Work
Team Structures
Work
structure consists of the process
and layout. Process
includes the operational steps, their sequence, and the required
equipment or technology. Layout is the physical arrangement.
At
a manufacturer of custom commercial windows, preparation of an
order for production required many activities and more time than
the actual production. The activities included sales, engineering,
checking, data entry, scheduling, and purchasing. Separate groups
at separate physical locations performed these tasks. Every order
went through every group. The employees had no common goal and
nobody understood the entire process.
A
re-organization established three work teams and a new layout
co-located team members. Average order processing time went from
about 11 weeks to less than one week. In addition errors were
reduced.
Team
Training and Coaching
Effective
teamwork requires a set of specific skills and behaviors that are
not inherent in our culture. Communication is one
example. Many potential team members are quite good at talking.
Few have effective listening skills. Conflict will arise whenever
two or more people interact. Teams need skills that resolve
conflict and not just bury it or tolerate it. Teams need to manage
their own time and learn to hold effective meetings. Training can
develop these and other skills.
Training
alone will not forge an effective Work Team. Putting
knowledge into practice requires coaching. Coaches observe
interactions and reflect them to the team. This corrects
unproductive behaviors. Coaches also may suggest solutions when
the team is stuck or moving in circles. |
Task
Training
Teams
are especially important for workcells. The work team may not have
enough people to assign one skill set to each person. Workloads
are often unbalanced. If trouble develops on a particular
operation, the team needs to quickly shift members and relieve the
problem. For these and other reasons, teams perform better with
cross training.
Rewards
Reward
systems should be geared to the team rather than individuals.
If bonuses and incentives are part of the reward system, they
should be given for the team’s performance and not
individual performance. Intrinsic rewards such as recognition, or
feelings of accomplishment have more power than monetary
rewards.
Time
Work
teams require time to develop and mature. Members
master new social and technical skills. The team learns to resolve
conflict. Members forge relationships. While some results develop
sooner, it usually takes 18-24 months for a team to reach fully
potential.
A
Team Culture
Managers
and specialists who operate outside the work teams must also
understand them. Teams can be
destroyed by inappropriate personnel policies, pay systems,
supervision, or a few destructive comments from managers and
staff.
Summary
Self
Directed Work Teams
are a powerful means to increase productivity, quality, and
customer response. They make work more fun. While
these improvements are often-order-of magnitude rather than a few
percentage points, they require changes in both management and
individual thinking—a paradigm shift. They also require time,
effort, and tolerance. |
