Teamworking: Redesigning the Organization for Manufacturing Improvements

Abstract

This paper argues that our understanding of the different forms of teamworking in manufacturing is aided by placing teamworking within an organizational and a strategic context. The argument is developed firstly by considering changes in the manufacturing environment which have resulted in the need to overcome the legacy of traditional organization and move to contemporary forms emphasizing quality and flexibility. Secondly, there follows a discussion of the role of teamworking in the current literature, particularly that focussing on 'new wave' manufacturing. Thirdly, extracts from one of our fourteen in-depth case studies from field work are presented as examples. This is of a car assembly plant, which used teamworking as a vehicle for major organizational change. Data analysis used Hinings and Greenwood's (H.R. Hinings & R. Greenwood, Understanding Organisational Design (Oxford, Blackwell, 1989)) theoretical framework, arguing the relevance of that model to aid our understanding of teamworking, both in terms of utilizing an organizational perspective and of recognizing and defining different team archetypes. Finally, the article concludes by summarizing the main findings of the research so far, emphasizing the benefits of taking a strategic approach to teamworking.