This paper considers a team-based approach to increasing productivity at Chrysler Company. Team-based productivity improvement approaches are effective because many workers like to operate together with their colleagues. A lot of people prefer working in groups to operating in solitude for various reasons. The first reason is that togetherness makes work to be fun and eliminates boredom. When one is working in a lonely environment, they are bound to feel bored with the job they are doing, and this reduces productivity in the entire organization. Moreover, a team-based approach to productivity encourages the exchange of ideas. Human beings are not perfect creatures hence they are bound to lack some important knowledge in specific areas. When people work as a team, information sharing makes sure that the overall productivity is improved because one's weakness is supported by another person's strength in the same area. The team-based approach normally offers a good platform for learning among workers. Toyota Company is an exemplary business entity in this area because it has successfully applied the team-based approach to increase its productivity as well as cut its costs hence Chrysler should use its strategy.
Toyota Company offers an example of a business entity that has successfully used the team-based approach to increase its productivity and cut its production costs significantly. It is team-based approach helps employees not to get bored by their repetitive job. Moreover, through Toyota's team-based approach, employees can support each other in doing the job. To effectively implement and entrench team-based approach into the organizational culture, Toyota ensured a high level of discipline among the employees. However, this company's team apparently prefers high quality to the great level of production, which makes it weak. Therefore, a proper training program has to be designed to provide workers with the necessary information regarding the high level of production strategies (Tinkelman, 2015).
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Toyota has long empowered teams since they were required for continuous improvement and discovery of any defects in the products. Teams used at Toyota Company are meant for detecting problems in products and solving emerging challenges. Defects have to be detected promptly and be stopped in time. When positions in the organizational structure of Toyota are scrapped, the relevant employees are not send off but accommodated in other areas for the purpose of achieving overall continuity in the business entity and maintaining the useful culture of the company. Furthermore, the very spirit of team-based approach is captured in the fact that employees are allowed to share their ideas and grievances through a comments box that is placed in every department (Shonk, 1992). Suggestions for the improvement of production are made through this mechanism and appropriate action was taken.
The team leaders at Toyota are selected from people who have an experience of at least 90 days. Moreover, the team leaders chosen must have attained the requisite attendance, safety, test scores and the performance records. Therefore, attendance is normally a sensitive matter for the team leaders of the groups. The team leaders are responsible for setting up the required productivity norms. Supervisors normally handle the implementation of rules while the maintenance of discipline is the task of the team leaders.
The team-based approach reduces the cost of production significantly since there is the optimal use of the machines and equipment during the process of production. Moreover, the output of the human resource is maximized. The resultant empowerment of the teams lead to increased production because the employees are motivated highly hence produce to their maximum ability.
Training issues to be faced by Chrysler Company
The Chrysler Company, which is contemplating using the team-based approach to increase its production, stands a good chance to benefit from it if it applies the strategy of Toyota Company. In the process of implementing the team-based approach, the company will be required to perform some training to its employees to help them understand how to work as a team. However, this training program will not be completed without the company facing some issues that it must address to succeed. The first issue that Chrysler Company will face in the training program is high costs of coaching. Training involves costs of remuneration to the trainer, payment for the training facilities and foods for the participants during the sessions. The company may be required to go deep into its financial coffers to foot the bill for this training program. To address this issue, it is vital that Chrysler Company plans long before this process starts. The can start saving finances for the program one year earlier.
Another issue that Chrysler Company may face includes the problem of slow and fast learners. Human beings are gifted differently. There are those who are quick to capture a concept once it is taught while others take time before they comprehend what is being presented to them. Slow learners normally require a lot of time and repetition of things to perfectly understand things. Therefore, putting all employees in one hall for training may be counterproductive (Noe, 2012). To properly address this issue, Chrysler must identify these slow learners and separate them from the fast ones. There should be two groups with the terms of training the fast learners different from those of the slow ones. The Toyota Company experiences various training issues in its team-based approach. However, it ensures it overcomes these challenges to make the team-based approach successful. Chrysler must follow its example in this area.
References
Noe, R. (2012). Employee Training & Development: Sixth Edition. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Shonk, J. H. (1992). Team-based organizations: Developing a successful team environment . Willowbrook, Illinois: Irwin Professional Publishing.
Tinkelman, D. P. (2015). Introductory Accounting: A Measurement Approach for Managers. Abingdon: Routledge.
