s when producing the new Mustang prototype. Ford produced the Mustang from design concept to the finished product under budget and in record time. (Dumaine)However, many companies and managers are put off by the very mention of the work team. Some people see teams as just another management fad, while others in management have had bad experiences with teams that have failed. As Magee points out, "ill-functioning teams can cause disastrous effects on the individuals involved, the organization's service delivery and customer service reputation, and the mood of the entire organization." (1997;26) So there is little wonder shy many organizations and managers are disillusioned by teams and very cautious to implement them. Evidence of this apprehension could be interpreted from a study conducted by the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California. The Center conducted a survey of Fortune 1000 companies and found that 68% of them used self-managed work teams. However, only 10% of total workers are involved in such teams. (Dumaine) These results could suggest that most companies are still learning about work teams and are not ready to throw themselves into committing large portions of their workforce to work teams. As organizations and managers hear the success stories of Federal Express, IDS, and Ford, they want to reap the benefits of successful team implementation as well. However, they obviously want to steer clear of the possible problems and costs that unsuccessful team implementation can produce.Although all teams require maintenance and costs, they can be fine-tuned to keep these costs to a minimum, which will also maximize the team's success. One way to do this is with planning. Failure to adequately plan and study for the team building process can get your very expensive team into trouble. This could lead to an unfavorable beginning for the team, which may sabotage the team in the long ru...
