Management

Week 3: CASE: R.L. Wolfe: Implementing Self-Directed Teams

Introduction

This paper is a case analysis of RL Wolfe's implementing self directed teams; the case discusses how Corpus Christi pipe manufacturing plant considered implementing self directed teams to ameliorate performance.

Background

The Corpus Christi pipe manufacturing plant had successfully implemented self directed teams and wanted their Wolfe plants to follow the same structure however the team coordinator encountered a number of issues between the personnel management and the plant management.

Problem

The coordinator at Corpus Christi plant had four major issues, as a team the group worked fine but individual recognition was lacking. Performance evaluation was also a problem since the workers felt that if they followed peer evaluation it would cause internal disagreements and permanent negative feedback on their file. Another issue was related to the size of the teams and lastly teams wanted a say in the amount of overtime they worked (Garvin and Collins, 2007).

Opportunities

Corpus Christi plant which had a SDT had a better performance than any other plant and if the issues were resolved the plant can continue to outperform other plants.

Recommendations

In order to deal with the individual recognition problem the company should stick with group recognition in order to give a greater sense of team work and to promote a stronger performance. The team should be recognized as a whole, group incentives should be given for high performance.Regarding the performance evaluation problem the coordinator needs to formally introduce all the workers to each other and explain to the team each workers responsibility. It will help the team understand individual performances. Anonymous peer evaluations can be opted for in order to avoid any disagreements or conflicts while evaluations are conducted. The size of the team is not an issue, teams need to have two leaders in order to avoid any disturbances in the team if the leader leaves, the coordinator needs to motivate the employees and keep them strongly united. Management needs to create a strong boundary, decisions regarding over time and vacations should remain with the management in order to avoid any confusions (Anonymous, 2012).

Conclusion

Self directed teams have proven to be effective at Corpus Christi plan and can easily be implemented by other plants however in order to make SDT work effectively it is important to ensure proper management is in place and there is a strong coordinator who can guide the team and keep the team working as a whole at all times.

References

Garvin, D. and Collins, E. (2007) R.L. Wolfe: Implementing Self-Directed Teams

Anonymous (2012) Team Effectiveness, Retrieved from:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_84.htm

Week 4: How could the communication between the HI managers and hotel employees have been improved?

Introduction

As the market economy began developing in the region Roaring Dragon Hotel was reluctant to give up its current work practices and implement the new work standards being implemented which drastically caused the hotel to lose popularity and income. By 2001 the Hotel management felt that it needed to modernize itself before it continued to lose popularity. In 2002 Hotel International took over the management of Roaring Dragon ...