2. Famous Quotes
“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance”.
Socrates
Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)
“You know everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects”.
Will Rogers, New York Times Aug. 31 1924
US humorist & showman (1879 - 1935)
“By all means marry; if you get a good wife or husband, you'll
be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher”.
Socrates
Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)
3. Overview
Define self-managed teams
Origins of self-managed teams
Comparison between conventional and self
managed teams
Benefits of self-managed teams to an organization
Challenges of implementing self-managed teams
4. Self-Managed Teams Defined
Self-management teams work toward goals that are
defined by a staff person outside the team. A self-directed
team defines its own goals. While the self-management
team is independent, the team members are
interdependent. The team is self-regulating, operating
with few external controls. Team members determine
schedules, procedures and the need to make
adjustments. Self-management teams are used in
different work environments, including manufacturing,
service industries, professional services and virtual
environments. Effective self-management team models
are appropriate for the type of work performed, the
workplace environment and the structure of the business.
5. Self-Management Teams
Origins
The origins of self-managing teams‟ concept lie in the late
1940‟s and early 1950‟s. In an effort to find organizational
forms that would help increase productivity in post-war
Britain, researchers at the Tavistock Institute, discovered
coalmines in Durham in which miners worked in highly
autonomous groups. The productivity of these teams was
higher, while absenteeism rates proved to be lower than
in the more traditionally organized mines, where work
was organized around individual tasks and possibilities of
self-management were only very limited the results of the
study gave to a new concept called self-managing work
teams.
6. Comparisons
Comparison between conventional teams and self-managing work teams
Traditional/conventional teams Self managing work teams
Task domain Production tasks only Whole process, intact
Innovation/ Focus on goal achievement Focus on continuous
improvement improvements
Control Supervisor directly controls daily Team controls daily activities
activities through group decisions
Management/ Management role: direct control Manager: coach/facilitator
leadership Leadership: top down Leadership shared with team
Job design Many narrow jobs, performed by Process is subdivided into team
Individuals tasks, team fulfills „whole task‟
7. Benefits
Create a stronger sense of commitment to the work effort
among members
Improve quality, speed, and innovation.
Have more satisfied employees and lower turnover and
absenteeism
Facilitate faster new product development
Allow cross trained team members greater flexibility in
dealing with personnel shortages due to illness or
turnover
Keep operational cost down because of reduction in
managerial ranks and increased efficiencies.
8. Challenges Implementing
Managers who are accustomed to traditional and
autocratic management may resist or undermine
team approach.
Unfamiliar with new structure and routine.
Adjusting to team responsibilities.
Personality and behavior conflicts.
9. Conclusion
In conclusion self-managed work teams can help a
company improve its bottom line, foster team work,
and boost employee morale. However, the difficult
part is changing attitudes, behaviors, and resolving
conflicts.
10. Works Cited
1. Enid Mumford (1996). Socio-Technical Design: An
Unfulfilled promise or a Future Opportunity
www.enid.unet.com
2. Chatfield, M 2005. Self-Directed and Self-Managed
Teams www.irism.com
3. Chansler, P & and Swamidass, PM 2010. Self-Managing
Work Teams, An Empirical Study of Group Cohesiveness
in “Natural Work Groups” at a Harley-Davidson Motor
Plant
4. Benefits and Challenges of Self-Managed Work Teams,
2004 University of Houston, Victoria. www.uhv.edu
