Acme Minerals: Teamwork in Organization

Chapter 19: Teamwork in Organizations

Teamwork in Organization

 Suwat L. 4643287626

 Hongnapa T. 4643288 26

 Hattaya S.4643289926

 Anisha J.46432

 Edoardo B.4643293 26

 Kanyachanit S.4643294026

Case Study : Chapter 19 Acme Minerals Extraction Company

ACME successfully introduced teams at the Wichita plant in order to improve morale and productivity. For ACME it was important to bridge the gap between the employees working in the “brains” which worked with sophisticated technology and were highly educated, and those working in the “browns” which were primarily skilled and semi-skilled employees that worked in the underground extracting operations.

To solve the conflicts between the two parts ACME hired an external consultant, Suzanne Howard. At the Wichita plant Ms Howard had the luck of finding Donald Peterson which was a long time employee who had been working in almost all the lines and positions at ACME. Mr. Peterson became the key to solving ACME problems since he understood both the “brains” and the “browns”.

The first step became encouraging talking across these groups. To do so monthly meetings were instituted for employees to freely participate to discuss their problems. In six months time the meetings became lively and led to many positive discussions and solutions.

The next step was creating SPITS, “select a problem and implement a tailored solution.” These were multi-division teams that had a limited lifespan