e contrary, the General Electric plant in Durham, which manufactures jet engines, is a truly special example of today’s management being implemented and working. This plant was opened in 1993 and still operates to this date as a totally self-managing facility. There are more than 170 employees and just one boss – the plant manager. Everyone reports to her. Therefore, on a day-to-day basis, the people who work there have no boss. They essentially run themselves. Teams of nine people are formed and given just one directive – the day that their next engine must be loaded onto a truck. All other decisions like who does what work; how to balance training, vacations, overtime against work flow; how to make the manufacturing process more efficient; and how to handle teammates who are slacking off; all stays within the team. The workers manage everything from process-improvement and work schedules to overtime budgets. Traditionally assembly line techniques of Ford are not used in this plant. Rather, multi-skilling. “That’s how the place is kept together.” (Fast Company 188) Each team ‘owns’ an engine from the beginning to the end of assembly. Members of the team do the jobs that interest them and no one ever does the same job shift after shift, day after day. They alternate – learning and teaching each other as they go. There are no time clocks to check in and out, giving the workers freedom to leave to go to their children’s school functions. The plant manager is situated in an open cubicle that’s located right on the factory floor. She sits there and does her own work, making herself available to them but never walks around checking up on them. This empowers the employees and they don’t feel that they are being scrutinized, being forced to work efficiently and effectively. This complete hand-off technique allows for the worker to gain a pride in what they’re doing f...
