Background

Work Structuring Limited successfully completed the first phase of a restructuring of a 15-year-old, 180-employee, £8m turnover company based in new buildings on a small industrial estate in the UK. The initial invitation was to advise on the "introduction of teams" as the Chairman and Managing Director had seen their competitors win new business on the strength of this way of working.

The Plastics Factory: The Problem

At the first exploratory meeting, it became evident that the company was faced with a full set of challenges, which ranged from productivity levels to quality and levels of skill, through poor teamworking among managers to tense relationships with the shop-floor.

Work Structuring advised against introducing teams in isolation, as this was a 'component-level' solution to a 'systems-level' set of problems.

To move forward, it was agreed that the management team would all complete the Organisation Situation Survey (OSS) questionnaire, which profiles a management team's current individual and group views on the relative importance of aspects of the whole business systems for success. The results of this identified two areas for initial attention:

1. Organisation structures (too many levels, need for clearer accountabilities)
2. Teamworking.

Application

A set of 'outcomes' was agreed, and the Seven Work Structuring principles were applied.

Benefits

The following was achieved:

• The management team committed itself to implementing a new streamlined organisation which reduced the number of steps from receiving a customer enquiry to delivering a finished product from 52 to 13.
• Savings in future employee numbers and 'operating costs' of £250,000 were targeted.
• A clear road-map to the future was drawn up, which included the formation of teams throughout manufacturing (who would later explore opportunities for flexible working and multi-skilling).
• A review of existing culture and a commitment to develop more empowerment for employees at all levels was made.
• Better teamworking was achieved, with a growing respect for the efficacy of the 6 teamworking dispositions.
• A demonstration of how effective personal development can be, through mentoring on a real 'action-learning' project, was evidenced by the growing maturity and confidence of the internal consultant.