working towards the same objectives’. The Nissan concept of
teamwork, as quoted by Wickens, is expressed in its General
Principles and emphasizes the need to:
■ Promote mutual trust and cooperation between the
company, its employees and the union.
■ Recognize that all employees, at whatever level, have a
valued part to play in the success of the company.
■ Seek actively the contributions of all employees in furthering
these goals.
Waterman (1988) has noted that teamwork ‘is a tricky business; it
requires people to pull together towards a set of shared goals or
values. It does not mean that they always agree on the best way
to get there. When they don’t agree they should discuss, even
argue, these differences.’
Richard Pascale (1990) underlined this point when he wrote
that successful companies can use conflict to stay ahead: ‘We are
almost always better served when conflict is surfaced and chan-
nelled, not suppressed.’ The pursuit of teamwork should not
lead to a ‘bland’ climate in the organization in which nothing
new or challenging ever happens. It is all very well to be ‘one big
happy family’, but this could be disastrous if it breeds compla-
cency and a cosy feeling that the family spirit comes first, what-
ever is happening in the outside world.
SELF-MANAGING TEAMS
Tom Peters (1988) strongly advocates the use of self-managing
teams. He calls it ‘the small within big principle’ and states that if
the organization is built around teams the result will be
‘enhanced focus, task orientation, innovativeness and individual
commitment’.
A self-managed team typically has the following characteris-
tics:
■ The team might be quite large – 12 to 15 members or even
more, depending on the work involved, with one team
leader.
■ Team leaders are accountable for the achievement of
schedule, quality, cost and people development goals, as well
288 How to be an Even Better Manager