[Modern team work and rehabilitation of handicapped patients]

Since the early 90s, team work has become enormously important as a new model of labour organisation. Team work is the centre-piece of far-reaching restructuring and rationalization processes in companies. New team work concepts generate both risks and opportunities for workers with disabilities. The implementation of teams has been accompanied by a reduction of traditional employment areas in which people with disabilities have often been employed in stand-alone workplaces. Within teams, disabled workers may face discrimination and exclusion if other team members have to be afraid of wage cuts due to performance restrictions. The risk of exclusion has to be counteracted by adaptation and redesign of the working conditions, by selective training, mechanisms to manage social processes and conflicts in teams, as well as by rehabilitation.