The gradual transition to a team-based environment: the success story of a medium-sized manufacturing facility

This article will review the case in which a medium-sized manufacturing facility in upstate New York underwent the transition to a team-based environment. As with any change, this transition involved a decision process, a design process, and an implementation process. The transition took place gradually over a period of several years, allowing each stage to be studied in some detail. The degree to which these approaches are applicable to an organization will depend in part on how similar that organization is to the study facility; therefore, this article will begin with a background discussion of the nature of that facility.