Redesigning production through teamworking: Case studies from the Volvo Truck Corporation
International Journal of Operations & Production Management
ISSN: 0144-3577
Article publication date: 1 February 1996
Abstract
There has long been a debate concerning whether the technical division of labour should be structured around the individual or the group. With the developing of lean production and other forms of work organization under advanced manufacturing, teamworking has emerged as a central focus of redesigning production. However, considerable conceptual confusion remains, as well as sharply opposed models drawing on Japanese and Northern European traditions. Provides a framework for understanding the potentially different configurations of teamworking by distinguishing between technical, governance and normative dimensions. Explores these in the context of evidence from case studies of Volvo truck plants in Sweden. The variations observed in different production environments emphasize the point that there is no authentic, linear tradition, or undifferentiated package in theory or in practice.
Keywords
Citation
Thompson, P. and Wallace, T. (1996), "Redesigning production through teamworking: Case studies from the Volvo Truck Corporation", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 103-118. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443579610109875
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 1996, MCB UP Limited