rk teams involve employees in a specific area, or those who are working on a specific product or process. Self directed work teams can be any size, we usually use 5 team members but normally run no more than 12 to 15 employees. The work team makes the decisions that would normally be made by a supervisor or manager, and might interact with the company's suppliers and customers, whether they are inside or outside the company. In some companies, self-directed work teams will also take over many of the human resource functions as well (Cotton, 1993). Self directed work teams have also become one of the more changing approaches to employee involvement, and has been increasing in popularity within the last several years. Companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Digital Equipment, General Mills, Federal Express and other well known companies, are reorganizing their employees into self directed work teams. In a recent survey, 476 Fortune 500 companies found that although only 7% of the work force is organized into self directed work teams, management at half of these companies said that they will be relying on them more in years ahead. (Cotton, 1993). Establishing Self-Directed Work Teams. There are nine basic steps in establishing self-directed work teams: Developing a shared vision, Empowerment Training Presence of a supportive culture Developing performance expectations and feedback Establishing boundaries Developing an appropriate pay system Constructing the appropriate physical layout of facilities (where applicable) Developing friendly union interaction. (Berger, 1998),(Cotton, 1993). The benefits I have witness at this company from utilizing these theory Y employee empowerment methods are increased morale from a more satisfying and effective workplace. More personal pride in the quality of the product we have at Harbinger. Although there are some noted disadvantages to self directed teams such as some team member's unwillingness to ch...
