SELF-MANAGING TEAMS --- CREATING AND MAINTAINING SELF-MANAGED WORK GROUPS --- AN ACTION PLAN FOR SUCCESS. by Robert F. Hicks and Diane Bone. Crisp, 1990
    PREFACE --- Self-managing teams (SMTs) may be the answer to making organizational changes.

      SMTs are small, autonomous work groups that contract with higher managment to take complete responsibility for a product, project, or service.

      Team members perform their own jobs and they "cross-trian" teammates as well. SMTs also take on varying degrees of management responsibility, which may include planning, scheduling, ordering, hiring, evaluating, and setting quality standards.

      SMTs are for organizations whose employees are flexible, willing to work, and value positive change. The SMT strategy holds enormous potential for improving both productdivity and employee satisfaction.

    PART 1 --- PREPARATION

      1) What is a self-managing team?

      A self-managing team (SMT) is a work group that operates with varying degrees of autonomy and without a visible manager. It contracts to assume management responsibility in addition to performing its specific jobs. The responsibilities can include planning, organizing, and directing and monitoring both their jobs and the administrative functions that support them. The team learns and shares jobs usually performed by a manager. (p2-8)

        [1] Where are the managers? (p3)

        [2] When does a team become self-managing? Teams may operate on a self-management continuum, with some more autonomous than others. Teams become self-managing when they "contracgt" for certain management responsibilities! (p4)

        [3] Why are self-managing teams important? Employee involvement improves productivity and quality. (p5)

          (1) Employees are an organization's greatest resource

          (2) SMTs "self-correct" quickly

          (3) SMTs provide today's work force with a means of self-expression. Intelligent employees want psychological enrichment and control of their lives. SMTs provide opportunities for employees to take responsibility for their actions. They are a logical way to group people who want to remain in an organization but value working creatively. SMTs are training groundsw for learning multiple tasks. (p5)

        [4] How did SMTs originate? (p6)

        [5] Should your work group become an SMT? (p7)

        [6] Section review (p8)

      2) Is your organization ready for self-managing teams? (p9-12)

        [1] Organization checklist (p10)

        [2] You be the judge (p11-12)

        [3] Section review (p12)

      3) Is your management ready for self-managing teams? (p13-19)

      4) Are you and your team ready for self managing? (p20-27)

      5) Self-managing teams --- facts and fables (p28-31)

      6) The change machine (32-34)

        [1] Change is both toxic and tonic

        [2] Change requires exchange

        [3] Change is stressless only for the mindless

        [4] Change challenges people in power

        [5] Change makes the natives restless

        [6] Section review

      7) Rewards and benefits --- self-esteem at work comes from (1) autonomy, (2) accepting responsibility, (3) accomplishment, and (4) belongingness (p35-40)

        [1] Self-esteem survey (p36-37)

        [2] Organizational benefits of SMTs --- when employee satisfaction increases, organizations reap benefits from SMT success! (p38)

        [3] Caution --- SMTs may be habit forming! (p39)

        [4] Section review (p40)

    PART 2 --- GETTING STARTED --- GO FOR IT! (p41-64)

      8) Readiness review (p42-47)

      9) A smart start for self-managing teams (p48-54)

      10) Assuring your success (p55-64)

    PART 3 --- ROUNDING OUT YOUR RESOURCES (p66-91)

      11) Self-managing teams facilitative skills (p66-84)

        [1] Check your perception (p67)

        [2] Self-managing means problem solving (p68-69)

        [3] Self-managing means gaining consensus (p70-72

          (1) Expertise is one source of influence --- knowledge or expertise about a subject accords power

          (2) A second power source is "personal credibility"

          (3) Political power is a third source of influence

        [4] Self-managing means self-correcting

        [5] Managing your team's process

        [6] Task ground rules exercise

        [7] People process ground rules

        [8] Developing your people-process skills

        [9] People-process skills assessment

        [10] Training for people-process skills

        [11] Section review

      12) Contracting --- a critical success factor (p85-91)

        [1] Contracting ground rules (p87-89)

        [2] Contracting --- a litmus test --- Creating an effective contract is not easy. It is a problem-solving and decision-making task. The only right answers to problems are ones upon which the team agrees! To complete the task, team members must share ideas. Creating a successful contract is directly proportional to the working maturity of team members. (p90)

        [2] Section review/summary --- when you work in a SMT, you will have more responsibilities and more job satisfaction:

          Key principles include being willing to change, determining initial roles, and developing task process and people process ground rules. (p91)

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