Team development at Fisher and Paykel: The introduction of 'Everyday Workplace Teams'

Abstract

This paper reports on the introduction of a team-working initiative at Fisher and Paykel, a manufacturing company in New Zealand. The initiative was based on a vision of 'Everyday Workplace Teams' whereby staff were organised into semi-autonomous teams and the skills and activities of being a team member were promoted as central to the everyday work of staff. Drawing on data from interviews, participant observation and documentation, this paper concludes that the team-working initiative has provided a platform for growth and promoted upskilling and improvement activities in teams. However, several significant lessons were learned about managing the change process, gaining commitment, aligning organisational systems and the applicability of a universal process. Those lessons which may have a wider applicability are highlighted.