Acme Minerals: Teamwork in Organization
Chapter 19: Teamwork in Organizations
Teamwork in Organization
Suwat L. 4643287626
Hongnapa T. 4643288 26
Hattaya S.4643289926
Anisha J.46432
Edoardo B.4643293 26
Kanyachanit S.4643294026
Case Study : Chapter 19 Acme Minerals Extraction Company
ACME successfully introduced teams at the Wichita plant in order to improve morale and productivity. For ACME it was important to bridge the gap between the employees working in the "brains" which worked with sophisticated technology and were highly educated, and those working in the "browns" which were primarily skilled and semi-skilled employees that worked in the underground extracting operations.
To solve the conflicts between the two parts ACME hired an external consultant, Suzanne Howard. At the Wichita plant Ms Howard had the luck of finding Donald Peterson which was a long time employee who had been working in almost all the lines and positions at ACME. Mr. Peterson became the key to solving ACME problems since he understood both the "brains" and the "browns".
The first step became encouraging talking across these groups. To do so monthly meetings were instituted for employees to freely participate to discuss their problems. In six months time the meetings became lively and led to many positive discussions and solutions.
The next step was creating SPITS, "select a problem and implement a tailored solution." These were multi-division teams that had a limited lifespan and were created ad-hoc to solve a problem that emerged at a discussion meeting.
From these formal meetings more informal meeting developed with employees participating in softball games and meeting for a few beers at the bar.
After the successful experience at the Wichita plant, ACME decided to implement the same team-based approach at its Lubbock plant. Ms Howard was once again in charge of implementing the strategy, but this time she didn't have the support of Donald Peterson.
Teamwork in Organization
Suwat L. 4643287626
Hongnapa T. 4643288 26
Hattaya S.4643289926
Anisha J.46432
Edoardo B.4643293 26
Kanyachanit S.4643294026
Case Study : Chapter 19 Acme Minerals Extraction Company
ACME successfully introduced teams at the Wichita plant in order to improve morale and productivity. For ACME it was important to bridge the gap between the employees working in the "brains" which worked with sophisticated technology and were highly educated, and those working in the "browns" which were primarily skilled and semi-skilled employees that worked in the underground extracting operations.
To solve the conflicts between the two parts ACME hired an external consultant, Suzanne Howard. At the Wichita plant Ms Howard had the luck of finding Donald Peterson which was a long time employee who had been working in almost all the lines and positions at ACME. Mr. Peterson became the key to solving ACME problems since he understood both the "brains" and the "browns".
The first step became encouraging talking across these groups. To do so monthly meetings were instituted for employees to freely participate to discuss their problems. In six months time the meetings became lively and led to many positive discussions and solutions.
The next step was creating SPITS, "select a problem and implement a tailored solution." These were multi-division teams that had a limited lifespan and were created ad-hoc to solve a problem that emerged at a discussion meeting.
From these formal meetings more informal meeting developed with employees participating in softball games and meeting for a few beers at the bar.
After the successful experience at the Wichita plant, ACME decided to implement the same team-based approach at its Lubbock plant. Ms Howard was once again in charge of implementing the strategy, but this time she didn't have the support of Donald Peterson.