Response to "Teams at Evans RV Wholesale Supply and Distribution Company"

For this case, there are a few mistakes Alex has already made in developing a team-based organization. First of all, this type of decision is not one that can be made quickly, if fact, the planning should take place in two phases: making the decision and preparingfor implementation. Before making the decision, Alex should have discussed it with top management to establish the leadership for the change, developed a steering committee, and conducted a feasibility study. These steps are neccessary to ensure that the work processes within the company are condusive to team use, that the employees are willing to work in teams, and if managers are willing to learn and apply a hands-off managerial style. Alex should have addressed these issues before reaching his decision and then prepared for implementation. This includes: clarifying the mission, selecting the site for the first work team, preparing the design team, planning the transfer of authority, and drafting the preliminary plan. Alex should have taken all of these steps before deciding to switch to a team-based organization. If I were a consultant for Alex, I would advise him to go back and go though all of these steps and to then decide if he still wanted to swith to a team based-company. During the preparation for implementation, I would suggest to him that he develop a mission statement that expresses the purpose of the teams and summarizes the long-range benefits he hopes to gain; this must also be consistent with the company's strategy. It should also set the parameters and boundaries within which the change will take place. Next, I would tell Alex he needs to advise his steering committee to decide where the first team will be implemented. The best site is one that includes workers from multiple jobs, one where improving performance is feasible,and one where the workers are open to the change. After the mission statement has been developed and the initial sites have been chosen, I would tell Alex to advise his steering committe to set up the team that will design the other teams. This team should be a select group of employees, supervisors, and managers who will work out the staffing and operational details to make the teams perform well. I would stress to Alex that considering the composition of the teams is one of the most important decisions throughout this process. Next, I would advise Alex to transfer authority from managers to team members. this step can take up to several years and is the most imperative and difficult part and is basically acultural change for the company. The last step I would advise Alex to take is to write a tentative plan for the initial work teams. This plan is used as a map throughout the transformation and will act as a guiding force. It should recommend a process for selecting people who will be on the first teams, describe roles and responsilibilites for those who will be affected, explains the training that will be needed, specifically identifies which work processes will be involved, and lays out a schedule for the next two to three years. As a consultant I would stress to Alex that this change should not be taken lightly and the entire organization needs to be prepared for this change.