Lessons learnt in work teams

Manufacturing firms are exploring different ways to remain profitable in today's globally competitive market. Human resources have been acknowledged as an important factor in developing sustainable competitive advantage. With an increased emphasis on developing human resources, many firms are empowering their employees by implementing Quality Circles and Employee Involvement Teams. There is a need to identify factors that are critical to implementing employee empowerment programmes and how to overcome resistance. This case study reports the experience of a US subsidiary of a Japanese firm with the employee empowerment programme and the subsequent steps it took to address the above mentioned issues.