Self Directed Work Teams Essay Research Paper

Self Directed Work Teams Essay, Research Paper

Introduction

The organizational behavior issues that I addressed in this paper pertain to self-managing teams at General Electric s aircraft engine assembly facility in Durham, North Carolina (hereafter referred to as GE ). The article Engines of Democracy from Fast Company magazine is particularly interesting because the self-managed teams at General Electric fit the definition from our class text, Organizational Behavior (1998), almost perfectly. According to this book, Among the management responsibilities allotted each self-managing team is that of continually assessing the work of the team and redesigning the jobs of the team s members (p. 152).

Throughout the article, examples of job and process changes made at GE were noted. The majority of these changes were made to existing company processes prior to the opening of the plant, while the quest for continuous improvement has driven other changes since the facility opened. You will find various examples of these changes throughout this paper. Although our course text Organizational Behavior (1998) just touches on self-managing teams, the situation at GE seems to be a hybrid of not only self-managing teams (p. 152), but of quality circles (p. 151), and TQM (p. 150).

I chose the article Engines of Democracy because I believe that self-directed work teams can be successful in many situations. Unfortunately, they do not formally exist at Commonwealth Edison (my employer), which is a traditional hierarchical company. I also chose this article because jets fascinate me. Simply stated, I am amazed by the fact that something that is so heavy is able to fly so high and so fast. In the article, Charles Fishman (1999) sums up my feelings when he states That someone who lives in Topeka can decide on a whim to go to Tokyo, and be there in less than a day, is truly miraculous (p.180).

In this paper, I have highlighted several success factors at GE, and examples are included where it is appropriate. The success factors included are: (a) Team Dynamics and Job Satisfaction, (b) Employee Selection and Skill Level, (c) Work Methods, (d) Employee Pride and Motivation, and (e) Telling Remarks about Commitment.

The research methods used to create the GE organization are most similar to the Explicit Theory. Robert Henderson and his managers were responsible for opening the GE plant in Durham, North Carolina. Mr. Henderson decided that the assembly work would be done in the most radical fashion possible. In researching how this would be done, Henderson and his team researched best practices , by visiting other factories looking for ideas and methods that would empower his employees with authority and independence (Fishman, 1999, p. 188).

The GE organization also has a hint of the Action Research Method, although it does not appear that it was intentionally used in the development of the organization, nor do all of the stages of the Action Research Model apply to GE.

Team Dynamics and Job Satisfaction

The GE plant has a staff of 170 employees, and 1 plant manager. Teams are responsible for the production of engines from start to finish, and they are told only 1 thing the date the engine needs to be on a truck. Team members handle all other facets of management. In the empowered atmosphere, decisions are made by consensus. The concept of teamwork is obvious, and a remark of employee by Keith McKee, who stated I have 15 bosses all of my teammates are my bosses (Fishman, 1999, p. 192) is indicative of the work environment. In addition, the former plant manager, Paula Sims stated that We call this the feedback capital of the world (Fishman, 1999, p. 192). No one is exempt from feedback. Early in Ms. Sim s assignment, an employee told her that there was no need for her to micromanage the employees, because when she told them to do something, it would get done. I find this refreshing.

In Organizational Management (1998), job satisfaction is defined as a pleasurable feeling that results from the perception that one s job fulfills or allows for the fulfillment of one s important job values (p.107). Since the article makes no mention of the measurement of job satisfaction, I believe we can measure employee satisfaction by the turn over rate, which is less than five-percent annually. The article also includes some individual remarks relating to job satisfaction. For example, employee Pat Miller commented on previous jobs that he held, I had not input at all-none. I m much happier here. I [italics added] can change what goes on (Fishman, 1999, p. 184).

Employee Selection and Skill Level

With members of the plant conducting interviews of potential co-workers, GE uses extensive interviews that encompass eleven skill areas to evaluate candidates. Interviews have been known to last 8 hours, and they include interactive exercises.

It was also decided that all employees should be FAA-certified mechanics. This is the only GE facility that has such a requirement. The rationale behind this thinking is that candidates will already possess valuable training if they are hired. As stated by Robert Henderson, who was in charge of opening the facility, That would mean that we d start with a better caliber of employee (Fishman, 1999, p. 188). This remark fits the same line of thinking of another successful businessma