Union Seniority Vs. Self-Directed Work Teams

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the existence of a union within a team culture can be detrimental to promoting the fundamental concepts of self-directed teamwork. The author points out that, while it would seem that the political problems could possibly be overcome as trust builds over time, the basic problems are the seniority provisions of collective bargaining agreements versus the basic concepts of self-directed teamwork. The paper states that, as long as the seniority rules with respect to job promotions and craft boundaries continue to exist, unionized companies will never be able to fully realize the benefits of a self-directed team-based work force and, if not corrected, unionized companies will continue to pay out huge production bonuses but only get a fraction of the pay off.

Table of Contents
Terms Defined
The Issue of Union Seniority versus Team Culture
Union Politics
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"In the 1980's, while American manufacturing companies were utilizing organizational charts and multi-layered management personnel, foreign countries were restructuring their organizations to be streamlined, flexible, and responsive to customer needs. Consequently, American manufacturers lost a significant amount of business to the foreign markets. Many of the foreign manufacturers were practicing the principle that each employee had unused potential and that all organizations could run leaner by encouraging greater levels of employee participation. Manufacturers began to realize that to meet the demand for shorter delivery time and higher customer satisfaction, employees at the lower levels would have to become more responsible for the outcome of the product."

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