ABSTRACT
Throughout government organizations, and the public sector more broadly, there are numerous examples of multiteam systems (MTSs). Although some of these are ad hoc in nature (e.g., the system of teams that emerged in responding to Hurricane Katrina), others are more permanent and intentionally structured (e.g., the National Counter Terrorism Center, combining teams from intelligence and law enforcement agencies with a singular focus). Importantly, these systems of teams—or a reasonable facsimile thereof—exist in numerous organizations, often in the “middle management” layers where coordination between multiple agencies and organizations is a critical point of failure. Here we attempt to provide an array of examples of governmental and public sector multiteam systems operating in a variety of contexts—specifically, railway management in the Netherlands, public safety in Canada for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and security force assistance and stabilization operations from a U.S. military perspective. Through these descriptions, we hope to provide a sense of the richness and complexity of multiteam systems as they exist in the public sector as well as some of the particular challenges faced in these types of organizations.
