Small Business Resources, Business Advice and Forms from AllBusiness.com
 

Succeeding with self-managed work teams.

By Nguyen, Tai T.
Publication: Industrial Management
Date: Thursday, July 1 1999

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).

In addition, make sure to read these articles:

  • Texaco Announces 2000 Reserve Replacement: 172...
  • Business Editors WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2001 Texaco announced today that it replaced 172 percent of its 2000 worldwide combined oil and gas production, ......
  • Berry Petroleum Enters Agreement With SoCal Edison:...
  • Business Editors TAFT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 19, 2001 Berry Petroleum Co. (NYSE:BRY) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Southern California Edison Company ......
  • Diagnosing whether an organization is truly ready...
  • This case study examined employee perceptions regarding the level of organizational readiness to move toward team-based management. The sample consisted of 11 managers, 18 team ......
  • Self-managing work teams: do they really work?
  • Given the fiercely competitive and increasingly global environment, the pressures to increase productivity and improve relationships with customers, and at the same time improve quality ......
  • Teamwork takes time and a lot of energy.
  • Going step by step and practicing the process is how to successfully change a department into a self-managed work team. Here's one HR manager's story....
  • Caution: self-directed work teams.
  • Self-directed work teams--also known as autonomous work teams, self-managed work teams or leaderless work groups--are one of the current rages in the field of organizational ......
  • Building and managing teams.
  • A strong trend in management strategy in recent years has been re-organizing the company into teams. With top executives touting teamwork as a source of ......
  • Self-Managed Work Teams in Health...
  • The author of this book, who is director of human resources development at Memorial Mission Hospital, Asheville, North Carolina, presents a practical approach to the ......
  • The new spin on corporate work teams.
  • WORK TEAMS, THE DARLINGS OF corporate America's reengineering efforts, have taken off. Over the past decade, teaming has become a way of life in virtually ......
  • Managing in the New Millennium: The Art of...
  • Organizations need people who understand leadership and can capably demonstrate its application.
  • Team management.
  • A strong trend in management strategy in recent years has been re-organizing the company into teams. With top executives touting teamwork as a source of ......
  • FERC feels pressure on Kern ROE.
  • Kern River's request that FERC hold oral hearings to review a March 2006 decision by one of its administrative law judges (ALJ) on a rate ......
  • Williams Completes 2001 Kern River Expansion Ahead...
  • Business Editors/Energy Writers SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 2, 2001 A unit of Williams (NYSE: WMB) completed construction of expansion facilities on its Kern River natural ......
  • A TEAM EFFORT.
  • The promise of teams isn't achieved without attention to skills and training. Over the past 15 years, a growing number of American companies have participated ......