Harris Semiconductor Division´s journey to self-directed work teams

Trust is the root of an empowered workforce. Managers and employees must be trustworthy. Without trust, the self-directed work team will fail. The new team structure requires management to learn a coaching style of leadership. Employees learn interpersonal skills while expanding their technical skill sets. Learning is centered around a win-win philosophy-an essential ingredient for a culture that values cooperation among all of its employees. Employees must be skilled in communication, planning, organizing and problem solving. Management will need to define initial structures, provide resources, and set expectations for key metrics so the teams can measure and assess their performance and growth