Definition
A
self-directed team is a multiskilled cross-functional group of
employees who share responsibilities for producing a particular service
or product.
The difference between a self-directed team and a cross-functional team
is
the self-directed team possesses full-empowerment of responsibility for
results.
The concept of using groups of cross-functional employees in
modern business in the form of a team has been around in the U.S. for
decades.
Self-directed teams have been used in Great Britain and Sweden since
the
1950's.
Cross-functional teams, which are teams of people representing
different functions and functional parts of an organization, have been
used
in the construction industry in the U.S. since the 1960's and earlier
for
specific projects. Other companies used cross-functional teams to
accomplish
special projects. Work teams emerged in the late 1970's as an approach
to
implementing MRPII systems.
The emphasis in the U.S. came during the 1980's after the U.S. lost
substantial market share in major markets. Major competition was from
Japan
in steel, electronics, automotive and other industries. As a response
to
the devastating blow U.S. corporations suffered, they began to look for
new
techniques for doing business differently, and lean. What they found
were
techniques being employed in quality initiative that had been taught to
them
by the U.S in the post World War II era.
As major companies began to restructure themselves for competitiveness
in the 1980's, they began to employ cross-functional teams to create an
integrated
organizational approach to design and implementation, first as project
teams,
then as permanent organizational entities.
The companies also found that the Japanese were using very simple
approaches in manufacturing that cross-fertilized to the U.S. beginning
with
Just-in-Time, TQM, and Kaizen. With the implementation of Just-in-Time
and
Kaizen, U.S. companies began to rearrange shop floors into
manufacturing
cells. With the cells came cell teams that were multi-functional and
multi-skilled.
Simultaneously the TQM concepts developed in the U.S. employed the use
of
quality improvement circles and teams. Eventually With TQM, the idea
proliferated
to other parts of the organization and coupled with the Japanese idea
of
empowerment of workers, became a movement of its own known as
self-directed
work teams. Today, self-directed teams have become a useful device in
managing
change and increasing productivity.
The Issues
Self-directed
work teams have a solid track record and many case studies have been
developed
demonstrated their success. One of the major issues surrounding the use
of self-directed teams is empowerment.
People are empowered when
they are given the authority and responsibility to make decisions
affecting
their work with a minimum of interference and second guessing by
others. When people are empowered they bring their minds to work. They
are engaged
in making decisions that affect their part of the business. They take
responsibility
for their actions. They work free from the petty bureaucratic hassles
that
diminish value and waste time. They add value to the organization by
embracing
the principles of quality and service. They search for ways to make a
difference.
The problem is our view of organizations is based on the military
model of hierarchy and chain of command. People above make the
decisions,
people below carry them out. This model is firmly entrenched and
difficult
to overcome. The problem is many lower and middle level managers have
difficulty
giving up what they perceive is their hard-earned right to make a
decision. Thus they are living in a paradigm that is hard to change.
Resistance to
change is the result of this paradigm.
Pragmatic
Applications
The
use of Self-Directed work Teams can increase competitiveness. One solid
application is using the team as a device to compress total throughput
time
in an organization from order entry through shipment. As an example,
the
development of customer service cells along with collocation of the
cell
members has long proven to show clear results in compressing the time
it
takes to get an order to the shop floor.
But just like anything
else, using Self-Directed Teams is no panacea, nor should it be
embraced
as a religion. It is an operational strategy that, if implemented
properly,
can provide a new dimension to competing: quickly introducing new
customerized
high quality products and delivering them with unprecedented lead
times,
swift decisions, and manufacturing products with high velocity.
Our Approach: Tools from a Toolchest
Rockford Consulting Group applies concepts and technologies as the situation warrants, that result in the ultimate benefit to our clients. We treat strategies, technologies, and methodologies as tools in a toolchest, and use them when they offer practical solutions and achievable results. We believe that each client situation is unique, with its own unique set of solutions. (Please see our managing change programs Managing Change Consulting Services )
Why Us?
Rockford Consulting Group can provide long-term assistance to many companies in a variety of industries. The firm has a cadre of the best management consultants in the world today, providing high quality professionalism through the use of experience and innovation.
We subscribe to the Institute of Management Consultants Code of Professional Conduct. All consultants engaged on projects adhere to its principles. Whenever possible we will use consultants certified in their particular specialty area. Certification assures that consultants have substantial prior experience in their specialty, and their competencies have been tested by the IMC, and verified by a number of clients. This assures our clients that we are assigning the highest qualified consultants in the profession.
We provide technical expertise, team facilitation, leadership, and direction in deciding how you will meet the challenge. We refer you to our Qualification Statement for further details on our background, areas of specialization, concepts and technologies applied, staffing, operating policy, approach, companies and industries served, case studies and references. Equally as important, we train our clients to sustain new methods of manufacturing and the consequential benefits over time. Your company will benefit directly from this training.
We have achieved an efficiency in our approach to assignments that allows us to provide high quality technical and managerial advice in a much shorter amount of time than could be accomplished years ago. We are able to do this because of the extensive consulting experience that each of our specialists has.
©1999 Rockford Consulting Group, Ltd.