the specialties and expertise of the workforce. In a shifting landscape affected by technology, economics, globalization, and demographics, the use of teams and work divisions has become a strategic response to improve productivity and manage complexity. However, as suggested by Naquin & Tynan (2003), the efficiency of such team-based structures is an active field of study, highlighting that divisions of labor, while common, are not always the perfect solution in every scenario.