Succeeding with self-managed work teams.

Self-managed work teams are known by many different names: self-directed, self-maintaining, self-leading, and self-regulating work teams to name a few. No matter which name is used, by definition they are groups of employees who are responsible for a complete, self-contained package of responsibilities that relate either to a final product or an ongoing process. Team members possess a variety of technical skills and are encouraged to develop new ones to increase their versatility, flexibility, and value to the work team. The team is responsible for monitoring and reviewing the overall process or product (through performance scheduling and by inspecting the team's own work), as well as assigning problem-solving tasks to group members. The teams create a climate that fosters creativity and risk-taking, in which members listen to each other and feel free to put forth ideas without being criticized.

From humble beginnings

The concept of self-managed work teams is not new. They are a direct outgrowth of sociotechnical systems theory and design developed by Eric Trist and his colleagues in England four decades ago. The theory contends that organizations intimately combine people and technology in complex forms to produce outputs. This process is supported through sub-systems. The technical sub-system, for example, consists of the equipment, technologies, and methods of operations used to transform raw material into products or services. The social sub-system includes the work structure that causes people to interact with both technologies and each other.

The primary means of implementing the sociotechnical systems approach has been cross-sectional design teams, which usually implement planned change programs, initiate improvements, and encourage learning. The concept works only when team members understand their goals and are committed to achieving them. Therefore, team members are involved in formulating tasks so that they feel invested in the process and dedicated to accomplishing the stated goals. Figure 1 summarizes the major differences between traditional employee involvement and self-managed work teams.

Self-managed work teams have become more common as the evolution of total quality management has continued. In fact, many companies consider such teams to be the productivity breakthrough of the 1990s. Quality and productivity have improved, turnover and absenteeism have been reduced, job classifications have been streamlined, and relationships with unions have improved (Figure 2).