Self-Managed Teams: Quality Improvement in Action

With the number of workforce-age employees decreasing and the percentage of math and science students dwindling, the competition for highly trained and motivated employees is intense. Companies are responding to this fierce competition in a variety of ways. One way, fostered by Henkel Corporation Research and Development's Analytical Services Group, is the full integration of Total Quality Management within the structure of a self-managed team. Along with such Quality enablers as a specific goal-setting and review process, training in team dynamics and a method for monitoring improvements, a supportive management philosophy is critical for the success of the self-managed team. The outcome of this organizational structure has been a dramatic increase in request delivery rate, the efficiency with which the team solves problems, and customer satisfaction.