Organizational Behavior Self-Directed Work Teams:

Organizational Behavior

Self-directed work teams: a comparative advantage

Source (publication name or URL): Quality Digest, http://www.qualitydigest.com/nov95/html/self-dir.html

Publication Date: 1995

Subject / Main Ideas / Concepts of article:

Williams focuses on a real life application of self-managed teams at 3-M, where "employees join together to manage their daily work through self-directed work teams" (Williams, 1995). The article commences by revealing the fact that employees make decisions on daily basis and that these decisions could be integrated within the workplace. Before continuing this discussion, the author sets out to offer a comprehensive and clear understanding of the concept of self-directed work teams. From his standpoint, they represent teams which make decisions relative to problem solution, plan implementation, control and so on; in other words, they represent teams which manage themselves.

It is interesting to note that at 3-M, unlike several other organizations, the implementation of self-managing teams did not occur due to managerial pressures to increasing production levels, but as a natural evolution stage from within the internal environment of the company, starting from its manufacturing plants, and continuing through administrative functions. All in all, it is stated that the adoption of self-managed teams represented a "breakthrough approach to designing work" (Williams, 1995).

The article continues with a presentation of several success measures which have been attained with the implementation of self-managed teams. And these successes are not only observable within 3-M, but also within other economic entities. Yet, despite the realized successes and the theoretical advantages, fact remains that self-managed teams reveal several limitations and challenges as well. The article comes to an end by proposing a plan for implementation and focusing on the necessity to create an adequate organizational culture.

Identify points that seemed new or insightful to you:

A highly valuable dimension of the article is given by its integration of a real life situation. This type of articles which detail an actual situation are relatively scarce as the theoreticians tend to focus on demonstrating the benefits of the implementation of self-managed teams, rather than actually offering a plan based on which the implementation could be completed, or revealing a real life situation with which the readers (and especially the managers or the future managers) can identify. This novel approach makes the article a valuable and interesting piece of reading.

What questions, concerns, difficulties do these reading raise?

The article was most likely constructed on a qualitative research methodology, which virtually implies the observation of the working community at the 3-M company. While the findings are relevant in the context analyzed, they cannot be extrapolated to characterize the entire business community. In other words, the difficulty would be that of proving the applicability of the findings and their soundness in the greater context.

Relevance to course material, other observations and comments: