SELF – MANAGED WORK

TEAMS

Presented by:
Prachi
The Sociotechnical Systems
Approach

social techni
cal

Biological Mechanical
&psychosoc & physical
ial laws laws
Self-managed Work Teams
qThey are groups of employees who are responsible
for a complete, self-contained package of
responsibilities that relate either to a final product
or an ongoing process.

qTeam members possess a variety of technical skills

and are encouraged to develop new ones to
increase their versatility, flexibility, and value to the
work team.

qThe team is responsible for monitoring and

reviewing the overall process or product, as well as
assigning problem-solving tasks to group members.

qThe teams create a climate that fosters creativity

and risk-taking, in which members listen to each
Model of Self-Managed Work
teams
Team
Task Design

Team Team
Process Team Performance
Interventio Functioning and Member
Satisfaction

OrganisationSuppo
rt Systems
 Team Task Design
üTask Differentiation

üBoundary Control

üTask Control
 Team Process Interventions

• Training programs

• Workshops

• On the job training

Organisation Support Systems
Ø Recruitment and Selection
Ø Training
Ø Evaluation and Reward Systems
Ø Leadership Support Systems
Ø Use of Freed-up time
 Application Stages
I. Sanctioning the
design effort
II. Diagnosing the work
system
III. Generating
appropriate designs
IV. Specifying support
systems
V. Implementing and
evaluating the work
designs
VI. Continual change and
Results of Self-managed
teams
REPORTED SELF-MANAGED TEAMS
SUCCESSES
 Flip side of the coin
• Improvements in job satisfaction but no effects on
job motivation, work performance, organizational
commitment.
• Major benefits are economic , deriving from the
needs for less supervision.
• Undermined individual discretion, autonomy and
initiative.
Succeeding with self-managed
workteams – the chevron way
The Kern River Asset Team is made up of 80
employees and is a part of Chevron's Western
Production Business Unit and South Valley
Profit Center

Main task -produce oil from Chevron

properties in Kern River Field in Bakersfield,
Calif.

Prior to 1995, the Kern River Asset Team was

itself a profit center with many small asset
 problems
Each asset team was responsible for
all the work processes -it was
difficult for teams to link those
processes to broader objectives.

Since individuals did not work

together daily, they could not
develop broader, big-picture
knowledge of the processes they
managed.
 A new structure
• Kern River Profit Center was downsized
to the Kern River Asset Team
High-performance teams
Employee empowerment
Process improvement

• A design team was formed to draw up

plans for the self-managed work teams
• Members were selected from every
area that was affected by the
reorganization
 Contd…
• interviews and meetings-the design
team reviewed tasks from each
functional and operational area
• Clearly defined boundaries were set
for process-specific responsibilities
for each group.
• 11 self managed teams- 5 to 8
members-balanced for technical
expertise and social and leadership
skills.
Training for the teams
 The road to success
• A coach for each team,
who met regularly with a
guidance team to
monitor overall progress
and effectiveness.
• A training program to
develop basic skills such
as team-building,
problem-solving,
communication, conflict
resolution, and time
management, as well as
participation,
 Bumps in the road

ØUnfamiliarity with the new organization

ØNew daily routines
ØAdjusting to limitations of duties
imposed by the new plans
ØFocus on specific (and process-related)
team responsibilities.
ØPersonal, cultural, and behavioral
adjustments
ØAttending team meetings was no longer
 The root

LACK OF
COMMUNICATION !!
!
 Finding a place
üAdding more asset value than
competitors had through exploration,
development, and acquisition
üGenerating more profit per barrel
than competitors
üEnsuring that all business activities
are fully compliant
 The results
Despite some early confusion, many
process improvements have been
initiated:

üChemical pump repair

üSub-surface pump usage
üAutomatic well tester service
 conclusion
“Successful re-engineering of an
organization with self-managing
teams is not a quick fix. It requires a
great deal of effort, commitment,
and support from all members of the
organization.”