Are self-managing teams worthwhile?
by S. Jay Liebowitz , Kevin T. Holden Here we have two world-class corporations, Corning and Motorola, different in many respects, similar in others. Among their important differences is that Corning is unionized, while Motorola, domestically, is not. These companies show that either of these paths can lead to greatness. The secret lies in how effectively each manages its human resources. One interesting similarity is that both organizations are implementing self-managing work teams with apparent success. They have wrestled with the problem of what happens to the traditional foremen and supervisors and have found solutions that work. They have analyzed the financial costs and benefits of self-managing teams and seem pleased with the results. Corning(1), which has become a model for others to emulate, was rated the thirteenth most admired corporation in America by Fortune magazine (February 7, 1994), and was listed as one of “The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America” in Robert Leve
