From powerless to empowered: a case study and critique of production teams

This paper examines the introduction of team-based production systems in three Australian manufacturing facilities, all being small parts of much larger global concerns. Using a longitudinal case study approach, the paper identifies a range of problems experienced by the firms when introducing teams. While all firms enjoyed significant productivity growth, at least in part because of teams, a range of other reforms also contributed to this result. The quality of working life for production workers improved but managers and supervisors experienced an increase in work intensity.